《The Tyrant's Wife》


 Chapter 1 - You Are That Woman

    <h4>Chapter 1 - You Are That Woman</h4>


    Imperium City ¡ª 11 pm.


    The rays of the moon seeped into the huge European-styled bedroom through the open curtains.


    Desmond gazed gushingly at Zaria under the dim light. Her slightly dazed almond eyes seemed to suck him in like a vortex and he couldn''t help pressing another kiss onto her lips.


    She peeked at her bag as his lips trailed to her neck and his hands slid the straps of her top off her shoulders. Would this lighting be sufficient? If it was too dim, then it was pointless...


    "What''s the matter? Are you unwilling?" He sharply noticed her distraction with a frown.


    "Not that!" She panicked when he stopped. How could she get distracted at such a time? ''Focus, Zaria!'' She scolded herself and threw in an excuse through the sweetest smile she could manage. "I just like having the lights on."


    The man gave her an amused look and wordlessly snapped his fingers, then the lights turned on, much to her relief.


    He pushed her against the wall with his arm behind her waist. Just when she thought he was going to continue, he suddenly stopped with a pensive look on his face.


    Her heart skipped a beat. ''No¡­ you can''t get distracted now.'' She thought urgently. She decisively reached to stroke his chest, but he pushed her hands off him.


    "You are that woman." Desmond''s face scrunched up in realization as he eyed the woman in front of him. "You are that woman, aren''t you?"


    She remained calm under his scrutiny, but he didn''t miss the slight panic that shed through her eyes for half a second. She bit her lower lip and shed a brilliant smile. "Desmond, what are you saying? What woman?"


    He balled his fists and pulled away from her, resisting the urge to punch a dent into those pretentious eyes. He hated schemers like her, but what he hated most were liars!


    And this woman was both. As if being his enemy''s daughter wasn''t enough, she had the nerve to lie her way into his life as well? He grabbed her jacket and top from the floor and tossed them into her face. "Get out of my house."


    Seeing that she had no way out, she grabbed his hand, sobbing two trails of what he knew were fake tears. "Desmond, I can exin. Please listen to me."


    Yeah, right. Listen to her lies.


    He flung her hands away in disgust, looking down at her threateningly. "Get dressed and scram! Otherwise, don''t me me for wrecking what is left of your miserable life."


    The fake tears stopped as suddenly as they had started rolling. With trembling hands, she picked up her top and wore it at rapid speed, zipped up her jeans and grabbed her leather jacket and bag, then walked out of the room. There was nothing she could do to change his mind at this point, after all. Just as her fingers connected with the doorknob, she heard his voice, a few degrees calmer. "Wait."


    She turned robotically, not daring to let herself regain the tiny ray of hope that was crawling into her heart. He didn''t seem to have the intention to speak, so she carefully probed, "what is it?"


    He closed in on her, his height towering over her small frame intimidatingly. "Don''t let me ever see your disgusting face again, Savannah. Or is that even your name?"


    She looked him up and down, her lips clenched. "No, the name is Zaria, and no, you will not wreck my life. I will wreck yours!" She then forcefully opened the door, forcing him to retreat a few steps into the room, and banged it on her way out.


    "You and what army?" He chortled to the air after she had left. What had the worlde to? Even spineless little liars could afford to threaten him now?


    He grabbed his phone in a fit and was about to make a call that would ruin that young woman''s life forever, but on second thought, that would be no fun. A cat doesn''t kill a mouse immediately after catching it. It would be much more fun to watch the poor little mouse struggle for its life, thinking it could escape.


    "For daring to lie to me, I will make you pay tenfold." He red at the spot where she was standing just a moment ago, treating the wall as her.


    _


    "Who the hell does he think he is?! Zaria kicked a stone on the road, treating it like him. "Ow!" The pain shot through her toe, making her all the more enraged.


    "Just because he has some lousy money and status, he thinks he can boss everyone around? F*ck him!"


    "F*ck you Desmond Fort!" She yelled at the top of the lungs, then immediately felt a little relieved.


    "Hey, that wasn''t bad." She said to no one in particr then sucked in a long breath, gathering the loudest yell she could muster. "F*ck you! F*ck you! F*ck you!"


    Luckily, there was no one else on the streets since it waste at night. Otherwise, she might have ended up at a mental institution.


    Seeing a bench under a streetmp a few steps away, she went over and sat down, ignoring its coldness. She then took out a tiny camera, connected it to her phone, and checked the content. Her lips curled into a smirk when she saw the suggestive video of her and Desmond in his room. "Let''s see how you wiggle your way out of this."

 Chapter 2 - Giving Up

    <h4>Chapter 2 - Giving Up</h4>


    Realizing what time it was, Zaria knew that her father would be worried sick about her. Hence, she kept her phone back in her bag, picked her jacket, and headed home.


    _


    She pushed the front door open as gently as possible, trying not to make any noise while entering the house. She bent down and took off her shoes, then carried them as she snuck in. She was suddenly struck with a shock when she noticed the dimly lit living room, and that someone was sitting on the couch under the dim light, with a lit-up cigarette between his fingers. She patted her chest from the fright she had gotten.


    "Dad? Why are you still awake?"


    The man did not respond, so she assumed that he had not heard her. She walked over to him and sat on the couch beside him. He finally tilted his head to her. "You''re back."


    His sorrowful tone stuffed her heart with an excruciating ache. She pulled the cigarette from between his fingers and stubbed it out against the ashtray. "You are smoking again." She was helpless.


    He let out a smile¡ªone that did not reach his eyes and was fake¡ªand patted his daughter on the head. "It''s already sote. Go to sleep, okay?"


    Knowing that it was impossible to talk any sense into him right now, she decided to throw in the towel and stood up to leave for her room. Besides, she had something to do before sleeping.


    "Zaria." She heard him call her name just as she took her second step. She turned around with a quizzical look.


    "We have lived in Imperium for years now. Don''t you think it''s about time we went back to Luxenville?" He suggested with a cheerful smile¡ªa fake smile with a forced tone of cheer.


    "What?!" The sneakers in her hand dropped to the floor.


    "I mean, the reason why we came to Imperium in the first ce is for¡­ a reason that''s no longer valid." His eyebrows scrunched up and he subconsciously reached for a cigarette, letting it go once he remembered that he was trying to quit smoking.


    He looked up at his daughter who was gripping her jacket tightly. "We should go back. I have already booked the train tickets¡­ you have one week to prepare."


    "Why are we running away?" Her voice shook.


    "Who''s running away? We are only going back to where we belong. Don''t you miss Luxenville?"


    She breathed out a sigh and closed in on him. They came to Imperium City many years ago for a reason which turned out to be a failure in the end, but they had stayed for eighteen years. They were not going to go back because of some egocentric idiot who thought the whole world revolved around him. She chuckled a scoff. "Who are you trying to fool, dad? I know why you are doing this.


    Aren''t you the only one who keeps urging to keep trying and not give up? Why are you giving up now?"


    "Zaria, I do say that you should never give up¡ªunless you are going against Desmond Fort, that is."


    "What is he? A god?" She was annoyed.


    "You can say so." He was on the verge of breaking down.


    "Dad, I already told you that I''ve found a way out of this. I''m almost there. We cannot give up now."


    "You don''t need to say that to make me feel better. I already know what''s happening. It''s all over the news."


    "What news?" She reflexively took out her phone and checked the online gossip forums.


    Desmond Fort had decided to sue F&P Media for libel.


    She blinked and flopped back onto the couch. "Dad¡­"


    He tousled her hair. "It will be alright as long as we leave his turf. Get ready, my dear."


    He then stood up to go to his room.


    She sighed as she looked at the phone screen again. She had gone all the way to use a fake identity to approach that man and find leverage so she would be able to talk him into revoking his decision to sue F&P Media. But now, all her efforts had been rendered useless.


    This all happened because of one error. One mistake had led them to the predicament they were in right now.


    It was only because F&P Media had published a scandal about a family no one dared to offend.


    "Tch." Her lips twitched. No matter what, he was still too unreasonable! She hated people like him the most. Just because a shocking truth about his family had been exposed, he had twisted the facts and decided to sue theirpany?!


    And to think that a moment ago, she thought that she had been unfair by lying to him.

 Chapter 3 - Too Many Liars

    <h4>Chapter 3 - Too Many Liars</h4>


    The next evening.


    The phone on the nightstand vibrated.


    Desmond groaned and turned to his side on the bed, ignoring the call. It rang again incessantly, making him want to hurl curses at the caller. He raised his head in annoyance and saw the name "Liam" on his screen, making his brows furrow. Why was he disappointed?


    "What do you want?" He asked impatiently, a hand on his waist.


    "Yo, did you have explosives for dinner? Last I checked, you only had business deals for dinner, though." The caller taunted with loud music booming in his background.


    Desmond''s eyebrows scrunched into a frown. "You have ten seconds." He said impatiently.


    "Urgh¡­ don''t be a bore¡­" Liam groaned. But he had known Desmond long enough. Thetter would hang up if he didn''t speak up within the given time, so he said, "Come over to Singles Bar. We are drinking and having lots of fun. Hugo brought pretty girls from hispany too!"


    "Not interested." Desmond hung up without saying a word more.


    Thest time he went to that ce, Savannah happened. He swallowed a bitter gulp when he thought about it. The woman was irresistibly beautiful, had a brilliant infectious smile and a pair of eyes that seemed to draw in whoever was looking at them. He didn''t care much about women, but he was starting to care about her¡ªa little too much for his own good¡ªthen she turned out to be a liar. She lied about everything, including her name.


    How did she do it anyway? How could a simple woman have him fooled like a naive young man?


    An iing call interrupted his train of thought, and the annoying Liam Preston was at it again. "Can you at least give a valid reason before hanging up on your friend like that?"


    He was about to throw in "I''m tired" as an excuse and hung up again, but his mouth automatically changed that to, "I''ll be there in half an hour."


    Since he had already blurted that out, he decided he might as well go.


    After all, having fun and getting another woman was the fastest way to forget about Savannah¡­ well, Zaria. Or whatever her name was.


    ¡­


    Singles Bar.


    As the top VIP patrons and since they frequented the ce, Desmond and his friends had a special VIP room reserved exclusively for them. It offered a first-seat view of the rest of the bar, through an all-round, clear one-way mirror that one could almost not tell existed.


    The services offered were top-notch and there was nothing toin about.


    s, none of this was enough to keep Desmond entertained tonight.


    It had only been twenty minutes since he entered the club and he was already starting to regret his decision.


    The blonde woman before him was another damned liar. Her Identity Card read "Irene" even though she had been answering to "Gabrie" since his unreliable friend, Liam, introduced them.


    Her fake¡ªprobably practiced¡ªsmile and shy giggle were a worse turn off than her forced Spanish ent.


    Was this some new trend? Someone should tell these fake women that it was not pretty at all if that was what they intended it to be. Especially if they were not good at it. It made one wonder how Liam knew all these fakers.


    The worst part of this whole situation was the fact that from time to time, his mind would dart towards directions he should have forgotten already. He involuntarily nced down at the farthest seat in the bar¡ªthe first ce he had set his eyes on her.


    Her smile was what had captivated him the most. It was genuine, happy, and although she was just sitting there on her own and ying with her phone the whole time, she looked content.


    Slowly, his brain transformed the woman on that seat into the woman he now hated with all his blood, and he scoffed in anger. Why the hell was he thinking about her?


    It only got worse by the minute. Every woman he looked at turned into Zaria, and he would see her image even if he closed his eyes.


    He gulped down a bottle of alcohol in frustration. When he opened his eyes, he could see yet another "Zaria" in his line of sight. He frowned then blinked his eyes, only to realize that it was no longer a case of his mind ying tricks on him.


    She was the real Zaria in the flesh¡ªand she was entering the club with another man by her side. Just what games was fate trying to y?

 Chapter 4 - Watch Your Back

    <h4>Chapter 4 - Watch Your Back</h4>


    "Will this really work?" Zaria nervously asked as she entered the club with her friend, Ryan.


    The man smiled with a slight wink. "Trust me, it will. You just have to follow my lead and do as I say."


    "Okay¡­" she nodded even though she doubted that it would work. Shrugging, she decided that she may as well go with the flow. The worst that could happen is losing time¡ªwhich wouldn''t be a first or a second. She already tried so many ns, and all of them had failed, or she wouldn''t have resorted to seeking Ryan''s help.


    Ryan led her towards a VIP room she knew all too well, making her frown. "Wait, am I not supposed to keep my distance from him?"


    He smiled mischievously. "Of course you are." As though reading the next question on her mind, he added, "Don''t worry, I have ess."


    She wondered how that was possible. Wasn''t it reserved solely for Desmond and his friends? Ryan was not one of that asshole''s friends, right?


    As he pushed the door open, she wondered whether or not he would be there. Reminding herself to keep calm, she followed his lead into the room.


    ¡­


    They sat at the furthest corner from the door and ordered drinks, then minded their business and ignored everyone else in the room.


    She knew that Desmond was in the room. She could feel his hateful eyes ring at her. Heaven knew she would turn and re back at him if this went on for much longer.


    "What are we doing, exactly?" She asked the man opposite her. He didn''t seem to n anything since they got in and curiosity was getting the better of her.


    He snuck a peek in Desmond''s direction and was pleased when he saw how tightly thetter was gripping his ss. "What else would we be doing here? We are making Desmond jealous."


    "What?!" She almost mmed the bar counter in shock.


    "It works every time, trust me. No man would stand the woman they are interested in being with someone else. He will run back to you within¡­"


    She shook her head and was speechless. "Were you even listening to me when I exined the situation?" She bet he didn''t. Or he wouldn''t think Desmond could get jealous because of her. And to think she had expected Ryan''s so-called golden idea to help her!


    "Why do you look upset? It''s working, believe me. The guy''s been ring at me for about thirty minutes!" Ryanughed, and Zaria was speechless.


    He was not ring at you because he was ring at me.


    "Never mind. I''ll take a breather and be back shortly." She took her bag and exited the room onto the balcony, where she would be free from those evil eyes.


    s, the peace onlysted a moment before she heard a voice that was like a curse to her ears. She turned, and when she saw its owner, she felt a headacheing on. Just great.


    ¡­


    A few minutes ago.


    Desmond got a call, so he excused himself to answer it. He made his way to the balcony and was puzzled to see a familiar female figure leaning against the railing.


    She looked so gorgeous in her sequin dress and high-heeled shoes that he had the urge to get close to her¡ªand he did. Before he could stop himself, he closed in on her.


    He was going topliment her beauty, but when she turned, her condensing gaze met his own. What actually left his mouth was, "Why on earth are you following me?"


    Her mouth went wide in shock as her eyebrows furrowed. Shaking her head, she wordlessly reached into her silver purse and fished out her phone. Tapping on the screen furiously, she showed it to him. "Here."


    He looked down at the screen then back at her in confusion.


    She rolled her eyes at his actions scornfully. "Oh, you can''t read?"


    She held her phone, so he could see it clearly as she read from the dictionary definition of the word she had just searched.


    "Follow.


    /?f?l??/


    Verb


    1.To go ore after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); move behind."


    "What nonsense is this?" He frowned.


    She looked up from her phone seriously. "It seems to me like yournguage teacher forgot to teach you the meaning of the word "follow," so I helped you look it up in my dictionary app. You''re wee!"


    "Don''t you y dumb with me." He grabbed her hand, making her phone drop to the floor. His eyes looked into hers threateningly. "Leave. Right now."


    "And what if I don''t?" She looked right into his eyes daringly.


    "Then I don''t mind getting security to show you out." He smiled evilly.


    She scoffed like she had heard the most ridiculous thing. "Who the hell do you think you are, Desmond? Do you think the world revolves around you?"


    Seeing her angered and on the verge of losing it, a smile escaped his lips. "I am not the sun, so naturally, the world doesn''t revolve around me, but F$P Media does." Before she could react to his threat, he added, "Do you know what else revolves around me? This ce does."


    Zaria''s hand itched to p someone, but thinking about where she was, she held back. She had a feeling that this club belonged to him or one of his friends, and it would create another headline for her father if she was thrown out.


    Besides, she might just cause trouble for Ryan while at it.


    Hence, she could only retreat for now.


    But before she did, she mouthed "watch your back" and sliced her thumb across her neck.

 Chapter 5 - Shameless Jerk

    <h4>Chapter 5 - Shameless Jerk</h4>


    "What have I done?!" Zaria cursed at herself as she flopped onto the bed in her room. When she realized that Ryan''s n couldn''t be of help, she had hoped to meet Desmond and find a way to talk him into changing his mind. However, not only had she failed to do that, but she had angered him as well! How could she directly threaten to slit his throat?


    Just as she thought about it, her phone rang with a call from Ryan. She carefully slid a finger across the broken screen.


    "What happened? You simply disappeared from the club." Ryan asked worriedly.


    At a loss, she went ahead to exin what had happened with Desmond, including how she had demandedpensation for her phone, whose repair cost was probably aughable amount of money to a tycoon like him.


    "What will you do now? I know someone¡­"


    "You don''t need to help me anymore, Ryan." She rejected him before he coulde up with another bizarre n. Before he could insist, she added, "I have figured out what to do."


    "Oh? What will you do?" He sounded curious.


    Zaria caressed her purse, mischief shing through her eyes. "Pull out the big guns."


    __


    Monday morning¡ªPreston and Fort Group.


    In the CEO''s office.


    "What are you doing here?" Desmond red at the ier, Liam, as soon as he set foot into the office. He was so irritated by this guy''s unreliability that he didn''t want to see him for a single second¡ªand the fact that they were co-owners of Preston and Fort Group and worked in the same building wasn''t doing anything to help.


    "Trust me, the feeling is mutual." Liam sighed. "I mean, I am the COO here. Not only do I have to y my part, but I also have to run around and do errands for you." Heined grudgingly. Why was this guy so picky? It was simply hiring an executive assistant, but he had to nitpick every interviewee. Those who didn''t know would think he was hiring a wife instead of an EA.


    "Get lost if you have nothing to say." Said Desmond grumpily.


    Liam could only get more serious. "Here are the portfolios of today''s candidates. The interviews will begin at 11 am." He said the exact words he had been chanting like a mantra every day for the past six weeks.


    As usual, he took the files from him and read through them even though they both knew that none of those candidates would be picked. "Anything else?"


    "Yes. This is interesting." Liam wiggled his brows, curiously seeking gossip as he reported, "I received a call from a Zaria Williams a while ago."


    "Oh? What does she want?" He asked indifferently.


    "I have ''interesting'' pictures of Mr. Fort. I''m sure he doesn''t want them sttered across all the news forums of Imperium City, right?" He repeated Zaria''s message word for word, even mimicking her threatening yet yful tone. "Since I''m sure he doesn''t want the whole world¡ªincluding Miss Natalie Sparks¡ªto know what a yful jerk he has been. He will be a good boy and meet me at Royal Hotel, this afternoon at 3 pm. I will hit the send button if he is one secondte."


    Desmond''s expression darkened. That little¡ª! "You sure are gossipy." He condemned. The man had even memorized the whole message word for word.


    "Of course, I''m gossipy." Liam didn''t deny the usation. "Which gets me to my question. Who is this Zaria? Which sly fox did you mess with this time, and why did her voice sound so familiar?"


    Desmond was speechless. He had introduced the sly fox to him, and now he was asking who she was? "Clear my schedule this afternoon. I would like to see what tricks she has up her sleeves." His tone was full of mockery.


    "You are meeting her. This is interesting!" Liam hopped out of the office when he was met with a murderous re.


    ¡­


    Royal Hotel, at 2.59 pm.


    Sitting in a seat at the furthest corner from the door, Zaria had knots in her stomach. She had sent the threat so confidently this morning, but now that it was finally time to meet the devil, her heart was filled with tension. Would he really show up?


    She was still wondering whether or not to wait when she heard footsteps. Looking up, the devil had arrived and was ring down at her. He sat down just as the minute hand of the clock struck twelve.


    She raised an eyebrow in amusement. "So you truly do care about Miss Sparks'' opinion of you. Since this is the case, why do you still y around in her absence?"


    Natalie Sparks was his fianc¨¦e. Although it was rumored to be a business engagement between the Fort and Sparks families, it still didn''t justify his promiscuity. This was what she hated most about him; he liked fooling around with other women despite being engaged. What a shameless jerk...


    "I''m not here to chit chat with you." That was the first thing he said.

 Chapter 6 - Thats All?

    <h4>Chapter 6 - That''s All?</h4>


    She smiled at his annoyed tone. She must have hit the bullseye. "Why, then, are you here?"


    "Give me the photos." He went straight to the point.


    cing her hands on the table, she smiled in disinterest. "What if I don''t?"


    When he frowned, she looked at him cunningly. "You see, it is no fun if I give you the pictures and everyone goes their way. On the other hand, if I attach them to an email and send them to Na¡­"


    "You dare!" He growled before she could get the name out.


    "You do care about her, don''t you?" She didn''t know why it bothered her more than the general spite she had for cheaters.


    "What makes you think I would care about a woman''s opinion of me?" He scoffed. "She can think whatever the hell she wants."


    She raised an eyebrow at his im. "You are quite fond of saying things you don''t mean. Aren''t you, Mr. Fort?"


    "So are you." He threw the im back at her. "You asked me to watch my back but threatened to slit my throat."


    Just as she was about to call him out for bulshitting and faking nonchnce, he looked down at her condensingly. "I just don''t want my pictures to be in the possession of someone like you. That would be such a dishonor to them."


    Her teeth dug into her lower lip, her expression turning stern. "In that case, you have to get them out of my possession. And, before you even think about it, violence is not going to get you out of this."


    "What do you want?" He reclined in his seat. He knew that the darned woman must have some idiotic n in mind, or else she would not have used up her effort to get him to agree to this meeting.


    Since it had alreadye to this point, she decided to cut the chase. "It''s obvious, Mr. Fort. I want you to withdraw yourwsuit against F&P Media."


    His lips curled into a cold smirk. As expected. "And for some reason, you think that your lowly threat would make that possible?"


    She frowned and held back a curse. Did he think she didn''t dare to do it? Just when she was wondering whether there was anything she could gain from sending those photos to Natalie Sparks other than a new enemy and the title of a mistress, he swiped the phone out of her hand. "Although I appreciate the fact that you cannot keep your distance from me and so badly want to seek my attention, you should know that there is a limit to my patience."


    "Excuse me!" When did she seek his attention?! What a shameless narcissist!


    She was on the verge of exploding when he stood up. "Sigh, I thought you would have something more sensible to use against me. I''m a little disappointed¡­ but since we are at it anyway, how about I give you one?"


    She had a bad feeling about whatever it was, so she grabbed her bag and stood to leave. She was desperate to get F&P Media out of the ditch but that didn''t mean she would tolerate whatever nonsense he shoved her way. If worst came to worst, she would prepare to battle a tycoon in court.


    "Work for me." He said after her.


    Thinking her ears must have failed her, she turned with a smile of ridicule. "Why would I do that?"


    "Surely, you don''t need me to exin such a simple thing?" Desmond yed with his watch as though taking note of how much of his precious time she had wasted. "You need me to do this huge favor and I need an executive assistant. I looked you up and I think although you wouldn''t be the perfect fit, I can make-do for a while. Win-win, right?"


    What did he mean he could make do? Putting her ster academic qualifications aside, she had been her dad''s executive assistant for four years and he had never had anything toin about.


    She snorted at his audacity. "Think about it, Desmond. Do you think there is anyone who is willing to work for an asshole like you?"


    "With the tens of applications on Liam''s desk every morning¡ªsome from the same people I have rejected a hundred times¡ªprobably yes. And by the way, you are the only one who thinks I''m an asshole. What''s it gonna be?"


    Knowing that she was about to give him a cold, resounding "no", he quickly added, "I will let you think about it. Don''t be too long, Miss Williams, I never wait for anyone." And this is probably the first andst time that I don''t feel too unwilling to call off the suit, he added mentally as he turned to leave.


    "My phone!" She called after him.


    He turned back then scanned the aged phone in his hand, whose screen looked like a web. ''Does this thing even function?'' He wondered, but held back the nastyment and gave the phone back to her.


    ¡­


    Zaria went home to think about the offer. She did need a job right now, since she and her dad had both lost their jobs following F&P Media''s scandals. However, all she wanted was to get thewsuit revoked and to cut ties with Desmond after that. Being his employee was definitely not part of the deal.


    But, if she didn''t grab this chance, would she have any other choice?


    She was still thinking when the doorbell rang. She was surprised to see a delivery girl outside, holding a small package with her name on it. "I didn''t order anything."


    "The gentleman who ordered it said it was a gift for you." Replied the delivery girl.


    Could the said gentleman be Ryan? She wondered.


    Confused, she signed for the package and wondered what the asion was. She curiously opened it as soon as she got back into the house, then her jaw went ck. She was holding thetest model of the most admired phone in Olphire, which was more expensive than her annual sry. In fact, this was the first time she was seeing it in person and she wouldn''t recognize it if she had not seen it online.


    Her hand trembled as she picked up the note she found under the phone.


    [You''re wee¡ªD]


    "Desmond¡­" She mumbled.


    Was he crazy?!

 Chapter 7 - Sneaky

    <h4>Chapter 7 - Sneaky</h4>


    Zaria stared at the phone in her hand with aplicated gaze. There were so many things she was tempted to do. Call Desmond and thank him for it, sell it, and use the money to try and save F&P Media, look through it out of curiosity¡­ but the only rational thing to do was to return it to Desmond.


    They were not close enough to send presents to each other, much less such expensive ones. If he was doing it solely out of pity, she didn''t need it.


    Hence, making up her mind, she made her way to his mansion.


    ¡­


    As soon as she got to the entrance, she clenched her fists with a sigh. She had left this ce with almost no dignity left, after being kicked out like she was a stray animal. Yet here she was again.


    But then again, she was only here because she wanted to return a gift she didn''t want. Who knew what terms that unreasonable man woulde up with if she used it?


    If only there was any servant in the mansion. She would simply leave it to them and flee as soon as possible. But then, the man liked to be alone and all the part-time servants would leave as soon as he came home.


    "Wait a minute. I can do just that." She thought. Creeping in through the open door, she ced the box containing the phone on the white leather couch closest to the entrance and stuck on it a post-it with thebel [Thanks. But no, thanks¡ªZ]


    Her brows furrowed when she realized that she sounded just like him, but that didn''t matter. She didn''t have time to change it.


    She was preparing to sneak out when she heard footstepsing from the staircase. Her whole body froze in trepidation. Had she been caught so soon?


    "Are you sneaking into my house while I''m right here?" He gazed at her teasingly.


    Zaria felt a chill down her spine as she recalled the events from thest time she was in this mansion. "I¡­ I didn''t¡­"


    He walked over to her. Before she could try to escape, he mmed a hand against the wall behind her and trapped her. "Are you denying what you did even though you were caught in the act? How very naughty of you."


    Her heart raced, but she was sure that it had nothing to do with her being scared. She tried not to look at his bare chest, which was suddenly in her vicinity. The man must have just finished showering because he was wearing nothing but a loosely tied bathrobe, which had a low cut.


    His firm, perfectly toned abs were a feast for the eyes and the fact that they were still moist from his shower was not doing anything to keep her eyes away from them. She unknowingly checked and estimated that paired with his solid biceps, he should have eight cubes on his abdomen and a perfectly defined V-line.


    "Do you like what you''re seeing?" He followed her gaze down his body.


    "Hell no!" She reflexively denied it. She did appreciate handsome men with such sexy bodies, but she didn''t like his. Scratch that, she found his body seductive and his face was drool-worthy too.


    She knew her thoughts weren''t making any sense at the moment, but she found it such a pity that a handsome man like him had such an arrogant personality. What a waste of handsomeness!


    Desmondughed at her denial despite how flushed her cheeks were and decided to let her off, then sat on the couch with his legs crossed. "I would ask why you are here, but then I was expecting you."


    "Great. That saves me the trouble of having to exin." Zaria finally gathered her brains back into ce. "In that case, I will be on my way."


    "I didn''t say you could go." He stopped her just as she was about to flee.


    "What do you want?" She sighed helplessly.


    He raised an eyebrow at the phone on the couch beside him. "I believe that does not belong to me."


    "I''m giving it back." She exined that even though she knew that he had already figured it out and didn''t need her to point it out. Seeing that he was not reacting, she added "I cannot say that I do not appreciate your gesture. But Desmond, I can buy my own phone when I think I need one. I don''t need you to buy me one out of pity."


    "I see." He looked deep in thought. "Whoever said I was pitying you?"


    She gave him a nk look. Wasn''t it obvious?


    He shrugged at her usatory look. "You are mistaken. I''m only doing this because you will soon be an employee of Preston and Fort Group. One of the employee benefits is to ensure that you livefortably,municatefortably and travelfortably. So, if you see a car arrive at your home within the next few hours, don''t waste your time trying to give it back."


    Her mind went nk. Not only was the phone part of her employee benefits, but she would also get a car too? Were multi-billion conglomerates so generous? She had not even verbally agreed to work for him, let alone sign a contract! Wasn''t he scared that she would run away with the benefits he was giving her?


    "Your interview is on Monday at 9 am. Use this time to prepare." He rubbed his damp hair and added, as though reading her mind, "Don''t worry, you are already qualified and the interview is merely a formality, but don''t you even think of missing it. You will not get away."


    "I¡­" She couldn''t deny that she was indeed thinking of doing just that. Hence, she nodded and said nothing more.


    She took up the box from the couch and was about to happily gush about how she had misunderstood him and he was truly a gentleman, but what he said next ruined it all.


    "Besides, you were my girlfriend for a while¡ªalbeit a fake one¡ªbut you did not receive any benefits. Take this as one of them."


    She looked at him in shock, surprise shing in her eyes. So this was what it was about.


    She dumped the phone right back on the couch. "You jerk!" She angrily made it to the door.


    He leaped from the couch and grabbed her hand to stop her. "How am I¡­"


    She swung her hand and in the next second, a p resounded as she glowered at him. "Keep your ridiculous gifts!"

 Chapter 8 - Unpreceded!

    <h4>Chapter 8 - Unpreceded!</h4>


    "Oh my God! Hahahahaha!" Liam fell off the couch from how hard he wasughing. Who would have thought that Desmond would also go through that kind of trouble? "Wait. Is it that Zaria girl, the cunning fox you talked about before?"


    "Shut up." Thest thing Desmond wanted to hear right now was Zaria''s name.


    "No, seriously, after all these years, you really don''t know how to make a woman happy? You even earned a p for getting her presents." Liam eyed his friend''s palm-printed cheek. The girl was so vicious¡­ even though a whole day had passed and Desmond had been applying ice packs, one could still guess what had happened. He wanted to burst into a fresh bout ofughter when he recalled how bbergasted everyone had been when they saw the CEO parading around his freshly pped face.


    However, he was too shocked tough. Such a gutsy girl existed? No matter how he thought about it, he couldn''t believe this oue.


    Desmond couldn''t believe it either. "How would I have known? All the women I dated in the past asked for jewelry, cars and mansions in the name of our rtionship, and they were always happy to get them. How would I have known that there is one who thinks I''m a jerk for wanting to give her the same gifts?"


    Liam held his chin with an eyebrow cocked in thought. "Well, I do know that women are not the same. Perhaps she thought that by giving her expensive gifts, you were implying that she was with you for your wealth.


    His expression darkened. That woman was surely not with him for his wealth, she had been with him for F&P Media and that rtionship was long over. Besides, why would he go out of his way to learn how to please a woman? It had always been the vice versa for him; countless women would do anything to please him, and that was not even the main point. The main point was, he was not trying to get Zaria to be his girlfriend so she could think whatever she wanted.


    As though reading his friend''s mind, Liam shook his head. "Don''t even think of dismissing this matter. You better apologize to Zaria."


    "Apologize?" Desmond cringed at the thought of it. Since when did he need to do that and why would he make an exception for Zaria?


    "Didn''t you say that she was the most suitable candidate for an executive assistant?" he pointed out.


    Yeah, that. Desmond Sighed. Among all the portfolios he had gone through, he had to admit that Zaria was indeed an irreceable candidate. If she decided to give up on the job, he didn''t think he would ever be satisfied with any other.


    "She cannot give up." Heughed victoriously when he remembered the only reason why she had said yes in the first ce. "Besides, if she really does disregard everything and decide to quit, the worst that could happen is that you will be stuck being my EA for a while longer.


    "What the heck?!" Liam was stumped. How did he get shot down even while simply being a passerby and minding his own business? When he saw his friend''s smug look, he knew that thetter was doing it on purpose.


    ___


    Phoenix Apartments.


    Zaria was just about to go out and meet with Ryan at the hospital when someone stood in her way.


    She was sure she didn''t recognize this man so she couldn''tprehend his behaviour. "If you''ll excuse me."


    "Miss Williams, hello." Liam took off his sunsses and looked at the woman before him like she was a deity. She must be. After all, she was the only woman with guts so strong that she could p Desmond soon after threatening him.


    "Do I know you?" She asked.


    "Eh? You had me send a message on your behalf but now you im not to know me? My heart is broken." He ced a hand over the left side of his chest.


    She cocked a brow. Pass a message? She then recalled that the only message she had sent through someone else recently was the threat to Desmond. So the man before her was¡­ "Liam Preston?"


    "Phew! I''m d you finally remembered me." He looked relieved.


    "How may I help you?" No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn''t guess why a tycoon like Liam Preston was standing before her. How did he get to this part of the city to begin with? Did he lose his way while trying to go somewhere else?


    Liam noticed her quizzical scrutiny and knew that she must be wary of Desmond and everyone close to him. Urgh.. that troublesome man.


    He thought through his words before saying, "I''m here to apologize to you on behalf of Desmond."


    "Since when can people apologize on behalf of each other?" She was irked. Of course, that arrogant man would never bring himself to do such a thing. She in fact suspected that Liam was lying about it.


    her suspicion was not wrong. Desmond didn''t send such a message but Liam knew that if he did not use his friend''s name, Zaria would not ept the apology. But seeing that thedy was not easy to convince, he was at a loss. He decided to change his tactics. "By the way, I went through your information. You are so hardworking and smart, no wonder everyone says that you are Mr. Williams'' golden EA."


    "What''s your point?" Zaria was sure that he was not merelyplimenting her.


    Liam smiled happily. "I feel like I''m the luckiest man on earth. Even though you will not be my assistant, the fact that we will be working in the samepany is an honor to me."


    Zaria was helpless. There wasn''t anyone who didn''t like beingplimented, but, "I was initially intending to¡­"


    "Please don''t." Liam suddenly pleaded with urgence. "If you change your mind and don''te for the interview on Monday, I will have to continue upying two roles. It''s been hard on me¡­"


    "Aren''t there hundreds of candidates, including those that submit their applications despite being rejected countless times?" She mimicked Desmond''s arrogant tone through the second part.


    "They''re not half as good as you! It was already hard enough before you appeared but when you did, it will be even harder since his standards for an EA must have doubled."


    Zaria was speechless. It was her fault now? She was still torn in between the need to fulfill her part of the deal and the fear that Desmond would revenge for that p. Now that Liam was looking at her so pitifully, she could no longer bring herself to say no. "Fine, see you on Monday."


    "Really?" Liam''s eyes shone. "You said yes. You cannot go back on your word!"


    "Yes, I did. Can I go now?" She rubbed her temples.


    Liam got out of her way and punched the air from the joy he felt after achieving his victory.


    That idiot should learn from him. Coaxing a girl wasn''t that hard, women were rational and soft-hearted after all. It was only when faced with jerks like his best friend that they became difficult to deal with.


    He smiled and made a call to brag about his sess, as Zaria headed for the exit.


    He walked towards the parking lot as he talked and when he left the premises, he was surprised to see her waiting outside for a cab. Before he could stop himself, he rolled down his window. "Where are you going?"


    "To Grand View Hospital." She responded without thinking too much of it.


    Liam thought about it. This was a future employee of Preston and Fort Group so there was no harm in dropping his future subordinate off. "What a coincidence. I''m going there too. Why don''t I drop you off?"


    Zaria wondered why a man like Liam would want to go to Grand View Hospital. Was he unwell? No, the main point was, didn''t most tycoons have personal doctors?


    Besides, Grand View Hospital was said to have been built by an heiress who wanted to use her inheritance for charity, so all the hospital services were free. Surely, Liam didn''t need free medical services, right?


    ''Perhaps he wants to be an investor or sponsor?'' She thought.


    Since she didn''t seem to get any cab at this time, she decided to agree to the ride. He was her future boss after all.


    Liam was amused when she settled in the backseat. However, he said nothing about it and drove off.


    His eyes caught her figure in the backseat through the mirror and he couldn''t help peeking a little more. She was dressed up in a simple jeans and pink t-shirt, and had her hair in a neat ponytail. She didn''t have any makeup on, just a tiny bit of lip gloss, but she was still captivating.


    What a beauty. No wonder Desmond was going crazy.

 Chapter 9 - Romance Blocker

    <h4>Chapter 9 - Romance Blocker</h4>


    It was only when she almost caught him staring at her that he averted his gaze and concentrated on driving. Perhaps because he was in thepany of stunning beauty, the drive to the hospital was much shorter than he had expected.


    He pulled over at the parking lot and got off the car to help her out.


    "Thank you." She smiled as she stepped out.


    "You don''t need to thank me." He unconsciously scratched the back of his neck. He was just about to add that she should contact him if she ever had trouble getting anywhere when another man appeared out of thin air and grabbed her hand, giving him a hostile look.


    "Oh, Ryan. I was just about to go find you." She smiled at the ier.


    Liam stared at the man called Ryan. He looked quite familiar, especially his deep-set green eyes that looked like they could emit fireballs and burn him to death.


    Zaria didn''t seem to notice his hostility and she clung onto his arm fondly as she introduced him. "Mr. Preston, this is the friend¡ªthe one I was going to meet. Ryan, this is..."


    "Liam Preston, your soon-to-be boss, right? By the way, I still think you will regret your decision." He spoke as though Liam was nothing but an air particle.


    "Ryan!" She scolded and jabbed him, then nced at the bbergasted Liam. "I''m sorry. Ryan''s mouth has no filter."


    He dragged her away before Liam had the chance to react.


    Liam raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Now, that is interesting."


    Had Desmond gained a romantic blocker even before he realized that he wanted to pursue the beauty? To jab his own best friend, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of Zaria and Ryan''s retreating backs. Thetter was still grabbing onto the former''s arm. Liam knew what was happening, but those who didn''t know would think they were a couple.


    He nced at his masterpiece proudly. Desmond''s expression would totally be worth it.


    ¡­


    "Don''t get too close to him." Ryan warned yet again as they headed to his sister''s ward. From the very moment Zaria told him about her new job offer, he had been totally against it.


    Zaria was helpless, but it was not surprising that Ryan hated Desmond Fort and everyone close to him. After all, they had made his friend''s family suffer so much¡­


    When he saw that she was not going to answer him, he changed the topic. "How is your dad?"


    "Still hopeless, as you can imagine." She sighed. He was one of the reasons why she would stop at nothing to save F&P media. It was his blood and sweat and also represented his painful yet precious memories.


    Ryan held her hand, which was nothing new. "It will be alright. I will do my best to help as well."


    Zaria shook her head instantly. "It''s really alright. You should focus on Nina more."


    Ryan''s little sister, Nina, was undergoing a severe case of post-traumatic depression. After their parents'' demise, the two of them only had each other, so he was the only one who could take care of her. Zaria would visit her once in a while, but ultimately, she wouldn''t seek Ryan for help unless she really had no choice left; because he already had enough on his te.


    However, thetter was determined to help. He turned to re at her. "So, would you rather suffer than get me to help? Are we really friends?"


    "Well¡­" She was helpless. Luckily, they arrived at Nina''s ward so they naturally stopped talking about it.


    The door opened to reveal a frail teenager staring out of the window. She turned defensively when she realized that her personal space had been intruded. Although she was quite pretty, with features simr to her brother''s and even had the same blonde hair and green eyes, she was lifeless inparison. Even her gaze was like that of a doll.


    However, as soon as she saw her brother, her lips curled up slightly and she was visibly happier. She held a hand out to Zaria.


    Zaria walked forward and hugged her. "Hello, Nina. How have you been?"


    Thetter didn''t answer her, but from her cheerful smile, Zaria understood that she had been well. However, just a few secondster, her expression turned sad as she looked up at Zaria.

 Chapter 10 - Interview (1)

    <h4>Chapter 10 - Interview (1)</h4>


    "Uh¡­" Zaria did notprehend the change in her mood, so she turned to look quizzically at Ryan.


    He understood his little sister more than anyone would, so he gently exined, "You promised to visit her often, but it''s been long since you did, so she is sad about your broken promise."


    Zaria suddenly remembered that she did make that promise. "I''m so sorry!"


    She had been so caught up in the current matters that it slipped her mind. She looked down at the teenager clinging to her apologetically. "I''m sorry, Nina. I really didn''t mean to forget it¡­" She didn''t want to dump her issues on the girl so she cut it short. "Will you please forgive me?"


    Nina scanned her expression as though gauging whether she was being honest. When she was satisfied, she nodded slowly. She then looked at her with sparkling eyes as though she was anticipating something.


    Zaria unconsciously darted her eyes to Ryan who was watching with a smile while leaning against the door.


    "She wants to know when you will see her again." He exined naturally, his smile deepening.


    Zaria thought through her schedule. She would start going to work soon so she would not be able toe during the day. "How about Monday in the evening?"


    Satisfied, the girl nodded in anticipation.


    ___


    Meanwhile in Desmond''s mansion.


    Liam was once againughing his butt off after showing the pictures to his friend. As expected, Desmond was on the verge of exploding.


    "I told you, didn''t I? If you do not make any effort to make the woman you like happy, another man will." Liam lectured, gloating at his friend''s misfortune.


    Desmond sucked in a breath and decided not to pay attention to him. "I want to know about this man. I find him awfully familiar."


    "What a coincidence. I thought he is familiar too¡­" Liam tried to think about it but couldn''t get an answer no matter how hard he racked his brains. In the end, he decided to let go. "Just how many people have we encountered? He could be just one of the many."


    Desmond recalled a hurtful detail. This was the man who had brought Zaria to Singles bar not too long ago. Recalling this, he red at the picture on the screen like he could burn it to ashes. To be exact, he was ring at Ryan''s hand that was grabbing onto Zaria''s arm like he could burn it. His curiosity about the man intensified. "Help me find out who he is."


    "Of course!" Liam had been waiting for that order. of course, he was not curious about Ryan¡ªat least not as curious as Desmond was. It was only because this order might be the onset of an intense battle for beauty that he quickly got someone to start investigating.


    ___


    Monday, 7:30 am.


    Zaria snoozed her rm clock for the umpteenth time. "Just ten more minutes."


    Waking up was the hardest part of her day and the fact that she was going to Preston and Fort Group wasn''t making it any easier.


    At the thought of Preston and Fort Group, she jolted awake. She would bete!


    It wasn''t that she was too slow in getting dressed up. However, in this part of the city, getting cabs wasn''t that easy and if she wanted to catch the bus, she would have to leave early or else she would bete.


    Hence, she took a quick shower and changed into a blue skirt suit. Although the suit was not from an expensive brand and was a little aged, she had taken good care of it so it still looked beautiful on her. She put on a dab of makeup and straightened her hair. After wearing a pair of nude-colored heels, she quickly made a cup of coffee and carried it to take on her way.


    ¡­


    She arrived at Preston and Fort Group building with twenty minutes to spare. It was worth the rush. After submitting her details at the reception, she was allowed into a conference room on the twenty-first floor, where the interviews were being held.


    ___


    Author''s note;


    Dear readers, if you would like to know more about the book, spoilers, references and inspirations or chat with other readers, join my discord server. Type the following link onto your browser : tinyurl/avalorian. I hope to see you there!

 Chapter 11 - Interview(2)

    <h4>Chapter 11 - Interview(2)</h4>


    She took in a deep breath, reminded herself that she was going to ace it, and then softly knocked. In the instant that she did, a thought crossed her mind. What if the unreasonable man decided to use this chance to humiliate her?


    ''Then I will dish out the same favor and humiliate him, his family, and his ancestors''. She threatened in her mind, just as a deep male voice said to go in. She pushed the door open and, contrary to the panel of poker-faced interviewers like she had expected, the only people present were Liam and the serious-faced Desmond.


    Her gaze lingered on him for a second longer than it needed to. He was wearing a slim-fit ck suit with a silver tie and reclined in his backrest. Even though she knew that he was probably not paying any special attention to her, she felt nervous when he raised his head and looked at her. His gaze was intrusive, making her want to grab a mirror and check if she looked presentable.


    Liam jabbed him as though reminding him of something. Thetter nodded, and Zaria was sure that she didn''t want to understand their strangenguage.


    "Have a seat. Let''s begin." Said Liam. Before she really had her seat, he fired off the first question. "Miss Williams, where did you work previously, and what was your upation?"


    "I was the Executive Assistant of F&P Media''s CEO." She repeated what they already knew.


    "And then what happened?" Liam curiously asked yet another question whose answer he already knew.


    Still, she yed along and answered, "Thepany went bankrupt."


    Liam looked through a file for a while then when he looked at her again, he stated, "You are hired. You can report to work as soon as possible."


    Zaria was speechless. What? Even if it was just a formality, wasn''t that a little too¡­


    When Desmond saw how puzzled she looked, he spoke up for the first time since she entered the room. "Like I said before, I already concluded that you qualified for this job and so did Liam. The interview was just to fulfill thepany''s employment procedure."


    Hearing this, she nodded her head.


    Liam then passed over the employment contract for her to sign. Knowing what a cunning and vengeful man Desmond was, she read every use carefully as the amused duo remained silent and waited for her to finish it. Surprisingly, there were no hidden uses, no loopholes, and nothing she was unsatisfied with¡­ except the period stated on the contract.


    "Ten years?! But, when F&P Media is back on track, my dad will need me back in thepany. Wouldn''t it be a little too difficult to be the executive assistant of two CEOs at the same time?"


    Desmond''s lips twitched at the corners as his eyebrows creased. "You really think you can still save a fallenpany? I say you¡­"


    Liam interrupted his friend by jabbing him and then he red at him furiously. When he sessfully shut the other up, he smiled towards Zaria. "What this unreliable CEO is trying to say is that it will be a pity to lose an outstanding employee like you, so we would love to keep you for as long as possible."


    Desmond red at Liam. Thetter ignored him to add, "However, thest thing we want is to make you ufortable. So, if you find this part too troublesome, we can change it."


    Zaria let out a sigh of relief. At least there was a reasonable person in Preston and Fort Group. "Great. Can we change it to one year?"


    She believed that working for a multibillion conglomerate as an executive employee with her annual sry would be enough to revive F&P Media (Soon after Desmond revoked hiswsuit, of course).


    "Uh¡­ that¡­" Liam scratched his spiky hair. Was it possible to get Desmond another assistant he would be satisfied with within a year?


    He was wondering what to say when Desmond pulled over his notebook and stylus and wrote a digit. He then slid it over to Zaria. "This is your current basic sry as stated in the contract. If you sign up for the stated period, it will be doubled and so will every bonus you get."

 Chapter 12 - Interview(3)

    <h4>Chapter 12 - Interview(3)</h4>


    Zaria was shocked when she saw the countless zeros on the screen. She tried to find a decimal point, and when she didn''t, her heart almost stopped beating as her eyes widened at the six zeros. This was multiple times higher than she had anticipated, and it would even be doubled? That would be enough to revive F&P Media as well as move into a better residence with her dad!


    However, she still didn''t think she could tolerate a certain someone''s tyranny for that long¡­


    Desmond observed her as he tapped his forefinger on the surface of the desk. Seeing that she didn''t look convinced, he threw in another term that shocked even Liam who was enjoying the show. "You will get an advance payment of six months."


    She choked on her saliva and coughed, almost making a fool of herself. It was already shocking that she would get millions in annual sry and bonuses to add on that, and now she would be given an advance sry as well? No matter how she thought about it, she was the one benefitting from it.


    "Just ten years, right?" She grabbed a pen but paused just as she was about to sign it.


    "What is it?" Desmond, who was about to do a happy dance, was in despair at her hesitation.


    She peeked at Liam and realized that he was currently minding his own business, so she boldly said to Desmond, "Just¡­ don''t ask me to do anything against work ethics, okay?"


    "That''s doable." Thetter didn''t flinch.


    She held the pen and looked up at him as she confidently added, "This includes workce rtionships."


    "Don''t worry, no one wants to be in a rtionship with you." Annoyance flickered in his eyes.


    How mean. Zaria scolded him a hundred times in her heart, but his response was reassuring so she signed the contract. He took it back with a serious expression and instructed Liam to show her to her office.


    ¡­


    Compared to the battle she had expected to fight, everything had gone more smoothly. Even so, why did she still have a bad feeling? Something was definitely not right, especially since the deal was this good.


    Her office would be next to Desmond. It was more luxurious than she imagined, with top-quality furniture and equipment. She had thought that it would be dusty since Liam had mentioned that it had been vacant for six weeks, but contrary to her expectation, everything was spotless and in perfect order.


    "If there is anything you would like to change, feel free to tell me about it. This is the office you will be stuck in for ten years, after all." Liamughed. He was happier about being relieved of some of the duties that had been forced upon him than he was about gaining a new employee.


    "It''s perfect." She was still in awe. Why would she want to change anything?


    Liam was satisfied with her answer. "You can start work tomorrow. Use the rest of the day to prepare for your ten-year stay." Something about his tone sounded off. Why did it seem like he was pitying her?


    Zaria froze at the mention of ten years. Now that he mentioned it, she really deserved all those benefits mentioned by Desmond. Ten years of working under a tyrant asshole in exchange for millions was a fair deal.


    Little did she know the kind of nightmare that was in store for her.


    ¡­


    After familiarizing with her new office, Zaria decided to have a word with Desmond before leaving.


    The man seemed to have been expecting her. He was rolling a penzily with his chin in his hand.


    In case he started spouting any more crap about her seeking his attention, she went straight to the point. "I havepleted my part of the deal. I guess it''s time for you to fulfill yours."


    He gave her an amused expression. "You havepleted your part of the deal? Why do I seem to remember that the deal will bepleted on¡­" He paused and checked the calendar on his desk. "20th August ten yearster?"


    ____


    A.N


    Check out my other books;


    My Beautiful Love


    The Overnight Chosen Wife: Darling, kiss me deeper


    Viiness 101: The President''s wife is a vengeful devil.


    Thanks for reading! <3

 Chapter 13 - Asshole Boss

    <h4>Chapter 13 - Asshole Boss</h4>


    Her jaw dropped in disbelief. What?! She realized that he was trying to y a word game to pin her down and get away with it, but she was not going to give him the chance.


    She held a hand on her hip as she berated. "Mr. Fort, you promised to call off the suit if I became an employee of Preston and Fort Group and I am now. And, if you are going to try ying word games with me¡­" Her gazended on his left cheek. "That will not be my limit."


    Desmond felt a sting from her mere words. Although it was no longer swollen, it still irked him. Vicious woman¡­ "You don''t need to do that, thank you very much. I only wanted to know whether you are the kind of person who will take people''s crap when others try to put you down."


    "Are you worried that I will make you lose face for having a coward for an assistant?" She guffawed at the man''s lowly evaluation of her. "Don''t worry. I will kick the butt of anyone who crosses the line ¡ªand that very much includes you."


    His lips curled into a curious smile. Did she have some weird hobby of threatening people?


    "You will not need to do that." His smile turned devious. "Regarding the suit, the truth is, it requires time and effort to revoke it."


    Did it? Zaria was ready to attack. "So what?"


    "So, my dear naughty minx... I may need a little motivation. How soon I get it done will depend on your performance." When he finished speaking, he got back to work and acted like she didn''t exist.


    She wanted to curse him but couldn''t. She was stuck working with him after all. If she scolded him too much, it would be a surprise if he did not make things difficult for her.


    Bloody swindler. She scolded in her heart as she bit her tongue. Left with no choice, she left his office, swearing to get back at him as soon as a chance presented itself.


    It was still early in the morning and she really didn''t have anything to do before going to see Nina in the evening. Hence, she decided to go through some of the files left behind by the previous Executive Assistant. She thought they would involve important matters, but to her horror, they were mostly about Desmond.


    The man was so hard to please that the poor girl had made notes about his likes and dislikes, how to read his mood, his character, and some details that were just too ridiculous to be imagined. One would almost think she was writing about a candidate she wanted as her marriage partner.


    She idly browsed through a file named [Mr. Fort''s likes] and immediately ripped off the name tag. Finding another name tag from the paper tray on the desk, she named it [Asshole Boss''s Preferences.]


    Satisfied with the new name, she stuck it onto the file, and weirdly, she felt morefortable when she opened it to read.


    In the filey an endless list. Desmond hated talking about his personal life.


    "No surprise there." She rolled her eyes when she read the top item on the list of dislikes, written in bold red font. He had a messy private life and more ex-girlfriends than could fit in an airne. It would be surprising if he wasfortable about discussing his private life.


    She moved on to the next items, which made her despise him even more than she already did. Why the hell would he hate talking about his family? He didn''t tolerate any calls or messages from them either, and that made her cringe. If he hated them that much, why did he kick up a fuss about the news article? How pretentious!


    Moving on to the likes, she was shocked to find animals on the top of the list. A man like him liked animals? Surely, that was misced and belonged to the list of dislikes right?


    "Your asshole boss wants you to apany him on business. Is that possible?" A deep voice spoke just as she was about to say something means, making her almost pass out from fright. She looked over the file, and just as she dreaded, Desmond was leaning against the door frame with his coat in his hands. He was reading the title at the back of the file."

 Chapter 14 - Shopping For His Innumerable Women

    <h4>Chapter 14 - Shopping For His Innumerable Women</h4>


    "Uhm¡­" Following his line of sight, she so badly wanted to hide the file or at least thebel at the back of it, but it would be useless since he had already seen it. Then again, it was not a lie; he was her new boss and he was truly an asshole.


    So, she peeked at him over the top of the file, not bothering to sit up straight. "If I remember correctly, I start work tomorrow."


    He ignored the fact that her tone was deliberately annoying. "But you are not doing anything important now, so apany me."


    She suddenly remembered one of the terms she had just seen in the file. Desmond never took no for an answer. However, he was in for a rude shock if he thought things were going to work that way with her. What she hated most was to be controlled, and there was no way she would let him have his way with that.


    "Not going. I''m busy." She crossed her legs and continued reading through the file.


    She thought he would explode from anger after being rejected, but on the contrary, he gently pulled the file out of her hands. "You don''t need to read this; my former assistants could only manage to gather little information about me."


    She tried to grab it back, but he held it high above his head, using his height to his advantage. "If you want to know more about your boss, who you think is an asshole, I can tell you everything you need to know on our way. Besides, it will be considered working overtime if you work today, so there is a bonus in it for you."


    She paused to think. He was right. He knew himself more than the previous EA would ever know, so it would indeed be more helpful for her to get the information first-hand from him. Besides, a bonus? Who didn''t want one of those?


    Although she was swayed, she pretended to think hard. "Give me time to think about it."


    Desmond broke into a chuckle. This little minx¡­ while all his employees would do anything to please him, why did it seem like she was doing the opposite instead? It was almost as though she was trying to be the boss of him. How intriguing¡­


    ¡­


    In the end, Zaria agreed to go with Desmond to wherever he was going. Because the chauffeur had taken the rest of the day off (which was sure was an excuse he had just made up), she drove while he sat in the shotgun seat.


    She ignored him for the most part but she was surprised when he asked her to pull into a women''s store.


    Her lungs almost erupted in anger. Was the so-called business to help him shop for clothes for one of his uncountable women? Even so, she could only bite her tongue and pull over. That''s what she got for working for a yboy¡­ and she was getting a hefty bonus anyway.


    To prevent herself from saying something mean to him, she reminded herself of the hefty bonus as they made their way around the store.


    "Would you love this?" He blindly picked a green dress and held it up to her.


    She was almost blinded.


    What the heck? Such a dress existed in this kind of high-end store, where everything cost a dime? Who in their right mind would buy it?!


    Of course, men with no sense of aesthetic like him would buy it for their women, but she was sure that no woman would wear it.


    There was nothing wrong with its color, but the design looked like something that would be considered ugly even in the ''50s. She was sure that even her great-grandma would give her an earful of scolding if she dared to buy such a dress.


    One part of her wanted to praise him for his excellent choice and let him piss the woman he was shopping for to death. However, in the end, she decided to be honest. "I''ll show you what women will appreciate."


    She then went ahead and selected beautiful dresses of all types. "I''m sure she will like most, if not all, of these."


    Desmond looked at her selection in satisfaction. "Try them on."

 Chapter 15 - Shopping For His Innumerable Women(2)

    <h4>Chapter 15 - Shopping For His Innumerable Women(2)</h4>


    "Excuse me?" She thought she had heard him wrong. Not only did he want her to help shop for his women, but he also wanted to use her as a mannequin to try on the clothes for them as well?


    He knew that there was absolutely no way to convince her, so hezily stated, "You promised to apany me to business. If you back out now, it will be no different from not havinge with me, so the bonus will not be valid."


    She was even angrier when she learned that her bonus would be deducted if she did not go through with it. Holding in her anger, she added this matter to the list of things she should payback for. It was just trying clothes on, right?


    Take it as getting to know how it felt like to wear a dress more costly than her monthly sry at F&P Media. If it weren''t for this trip, she would not be able to set foot in this store, let alone try on their clothes.


    ¡­


    After making her try on dress after dress and making her start to wonder whether all his girlfriends were of the same size as her, he asked the staff to pack up everything she had tried on. He then made her select shoes and essories to go with the clothes. By the time she was finished, she was more tired than she usually was when she went shopping for her own clothes.


    She was relieved when they got back to the car, loading the trunk with innumerable bags.


    Their next destination was Regal, a restaurant she had only been to while scouting for news. It was one of the ces frequented by tycoons and celebrities, and she had used a ton of connections to be able toe under the guise of a waitress.


    Now, thanks to the asshole beside her. She was being treated with respect by the staff here, and a few of the patrons present came over to say hello (to Desmond, of course).


    It would be a golden chance for F&P Media to interview even one of these billionaires. Unfortunately, she was not here for F&P Media, and she knew that a certain someone would explode and use her of embarrassing him if she did or said anything she shouldn''t.


    "Are you that much of an idol chaser?" He leaned over the table teasingly. When she tore her gaze away from the Hollywood movie star she was looking at, he held his face in his hand. "Is he more handsome than me?"


    She was annoyed by his teasing when he knew very well that she was at a loss. "I don''t know. Are you handsome?"


    "Of course." He sounded confident in his own looks.


    Reminding herself not to mind this narcissist, she focused on eating her food. The man knew that she didn''t want to pay him any attention, so he opened the briefcase he had been carrying around and decided to finish up his work as well. She was stumped when the lunch table suddenly went into work mode. Just as the rumors started, everything he did was always apanied by work. She suddenly felt ufortable eating in his presence while all he did was work and only take a bite or two in between.


    Before she could stop herself, she swiped the document he was holding out of his hand.


    She gave him a curious look, and although it was not obvious, she knew that he was annoyed. One of the things he hated most was being interrupted from work, and she knew that he would certainly explode if she did not give him a valid exnation for her actions.


    She kept up her confident front even though the truth was that she was on the verge of shattering in fright from his gaze. "Well, you have been working endlessly¡­ don''t you think you need a break?"


    "No." Of course, his response would be tyrannical and as annoying as it could be.


    She scoffed. "You do. You are eating after all. If you are going to work while eating, then you may as well not eat at all. If you get food or a drink spilled on the sole copy of an important document, who are you going to me? Don''t get me started on the effects of too much work on your health¡­"

 Chapter 16 - Troublesome Playboy

    <h4>Chapter 16 - Troublesome yboy</h4>


    This was the first one anyone had ever dared to lecture him, woman nheless. Surprisingly, he was neither offended by her tone nor her words, some of which were directly insulting. When she said that he would soon turn so ugly that all his women would flee to get more handsome patrons, he burst intoughter.


    "Do you have any particr problem with me having other women by my side?" He gazed at her directly.


    She frowned at his stupid question. Of course! Who wouldn''t have a problem? Men like him were harbingers of trouble. What if his fianc¨¦e found out about his mistresses and wanted to confront them, and she was mistaken to be one of them? Wouldn''t she be in trouble for merely being there? She thought guiltily about how she was once one of them, but her rtionship with him was fake, so it didn''t count.


    He observed the changes in her expression and smiled. Although she didn''t answer him in the end, her expression was already a clear enough answer. He wanted to exin himself, but for some reason, he was enjoying her jealous demeanor too much, so he let her misunderstand.


    ¡­


    "Do you have ns this evening?" He asked when they were done eating.


    "Of course." She was not apanying him anywhere even if he decided to triple her bonus. Aside from staying with her dad, she had already promised to visit Nina and was not nning to break her promise for anything.


    Desmond felt bummed. He had been invited to a party this evening and hoped she could go on his behalf since he had no interest in going himself. If this were any of his former assistants, he would have given her a cold stare that would make her change her mind on her own and quickly agree to go. However, he didn''t want to force her to do anything she didn''t want to for some strange reason.


    Brushing it off that it was not a working day for her, he stood up and led the way. "Then I will drop you off."


    "Huh? You don''t have to¡­" She was stumped. How could she ask Desmond to drop her off?! Did she want to die?


    The man ignored her words, grabbed his car keys from the valet, and then opened the passenger door. "Get in."


    Before she coulde up with an excuse, he gazed at her coldly. Why did she ept Liam''s ride but not his? The former had unted to him about it. "This is a private district. If you want to sprint home, then be my guest¡­" His gaze trailed down her feet. "But I doubt your shoes will be able to handle the pressure."


    "What do you have against my shoes?" She felt so ufortable from his prative gaze at her feet that she wanted to hide them away.


    He continued scrutinizing as though finding something against them. "Nothing much." Before she could sigh in relief, he added, "Although you are beautiful and will look good in anything, I still think you would look better in a pair of diamond heels."


    She red at him and entered the car. If she wanted to retain her sanity, it would be better to ignore his antics.


    The man entered the driver''s seat with a chuckle and it was only then that she remembered that she had driven here. She felt her back freeze. Was she seriously letting her boss drive her? He wouldn''t fly into a rage, right? Why was he looking at her like he could bore holes on the side of her face?


    When he withdrew his gaze and started the car, she breathed out in relief and tried to enjoy the guiltiest ride of her life.


    Just when she thought her butt would go sore from how tense she was, they finally arrived at Phoenix Apartments. She didn''t recall ever telling him her address, but then again, she didn''t tell Liam either, and he had found her. She didn''t need to ask.

 Chapter 17 - Too Much Arrogance

    <h4>Chapter 17 - Too Much Arrogance</h4>


    "Thanks for the ride! See you tomorrow." She fled out of the car and dashed into the elevator, leaving him with his hand raised. He was just about to give her something¡­


    Never mind. She could get itter too.


    While he drove out of the underground parking, his eyes darted around. So this was where she lived. He had only written her address when he wanted the phone delivered to her, but he had not actually visited the ce. He was a bit curious¡­ However, he knew that it was not a good idea to go to anyone''s house for no reason, so he changed his mind.


    He opened his hand and nced at the key, which belonged to the BMW he had bought her. On second thought, he slid it into his pants pockets with a sly smile.


    He was just about to leave when he realized what he had forgotten. He wanted to call her back but recalling what he had just thought about, he grinned and got off the car.


    ___


    Zaria had just changed out of the troublesome high-heeled shoes and was about to rip off her bra when the doorbell rang. She frowned helplessly. Battling with her thoughts, she took it off in the end and shoved it into the smallundry basket before going to open the door.


    "You?" She was surprised when she saw Desmond standing there, buried behind numerous shopping bags. She wanted to know just how he had managed to get here without bumping into walls.


    "Aren''t you going to let me in?" When he tried to peek at her, some of the bags went flying all over and she fought hard to stop herself fromughing.


    "Come in. May I know why you are here and why you are carrying those?" She asked, referring to the bags he had just dumped on the couch as soon as he went in.


    His expression was dark. "You forgot your things in the car. I had to bring them up, yet not only are you not thanking me, but you are also asking uncountable questions!"


    She restrained her chuckle. "What things? I don''t remember leaving anything in your car."


    "These." He pointed at the bags on the couch, and she was confused. To prevent her from saying no to them, he gave her a serious look. "I will take you with me on many meetings, including negotiations for deal worth billions. I wouldn''t want you to embarrass me and Preston and Fort Group. You are the face of thepany, after all. You cannot be unkempt. I don''t want you parading around in cheap clothes."


    Hisment pierced through her like a dagger. He thought she was unkempt? "I will not take them. You can keep them." She intended to use the advance payment that she would be given to buy herself new clothes for work, but that didn''t mean he had the right to insult her in such a humiliating manner.


    He clenched his fists. This was the second time she was rejecting his gifts even though they were things that she needed. What was wrong with her? "Don''t get ahead of yourself. There is a limit to my patience!" He pped the surface of the table.


    "I¡­" He was about to apologize when he realized that he had shouted at her when she stood up and took up one of the bags.


    "There is a limit to mine too." She then calmly shoved the bag right into the trash bin.


    "What are you doing?!" He stood up and grabbed her hand furiously. Shrugging his hand off, she took another bag and it suffered the same fate.


    "Mr. Fort, didn''t you say that these are mine now? It should be up to me what I choose to do with them, right?"


    Hearing her response, he clicked his tongue. To think he was starting to consider himself lucky for having an employee like her¡­


    He exited the room silently, banging the door behind him with more force than was necessary.


    She harrumphed. What an arrogant man. Who wants anything from him? She would rather work her butt off and buy herself a few affordable dresses than ept them from a self-righteous asshole who only knew how to look down on other people.

 Chapter 18 - You Mean Much More

    <h4>Chapter 18 - You Mean Much More</h4>


    ncing at the bags on the couch in annoyance, she wondered whether she should throw them away. That would be such a waste. They had cost millions after all. Perhaps she should donate them to charity?


    On second thought, she couldn''t donate what did not belong to her. As for wearing them, that was out of the question. Surely there was a woman out there who would be more appreciative of them, right? After all, whether it was because she was too sensitive or he looked down on her too much, there had to be a woman he treated well. She ignored the pinch of difort she felt as soon as she thought of that. She felt curious and wondered whether it really was the case, but then again, she would rather not know.


    She didn''t want anything to do with him anyway.


    Hence, amid yet another thunderous round ofughter from Liam, all the bags were delivered to Desmond''s doorstep, not a single one missing.


    ¡­


    Zaria only went to the hospital to see Nina briefly and returned to start preparing dinner. She had just finished getting the ingredients ready when the front door opened and her dad walked in.


    "You''re home." She chirped and dashed over to pass him a pair of indoor slippers, her smile brilliantpared to the dull face she had worn a week ago.


    Theodore Williams patted his daughter''s head as a form of greeting. "You look happy. What''s the good news?" He held out the bar of chocte he had bought her on his way back.


    She took it with a chuckle. "Dad, I''m already so old. You still treat me like a child¡­" She didn''t remember how it started, but all she knew was that when she was a little girl, he would bring her chocte, candy, or chips every time he went out. Although she was a grown-up woman now, she still liked it.


    "Whether you are six or sixty, you will still be my little girl." He responded.


    She set the chocte aside to eatter and jovially led him to the living room, then slotted herself opposite him to share the good news.


    She was yet to open her mouth when he started, "Zaria, have you packed your things yet? Our train leaves at 10 am, so you will not have enough time to pack in the morning."


    "Uh¡­ train?" She was momentarily confused before she remembered that they were supposed to leave Imperium City. She had forgotten all about it because she was not keen on leaving from the start.


    She swiped the tickets that her father had just fished from his breast pocket. "Don''t worry, dad. We don''t need to leave."


    He pped his forehead. "I already told you that we have to." He helplessly held her hands. "Look, I know you will miss Imperium. You grew up here, after all... But I promise, I will definitely find a way to get us out of his clutches, then we cane back."


    She felt emotional. "Thanks, dad¡­ but we really don''t have to leave. Desmond promised to revoke thewsuit and leave us alone." While she spoke, she wanted to crush the tickets or tear them to show how serious she was about her words, but then changed her mind. She wondered whether they could get a refund if she cancelled the trip onler.


    "What did you say? "Theodore was shocked when he realized what his daughter had just said. It was unbelievable. He had used up all his effort to try and negotiate with that man, but all he gained was insults. How could Zaria say that he had made such a promise? He looked at her suspiciously. "Zaria what did you do? You have to know that although F&P Media means a lot to me, you mean much more and so does your dignity. Don''t do anything you will regret."

 Chapter 19 - You Know Liam Too?

    <h4>Chapter 19 - You Know Liam Too?</h4>


    Zaria chuckled helplessly at her father''s worried look. "I didn''t do anything wrong¡­"


    If going under an alias and seducing Desmond was considered doing something wrong, she had already done it. Unfortunately, it had failed, so she didn''t have the desire to do it again.


    To stop him from worrying about her, she went ahead to exin to him about the deal she had made with him; to be his employee in exchange for the freedom of F&P Media. In the end, she held his hands. "Dad, I told you that I would be able to handle it."


    He patted her head as a form of praise, and she smiled as she enjoyed her father''s warmth. He couldn''t help smiling. "My little girl has truly grown up. What shall I do? It''s no longer too long until I get reced by a handsome husband and adorable babies."


    "What nonsense are you saying?" Sheughed through a blush from his words. It was awkward, especially since her mind was filled with the image of Desmond as soon as her dad mentioned ''being with a handsome man''. It must be because he had appeared before her so many times today that her mind naturally thought of him. Yup, that must be it.


    Theodore went ahead to chat with his daughter as they cooked dinner together. As she watched him stir fry the vegetables, she couldn''t help thinking back to the day she had first met Desmond.


    ¡­


    When the scandal erupted, she had tried to meet up with Desmond but failed every time. The man was too difficult to meet; she couldn''t get past the reception if she went to Preston and Fort Group. When she tried going to his family home, she was stopped miles away from the mansion by bulky bodyguards.


    She couldn''t ess any of the ces he frequented either. Tired, she asked Ryan for his membership card for Singles Bar and went to have a little fun to refresh her mind.


    Who would have thought that just when she had given up, she would meet the man she had been looking for? Not to mention, the man was looking at her with interest.


    She almost gasped in disbelief when he approached her and sat on the barstool next to hers. She moved away, not because she was trying to act different from all the women who threw themselves at his feet, but because she was scared. Had he recognized her?


    After all, when he scolded her father outside the courthouse, she had been so furious that she smashed his car after giving him an earful of scolding.


    "Hello, what''s your name? Are you on your own?" He leaned over to ask, making the scent of his masculine perfume waft into her nostrils at the same time as his charmingly deep voice rang in her ears.


    Her heart skipped a beat even though she was shocked. What was with the gentle tone? Shouldn''t he be cursing her out?


    She soon figured out what had happened. Since she was hitting the bar tonight, she was wearing a little ck dress and a pair of skyscraper high heels, a contrasting difference from the business get up he had seen her in. She also had bold makeup on her face, making her look wild and seductive. Besides, he had seen her only once. How could he remember her?


    Coming to this realization, she smiled at her good luck and nodded to hisst question.


    He seemed intrigued. "What''s your name? Mine''s Desmond."


    His gentle tone almost made her think she had got the wrong person. Wasn''t Desmond Fort an arrogant billionaire? The man beside her was obviously a billionaire alright, judging from his outfit, essories, and phone. All items screamed of money, but his character seemed different. Perhaps she had the wrong impression of him?


    Afraid that he would have a recollection if she mentioned her name, she made one up, trying to change her voice a little; "Savannah."


    "Savannah? You can''t happen to be Liam''s friend, the one he said he was going to introduce to me in a few minutes, right?" Heughed as though their meeting was coincidental.


    She didn''t know who the Savannah he was talking about was, and from his serious expression, he wasn''t making it up as a way to flirt. She knew that her lie could be exposed any instant, and it would be better if she had an identity he didn''t suspect so he wouldn''t look her up. Hence, she naturallyughed in surprise. "You know Liam too? You won''t happen to be ''that'' Desmond he talked about, right?"


    "That''s right. I am ''that'' Desmond." He mimicked her emphasis, appearing to be more at ease with her.


    Just like that, she grabbed the identity of a woman she didn''t know. She had to thank this crazy coincidence but also hope that the real Savannah would not appear.


    ¡­


    "Why are you smiling on your own?" Theodore asked with a meaningful look, as though wondering whether his little girl finally had a boyfriend.


    "Nothing." Zaria shook her head. She had been quite silly at some point. What would have happened if Liam arrived right after she imed to be his friend?

 Chapter 20 - The New EA

    <h4>Chapter 20 - The New EA</h4>


    The following morning.


    As soon as the rm let off the first chime, Zaria mmed it off and stretched her limbs, then got up. It was different from her usual mornings when all she wanted was to m the little purple clock onto the wall and then sleep in all day. Today, however, she waspletely fired up.


    She dressed up faster than usual and made her way to Preston and Fort Group, arriving at the same time as Desmond.


    She tried to ignore him and go to the employees'' elevator, but the man looked too handsome to be ignored. He was wearing a white suit that made him look bolder than usual, and his new hairstyle made him look so handsome that she almost gasped in awe.


    Although his cologne wasn''t too strong and she couldn''t feel its scent from the long distance between them, she could swear that she felt it, and it made her feet light.


    ¡­


    A smile of satisfaction escaped Desmond''s lips when he saw the reaction of his new executive assistant. He had spent a long time deciding on his outfit for the day and even longer deciding on his hairstyle. He didn''t intend to impress anyone in particr, but seeing her visibly impressed gave him immense satisfaction.


    Grinning charmingly, he ran his eyes over her. She looked beautiful herself. The sapphire blue dress she was wearing entuated her figure in ways that made him start to think of things he had never wanted to think of his employees. Paired with her beautifully made-up face and her hair that was in neat waves, he felt a movement in his pants.


    "Come here." He mouthed to her, as though under a spell. At the same time, he pressed on the ''open'' button of the elevator. She was still looking at him, and when she understood his instruction, she walked over.


    She upied the space beside him just as the elevator doors slid closed. "Good morning, boss."


    Her greeting reminded him of his position and the fact that she was a woman he couldn''t touch. However, that only made things difficult for him.


    "You look beautiful." He breathed, giving her a once-over.


    "Thank you." She smiled.


    Fck! As soon as his eyesy on those little white teeth when her red-lipsticked lips parted, he almost gave in to the urge to kiss her. He had to remind himself that he hated her just to restrain his impulse.


    He coughed and remained silent for the rest of the elevator ride. When it finally dinged open and marked the end of his troubles, he watched the woman walk into her office in beautiful, graceful steps.


    ¡­


    He had almost managed to get her out of his mind when she walked into his office.


    "Your morning coffee." She ced a cup of ck coffee beside his hand on hisrge desk.


    He nodded. She had already learned how to do her job to the final detail, including when he wanted his coffee and how he wanted it.


    Supporting his chin on his hand, he looked straight at her meaningfully as she stepped back." Is there anything else you would like to give me along with the coffee?"


    "What?" She looked at him with slight awkwardness. Her ears were definitely ying tricks.


    "I said, what will it take for you to brief me on my schedule?" He spoke again, looking slightly annoyed about being made to repeat his words.


    "Of course!" She held up her tablet, which she had carried, guessing that she might need it. She took a single nce and reported, "You have a meeting with Mr. Bryce in half an hour, in the conference room on the fifteenth floor. Two hourster, you will need to undertake the interviews for a new executive assistant." She almost sounded unsure as she stated the second item on his schedule. How many executive assistants did he need? Did he think she was not good enough on her job and wanted to hire a new one so soon?


    " Cancel that. Next? " He said, much to her relief. In the pause that followed, he looked into her eyes and added, "You are enough."


    She knew that he was talking about an EA. But why did her heart skip a beat when he said that she was enough? Was she going insane?


    "I rescheduled the following items," She spoke to retain her sanity. "Instead of meeting yourwyer at 1 pm and Mr. Yang in the evening, I thought it would be better if you met Mr. Yang over lunch and then meet yourwyer on your way home. His office is on your way, after all, so you won''t have to go back and forth in different directions."


    He nodded, though he was only staring at her lips and wasn''t sure whether he really heard anything she was saying. It took a few seconds for his brain to process her report, and when he did, he tore his gaze away from her. "Apany me to meet Mr. Bryce. Before that, take note of his likes and dislikes. You are in charge of pleasing him and making sure we win this deal."


    She knew how important this deal was to Preston and Fort Group. Finding out people''s likes and dislikes wasn''t that big of a deal. After all, she had done it several times before, when she worked at F&P Media. Hence, she clicked on her tablet. "Okay."

 Chapter 21 - Long Hands

    <h4>Chapter 21 - Long Hands</h4>


    As soon as she got back to her office, Zaria logged into her social media ount and searched for Mr. Bryce.


    Checking his profile, she found that he liked ginseng tea and rose cake, and was a big fan and talented yer of golf.


    She happily jotted it down in her notebook, not having expected that it would be so easy to find something. She also noted that Mr. Bryce''s next meeting with Desmond should be at a golf course or a resort that offered golf among its services, and she knew just the best destination.


    When that was settled, she went ahead to continue looking for information. After all, anyone could read his profile and using this little information may not necessarily impress him.


    She was still reading through an old interview of his when Desmond summoned her to his office.


    She paused what she was doing and went over.


    As soon as she pushed the door open, she was taken aback. Did a burry happen in the few minutes that she was away?! The sparkling clean office she had left a few minutes ago was now a disorganised mess with files and paper strewn all over the desk and floor.


    The man behind the desk swallowed a lump and tried to tear his gaze away from her body. "My office is messy," He croaked.


    Yeah, that was obvious. She almost didn''t have anywhere to step. "I''ll get the janitorial staff to clean it."


    He pinched his nose bridge. "No, I want you to clean it."


    "What? I¡­" She was at a loss, but under his fierce re, she didn''t dare to say a word. She had nothing against cleaning his office, but she didn''t have much time! She still had to prepare for the meeting which was in twenty minutes.


    Since she didn''t have much choice, she could only bite her tongue and crouch to start picking up the files and paper.


    She could feel the man''s gaze on her back. He must be looking down at her in contempt, and there was nothing she could do about it. So she hurriedly cleaned up the mess and was done in ten minutes.


    "Is it okay now?" She asked when she was done.


    "Yes." It was.


    He had nothing to nitpick, but why was his expression so scary?


    Deciding not to waste her time trying to understand this bizzare man, she rushed back to her office to finish preparing for the meeting.


    When they had five minutes left, she went to help him carry hisptop and the needed documents to the conference hall.


    ¡­


    Mr. Bryce arrived a minute or two after them. The middle-aged man looked displeased and kept a poker face even while shaking hands with Desmond.


    Zaria crossed her fingers and tapped on her phone to signal someone, then casually said, "You must be hungry, Mr. Bryce, so I ordered a rose cake for you. Would you like to have it with iced tea?"


    "Okay." The man''s expression didn''t change much but he was visibly less displeased than he looked when he came in.


    Relieved, Zaria summoned the intern she had signalled earlier to bring in the drinks and serve them to their owners.


    "How did you know what I like?" Mr. Bryce didn''t look too surprised, but he was pleased when he had a taste of the rose cake.


    "I looked you up." That, and the fact that there''s no way one can possess a beating heart and not like rose cakes."


    "Does that mean Miss Williams likes them too?" He eased up and even smiled a bit.


    Zaria once again gave an honest answer: "Yes, but just a little. I prefer ice cream to cakes."


    "But I know someone who would go crazy for them." She casually added.


    At the side, Desmond, who didn''t have any particr interest in sweet things, nced at his ck coffee in displeasure.


    In the end, he put up a serious expression. "Let''s get down to business."


    Zaria had the urge to beat him up. He had tasked her with pleasing the man and making sure the negotiation went smoothly, but just when she was trying to do that, he ruined her efforts?!


    Luckily, the man was enjoying his cake and tea and didn''t mind too much. "Why should I sell my software to Preston and Fort Group?"


    "We would make perfect use of it¡­" Zaria and Desmond went ahead to exin how Preston and Fort Group would use the software to make work easier for the employees.


    In the end, the man promised to think about it, and to present the remaining details of the software during their next meeting. Zaria took note of his requirements in her notebook.


    When the meeting ended, she was in relief knowing that they had a high chance of a sessful deal.


    "Thanks for the cake, Miss Willows. If you would like to learn how to bake them, why don''t you meet up with my wife? She''s a pro." He casually said as he stood up.


    "Thank you." She was taken aback by the sudden offer, but she really would love to take it up. If she could learn to bake cakes, she would make one for her dad on his birthday. Mr. Bryce then gave her his wife''s cellphone number so they wouldmunicate.


    ¡­


    "We have a 90% chance now." Zaria cheered as they headed to their offices after seeing the man off.


    Desmond ignored her and brushed past her, identally knocking her tablet out of her hand.


    "Sorry, my hands are too long." He said and walked to his office in long strides.


    Zaria nced at her broken tablet in disbelief. He totally did it on purpose!

 Chapter 22 - Infuriating Boss

    <h4>Chapter 22 - Infuriating Boss</h4>


    In her office, Zaria looked at her broken tablet with a mournful gaze. It couldn''t turn on no matter how she tried, so she wondered whether it could still be repaired or if she would have to buy a new one.


    Although it was fairly aged and was no longer as fast as it was when it was new, it held too much of her important information.


    Most importantly, it was a gift from her dad, so she was naturally unwilling to part with it. In the end, she decided to send it to its manufacturingpany so it would be repaired.


    ¡­


    In the afternoon.


    Zaria had no choice but to make her way to Desmond''s office again, carrying a cup of ck coffee with her.


    "Your afternoon coffee." She ced the white cup on the desk and made to retreat.


    "I don''t want ck coffee." He looked up with a displeased expression just as she prepared to leave.


    She could only patiently ask, "What would you like?"


    He tapped the top of his desk as he thought about it. In the end, his shoulders sprung into a shrug. "I don''t know. You find out."


    She frowned like she had just heard the most absurd thing. "How would I know what you want?" She didn''t know how to read minds!


    The man looked at herzily, reclining in his chair unhurriedly. "Don''t you know what everyone wants to eat and drink? Why is it suddenly hard?"


    Zaria frowned and blinked. What weird logic was this? She was about to say something when she understood. Was it because of what happened in the conference room a moment ago?


    If it was merely because she had managed to guess what Mr. Bryce wanted that he was making things difficult for her, then he was the most childish person on earth.


    "Hurry up." He ordered, delighting in her troubled expression.


    Zaria picked up the cup and left the office with an evil grin. Don''t you regret it.


    Ten minutester.


    "Back so soon?" He looked up with a grin when he heard the familiar nk of high heels.


    She said nothing and presented the new drink in the same cup she had left with, making him frown. What the heck was this creamy liquid?


    "Have a taste and see if you like it." She smiled, seeming like she was enjoying this a little too much. Something about the fakeness of her smile made it almost seem like there was something wrong with this bizarre looking drink¡ªlike it was poisoned or something. Considering that this was Zaria before him, that was not entirely impossible.


    Even so, he lifted the cup and took a sip as if to prove a point, but he spat it out in the next second.


    "What the hell is this?!" He was furious. Did this woman dump a b of cream powder and a mountain of sugar into his coffee?


    From her smug look as she leaned against the side of the chair opposite his, he knew that she had done it on purpose.


    "You didn''t seem to want the ck coffee since it is bitter, so I thought you should appreciate something a little sweeter. Enjoy your coffee, sir."


    She then sauntered out of his office, leaving him enraged to the core. That woman! Wasn''t she afraid of losing her job for angering him? He nced at the cup he had set aside. Where did she get the audacity to call it coffee?


    Besides, why was it that although he was so enraged, all he could think about was how sexy she looked when she was fearlessly pranking her boss?


    ___


    By the time evening came, Zaria had spent more time at Desmond''s office than she had at her own office. The man must be addicted to making people redo errands over and over again, even if there was no fault in them. She pped the proposal she had been told to rewrite onto her desk and sighed.


    Earlier, she was wondering why Desmond would be so kind as to employ her despite their enmity. Now it all made sense. He only wanted her to be in his territory, so he would torture her.


    And she, like a fool, had fallen right into his trap.


    "It''s for F&P Media, Zaria." She mumbled to herself, restraining the urge to barge into that man''s office and give him a p across his face.


    Resigning to her fate, she retyped the proposal and took another agonizing trip to Desmond''s office.


    She was about to lift her hand to knock when someone beamed a smile at her. "Hey, Zaria. How is your first day of work?"


    It was Liam.


    She knew that they were friends, but after keeping it in all day, she couldn''t help but groan. "As perfect as it could be when working under a jerk of a boss."


    Fate must really hate her because as soon as she finishedining, the door opened and out came an expressionless Desmond.


    Liam chuckled while her blood ran cold. Did he hear her? In the next second, she rolled her eyes. So what if he heard her? She was merely telling the truth.


    "You. Come with me." The man ignored his friend and spoke to Zaria sharply.


    "I brought the proposal you had me redo¡ªwhich, by the way, had no fault in the first ce." She held the document out to him.


    He ignored it, probably because he knew that he wouldn''t have anything to nitpick this time. "We are going to meet mywyer and then you will drive me home." He demanded.


    "No one told me anything about having to work overtime." She frowned.


    He raised his eyebrows in contempt. "Miss Williams, you were so horrible at doing your job that I had to stay back and check the horrible editions of your proposal. Isn''t it your fault that I missed the right timing for the meeting with mywyer?"


    Zaria gasped. What nonsense! This idiot was forcing logic! What exactly was there to correct? Thest two times, he had her redo the whole thing because the font type did not please his eyes!

 Chapter 23 - Just Too Seductive

    <h4>Chapter 23 - Just Too Seductive</h4>


    "Are youing or not?" The man looked impatient.


    Zaria gritted her teeth. She knew that the man was doing this deliberately to trouble her, but she also knew that if she said no, he would simply find a more sophisticated way to torture her. With a click of her tongue, she entered her office to return the final edition of the proposal¡ªhe wasn''t going to need it anymore since the first one was already perfect.


    Grabbing her bag, she went back to the hallway where he was still waiting. "Let''s go."


    Letting out a smug smile, he reminded her of the tiny details that she had already taken care of and led the way.


    Behind them, Liam cradled his chin in his hand. "Well, that''s even more interesting."


    This was the first time he had seen any employee talk back to Desmond and still keep their job. To be exact, it was the first he saw his best friend smiling so happily at someone who was saying no to him.


    Was he developing an interest in this Zaria girl?


    "Pfft¡­ and to think he kept iming to have hired her just for the sake of torturing her." He thought, then recalled something. Desmond being interested in a woman meant nothing. In fact, being in love didn''t mean much to a man like Desmond either. On the other hand, it meant an uing heartbreak for the woman.


    Sighing, he suddenly felt bad for Zaria.


    ¡­


    Zaria floored the elerator out of the underground parking of Preston and Fort Group. By the time she got to the highway, the car was almost flying.


    She cursed angrily and almost mmed the steering wheel when she got onto ane with unmoving traffic up ahead.


    Desmond peeked at her from the passenger seat. "What''s the rush for? Is your house on fire?"


    She rolled her eyes at him. Her house was not on fire, but her brain was, okay? All thanks to this idiot beside her, she had to break her promise to visit Nina today. And if she got home toote, how would she prepare the next day''s schedule?!


    Contrary to the anger she felt from her bones, she shot him a sweet smile. "Of course not. I''m just ensuring that my asshole of a boss¡ªwho doesn''t admit his title¡ªgets to thewyer''s office on time. If not, I will be the one who bears the me, now wouldn''t I?"


    Seeing her smile, his own ego was struck. He had learned that whenever she was so angry that she could explode, she would give him that fake smile¡ªthe one that made her look so helpless against his tease. He raised an eyebrow when she elerated and almost rear-ended the car in front of them. "So, what would happen if you identally killed your boss before driving him to his destination?"


    She nced at the steering wheel and then at the car in front. Her lips unhurriedly curled into a smile. "How I wish I could do that. I would have helped the world get rid of a jerk and myself out of the most regretful contract." She mumbled.


    "Did you say something?" He probed.


    "Yes. I said, a man like you must have undergone rigorous training from childhood. Your body must be stronger than an average person''s. Surely a mere ident wouldn''t be enough to give you a scratch."


    "He-he¡­" Heughed at her cooked-up excuse. His hearing was quite excellent, so he had heard her mumble, but he just liked it when she made up the most readily avable nonsense to cover up for her initial words.


    Her smile was just too seductive when she lied.


    He frowned at his realization. Why the hell did he think that her bad character was seductive? Was he an idiot?


    Zaria sighed when she realized that the man beside her had suddenly switched to an angry face that didn''t permit any joke or mistake. Seriously, the speed at which this man''s temperament changed was faster than the flip of a page. Keeping track of his mood was enough to keep one busy for a whole day. Shrugging, she continued driving. Luckily, the cars ahead of her picked up their speed, so she followed suit and elerated.


    "Hold on. Turn around at the U-turn up ahead." He suddenly ordered. She did as she was told despite knowing that it was not on the way to thewyer''s office, though she wondered what this tyrant was up to this time.


    He ordered her to park the car outside a building and got off as soon as the car stopped, expecting her to follow him.


    She quickly grabbed her notebook and pen just in case she needed them. She strutted after him, almost running to keep up to his insane speed.


    The building they entered was a phone store, much to her chagrin.


    "Can''t you finish your work before getting new phones for your mistresses?" Sheined inwardly but didn''t dare to voice it out.


    He nced at her and grinned when he saw the annoyance written all over her face.


    Satisfaction shed through his heart. Heh¡­

 Chapter 24 - Im Sorry

    <h4>Chapter 24 - I''m Sorry</h4>


    Desmond was still gloating when her phone rang with an iing call. Using his height to his advantage, he took a peek and frowned at what he saw. Her screen was so cracked that he almost couldn''t see the name clearly, but he could recognize the name [Ryan]. His lips clenched into a line.


    She was just about to slide her finger over the screen when he scowled at her. "Are you seriously going to answer a call while at work?"


    She raised her head in surprise. "It''s past working hours, Mr. Fort."


    "But you are working overtime today. You cannot answer that call." He countered coldly, leaving no room for negotiation.


    She wanted to say something mean so badly, but he was the boss after all, so she could only bite her tongue and hold it in. She thought she caught a smile on his lips, but when she blinked, his expression was nk. She must be overthinking it.


    "Mr. Fort, the item you asked for." The salesman returned and gave the item to Desmond so he would check it out. He nced through the specifications, but since he had one from the same brand, there was no question about its quality.


    He nodded in satisfaction and took out a card from his wallet. When the purchase wasplete, the salesman gave him a certificate of warranty, detachable keyboard, and power bank that came as perks. When it was all settled, he gave them to her.


    She frowned.


    This was not the first time he was randomly buying something and giving it to her, so she understood what his gesture meant. Actually, she had doubts from the moment he asked for a tablet but didn''t dare to jump to conclusions. But now that it was before her, she was unsure how to react. "What''s the meaning of this?"


    "I thought you¡­" He stopped himself in time before he could utter something that she would find rude. Unable to converse in the presence of outsiders, he held her wrist and dragged her to the car. When she got in, he went in after and looked at her briefly. "I''m sorry I broke your tablet."


    Her eyes widened. What did she just hear?!


    She thought he was going to say something stupid and had even prepared an equally rude counterattack. Yet¡­ He apologized?!


    If someone told her that Desmond had apologized to them, she would have berated them for telling an outrageous lie. But she had clearly seen his lips move. The scariest thing was that his gentle voice neither sounded arrogant nor sarcastic. He really meant it¡­


    Because she was preparing to say something mean, she was speechless for a while. He waited for her to gather her thoughts.


    She finally opened her mouth after a long while. "It was an ident. You don''t need to apologize." She smiled, even though it was not an ident.


    "And I have already contacted the manufacturingpany to repair my tablet. I don''t need a new one."


    At least she didn''t yell at him or reject it with a p. He coughed lightly. "You can just keep it and use it when you need to." He chose his words so carefully this time that even he didn''t believe it.


    She was taken aback yet again, having expected him to say something like her tablet was too cheap and outdated for an employee of Preston and Fort Group or something along the lines. She still looked troubled. "Well, it''s too expensive."


    "If that makes you so ufortable, how about I get you one from the same brand as your old one? It should function better since it will be new." He found her amusing. Was there anyone who rejected expensive gifts?


    Even though he had made such a genius suggestion, she still shook her head. "It was a gift from my dad. I cannot simply discard it."


    "I understand." He nodded and didn''t insist further. He knew that she wouldn''t take it no matter how much he persuaded her.


    She started the car. "To thewyer''s?"


    "Drive me home." He instructed without turning to look at her.


    She was once again rendered speechless. Was he displeased again? Simply because she had rejected the tablet?


    ___


    Due to heavy traffic, it was already 8 pm by the time they arrived at his mansion. She was suddenly happy about not going to thewyer''s office. Otherwise, it would have been veryte by the time she dropped him off.


    She got off the car at the same time as he did. "A¡­ Boss, can I take my leave now?"


    "No." With one word, he made long strides into the house.


    She scratched her hair awkwardly. What was she supposed to do, follow him into the house?


    Damned man, would it hurt to give a clearer reply?


    He turned when he realized that she was not following him, so she ran in after him but stood near the door. He changed into a pair of blue indoor slippers and slumpedfortably into a couch, turning on the television. "I''m hungry."


    "Then eat." Wasn''t that obvious?


    He raised his head with a displeased expression.


    "I''ll order you take out." She quickly whipped out her phone to avert the storm.


    "I don''t want takeout. I want you to cook." Came the infuriating instruction.

 Chapter 25 - Lowly Schemer

    <h4>Chapter 25 - Lowly Schemer</h4>


    "I''m sorry, but I need to go home. It''s already sote." She said. She wasn''t merely saying it as an excuse. She had to go home earlier today.


    "You can sleep here if it''s toote to leave." He spoke like it meant nothing.


    She frowned when she heard his words. "Why would I do that?"


    He looked unhappy about being questioned. His gaze was a little cold when he looked at her. "Do as I say."


    It would have been better if he was a little polite, but since he wasn''t, she was not going to tolerate him either. She closed in and stood in front of him, looking confidently at him as she enunciated word for word. "That is not part of my job description. Just because you are my boss doesn''t give you any right to order me around."


    His eyebrows scrunched up mockingly. "I am your boss, but I don''t have the right to tell you what to do? Howughable."


    She didn''t retreat even under his scheming gaze. "You have the right to tell me what to do alright, but that doesn''t include dictating my personal life. See you tomorrow, Mr. Fort."


    "You¡­" Desmond was infuriated, but all he saw was her back as she sauntered away in her high heels.


    How dare she?!


    ___


    Preston and Fort Group, the following morning.


    Desmond delivered a stack of files to Zaria as he headed for his office, leaving behind only two words: "Trante them."


    She took the files and opened the documents. She found that all of them had been written in English. Whichnguage was she supposed to trante them to, then? French?


    Since she was not sure, she decided to ask as she delivered his coffee.


    She knocked softly and walked in with the files and the coffee. She ced the cup on his desk before asking, "In whatnguage do you want the documents?"


    "Arabic." He spat out without lifting his head.


    "Uh¡­" What?


    He looked up, his menacing eyes sending chills down one''s spine. "Is there a problem?"


    Of course, there was! She didn''t know Arabic!


    "Get to work. I want it ready before the meeting at 10 am." He picked up his cup nonchntly. Her infuriated expression looked quite funny and adorable. He sipped on his coffee to prevent a smile from surfacing.


    She went back to her office and so badly wanted to curse. It was already 8 am, only two hours before the meeting. Even if she were to learn Arabic now, she wouldn''t make it in time. What was worse, she couldn''t use an online trantor. If the content was distorted or the grammar ended up as gibberish, she wouldn''t even be able to tell.


    With a sigh, she checked through thepany employee profile. Luckily, there was an intern who had lived in The UAE for a long time before, so she learned thenguage in passing. She was just about to call the intern and ask for her help when the telephone on her desk rang.


    That demon in the office beside hers was calling. She was annoyed but had to be respectful. "Sir?"


    "As you must have noticed, those are confidential documents." His implication was clear: she had a death wish. How dare she ns to reveal the content of a confidential document to other people?!


    Her head spun. "But I don''t know Arabic. This is the only thing I can do."


    "That''s none of my business." He hung up directly.


    She bit her lip, finallyprehending what was happening. She had been too naive. She thought this devil would let her off since dealing with her merely wasted his time, but she had been wrong! Clearly, he wanted to mess with her. How petty. Just when she was starting to think that he wasn''t too unkind.


    She sighed as she looked at the open file in her hands like it was an atomic bomb. Was this his way of finding fault with her so he could fire her? If that was the case¡­


    She was still thinking about it when the reminder clock on her desk rang. She looked over reflexively and caught sight of thebel [Mr. Dumont, Dynasty Hotel: 10 am]


    She frowned when she remembered setting this reminder. She was apanying Desmond to meet Mr. Dumont at 10 am. Did this mean¡­


    When she read the documents in her hand clearly, she found that indeed, it was the contract for the acquisition of Dynasty Hotel which was owned by Mr. Dumont.


    The point was, Mr. Dumont was French. She had done a quick search on him and she was sure that Arabic was not listed among thenguages he could speak. On the other hand, he was fluent in both English and French!


    Her lips twitched. Damned man. What a lowly trick.


    ¡­


    9 a.m.


    "Are you done?" The man asked as they walked towards his car in the underground parking.


    She smiled mysteriously. "I''m ready for the meeting."


    He nced at her and held back a smile. Did she really trante the documents to Arabic? She must be very hardworking and talented. Perhaps he should reward her by increasing her workload.

 Chapter 26 - Fire This Woman

    <h4>Chapter 26 - Fire This Woman</h4>


    On their way to Dynasty Hotel, Zaria kept flipping through the files she had brought with her, irritating Desmond immensely.


    A hand with long fingers appeared at the top of the file as the file got snatched away.


    "What now?" She snapped.


    "You''re making too much noise." He closed the file with self-justification.


    Zaria was tempted tond a p on his cheek, but she held it in. "My boss is a multibillionaire and I''m not. So, I need to work hard. I would very much appreciate it if you don''t do anything to make that difficult." She pulled the file right out of his hand.


    s, he swiped it yet again and held it above his head.


    She was in disbelief. "Are you seeking my attention?"


    In response, he looked down at her as though he could notprehend what she was talking about. She took a deep breath to stop herself fromunching a resounding p and decided to ignore him.


    Although she ignored him, she kept peeking at him from the corner of her eye and waited for the right opportunity to grab it back.


    When he let down his guard, she turned and grabbed tightly onto the file. However, his reflexes were fast and he pulled it up at the same time as the car took a sudden sharp turn. The impact was too sudden, she ended up flying right into his arms.


    Zaria froze and so did Desmond. Seeing the situation at the back, the chauffeur apologized as he rubbed his nose and continued driving, minding his business.


    Zaria so badly wanted to fly out through the car window. What kind of situation was this? Just as she was battling what to say, she came to a realization. This was not her fault! Why should she say anything?


    At that thought, she snatched back her file and opened it as though nothing had happened.


    However, Desmond did not ignore it. He grinned devilishly as he looked at her. "If you want to hug me so badly, you can just say so. You don''t have to do it in such a roundabout manner."


    She frowned when she heard his words. "Narcissist."


    Luckily, they arrived at Dynasty Hotel and it saved her the effort of having to argue with this childish and unreasonable man.


    As Mr. Dumont''s assistant led them to the Dynasty Hotel, Desmond couldn''t stop his lips from curling upwards. A good show was about tomence.


    After several turns, they finally arrived at the vintage-styled meeting room. Zaria nced through the room in a brief second and finally understood why such a reputable hotel had been declining in businesstely.


    The whole hotel was vintage-themed, which was a great choice. Besides, it was notmon in Imperium, which was a great advantage. However, the colorbination was such an eyesore. No matter how excellent the services rendered were, aesthetics was an important aspect too.


    She wondered whether the people in charge ever took time to check out the ratings. If they did, she was sure that they would have improved the style ages ago.


    "Mr. Fort, we meet again." The man jubntly greeted Desmond, and his smile froze when his gazended on thetter''s assistant.


    Desmond looked at Zaria then back at the man curiously, using his eyes to ask what had happened.


    "What''s your surname?" He asked without beating around the bush.


    Although she was curious, Zaria calmly answered, "Williams."


    The man muttered an inaudible string of words with a frown, making the duo exchange puzzled nces.


    When he calmed down, he opened a file and mmed it on the long table in front of Desmond. "This deal is canceled."


    "What?" Zaria was the first to react, while the man beside her maintained his calm expression. She stepped forward and demanded, "May I ask why?"


    "You are asking me?" Mr. Dumont was on the verge of losing his temper.


    Zaria looked up at him, not raising her voice. "Yes. You are canceling a deal that has been discussed for months. The least you could do is provide an exnation, don''t you think?"


    Although she was not loud, her tone was quite intimidating as she demanded an exnation.


    Sneering, Mr. Dumont nced at Desmond, and then at his assistant. "You want an exnation? I will give you one. I do not coborate with people of questionable character. Not even if it is a one time deal. And you, Miss Williams, are the vilest kind of snake on earth! Is this exnation enough?" His finger trembled in fury as he pointed at Zaria.


    Thetter took a deep breath to calm herself from the shock she had just received from his words. Not just Zaria, but Desmond was shocked too. Did these two know each other?


    Zaria''s question answered him. "Mr. Dumont, I am sure we have never crossed paths. How did youe to such a defamatory conclusion about me?"


    Hearing this question, Mr. Dumont so badly wanted to p the hell out of the wretched woman. She had the nerve to ask! Calming down his anger, he looked at Desmond instead. "Mr. Fort, this deal was discussed between the two of us after all. If you fire this woman, we can still negotiate terms."


    To this, Desmond''s lips curled into a lopsided smirk in amusement. He then nudged the woman beside him. "Let''s go."


    What he hated most was people who went back on their word. Calling off a deal and then proposing terms a minuteter? What did this man think of Preston and Fort Group?


    Zaria could only helplessly follow her boss, deciding to dig into the matterter. The man was walking with such long strides that she had to half-run after him in her high heels. When they entered the elevator, he nced at her through the fully mirrored wall. "You are my EA now. You represent me so don''t go begging anyone for coborations. They will take Preston and Fort Group lightly."


    "I didn''t beg." She exined. She was only demanding the truth, which is the sanest thing to do in such a situation.


    The man did not give a response to her exnation. Instead, he frowned. "Also, clear up whatever mess you have against your name. Preston and Fort Group does not need a scandalous employee to tarnish its reputation."

 Chapter 27 - You Are Worse Than Murderers

    <h4>Chapter 27 - You Are Worse Than Murderers</h4>


    "Obviously." She muttered. With a CEO like him, why would thepany''s reputation be ruined by an employee? His reputation had already damaged whatever there was to damage.


    "Did you say something?" He turned and questioned her.


    "Nope." She feigned a work-rted phone call¡ªeven though there was no signal in the elevator.


    ¡­.


    Preston and Fort Group.


    As soon as they got back, the first thing Zaria wanted to do was investigate whatever grudge could exist between her and Mr. Dumont.


    The investigation was her forte, so she had found an answer within a few minutes.


    "Are you kidding me?"


    The man had held a grudge because of something that happened years ago when she was still an intern at F&P Media?


    Rolling her eyes at the absurdity, she decided to get back to work. If it were about something else, there might have been room for negotiation. But since it involved a scandal that F&P Media had exposed years ago, there was no chance for the man to back down.


    As she read through the documents sent to the CEO, she rejected those that were irrelevant and organized the others, then took them to Desmond''s office for approval.


    "What''s the deal between you and Mr. Dumont?" He questioned as she ced the documents on his desk. He guessed that she should have investigated it.


    She straightened up and let out a smile of ridicule. "Four years ago, F&P Media investigated him and published the news of his true colors, then helped the police arrest him."


    His eyes flickered slightly as he looked at her, so she cleared her throat and added, "It''s a¡­ horrible piece of news."


    He was still looking at her.


    Her heart almost skipped a beat when their gazes collided. His ocean-blue eyes were so beautiful that they almost had a hypnotic effect, as though they were enticing her into making a mistake. His chiseled face was wless and attractive and it made her want toment. It should be considered illegal for a man this handsome to be a jerk. What a waste of handsomeness!


    However, it was very likely that his arrogance had stemmed from the fact that he knew that he was irresistible. After all, not many women could resist the allure of a seductive and insanely wealthy man who was said to have the world wrapped around his fingers. In fact, most of his brainless fans liked him for being the sadistic tyrant that he was. It was a lost cause.


    When he frowned, she realized that she was yet to answer him, so she quickly exined, "He had been reported for sexually harassing an employee, but he has the police in his pockets so the case was closed. The only ce the poor girl could seek help was with the media."


    "So F&P Media helped her by exposing him?" He guessed the self-exnatory part.


    She nodded, saddened by the cruelty of society. "The powerless often end up as victims. Only by exposing the truth to the entire nation will the police be forced to execute justice against those ruthless tycoons. Anyway, it''s been so long, and countless scandals happen every day. I would have forgotten all about it if I didn''t meet Mr. Dumont again."


    As soon as she finished speaking, she frowned. She had never met the man before. Back then, she was still an intern and was not allowed to be directly involved in the matter. She had majorly investigated behind the scenes. How did she still end up in Mr. Dumont''s bad books? He couldn''t have kept a record of every employee from F&P Media right?


    "So, did you manage to get this so-called justice? Mr. Dumont is still a free man, though." His tone was humorous and almost sarcastic as he rolled his ck pen with a smirk.


    She didn''t realize the tension in the room as she was lost in her own thoughts, shaking her head sadly. "The girl was exposed to be bipr. We hit a dead end because¡­no matter what she said, it was no longer credible. No one was willing to testify as a witness. Anyway, she didn''t have a good ending. Although the douchebag got away with his crimes in the end, he seems to be clinging onto this grudge."


    "Do you realize what you have done?" The man''s tone turned dangerous.


    She almost jolted in fright but kept her stance. "What did I do?"


    He frowned at her attempt to feign ignorance. The way she blinked her eyes made her look confident of her innocence and it was driving him crazy. "Zaria Williams, do you really not see it? Your life is doomed. You have wrecked it piece by piece¡ªand you are now dragging me down the drain with you¡ªand it''s all because you simply could not stick your nose where it belongs!"


    She was taken aback by his sudden outrage. "All we did was expose the truth. What else should we have done, watch an innocent woman get bullied and not receive justice? As a media group, it''s our duty¡­"


    "Stop with this ''duty'' nonsense. All you ever publish is lies!" He suddenly roared.


    "What did you say?" Her voice lowered into a gasp.


    He stood up,ughing bitterly as his eyes dimmed. "I used to believe in the media until I learned the truth. All you journalists and broadcasters ever care about is subscriptions. You spend your days fabricating nonsense and giving it eye-catching headlines in the name of news. As long as the masses get something to watch or read, it does not matter how many lives you ruin. You are worse than murderers!"


    "That''s enough. You have no right to nder my career." She red daggers at him.


    "Your career?" He turned and gave her an amused look. "You are no longer a journalist or whatever you were. You are now an executive assistant¡ªmy executive assistant¡ªand I forbid you from poking your nose where it does not belong."


    Zaria took a deep breath in disbelief. Even though she already knew what a hateful devil this man was, she was still surprised by how venomous his tongue could get. In the next instant, she ripped the work badge off her chest. "You do not have that right anymore. I quit."

 Chapter 28 - Little Runaway Wife

    <h4>Chapter 28 - Little Runaway Wife</h4>


    Liam was on his way to Desmond''s office when he saw an enraged Zaria storming out. What a familiar scene. His gaze subconsciously trailed down her chest as she walked past him and indeed, her employee badge was no longer in its ce.


    His lips twitched as he entered the office and looked at his friend with a frown. "Will you die if you keep your temper in check? Great. Now you''ve angered yet another one away."


    Desmond, who was caressing the small emerald employee badge, looked up in annoyance. "Can''t it be her who angered me?"


    The heavens could witness it. He didn''t say anything wrong.


    Liam scoffed. "As if I don''t know my own friend well enough."


    Desmond ignored his taunt. "Why are you here?"


    Liam leaned against the window, looking at a loss. "The old man called."


    "Ignore him." Desmond responded without flinching. He then pushed a white envelope towards the edge of hisrge desk. "Send this to Lawyer Su."


    Liam jolted and ran a hand through his spiky blond hair, his beautiful eyes full of disbelief. "Shoot! I can''t let this happen again!"


    He bolted out of the office as he mumbled. He would not allow himself to be this man''s interim assistant again. He had to find Zaria!


    In the office beside Desmond''s, Zaria was typing something at an insane speed when the door flew open and a tall figure in a blue suit jumped in.


    She frowned when she saw that it was Liam. His intention was obvious.


    "Zaria, help! It''s an emergency." He exaggerated the situation like a drama king. When he saw that she did not react to his words, he leaned over to scan her face. "Zaria?"


    She raised a hand to gesture for him to wait. He didn''t know what came over him but facing such a gloomy aura, he subconsciously zipped his mouth and silently waited at the side.


    She printed whatever she had been typing then stood up and took her bag. ncing at the freshly printed document in her hand, she handed it to him.


    The man did not reach for the document, but he lowered his eyes to read the content. His jaw dropped when he saw the words [Letter of resignation]. "You are asking for my life right now!"


    Zaria paid no attention to his dramatics. She would send herself to an early grave if she kept trying to put up with a certain man''s childishness.


    She ced the document on the desk. "I will pay thepensation for termination of contract. If he is unsatisfied with this, let''s meet in court."


    Liam cursed when he saw Zaria leave. It was not that he was unable to stop her. He could, but the only way to do that was to suppress her using his authority. The matter was already beyond friendly negotiation.


    However, he couldn''t bring himself to do something that might make the woman sad¡ªnot when he didn''t know what his temperamental friend had done to make her so upset.


    Damned Desmond. Was it so hard to be reasonable?


    ¡­


    Zaria threw her handbag on the bed and kicked her heels off her feet. She was back to the starting point. It was already bad enough that she had offended Desmond before¡ªbut she had done it again.


    However, she was not going to remain silent and listen to that man talk crap about her and her father.


    His words were unspecific. He did not directly call her out for being a liar or for faking news for the sake of money. In fact, one may think she was being petty. However, heaven knew that F&P Media had never published anything that was supported by irrefutable evidence.


    Even as the CEO''s assistant, she would spend a lot of time investigating just to ensure there was no false news. Heaven knew the harsh circumstances they had been through. Yet, after all their effort, they had been sued for libel. The irony.


    She could ept this. Media agencies were often targeted for what was usually termed as ''too much truth''. What she couldn''t ept was his usatory words when he knew better than anyone that he was in the wrong. He had sued her father for telling the truth. What right did he have to call him a liar using such an arrogant tone?


    Her phone rang and pulled her out of her thoughts.


    ncing at the words [Asshole Boss] on her screen, her eyes flickered with annoyance. She was about to directly hang up but when she thought that it could be an important matter, she picked it up impatiently. "Speak."


    "Miss Williams, it''s one thing to storm out on your boss but how dare you miss an important meeting? Do you still want your job?"


    Based on his tone, Liam must have kept her resignation from him. These two were doubtlessly birds of a feather. They were both unreliable.


    She calmed herself and announced, "I gave my resignation letter to Mr. Preston. I''m no longer an employee of Preston and Fort Group."


    She hung up, cutting off whatever he was about to say.


    ___


    Preston and Fort Group.


    Liam had stered his ear against Desmond''s phone so he had heard Zaria''s words. He frowned. "Just what did you do to her?"


    "It''s none of your business. Get lost." Desmond fumed.


    Liam analyzed the situation. There was only one thing that had been making Desmond''s mood explosivetely. "Is this about the news?"


    Ignoring him, Desmond felt the smooth, little badge that was still in his hands. He caressed it with his long fingers, his lips curled into a devilish smile. "She will be back."


    Liam got goosebumps from his chuckle. They both knew he was talking about his executive assistant. But why did he make it sound like he was vowing t o coax his willful runaway wife back?

 Chapter 29 - I Dont Need Her Anymore

    <h4>Chapter 29 - I Don''t Need Her Anymore</h4>


    Contrary to Zaria''s expectations, the man didn''t try to do anything he shouldn''t. Instead, he even gave her a call and gave her a fortnight to think about her decision. If she was still hell set on quitting even after that, then they would talk about the termination fees.


    Not only that, but he also agreed to give her a reasonable amount of time to raise the fees. The oue was even more shocking than him finding an opportunity to multiply the termination fees. Squinting her brows, she shook her head.


    "No way. he is obviously up to something." She was not going to be fooled so easily. If this was not his vain attempt at making up for his mistakes, he wasying a trap for her. Knowing him, it was most likely to be thetter.


    Even so, she braced herself and started looking for another job. She had minored in a few college courses, so although it was not easy to find a job in a conglomerate like Preston and Fort Group, getting a part-time job would be a piece of cake.


    After finding out whichpanies were hiring, she prepared her documents and used the rest of the day to do background searches on thepanies.


    "You''re back so early?" Theodore asked when he got backter in the afternoon.


    "Dad!" She stood up and set herptop aside, then rushed over to hug him and help him with the shopping bags he was carrying.


    He took out a chocte candy from his pockets and stuffed it into her hands, then rubbed her head like she was still a little girl.


    Giggling, she unwrapped the candy and put it in her mouth happily.


    "I bought a lot of ingredients. I was going to cook your favorite dishes, but you are already home. My surprise is ruined." Hemented.


    "Aw, dad¡­" She was so emotional that she didn''t know what to say. "It''s already good enough that we are together. But what''s the asion?"


    "Can''t I cook for my princess if there is no special asion?" He raised an eyebrow then headed to the kitchen with her trailing behind him.


    Tying her hair into a bun, she draped on a white apron and joined her father, who was ready to start cooking. She prepared the ingredients and washed and cut the vegetables while he started braising the meat.


    This was a routine they had kept for years. When she was a little girl, she would stand beside him in her miniature apron and watch curiously as he did everything. Later, when she learned to cook, she would help him most of the time. asionally, they would buy more ingredients and cook their favorite dishes or eat at the restaurant that had been their favorite for as long as she could remember. For years, neither of them got tired of it¡ªbecause, in this world, they only had each other.


    Soon, they were done cooking and they set the table together. He even brought out some wine to celebrate.


    "I have good news to share." He announced as he poured some wine into his ss and a tiny bit into hers.


    "What''s the good news?" She tilted her head to look at him excitedly.


    He raised his ss, a smile sweeping across his face. "I retrieved my license!"


    Zaria was in disbelief and she hugged him emotionally. "Wow, dad. That''s awesome!"


    After the scandal that had arisen, he had lost everything, including his work licensee. Forget being the CEO of a media agency, he could no longer even be a regr reporter.


    He clinched his ss with hers jubntly. "Even if I can no longer save F&P Media, I can still start a new agency."


    She frowned when she heard his words. "No. We still have to save F&P Media. It''s your blood and sweat. Making it Olphire''s top media agency is your dream."


    He nodded and patted her hand. "It was. Zaria, have you forgotten why I wanted this dream in the first ce? It''s all because of her. But she has not appeared in all these years. She will never appear."


    Zaria''s eyes drooped when she thought about it. She sighed. "Actually, I don''t wish to see her so much anymore. I¡­ I''m used to being without her."


    "Zaria¡­" Theodore felt his heartbreak. How could a child be used to being without her mother? But it wasn''t that she had a choice.


    Zaria''s mother was an elegantdy from an aristocratic family, and they met in high school. At first, she loved him despite the difference in their social status. However, a man like him could not be rich overnight. No matter how hard he worked, he had countless debts to pay off, and he refused to advance using underhanded means.


    She was patient for years but soon after Zaria was born, she could no longer stand him and left. At the time, he was not willing to let her take Zaria away. He even used up all the money he had saved up to hire awyer and make sure his daughter was not taken away.


    He had to admit that he was being selfish at the time. While he loved his daughter so much and did not wish for her to have a stepfather, part of the reason was that he hoped his wife would miss their daughter ande back.


    s, he followed her to Imperium City and spent his days working hard. Not only did Zaria manage to go to a luxurious school, he had never let herck anything she wanted. His main reason for creating a media agency was so she would notice him. Despite all his effort, she didn''t even show up. Now that all his hard work had gone down the drain, why did he still need to butter up to a woman who didn''t want them?


    "Zaria, this time, it is just for us."


    She hugged his arm emotionally. Actually, she had done her best in school and at work, and part of the reason was so her mother would notice her. However, it was as though she had been punching cotton all along. She was tired too¡­all she wanted now was to earn enough money for her and her father to live a luxurious life¡ªmultiple times more luxurious than they had been living before Desmond happened.


    __


    AN: Hap py Chinese New year readers!

 Chapter 30 - Just A Jobless B*tch

    <h4>Chapter 30 - Just A Jobless B*tch</h4>


    The following morning.


    After freshening up, Zaria changed into a business outfit: a gray dress and a pair of high heels. Her makeup was simple and she had worn a simple ne with a small ornament. After having a quick, light breakfast, she made her way to ACPD Media Group.


    If this was before, she would have berated herself for overestimating her abilities. ACPD Media Group was the second most prominent news agency in the country. Even as a former executive employee of F&P Media, she might not qualify as a regr journalist at one of the nation''s giants. However, her reputation had soared since she had been an EA at Preston and Fort Group¡ªAlbeit for a few days. That man wasn''tpletely useless after all.


    ¡­


    ACPD Media Group.


    Zaria made her way to the fifteenth floor, where the interviews were supposedly being held and went to the reception.


    "Are you here for the interview?" A woman who looked slightly older than her asked. When Zaria nodded, she stretched out a hand. "Let me have a look at your portfolio."


    From her search of the agency, Zaria knew that the woman beside her was Ms. Troy, who would be her superior if she got the job.


    She took out a neat file from her handbag and gave it to her, not thinking too much about it. However, soon after the woman opened the file, her expression turned serious as she adjusted her sses. "Sorry, we''re not hiring."


    "I submitted an application online and received an email requiring me toe for an interview. How can you im that you are not hiring?" Zaria was baffled.


    "That''s several hours ago. There was only one vacant position, but we have already found the most suitable candidate. Try to be early next time." Ms. Troy no longer bothered to be polite.


    Zaria knew that candidates were often rejected for the most absurd reasons. It wasmon in manypanies, but that did not make it fair. The woman had not even taken a good look at her qualifications. How had she conclude that Zaria was not a suitable candidate? Besides, if the position had already been taken, why did she ask for her portfolio?


    Most importantly, "The interview starts at 10:30 am. It''s 10:20."


    Ms. Troy expected that Zaria would be insistent, cause a scene or even cry. She had seen too much of these dramatics already, so she was ready to call security.


    However, Zaria grabbed her file back, took out a piece of wet tissue from her handbag, and wiped it clean before securing it in her bag and tossing the tissue into a small trash can at the corner. She then looked up to meet the gaze of the woman she had just humiliated. "People like you are the reason why the public thinks that people from the media industry are all liars."


    She then turned to strut out of thepany building.


    Behind her, Ms. Troy scoffed. "What''s she being so proud about? She''s just a jobless b*tch."


    ¡­


    Zaria spent the whole day trying to find a job and was baffled by the oue. She was rejected for the weirdest reasons like not meeting the requirements-even if she did. A startup agency even rejected her for being too qualified.


    Later, it was as though thepanies had run out of excuses.


    "You''re here for an interview? What''s your name?"


    "Zaria Williams."


    "Sorry, we don''t hire women whose names start with the letter Z."


    "Sorry, you are too young."


    "Sorry, you are wearing a gray dress. It''s inauspicious."


    At first, Zaria thought that they were making fun of her. She assumed that they did not want to hire her since her name had been dragged in the mud along with F&P Media. She had almost forgotten about this. Thanks to Desmond''swsuit, Theodore had made the headlines and as his daughter, so had she.


    With this in mind, it would have made sense for all the news agencies to reject her. But why the hell would a restaurant be unwilling to employ her as a waitress? Even if she was a fool, there was no way she wouldn''t be able to tell that they were all under some strange instruction.


    Now that she recalled Ms. Troy''s attitude, it seemed to have changed immediately after reading her personal information. For anyone to be able to instruct Ms. Troy¡­


    "I knew it!" She cursed when a certain figure shed in her mind.


    Why would Desmond give her a leeway? He wouldn''t be that kind. He merely wanted to force her to a dead end.


    Initially, it was just a suspicion. Besides, she didn''t want to believe that Desmond could control the whole world. He was not a god, after all.


    She dragged her feet into cklight¡ªHers and her father''s favorite restaurant¡ªand sat in their usual spot.


    Soon, the owner, Norman, came over with a bright smile. "Hey, bad day? Your dad isn''t with you today?"


    He had been seeing this father-daughter pair for so long that he thought of Theodore as his friend and Zaria as his daughter.


    She nodded listlessly.


    "I know just what you need." With that, he turned around and brought her a te of spring mix pasta. "It''s on the house. I hope it cheers you up."


    Zaria looked at her favorite pasta and dug in. "Thank you."


    After taking two bites, she thought of something and suddenly looked up hopefully. "Norman, do you need an assistant or a chef? A waitress can do too."


    The man looked confused for an instant. "I was about to ask about that. Did you offend anyone recently?"


    Norman retrieved his phone and showed her an email from Preston and Fort Group, warning him against employing a woman called Zaria Williams. It was unbelievable just how unreasonable someone could get.


    She sighed in her heart. As expected.


    The man looked at her apologetically. "I''m sorry, Zaria. I would have given you a chance, but¡­ I cannot lose this ce. I still need to take care of my son."


    "I understand." She didn''t me him. Since it was a piece of cake for that demon to push F&P Media to its end, he wouldn''t need to put in an effort to make Norman lose his precious restaurant.


    Her lips curled as she made a call. She spoke as soon as the call connected. "I''m giving you two choices, Mr. Fort. One, revoke this nonsensical order."


    "What''s the second choice?" The other partyughed, making it obvious that he was not intending to make any of the choices she was giving him.


    S till, she said it. "Two, see you in court."

 Chapter 31 - Put A Jerk In His Place

    <h4>Chapter 31 - Put A Jerk In His ce</h4>


    Zaria hung up the call and finished her pasta calmly. If Desmond was smart, he would know that settling the matter legally would not be beneficial to Preston and Fort Group. After all, they had an agreement and he had breached it first. If she sued him for it, it might create yet another headline for Preston and Fort Group.


    However, it wouldn''t be beneficial to her either. With her current reputation, the best oue would be both of them having their names tangled in a mess. It was a mutual loss situation, and she was sure that she might end up losing out more than him.


    So, despite the headstrong threat, she hoped that he wouldn''t let the matter escte out of proportion. Finishing up her pasta, she stood to leave.


    Norman had stepped aside to give her some time to herself. When he saw her standing to leave, he rushed over to her and handed her a takeout bag. "It''s your dad''s favorite braised pork."


    She took it with a smile, wondering whether Norman was their long-lost rtive. He was so caring. He had always been so kind that most of the people who visited his restaurant woulde back often. Although his culinary skills had improved so much over the years, he neither thought of increasing the food prices nor moving to a busier location. Memories mattered more to him.


    Thanking him, Zaria held the takeout bag in her hand and thought of how happy her dad would be.


    Norman stuffed a card into her hand. "Take this. This is my sister''s contact details. She runs a hotel chain. If you meet her requirements, she could give you a part-time job. Just make sure the people from Preston and Fort Group don''t find out that you found a job."


    Zaria was in disbelief. "Thanks, Norman. But I can deal with it on my own. I don''t want to implicate your sister."


    He smiled as he waved his hands. "Don''t worry! Although I own such a tiny restaurant, my sister is a tycoon. She will help you put that jerk in his ce."


    Zaria chuckled at his angry tone that still sounded too kind. With his personality, it was hard to imagine him losing his temper. However, she felt a familiar presence closing in from behind them and tensed up. "Uhm¡­jerk?"


    "Isn''t he one? Let me ask you, is that insane yboy targeting you because you rejected his advances?"


    "Uh¡­" Zaria desperately wanted to tell him that the man he was cursing was closing in on them from behind her, but Norman took her reaction as a yes. Because all his focus was on Zaria, he didn''t realize that there was someone behind her.


    He was even more enraged. "You did the right thing. Don''t allow yourself to be humiliated by a jerk who would cheat on his fianc¨¦e and be proud of it."


    "I didn''t cheat on my fianc¨¦e, and I''m not proud of it." A displeased voice sounded from behind Zaria, making Norman look up.


    The man didn''t freak out like Zaria expected. On the contrary, it was as though arguing with unreasonable tycoons and teaching them a lesson was something he did every other day. He pointed the spat that was still in his hand at Desmond. "So, you''re the man who''s been making Zaria sad. Don''t you know that women are treasures? Men who make them sad are immature assholes."


    She felt chills down her spine as she expected the unreasonable ''big baby'' behind her to erupt in fury. Contrary to her expectation, a deepugh vibrated from above her head. "Got it. I will treat her better next time."


    "Good. Take this." He rushed over to the pastry counter and brought Desmond a blueberry muffin. As he gave the muffin to him, he lowered his tone to whisper some fatherly advice. "You like her, don''t you? Never mind. You will probably deny it anyway. Just keep in mind that nice girls don''te by every day. Don''t wait until you''ve pushed her too far before you start to regret it. Of course, I would advise you to get rid of your business deal of an engagement first if you want to pursue her."


    Desmond smiled and didn''t exin anything. He merely cast a nce at Zaria and nudged her out. "I''ll drop you off."


    "I can walk." She exined, but he had already plucked her handbag off her shoulder so she could only follow him.


    She entered his car but felt as though she was sitting on needles. He wouldn''t get back at her for what Norman had said about him, right?


    "Norman is¡­"


    "Quite cute." He cut her off before she could exin. "And unpredictable."


    Zaria frowned at his words. Why did he make it sound like he knew Norman? Surely, he had never had a meal at cklight, right? As a man, who was born with a golden crown on his head, this was probably the first time he had been to such a ce.


    ncing at the blueberry muffin in his hands, she wondered whether he would eat it. He would probably look down on it right?


    However, he would rather throw it away than give it to her.


    Desmond saw that the woman beside him was ncing at him and swallowing longingly. He was almost startled by her gaze until he realized that she was not gazing at him but the muffin in his hand. So, in her eyes, he was not even as handsome as a muffin.


    He smiled and intentionally moved closer to her. "Do you want to have a clearer look? I think this angle is better."


    "Don''t be silly." She pushed him away before asking, "What do you want? I already gave you my terms."


    "I want to trade something with you." He held the muffin before her eyes. "This for the braised pork."


    Her eyes widened. How did he know¡­


    The point was, "Nope, not trading." This was for her dad, okay?


    He retreated for a while then offered the muffin. "Take it."


    She nced up at him cautiously. "That''s so unlike you."


    "I know. It''s too sweet for my liking. I won''t eat it anyway." It was obvious that Norman had deliberately given him something that Zaria liked. He didn''t have any use for it.


    Finding his exnation usible, she happily took the muffin and munched on it. However, she had just taken a bite when the takeout bag she had been guarding preciously disappeared from herp.


    "Hey!" She shot him a re.


    The man''s lips curled wickedly. "You took a bite of my muffin. It''s just fair for me to eat your braised pork."


    Zaria was speechless by his shamelessness. Did he just trick her for a serving of pork? What was worse, he ate all of it, not flinching even when he learned that it was meant for her dad.


    ___


    When she got home, she finally had time to check out the information on the business card that Norman had given to her earlier.


    When she saw the name of the CEO of the hotel chain "Emerald," she finally understood why Norman was sure that thetter would not yield to Desmond''s order. Ava Sparks? Wasn''t that the mother of Desmond''s fianc¨¦e, Natalie?

 Chapter 32 - Mental Age Stuck At 3

    <h4>Chapter 32 - Mental Age Stuck At 3</h4>


    This went to say... Norman was Natalie Sparks'' uncle?!


    No wonder he acted as though he knew Desmond!


    She frowned at the thought. Did Desmond know that Norman was his fianc¨¦e''s uncle? She didn''t think it was possible. Otherwise, he would not be so nonchnt when he met Norman earlier. But then again, it was impossible for him to give such ament about Norman if he was unfamiliar with him.


    Her head almost hurt from thinking about it. She threw her hands behind her head. "Whatever. Whether he knows Norman''s identity or not, one thing is for sure. I now have a strong weapon against him."


    If he insisted on keeping the dumb order, she would simply contact Ava Sparks. Earlier, the man had thrown her an address and asked her to have dinner together the following day.


    Since the idiot had eaten her dad''s food, she went to the kitchen and made a light meal. She was done setting the table just as the front door opened. She rushed over excitedly and realized that he didn''t look cheerful. She hugged him as she asked, "Long day?"


    "Are you alright?" He responded with a question of his own. He had gotten wind of what those damned Forts had done to his daughter. Once he got a foothold in his new agency, he would make sure they paid for bullying his daughter.


    "I''m alright, dad. It was just a tiny hup, but I settled the matter with him." She lied so he wouldn''t worry about her


    "As expected of my princess." Although Theodore saw right through her, he didn''t want to worry her, so he pretended to be convinced.


    She sighed in relief and urged him to the dining room.


    ___


    The following evening.


    Zaria showed up at the meeting venue at 6 pm, and surprisingly, Desmond was already waiting. He neither looked impatient nor was he annoyed about having waited for her. If she was seeing things right, he even smiled when she walked in.


    He averted his gaze before his eyes could betray his thoughts.


    Why did she look so beautiful?


    She was wearing jeans and a simple ck top and had her hair in a messy ponytail. It was rare to see her dressed differently from those business outfits, and it made him realize that she was breathtaking no matter what she wore.


    She calmly sat across him, not bothering about the gazes around her.


    In such a high-end restaurant, everyone was dressed in regal outfits. Although she was neatly dressed, she stood out like a sore thumb. The other patrons cast her a single nce before minding their business, but it was enough to make one feel anxious. However, she smiled like she didn''t notice it and enjoyed the breeze.


    Desmond had chosen a seat in the yard, and the dim lighting made the atmosphere somewhat romantic.


    "ce your order." He passed the menu to her.


    She nced through and ordered foie gras, then noticed his displeased gaze.


    "What did I do wrong?" She wondered aloud. Why was her boss¡ªno, former boss¡ªmore unpredictable than the weather?


    "Order for me."


    "Okay." She still found him bizarre. Was it so hard to say that? What was the long face all about?


    "What do you want to eat?"


    The man remained silent.


    Thinking that he had not heard her, she asked again. This time, he harrumphed like he was throwing a tantrum. "I don''t know. Find out."


    This again. Zaria was helpless. Thinking about it, she ordered braised pork and white rice. She peeked at him, and surprisingly, he was smiling.


    She wanted to p her forehead. So it was about the braised pork from the day before. As expected, his mental age was stuck at 3.


    Since he was happy now, she grabbed the chance to address the elephant in the room. "Since you did not have yourwyers throw their letters around, I guess you decided to drop the dumb order?"


    "About that¡­" He supported his chin in his hands with his elbows nted on the table. "I can drop thewsuit immediately. I''m talking about the one against F&P Media."


    She was stunned by the sudden offer of kindness. "Why would you do that?"


    "Because this charade will get us nowhere." He shrugged.


    Sheughed, surprised that there was something they could agree on. "Finally, you started using your brain. I was worried it would rust from being neglected for too long."


    He frowned and ignored her words. "The precondition is that you continue working at Preston and Fort Group. Of course, I would require you to tone down the sharp tongue as well."


    She crossed her arms. "Two conditions for two conditions. It would only be fair. Aside from dropping the suit, I will also need you to drop the order. There is no negotiation about this."


    Heughed deeply. "I wonder whose brain is rusty? If you are an employee of Preston and Fort Group, isn''t the order automatically nullified? Why does anyone need to employ my EA?"


    "It''s detrimental to my reputation."


    She didn''t want the whole world to think of her as an ipetent employee banned by Preston And Fort Group.


    Knowing that she would walk out if he pushed her too much, he nodded. "Okay."


    She continued looking at him, expressing that she did not trust him in the slightest. Her gaze was setting him on fire. To stop himself from losing his mind, he gave hiswyer a call on the spot, expressing his intention to drop thewsuit.

 Chapter 33 - If You Want An Executive Assistant, Hire One Yourself!

    <h4>Chapter 33 - If You Want An Executive Assistant, Hire One Yourself!</h4>


    "Thewsuit has been called off. Are you happy now?" He asked her like he was coaxing a child.


    Still, she shook her head. "I want to see the official letter from the court."


    His eyes scanned hers with interest. "You keep trying to push your luck. Zaria, why are you so sure that you can have your way every time?"


    She didn''t flinch under his gaze. "Mr. Fort, we both know the truth behind everything. We both know that if I were to fight to the death, the one at a loss would not be me."


    "He-he." He didn''t know where she got her confidence, but he knew what would happen if they started talking about that. It had already happened twice before and the oue didn''t make him happy.


    Hence, he changed the topic. "I can''t figure out my schedule for tomorrow."


    She rolled her eyes at him. "How are you even the CEO of a conglomerate if you can''t figure out your own schedule? You have a meeting with the board of directors at 9am, and another one with the top management at 11am. In the afternoon, you will meet with Mr. West in the West golf course andter have dinner with Miss Sparks'' family at Imperium Emerald Hotel. That sums it up."


    The more she spoke, the wider his smile got. By the time she was done, he was almost grinning with all his perfectly-shaped, snow white teeth out. "You are so familiar with my schedule. Could it be that you still thought of yourself as my assistant despite having thrown a tantrum and run away?"


    She frowned at his nonsense. "Don''t think too much of yourself."


    "Really, am I?" He let out a teasing chuckle.


    She ignored him, so he finished his food silently before looking straight at her. "Zaria."


    "Speak." From her tone, one would think she was his boss and not the other way round.


    His eyes stared at her like they could burn through her skin. "Who named you? Were they blind?"


    She paused her movements and scanned his face. "Did you eat the wrong medicine today? You''re acting strange."


    "Kiss me and you''ll find out." He presented his lips for a kiss.


    She pushed his face away with a hand. "Mr. Fort, have some dignity."


    "We''ve kissed before though." And you liked it, he added mentally.


    Previously, he had always felt repulsed when he thought about that night. The night he learned that she was not Savannah but an impersonator, who was only with him as part of her scheme.


    But now as he looked at her, he couldn''t help wondering what would have happened if their circumstances were different that night. If he had known who she truly was from the start, would that night have led to anything more than kisses..?


    "Damn Desmond, that''s your assistant!" He mentally scolded himself, but that did nothing to stop him from having unwanted thoughts about her. His mind formed the image of her sauntering into his office as she always did in her elegant yet sexy dresses.


    "Yo, the two of you managed to talk for so long without breaking each other''s necks? Here I was, staying close by in case I was needed to avert a storm!" The mood breaker was none other than Liam, who had just hopped over.


    "What are you doing here?" Desmond was irritable.


    "I just encountered an ordeal." Liam looked deted like his soul had been sucked out. Even his usually vibrant hair appeared lifeless. "I met a girl online and asked her out. She turned out to be a fraud! The pictures she sent me were nothing like her real self and actually belonged to an Inte celebrity¡­waaah...I''m so heartbroken!"


    Desmond regarded his friend like an idiot. "Who falls in love with a girl they met online? Couldn''t you at least give her a video call first?"


    "How would I have known?" Liam was deted.


    "No wonder you don''t have a girlfriend."


    "You meanie!" Liamined and looked at Zaria for help.


    Thetter smiled, wondering whether these two would ever grow up. "Join us. I''ll order you Australian crab."


    "Really? Zaria, you are so kind. Do you have any pretty friends?"


    "None that I would introduce to a yboy like you." Zaria refuted sternly.


    "Hey, I''m not a yboy! I''m innocent. Is it because I hang out with this guy that everyone thinks I''m a womanizer?" Liam looked like he was being used falsely.


    Zaria scanned him with her eyes. "Well¡­ you don''t look that much like a yboy."


    "Really?" Liam''s eyes were almost full of stars.


    "Mmh. It''s only because you are so handsome that it''s easy to mistake you for one."


    At the side, Desmond''s eyes were slowly filling with wrath.


    It was already bad enough that he had lost out to a blueberry muffin the day before. Now, he was losing out to his friend too? What was worse, she was sofortable around Liam that she didn''t mind talking about such personal details like her favorite food and the clothing brands. She answered every question he asked and she would ask him about himself too. The two of them were chattering away so happily that they totally ignored him.


    When they were done eating, they headed out and Liam asked, "Do you want me to drop you off?"


    "Enough!" Desmond couldn''t hold it in anymore.


    "What happened?" Liam asked his friend curiously.


    With a ferocious re, Desmond pulled Zaria to his side. "My assistant already has enough on her te taking care of me. If you so badly want an EA, hire one yourself."

 Chapter 34 - Beating The Boss Up

    <h4>Chapter 34 - Beating The Boss Up</h4>


    Liam was momentarily stunned before he realized what was happening. He burst intoughter. "Are you jealous?"


    "Get lost!"


    Liam received a boot in his shin just as he was taking advantage of the situation to make fun of his friend.


    "Zaria, he kicked me!" Knowing that Zaria would definitely be on his side, heined, looking extremely wronged.


    As expected, the woman shot a re at Desmond. "When will you stop being childish?"


    Liam smiled gloatingly and made a face at the infuriated Desmond. He didn''t have anything fun to do with his free timetely, so it was entertaining to spend his time infuriating Desmond.


    Thetter was on the verge of exploding. However, he knew that Liam was doing it on purpose. He met Zaria''s stern gaze with pitiful eyes. "Zaria, he has been harassing me nonstop."


    He looked forward to seeing her scold Liam. Just when he was ready to gloat, she pulled on his hand. "Stop being nonsensical. Go home and prepare for tomorrow''s meetings."


    "Pfft¡­" Liam was about to burst into another peal ofughter when a pair of ferocious res restrained him.


    Dragging him by the arm, she shoved him into his car, shut the door and then ordered the driver, "Drive."


    The chauffeur was on the verge of dying from trepidation when he saw someone audaciously pushing his boss around. He looked back uncertainly. "Sir¡­"


    "Drive! Didn''t you hear her?" The man was holding onto his arm where Zaria had grabbed earlier and smiled like a lunatic.


    ¡­


    Until Desmond''s car drove off, Liam was in disbelief. Did his unreasonable friend just leave Zaria behind? What kind of insanity was going on?


    When he finally left, Zaria finally retracted her re, and only then did she realize that the men she had just scolded for being childish were both her superiors. Even so, she shrugged indifferently. "Sir, I''ll get going now."


    "I''ll drop you off." Liam dered with no space for negotiation. He knew that Desmond would bite him to death if he left her on her own.


    She knew that she would not manage to talk him out of it, so she followed him to his white sports car.


    When they arrived, he walked her to her doorstep.


    "Thanks, Mr. Preston." She smiled and walked in.


    "Just call me Liam." He smiled. It was odd to hear such a distant form of address from a woman who had the guts to re at him and shove her boss into a car.


    She nodded and turned to walk in.


    "Aren''t you going to call me in for a cup of tea?"


    Her eyes widened at his words. In the next second, she grabbed one of the high-heeled shoes that she had forgotten at the doorstep earlier and pointed it at him. "What are you up to?"


    Realizing what his words had implied, Liam waved his hands in a flurry. "Just a cup of tea! I don''t mean anything else¡­ I''m so thirsty¡­"


    Since he had said so, and since she knew that Liam was not an insane yboy like his friend, she weed him. "Just a cup of tea, and you will leave right after."


    He nodded happily and walked in.


    Just as he thought, Zaria''s home was neither too big nor too small; it was befitting of two upants. The theme was simple with white and golden tones, and although the furniture was not luxurious, it was quite pleasing to the eye.


    He waited on the couch as she made him a cup of tea, which she brought in a few minutes.


    While they spoke, he received a call and went out for a moment, returning with a car key. He handed it to her. "Here, this is for you."


    Before she could refuse it, he added, "Every executive employee gets one. Sometimes you may have to work overtime or be required to arrive much earlier than usual. It would not be safe for a woman to take a cab or the subway at odd hours."


    Since his exnation made sense, she was no longer suspicious about it. But, "I get a Ferrari?"


    He scratched his head. "That''s because you are one of the mostpetent employees in thepany. The treatment depends on how hard they have worked."


    "Thank you." She smiled as she held the key. Even though she knew that Liam was deliberately treating her too well, she would work hard to make up for it.


    The man smiled and nodded, then wanted to give his friend a lecture for two hours. Who said it was hard to give a gift to a woman? Zaria had epted it without any hups!


    He was just about to take his leave when the door opened, and a joyous middle-aged man walked in. His smile froze when his gazended on Liam.


    In the next second, heunched a punch. "Bastard!"


    "Dad!" Zaria was taken aback. She rushed over to hold him back. "That''s my boss!"


    "You idiot! What do you take my daughter as? Someone you can bully as you please? And you have the audacity toe here and bully her in her own house?!" He pulled away from Zaria andunched yet another punch.


    Liam, who had just been punched for merely being there, was speechless. He didn''t dare to fight back and recoiled to a corner as the man angrily rained punches on his shoulders and back.


    "Dad, he didn''t!" Zaria finally managed to stop her father, sweating from having used so much strength. When Theodore paused, she used the chance to quickly exin. "Liam has never said or done anything to make me feel sad. I''m telling you the truth."


    Afraid that he would not believe her, she retrieved the car key and showed it to him. "He only came to give me this. It''s a reward for my hard work."


    Theodore examined the key and only then did he calm down slightly. In the next second, he red at Liam. "Why would you give her such an expensive car? Are you trying to take advantage of your status as her boss to lure my daughter?"


    "No, no! I wouldn''t dare!" Liam shook his battered head vehemently. Inwardly, he cursed Desmond a hundred times. Thanks to that idiot bullying Zaria incessantly, he was being beaten up for merely existing.


    Luckily, Theodore was no longer unfriendly after getting reassurance. Even so, he was not weing either. "You may leave."


    Liam was not nning to stay either, so he scattered away.


    Zaria pped her forehead when Liam left. "Dad, you just beat my boss up."


    Not only was Theodore not apologetic, but he was also even more fierce. "And I will do it again if he holds it against you. Tell me if anyone dares to do anything that makes you unhappy."


    Zaria didn''t know whether tough or cry. She hugged his arm with a smile. "How was your day? Does your hand hurt?"


    "Not anymore." He smiled and took out his phone. "I received a c all from the court. The suit is called off."

 Chapter 35 - Seducing The Boss

    <h4>Chapter 35 - Seducing The Boss</h4>


    Zaria let out a sigh of relief. At least that man kept his word in the end. If he tried to swindle her again, she would charge to his mansion and beat the crap out of him. "That''s the best news! Now, we can try to save the agency."


    He suddenly looked troubled. "We spent so much money trying to divert the news and averting the damage. We aren''t capable of doing anything for now. Not to mention, too many employees left and we have to employ new staff. However, I will try to bring everything back in order soon.


    Zaria didn''t look anxious in the slightest. She was just about to tell him what she had in mind when her phone lit up with a new text message. She unlocked it and found that it was a message from the bank.


    Theodore was not intending to snoop but he unintentionally saw the digits on the text message, which baffled him. Why would Zaria receive so much money? It couldn''t be a scammer, right?


    She smiled happily and exined, "It''s my advance sry of six months. We can use it to save F&P Media."


    Theodore was still puzzled. "Did you read the contract carefully? Don''t fall into a trap."


    "I did." Sheughed. She had even thoroughly checked for any suspicious nk spaces that could potentially contain hidden terms.


    He was reassured, but he still shook his head. "You should save the money and use it when you need to. F&P Media is my responsibility. I don''t want to burden you with it."


    Zaria was helpless. Was there something wrong with her dad? What was the difference between using his money and using hers?


    "Why don''t you just use it? Take it as me lending you some money." She suggested, knowing that she would never be able to convince him into epting it otherwise. As expected, he was more epting of this idea.


    ¡­


    Desmond''s mansion.


    "Hahahahahahaha!"


    This time, the thunderousughter was from Desmond, who was doing a sorry job at trying to apply an ice pack on his fuming friend''s swollen face.


    "Don''t you have bodyguards? In fact, aren''t you a great fighter yourself? How could you get beaten up so badly?"


    Liam fumed and remained silent. Wasn''t it all your fault?


    Desmond didn''t sense the resentment and continued probing. "Was it that girl you met online?" He thought that Liam must have tried to take advantage of some girl and gotten beaten up by her brother or boyfriend. It would never cross his mind that the culprit was none other than Theodore Williams.


    "Ow! Are you trying to help me decrease the swelling or worsen it?!" Liam exploded when the unreliable scumbag with the surname Fort ended up hitting one of the bumps on his head.


    "Get lost. So whiny¡­ call your doctor over and have him treat you." Desmond threw the ice pack aside and retreated to a couch. Why did he have to be so patient with a grown man? He would only tolerate someone acting spoiled around him if that person was Zaria.


    Wait. Why did he randomly think about her?


    ___


    The next morning.


    Zaria arrived at Preston and Fort Group, having given her brand-new Ferrari a ride. The other employees had seen her alighting from cabs before; and there were even some who had seen her queuing for the bus or dash to the subway. Seeing her suddenly arrive in such a luxurious car was definitely more eye-catching than the bright-red color of the car.


    Most of them felt jealous, it was inevitable.


    "Hmph. So what if she drove a ferrari? What''s there to be proud of?" One of the receptionists, Marion, sneered. She knew that Zaria was nearby and spoke loud enough for her to hear.


    Her colleague, Cora, wasn''t polite either. "I wonder how many times she had to bend over Desmond''s desk to earn it."


    Zaria frowned ever so slightly. From the first day, these two seemed to dislike her. However, she was too busy to have a scuffle with them. If they were so jealous, why not work hard and get their own rewards?


    She was about to ignore them but Marion was venomous enough to jump in her way as she passed by the reception. "Oh, talk of the devil and she arrives."


    Zaria crossed her arms. "I''m pretty sure you knew I was within earshot, though."


    Marion didn''t expect her to retaliate; most of Desmond''s former assistants were too timid, which was the main reason why most of them were fired after a few days. However, Zaria''s retaliation did nothing to intimidate her. She crossed her arms and looked the other woman up and down. "So what if you heard me? You are so shameless that someone has to point it out. Do you think you will be in that position for so long? No matter how many cars and properties you get by seducing your boss, he is engaged after all. He will dump you faster than I can snap my fingers."


    "You think so?" Zaria smirked. "If I can seduce him into giving me expensive cars and properties, it would be such a waste of his affection if I don''t use it to get you fired, don''t you think?"


    How stupid. She thought that Zaria was the CEO''s woman but still had the audacity to provoke her. Wasn''t she digging her own grave?


    "Good morning Mr. Fort." Cora greeted in a deliberately seductive tone, abruptly ending the argument between the two women as they realized that Desmond had arrived.


    Zaria disappeared into the elevator and hoped that the man had not heard her words, while Marion shed a smile and hoped that Desmond would notice her big boobs that looked provocative under her low-cut blue dress.


    However, the man didn''t seem to notice her, he walked with long strides into the elevator that Zaria was trying to escape in.


    As soon as the doors closed, she pretended to be nonchnt. "Good morning, Sir."


    "You ignored me earlier but now you want to earnestly greet me? How ''sincere'' of you." He smiled and loosened his royal blue tie slightly, then closed in on her. When she tried to escape, he pressed a hand against the mirrored wall and trapped her. "Running so fast?"


    "Mr. Fort, please keep your distance!" She pushed him but he did not budge an inch.


    Instead, he chortled. "Now, now Zaria. Are you getting angry because you are embarrassed? Can''t even look me in the eye?"


    She wanted to prove him wrong by looking right into his eyes but as soon as her eyes met his seductive, blue ones, she couldn''t take it anymore and averted her gaze."


    He stroked her face gently and teased, "How will you seduce me into firing the employees you d islike if you can''t even look at me?"

 Chapter 36 - Nice Lipstick

    <h4>Chapter 36 - Nice Lipstick</h4>


    "Don''t be so full of yourself! Who wants to seduce you?" Zaria retorted.


    He let out a chuckle at how flustered she was. "Don''t you? I heard you say such things a moment ago."


    "That''s just because she angered me! She was saying such nderous words that I had to shut her up." She exined.


    "But I want to shut you up." As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned down and pecked her lips. Her eyes widened in shock.


    Her hazel eyes looked more seductive thanks to her surprise. He kissed her again, this time taking his time to taste and savor her lips. He hadn''t realized it earlier but he had so badly missed this feeling¡­


    "You¡­" She tried to push him away.


    "Zaria¡­" He cupped her face and looked into her eyes.


    She held his arm to hug him but in the end, she shook her head. This shouldn''t be happening. Knowing that she would not be able to stop him, she changed the topic by pulling him and then pushing him against the wall, so she was in front of him.


    "Desmond, do you know why I agreed to sign a ten-year contract with you?"


    He swallowed in surprise. How long had it been since she called out his name? She had been sticking to being overly formal and it had been making him incredibly unhappy.


    She looked up at him and continued, "Do you think it''s for the money? Sure, money is an important reason, but do you think it''s the only factor?"


    "What''s the other reason?" He tried to ignore the reaction of his lower body that stemmed from the waft of her sweet floral scent.


    She smiled slightly and raised her hand, then timidly extended it to touch his face. Her fingers trailed down his skin softly as she said, "Why not? If my boss is such a handsome man, forget ten years; I would work for eighty years if I can live long enough."


    Her dazed eyes looked into his as she smirked. Although she was saying such words, something about her gaze jolted him out of his trance. Her tone was too odd. Did she mean any of the words she was saying? Her fingers traced down his neck and came into contact with his tie as he tried to figure her out, and he immediately forgot all about it. Whether it was real or fake, he did not want to ruin it.


    However, just as he made a move to hold her, sheughed evilly. "Boss, what do you think? Would that make you fire apetent employee just because I dislike them?"


    He finally figured out what she was doing. She was merely ying around because of what he had said about her seducing him. Darned woman, wasn''t she afraid of taking the act too far? He looked down at his body and wanted toin.


    He grabbed her and pulled her against his body. "Forget apetent employee that you dislike. If you act that way around me, I would even fire the COO."


    The elevator had just arrived and the doors slid open before the duo could realize it.


    This is the scene that the COO, Liam, saw when he was on his way towards the elevator.


    Seeing his friend and Zaria tangled up in such a suggestive position, he scratched his head and turned away. "I didn''t see anything. Please continue."


    Desmond shot him a re for ruining his moment.


    To alleviate the awkwardness, Zaria spoke up before Liam could leave. "Sir, are you feeling better?" Even though he had allowed her to address him by his name, she didn''t think it would be appropriate to do so in thepany.


    The man touched his face and head, smiling about the extra care he had received at Desmond''s expense. "I would feel much better if you got me something yummy to drink."


    "Right away." For the convenience of these two bosses, there was a pantry on the same floor as their offices. She went and prepared a cup of coffee with cream and sugar, then sent it to his office.


    Of course, a certain sulky boss was jealous.


    "I called you two minutes ago, but you arete." He berated her when she went to his office.


    She knew that he was being unreasonable, but she would go crazy if she tried to argue with him, so she took the fault. "I will be more punctual next time."


    She then proceeded to read him a proposal that he had asked for¡ªbut heprehended nothing of it because he was staring at her lips. When she finished, she looked at him. "Anyments, sir? Should I ept it?"


    "What do you think?" He asked, his mind forming all sorts of unwanted imaginations.


    "The proposal in itself has no loopholes. However, thispany has been constantly making losses in thest two years. There is a sliver of hope that it will improve in the current year, but it is not guaranteed. In my opinion, the people in charge must be all talk and no action. Otherwise, there is no way such a brilliant n could incur losses. It''s dangerous to work with them, so I would not ept it if it were up to me¡ªthough you have the final say."


    He remained silent, and she thought he was contemting until he suddenly said, "Nice lipstick."


    "What?" They were discussing serious business. Where did the topic about her lipsticke from?


    Whopliments a woman''s lipstick? And he did so with such a straight expression too!


    No, the point was, she was not wearing any lipstick at the moment. While she did have some on a few minutes ago, she had identally rubbed some off on his lips, so she wiped the rest of it out. Just as she was about to say something, she caught sight of his lips. They still had an obvious red stain...

 Chapter 37 - Is This Your Latest Toy?

    <h4>Chapter 37 - Is This Your Latest Toy?</h4>


    She averted her gaze from his lips and looked aside. "Sir, what do you think?"


    Although he was distracted by the woman before him, he knew that he had to focus on his work. He nced through the report in her hand and recalled her words. He then nodded. "Reject it."


    "Okay." She made a note on her tablet and rolled the stylus between her fingers. "There''s a message from Ms. Samantha, inviting you to a banquet on the tenth of next month¡­"


    "Reject it." He interrupted with a slight frown.


    She knew that he didn''t like attending banquets unless they were business banquets. She also knew that Ms. Samantha was his sister, with whom he was estranged. However, she still delivered the rest of the message. "Mr. Preston has confirmed his attendance."


    He thought hard about it, cursed softly, and then raised his head to look at her. "Call Liam here on your way out."


    She nodded. "Okay. At what time would you like to have your morning coffee?"


    "In ten minutes, thanks."


    She left the office, sauntering in her high heels. Watching her retreating back, he could not believe that she was focusing on her work so seriously after setting his mind and body on fire.


    "What are you thinking about?" Liam''s voice filled the air.


    Desmond sighed, his voice filled with Zaria''s breathtaking figure and the seductive way her hips swayed as she exited earlier. "She''s so beautiful."


    Liam nced at him and was not surprised in the slightest. However, his eyes were full of disapproval. "Have you forgotten who she is?"


    "I know that she is my executive assistant as well as Theodore William''s daughter, but that¡­" His own words jolted him out of his trance and he snapped out of it. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you attending that kind of banquet?"


    "This has nothing to do with you." Liam shrugged.


    "It''s about Samantha, isn''t it?" Desmond''s voice was filled with scorn.


    Thetter''s lips twitched ever so slightly as he gazed out of the window. In the next moment, he turned. "Desmond, while we have been friends for as long as I remember, I don''t answer to you. It''s time for you to start getting this into your head."


    "So it really is about her." Desmond smiled. "Look, I''m not trying to stop you. If you want to get manipted into destroying your whole life, then you know what? You can go right ahead."


    Liam thought about his overreaction and his eyebrows furrowed. "I don''t want to fight with you."


    "Who wants to fight with you? Get lost." Desmond scoffed disdainfully. Although he was curious about some things, he knew that it would be better not to ask. The Forts were none of his business, and neither was Samantha.


    About a minute after Liam left, Zaria brought Desmond''s coffee over.


    He nced at the dark liquid and frowned in displeasure.


    "Is there something wrong, sir?" She asked softly.


    Of course there was something wrong. "I want a cup of delicious coffee."


    As if she had expected this kind of response, three sachets of cream powder and two of sugar appeared on his desk. She leaned over and opened them one at a time, pouring them into the cup. Then she took a spoon from the tray and stirred the content.


    "Is it better now?" She asked as she straightened up. "I added one sugar and two creams to Liam''s cup."


    A smile formed on his lips as he took a taste. "It''s the yummiest cup of coffee I''ve ever tasted."


    She held back a scoff. Of course. She had once had a tiny taste of his coffee and almost threw up from how bitter it tasted.


    The ''big baby'' was pleased now, so he asked, "Do you want me to fire her?"


    He was referring to Marion, the receptionist who had offended her earlier.


    She let out an evil smile. "Do you need to? If my information is correct, executive employees have the right to hire or fire other employees." One of his former executive assistants had even misused this authority to fire all the women she thought were more beautiful than her, in order to keep them away from him and eliminate possible rivals. It made one wonder what exactly he was thinking while employing some idiots.


    When he recalled this, he smiled. "Do as you please."


    "Aren''t you scared that I might use the chance to get rid of all the capable employees in thepany and cause the downfall of Preston and Fort Group?" She asked teasingly.


    His gaze met hers as he took a sip of the sweet drink before him. "Then I would have to punish you for being too naughty."


    She gulped. Why did his words sound so wrong?


    ___


    Later in the day, at the West Golf Course.


    As usual, Desmond had dragged Zaria with him to meet with Mr. West.


    "Do you know how to y golf?" He asked as they arrived.


    She shook her head. "Do you want to teach me?"


    Before he could respond, a handsome man in sports attire walked towards them. He had an alluring beauty in his arms, who he let go of to greet Desmond. "You finally agreed to meet up with me, you idiot. Who is this beauty? Yourtest toy?"


    "Evan!" Desmond roared at him. "This is my executive assistant, Miss Williams. Keep your eyes to yourself."


    Zaria so badly wanted to recoil to the side. The man had a woman with him, but he was still looking at her like he wanted to undress her with his eyes? Disgusting!


    However, she had to pretend to be polite for the sake of her boss, who was no less of a womaniser. She reluctantly shook his hand and stuck beside Desmond. Luckily, the man did not make things difficult for her after receiving a fierce re. However, the woman beside Evan red at her venomously.


    Not caring, Zaria stuck by Desmond''s side and helped him prepare for the game. He went to the changing room and returned in a royal blue golf shirt and white pants, with a pair of golf shoes and a cap.


    Seeing him in casual attire, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. The two menpeted with each other, and the whole time, her gaze was fixed on Desmond. He looked too handsome¡­

 Chapter 38 - Have You Been Up To Something Naughty?

    <h4>Chapter 38 - Have You Been Up To Something Naughty?</h4>


    "Are you his executive assistant or his bed ''assistant''?" the woman who was beside Evan earlier asked, her tone full of scorn as she emphasized thest word sarcastically.


    Zaria withdrew her gaze from Desmond and frowned at her. "Why do you sound like it matters much more than it should?"


    The womanughed evilly. "Don''t get too smug. He will dump you in a few days."


    Zaria was speechless. Why did everyone think she was Desmond''s toy and that he would dump her soon? In what way did she look like she could be his woman?


    Besides, didn''t this ck-haired woman already have Evan? Why did it sound like she liked Desmond too?


    Ignoring the bizarre woman, she continued minding her own business. To be exact, Desmond was so attention-grabbing that her brain couldn''t register anything else around her. She suddenly had the urge to take out her phone and snap a photo of him.


    Thinking about it, she quickly reached into her bag and took it out.


    The screen had now been repaired and it looked brand-new. Although her phone was not an expensive type and was a little old, it was one of the most popr models among women for its high-definition camera.


    Holding it in front of her in a way that didn''t look so obvious, she pinched the screen to zoom in and snapped a photo just as the man turned to the side. She almost yelled in excitement when she looked at the photo she had secretly taken. Was this guy a supermodel? If not, why did he manage to look so attractive even in a photo he didn''t know was being taken?


    Afraid that she would be found out, she quickly cropped the picture and saved it in a secret folder in her phone''s gallery before browsing idly.


    "Why are you acting so sneaky? Did you do something wrong?" Desmond appeared beside her, having finished sparring with Evan West.


    She shoved her phone into her bag, shaking her head innocently. "What would I have done wrong? I was merely standing here and minding my own business."


    "Are you sure? Something about your eyes tells me that you have been up to something¡­naughty." He looked down at her seriously, but his blue eyes ruined the so-called seriousness and made him look flirtatious instead.


    "I didn''t¡­" She denied the usation guiltily.


    "Hehe¡­" He didn''t want to make fun of her in case it angered her, so he talked about something more serious. "I did not manage to snag the deal with the damned idiot with the surname West."


    "Why not?" She did not understand. "We already made the terms so convenient for him that we almost put ourselves at a loss. Is he doing this because you are friends, and he expects you to let him get the most out of a deal even if it harms your ownpany?"


    Desmond shook his head. "He wants something else¡ªsomething I cannot give to him."


    From his tone, he didn''t want her to ask what Evan wanted in return, so she kept her curiosity to herself. "Never mind. We don''t need to stoop so low."


    He smiled proudly, looking as if his little student had finally matured.


    "Sir, I need to discuss something else with you." She spoke up.


    "Go ahead."


    She was distracted by a familiar figure before she could continue. "Liam? Why is he here?"


    "I told him that the deal was a flop. He must be here to try and talk some sense into Evan or to negotiate with him, neither of which is going to work." She thought about it and calmly suggested, "If it matters so much to you and Liam, then¡­perhaps you could consider giving him what he wants?"


    Desmond nced at her and frowned. "Never." His expression was frustrated when he realized that this was the third time she was calling Liam so casually. Just how close were they?


    "Okay." She shrugged, though she couldn''t help wondering what exactly Evan had asked that was making him reject the idea so sternly.


    He went back to the dressing room and changed back into his ck suit and tie, then led the way towards his car. "Let''s go."


    When they entered the car, he finally asked, "What did you want to talk about?"


    "Right." She opened a document and started exining. "I remember that you were unhappy when you lost the deal with Mr. Dumont, so I did some digging and found this out. The Su family from Luxenville is going to auction out the Regal Hotel chain."


    "And that''s my business because?" He raised an eyebrow curiously.


    "The hotels will be auctioned separately, and there''s one that caught my attention. Not only is it a vintage-themed hotel, but it''s also much better than Mr. Dumont''s Dynasty Hotel. Not to mention, business is still in its flourishing phase, unlike Dynasty Hotel, which is on the verge of bankruptcy.


    If you don''t mind, we can try to acquire one of them. The auction will be held on the fifteenth of April."


    At some point, she realized that the man was not listening but staring at her instead. "Is there something wrong?"


    He said nothing, but his gaze trailed down her chest.


    She frowned and followed his gaze, only to find that two of the buttons hade undone. She was wearing a ck, cored dress with buttons at the chest area, so when some of them came undone, they revealed a sliver of her pink,cy bra.


    She grabbed the front of her dress in embarrassment and quickly buttoned it up, no longer daring to nce at her boss.


    The man grinned and pretended to have seen nothing, though he wondered how long it had been this way.

 Chapter 39 - Whats Gotten Into You?

    <h4>Chapter 39 - What''s Gotten Into You?</h4>


    The man studied her, and when he saw her flushed face, his lips couldn''t help but twitch. "I''ve seen that pink bra before. What''s there to hide?"


    She shot him an unfriendly look and cleared her throat, using business to alleviate the awkwardness. "About the Su family''s action¡­"


    "Do as you please." He shoved the responsibility to her, as if he was asking his little wife to shop around and spend as much money as she wanted.


    She shut her mouth and started noting down her analysis of thepetitors.


    When he nced down and saw what she was writing, a smile formed on his lips. She was so informed and smart¡­ she could even use thepanies'' values and the values of their past projects to predict the maximum amount they could offer at the bid. Once she hade up with figures she was sure of, she started calcting an amount that would not cause much impact on Preston and Fort Group and would be recovered as early as possible. All that was left was writing a proposal.


    He didn''t interrupt her, watching dotingly as she worked, asionally ying with her stylus while thinking. How he wished the drive couldst forever¡­


    She thought they were going back to thepany, but they took a detour towards her home instead. She was surprised and quickly reminded, "Sir, my car is still in thepany."


    "I''ll get someone to send it over." Although she was the one who had been interrupted from her work, he frowned irritably, as though it was pleasant to watch her do nothing but rack her brains while at work.


    She blinked. "Alright. Then, sir, could you please drop me off at Grand View Hospital? I was nning to go over after work."


    His mood dropped significantly, his eyes filling with a threatening gaze. "What did you just call me?"


    Her body shuddered from his re, and her voice dropped. "S-sir¡­?"


    His mood worsened, and she couldn''tprehend what exactly had displeased him. Isn''t that what employees usually call their bosses?


    She knew that if she did not correct herself, she might identally trigger the unreasonable asshole in him and that would not be funny.


    "Boss¡­?" She tried gently.


    His expression did not change.


    "President? CEO Fort?" She tried again and let out a sigh when he looked like he was about to burn her to death from his gaze.


    She gulped and tried the only option left. "Mr. Fort?... Gosh! What''s wrong with any of these titles?"


    Zaria was on the verge of breaking down. Just as she was about to curse him out for being unreasonable, he spoke up.


    "What did you call the COO earlier?" his tone was full of displeasure.


    "Liam? What about it?" She had just asked when she finally realized what insanity was going on. Was the ''big baby'' acting up again? Surely, he couldn''t be offended because she had called Liam by his name right?


    Still, she tried. "D-desmond?"


    Like a blooming flower, the man''s face was filled with a smile as he nodded happily, a stark contrast to his ''Hitler'' expression a second ago. "Call me that from now on."


    She frowned as she tilted her head to look at him. "I''m sorry, that''s inappropriate. You''re my boss."


    "Liam is your boss too." His unreasonable jealousy was rearing its head.


    She blinked and thought she had heard wrong. Are you kidding me?


    Dumping aside the fact that he was her boss, she annoyedly fired off words at him. "Will you stopparing yourself to Liam? How old are you?"


    The man said nothing, but he was deted. If you didn''t give Liam too much favor, would I need topare myself to him?


    The idiot had even bragged about having had a taste of Zaria''s specially made tea. How hateful! Serves him right because he was given a good beating.


    ___


    Grand View Hospital.


    As soon as Zaria was dropped off, she dashed to Nina''s ward and was out of breath as she gently pushed the door open. "Nina?"


    It was only when she arrived that she realized how long it had been since the day she had promised to visit¡ªwhich she had forgotten.


    She slowly stalked forward, noticing the presence of Ryan, who she didn''t know was there. Smiling at him in greeting, she walked over to the teenager. "Nina, I''m so sorry. I¡­"


    She couldn''t bring herself to lie about anything, so she smiled and lifted the basket she had brought with her. "Look, I brought you some fruits. Do you want to have some? The next time I visit, I will cook something delicious for you."


    The girl cast her a single nce and ignored her. As expected, she was upset.


    "You shouldn''t havee." The silent Ryan finally spoke.


    "What? Did I do something wrong?" She was shocked that he would say such words to her.


    The man chuckled lightly and moved forward to hold his sister as though protecting her from Zaria. "No, of course not. You did nothing wrong. You merely made a tiny promise and broke it. Of course, she is very happy. You did nothing wrong."


    His sarcastic tone baffled her. They had been friends since they were little, and this was the first time that he used such a harsh tone on her. Nheless, she knew that she was in the wrong, so she didn''t flip up. "Ryan, I''m sorry. I''ve been busy¡­"


    "Of course." He scoffed. "You are an executive employee at a multibillion conglomerate now. You are already so busy running around for your billionaire bosses. Thest thing on your mind is a little girl who isn''t rted to you."


    "Ryan!" She couldn''t stand his tone anymore and raised her voice. When she remembered that Nina was still with them, she toned down but was still fuming angry. "What''s gotten into you? Do you have a fever?"


    "Zaria, I''m sorry, but you¡­" He was about to say something, but he changed his words at thest moment. "Please leave."

 Chapter 40 - Delusional

    <h4>Chapter 40 - Delusional</h4>


    Zaria nced at Ryan in disbelief. Was this explosive man whose words made no sense actually her friend? Letting out a slight smile, she picked up the bag she had set at the side and silently walked out.


    When the door shut, Ryan felt as though his heart had been struck. He wanted to run after her, but his feet felt as though they had been glued onto the floor. Feeling a burning re on him, he looked down and met with his sister''s unhappy gaze.


    "What? Are you ming me?"


    The girl said nothing, but her eyes were full ofint.


    He crouched to her level and tousled her hair. "Forget about her, Nina. She doesn''t love you. She will only keep hurting you."


    Nina didn''t say a word to this either, but she wondered with her head tilted, who exactly is hurt?


    ___


    The next morning.


    After tossing and turning for the better part of the night, Zaria woke up with her eyes swollen. No matter how much she wanted to pretend to be nonchnt about Ryan''s behavior, she knew deep down that she was bothered.


    Did someone threaten him to stay away from her?


    That was too melodramatic. If anyone did that, she knew that Ryan would beat the crap out of them. It was even more far-fetched to think that he was indeed that angry because of her broken promise.


    Could it be that after the loss of his parents, he and Nina had be more sensitive? Was he worried that if she started seeing Nina less often than promised, she would suddenly leave them like their parents did?


    That would have made sense if it was just Nina, but Ryan¡­


    She shook her head and dragged herself out of bed. The situation would drive her nuts if she kept thinking about it.


    She had woken up at the usual time, but because her skin was not in the best condition thanks to her sleeplessness, she had to take longer doing her makeup and was almostte.


    Initially, she was in a good mood after taking a cup of coffee, but Marion had to appear again.


    "Bitch, you finally decided to wear revealing clothes, huh? Pretending to be innocent yet dressing up specifically to seduce the boss?" The woman was as venomous as ever, pointing her unnecessarily long nails at Zaria''s halterneck, short ck and white dress that had acy hem.


    Zaria scoffed inwardly. While her dress was indeed short, it couldn''tpare to Marion''s deep V dress that might not be long enough to cover her backside. It made one wonder whether she was here to work or strip-dance.


    "Cat got your tongue? You were pretty smug yesterday, though."


    Zaria was not in the mood to act out some brainless office drama with her. She raised an eyebrow. "I gave you a chance, Marion, but you did not treasure it. Don''t me me for being heartless."


    "Ha? Don''t make meugh." Marion burst intoughter.


    "Trust me. I''m not about to do that." Zaria smiled and continued, "I will not talk about your wealthy family because they are not your business, but your decisions are. You have to be responsible for them."


    As if she had long prepared for this, she sent a message to someone and an intern assistant soon came rushing with a document in hand. Zaria took it and opened it.


    "Marion Cooper, you have been using your identity as the stepdaughter of Alex Cooper to oppress your colleagues. Since you are a rich princess, Preston and Fort Group does not deserve you. I will give you the golden chance to follow your father and work for him. As the daughter of Cooper International, you will have every right to control your father''s employees. No need to thank me!"


    When the meaning of Zaria''s words sunk in, she let out a sarcasticugh. "Now, Zaria. Do you really think you have the right to fire me? Who do you think you are?"


    "Someone with the authority to fire you. Am I wrong?" Zaria was indifferent. She nced at the petite intern beside her, and the girl took out a dismissal letter and pped it onto the reception desk behind Marion.


    Thetter read it with a scoff but shook her head in shock. "No, this is impossible!"


    But no matter how impossible it sounded, she could clearly see the initials D.F beside Desmond''s signature. There was even a stamp¡­


    "You witch! You forged Desmond''s signature! I will show this to him!"


    "Go right ahead." Zaria was unfazed. She knew that as a former employee who had been fired and cklisted by Preston and Fort Group, Marion would never have the chance to see Desmond, much less show him what she thought was a fake dismissal letter.


    While she was still throwing a tantrum, Marion received a call from her stepfather, who furiously called her back home.


    She stared at the phone after the call ended, then at Zaria in disbelief. Impossible¡­


    How could she be fired?


    Everyone knew that Desmond was friends with her elder step-brother and had hired her on ount of their friendship, so it was obvious that she could never be fired.


    She had long used this fact to do as she pleased in thepany, but no one ever dared to say a word, much less fire her.


    Although he had never said a word to her during work, she still delusionally thought that he would one day notice her.

 Chapter 41 - Missing Her Too Much

    <h4>Chapter 41 - Missing Her Too Much</h4>


    She would never have guessed that Desmond was disgusted by her coquettish behavior and her princess syndrome. He was merely tolerating her because of his friendship with her brother. However, she had crossed the limits of his patience by offending his mostpetent employee. How could he tolerate that?


    Her father''s words confirmed the reality; she was fired. She stared at Zaria like she was looking at a ghost and ran out like a lunatic. She was probably going to cause a scene.


    Not bothering with her, Zaria nced at Cora, who was trying to make her presence scarce. She merely said two words st chance" and that was enough to scare the life out of Cora.


    When she was done dealing with these brainless women, she headed for the elevator.


    "Miss Williams, you did great! Marion was such a bully, she thought she was really a queen and kept ordering us around!" The little intern looked like she had suffered unjustly.


    Zaria cast her a side-nce. "And you simply let her? Are you¡­"


    When she realized that she was about to say something mean, she paused mid-speech. No one had bullied her as an intern, so she should not be unnecessarily harsh to an innocent girl. She forced a smile as she changed her words. "Next time, don''t let anyone treat you unfairly. Get to work."


    "Yes, Miss Williams." The intern almost entered the elevator for executive employees but quickly corrected herself and rushed to the opposite one.


    Zaria let out a long breath when she entered the elevator and was about to press the button to close it when Liam rushed in.


    "Thanks." He smiled brightly.


    She nodded slightly and faintly greeted him, trying not to take out her frustration on innocent people.


    "Bad mood?" He noticed that she looked dull even though she tried to conceal it.


    Since it was so obvious, she nodded. "Yeah. Kind of."


    "What happened?" He looked at her with concern written all over her face.


    Perhaps she felt he would understand her, or maybe it was because she really couldn''t hold it in, she blurted it out. "I fell out with my friend."


    Liam squinted his eyes. "That guy we met at Grand View Hospital?" When she nodded, he was stumped. "Don''t tell me it''s because of you getting employed here?"


    He remembered that Ryan hated the fact that she had signed an employment contract with Desmond and did not try to hide it.


    Still, "Are you kidding me? It''s your choice where you want to work, right?"


    She shrugged. Even she found it absurd. "Have you and Desmond ever fallen out?" She asked to change the topic.


    "For the stupidest reasons." Heughed just thinking about it.


    "Women?" She asked through augh.


    Chuckling, he pretended to be offended. "Don''t lump me together with that yboy. Anyway, once when we were in high school, I lost my shoe brush and used his toothbrush. He gave me the cold shoulder for a week."


    "Pfft¡­" She burst intoughter. "What were you even thinking? Are you insane?"


    "Well, we are all stupid at least once in our teen years." He chuckled.


    "That''s true." Her teenage period had been enjoyable, all thanks to the craziness.


    "Tell me about your childhood." He suddenly demanded, then recalled that Ryan should be her childhood friend. By asking that, he had reminded her about their fallout and it was toote to take back his words. He slid a hand through his hair. "I hate seeing you sad. Anything I can do to make you feel better?"


    "Thanks, Liam. But I''m alright." She was not lying. After exchanging a few words with him, she felt a little better.


    They had arrived on their floor, so they could not linger much longer. He nodded at her words. "If you need someone to talk to, feel free to look for me."


    She nodded and made her way to her office.


    A few minutester, the door opened and someone entered without knocking.


    She was about to ask whether the ier had skipped all their etiquette sses when she realized that it was Desmond.


    "Good morning, sir." She greeted politely before meeting his unhappy gaze and correcting herself. "Desmond."


    She sounded so distant that he found it odd. "You don''t look like you would on a good morning."


    Usually, she would sh him a bright smile with her white little teeth or curse him out for random reasons, but today, it was as though she had a lot on her mind. Even her smile looked forced.


    She said nothing in response, so he left. There was a door connecting her office to his. However, he had forbidden his former executive assistants from using it and had long forgotten that it existed. It was only today that he remembered it and decided to reopen it.


    Once it was unlocked, he turned back to her, and she finally confirmed where that mysterious door led to.


    "Use this from now on." He instructed and went into his office, deliberately leaving it open.


    She didn''t think too much of it and prepared to read him his schedule.


    However, the man couldn''t take his eyes off her. His heart was filled with joy. Being able to meet each other without needing to open their office doors, it felt as though they were enclosed in their own little world. Should he reward the architect who designed this building?


    However, his happiness soon crumbled when he realized that he couldn''t see her clearly.


    Thanks to the shape of their offices, he had to use a lot of effort to see a sliver of her side profile. It turned out that the door wouldn''t help much.


    Who the heck designed this building?! He wanted to kill them!

 Chapter 42 - Time To Assess My Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 42 - Time To Assess My Beauty</h4>


    Within three hours, Desmond couldn''t stand Zaria''s bad mood anymore. Was she on her period? Had something happened and made her sad?


    Whatever it was, he couldn''t take it anymore.


    Give me back my explosive yet cheerful assistant!


    Thinking about it, he sent a text message on his phone.


    Soon, a package was delivered to his office by Zaria''s intern assistant. Dismissing her, he entered Zaria''s office through the open door and ced a box on her desk.


    She was slowly typing an email while half in a trance when the white boxnded, so she looked up in surprise.


    "It''s for you." He said gently.


    She opened the box curiously and found a small tub of strawberry ice cream as well as two blueberry muffins from cklight.


    "This¡­" She couldn''tprehend.


    "If I remember correctly, you once mentioned that you prefer ice cream to rose cakes. You like Norman''s blueberry muffins too, so¡­" He pointed at the box to exin it.


    She was even more confused. Since when was Desmond this kind? Her first reaction was to rub her eyes to confirm that she was awake.


    Seeing that she was, she looked up at him curiously. "Why are you giving me this?"


    Thest two times he had given her anything, his reason turned out to be the ill intent of a jerk. She waited for his ridiculous reason but instead, he smiled gently. "I hate to see you in such a bad mood, so¡­ I hope eating something you like makes you feel better."


    "You¡­ thank you, sir." She almost couldn''t contain her surprise.


    "Desmond." He corrected.


    "Thank you, Desmond."


    He was happier now and made his way back to his office. Standing by the door, he couldn''t help taking another peek at her. She was happily munching her way through the muffins, making his heart melt. Since when could one be this happy just watching someone else eat?


    When she next appeared in his office, she looked much better.


    "Do you need a day off? You can go and handle your matter." He suggested.


    "Thanks, boss. But I feel better now." She rejected the offer, not wishing to skip work because of a tiny matter.


    She indeed looked much better, so he let the matter slide.


    It was only when she let out her signature alluring smile that he was satisfied. He should restrict her from smiling that way in the presence of anyone else.


    He was not sure what was going on with him today, but he couldn''t bear to let her out of his sight. Before it was lunchtime, he had already asked for three bottles of water and two cups of coffee.


    In the afternoon, she once again spent more time walking into his office than sitting behind her desk. Not only was he addicted to the magnificent view of her walking in, but the soft nk of her high heels also seemed to calm his frustrated mind too.


    It was when he remembered that she needed to work that he stopped bothering her. Even so, he missed her so much that it was as though she was worlds apart from him.


    By the time she left work, Zaria''s feet were worn out. Why did that man need so many things today anyway?


    She rushed to the parking lot and was preparing to flee when he appeared beside her like the devil he was. "I''ll give you a ride home."


    Before she could say no, the red key disappeared from her hand, and he threw it at the bodyguard behind him, leaving her with no choice. "Let''s go."


    Zaria was helpless. What was the use of giving her that car, exactly? She hadn''t needed to use it that much anyway¡ªnot that she minded hitching his ride.


    This time, she was in his line of sight, so he was much happier. He didn''t bother her and silently dropped her off before going back to his mansion and trying to calm himself. What was wrong with him?


    Why was he acting like a teenager having a first crush? Zaria wasn''t even a crush, let alone the first one.


    Besides, "She''s your assistant, Desmond. And the enemy''s daughter." He pped his cheek and reprimanded himself, forcing the unwanted thoughts out of his mind.


    After working out for an hour, taking a long shower, having dinner, and working for an hour, he was a few seconds away from sessfully getting her out of his mind.


    However, Liam ruined it all when he sent a barrage of text messages just as Desmond was about to retire.


    [Liam: Guess what?]


    [Liam: A popr brand released a new product.]


    Desmond wanted to kick him through the phone. Can''t this idiot send the whole message in one text?!


    After typing for ages, he finally sent the next piece.


    [Liam: Oh. It''s Ly-E.]


    [Liam: You know, that lingerie brand that''s extremely popr among women but whose pieces cost a fortune.]


    The man had finally said something that made some sense, but what about it?


    [Liam: Are you going to buy any of them? I''d rmend this. Your girl will definitely want to wear it for you.]


    He then sent a picture of a model wearing a red,cy panty and bra.


    Desmond''s first reaction was to click his tongue. [The piece is beautiful, but Zaria would look much better wearing it.]


    He had seen Zaria in a tight dress before, so he knew that she was curvy in all the right ces.


    When he imagined her wearing the red bra, his body was aze.


    Cursing his friend a hundred times, he ignored him and made his way to the bathroom to take a cold shower and went to sleep as soon as he left the bathroom.


    His dreams were filled with her.


    They were in the elevator, but this time, she didn''t leave after turning him on.


    She shed a bright smile and tugged on his tie as she softly yet seductively said, "Sir, you have assessed my abilities before. Don''t you think it''s time to assess my beauty now?"


    In the next moment, she unbuttoned her dress to reveal a red,cy bra.


    "Zaria¡­" He whispered into the night, jolting awake.

 Chapter 43 - Help Me Do Something

    <h4>Chapter 43 - Help Me Do Something</h4>


    Zaria woke up to a phone call from Desmond, and when she answered it, the man croaked into her ears. "Zaria, are you awake? It''s urgent."


    "What happened?" The sleep cleared off her eyes as she sat up and asked.


    "I want to get to the office earlier today, but I can''t decide what to wear."


    She was speechless for a moment. Seriously, this man must have switched his tactics of torturing her and decided to do so by driving her insane? In what way was that her business? Besides, who the heck calls their employees at 3.40 am? Was this boss a sadist?


    She held back the urge to curse at him and hang up. "Sir, I''m your executive assistant, not your stylist. Did you dial the wrong contact number?"


    "My stylist''s name is not Zaria." He said in all confidence. "So, what should I wear?"


    "A suit." She said through gritted teeth.


    Still, the man was unsatisfied. "I have too many of those to choose from.


    "Then wear the emperor''s new robe for all I care! I''m going back to sleep." She yelled, frustrated about having been woken up for such a trivial matter.


    The man sounded like he was having a thrill messing with her. He let out a lowugh. "What''s the emperor''s new robe?" He pretended to realize what she meant and sounded amused. "Ah, that. Naughty little fox, are you asking me to wear nothing? If you want me to wear that to the office, it''s impossible¡­"


    She so badly wanted to hang up but didn''t dare to. The man continued in his deep, seductive voice, "But if you want me to wear my birthday suit to your room, I can consider it."


    She sighed and shoved her phone to the space beside her, using his voice as a luby to lull her back to sleep.


    ¡­.


    By the time Zaria got to the office, she was almostte. She hurriedly prepared the required documents for Desmond''s meeting.


    Just as she settled down, she received a call from Liam and went over to his office.


    The man was busy, so he cut the chase. "My assistant took the day off to handle an emergency. Could I trouble you to get me a cup of coffee?"


    "No problem." It only took a few minutes, so Zaria brought it to him. Seeing how busy and frustrated he was, she spoke up. "There are a few interns in thepany, some of whom have almost nothing to do. Do you need me to arrange for one of them to help you out today?"


    He looked up like he had seen a savior. "Why didn''t I think of that? Thanks, Zaria."


    She was baffled by his response. Did he always do everything himself if his assistant was absent? Why did that sound absurd?


    As if thinking of something, the man spoke up again. "Zaria, I need you to do me a favor."


    "What do you need?" She asked, jolting from her thoughts.


    "Help me send a message to someone." He stated, then slid a card to her. "Make the call in five minutes."


    Her eyes widened in shock at the content. "The Fort family? Why can''t you do it yourself? You do know that I''ll be in trouble if Desmond finds out, right?"


    "I''m really busy." He lied guiltily. Realizing that she had seen through him, he pinched his eyebrows. "Look. Just make the call, okay? Please."


    He was her superior, and he was not asking her to do anything against thew, so there was no reason for her to say no. She could only nod. "Right away."


    "I''m sorry, Zaria." He mumbled when the door gently closed behind her. He didn''t know why he was doing this either. All he knew was that he couldn''t stand the thought of what would happen if she got too close to Desmond.


    ¡­


    Zaria slumped into her chair and inwardlymented about how difficult this task was. On her screen was the information she had just gathered about the man she needed to call.


    Jaime Fort¡ªDesmond''s brother.


    She didn''t know the exact details, thanks to the secrecy of the Fort Family, but she knew that the rtionship between the brothers was worse than that of mortal enemies.

 Chapter 44 - Accomplice(1)

    <h4>Chapter 44 - Aplice(1)</h4>


    It would have been much better if that kind of message were to be sent to his estranged sister, Samantha.


    Liam''s five minutes psed, and she shrugged as she dialed the number on her phone.


    Two ringster, the call connected and a deep, annoyed voice came through. "Who is this?"


    "Hello, Mr. Fort. This is¡­"


    Just as she was about to introduce herself, the door to her office opened, making her heart skip a beat.


    She was under his instructions and wasn''t doing anything out of her own free will, but when she saw Desmond, she felt as though her heart had gone cold. Could she still pass the message?


    The man was initially nning to tease her, but the second before he walked in, he heard her words: "Hello, Mr. Fort."


    He was standing right before her. So, who was on the phone?


    "Who is that?" He demanded.


    Her lips parted, but she couldn''t get a word out. In the end, she shook her head. "It''s a personal call."


    "Who. Is. That?" His voice was a few degrees colder, making her shudder. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed her phone and ced it on his ear.


    In the next instant, her phone was thrown against the wall, and it met its end with an ear-shattering crash.


    Her eyes widened, but she was yet to register the shock from his outburst when he red down at her. "How dare you!"


    It took a few seconds for her to wrap her mind around what was going on. She had expected that Desmond would be angry if he found out that she had contacted Jaime. However, she had not expected him to find out, much less react so explosively.


    Swallowing down her anger from having her phone broken, she looked at him and exined, "I was merely following instructions. I have no other reason to contact him."


    A punch assaulted her desk. Then, the air filled with his mockingugh. "I was wondering how you found out anything. Turns out, it was Jaime. It was all you and Jaime, wasn''t it? You orchestrated all this, didn''t you?"


    "What are you talking about?" She was in disbelief from the sudden usations.


    Before he could use her further, she quickly exined, "I really didn''t want to call him. Liam told me to do so."


    Heughed, but it couldn''t conceal how angry and hurt he was.


    "Zaria Williams, why didn''t I know that you were such a talented schemer before? After tarnishing thest remaining piece of my mother''s reputation, after making my whole family fall apart, you want to turn my friend against me too? What exactly is your aim?"


    She couldn''t make head or tail of what he was saying, so she whipped out the card she had received from Liam. "Look, here is¡­"


    Before she could show him the note, he shoved her hand away and stormed into his office.


    She slumped into her seat and was still speechless from the usation.


    ¡­.


    Desmond had almost given up trying to find Jaime''s aplice. Who would have thought that just as he was about to stop investigating, he would find that Zaria was actually the person he had been looking for?


    Right. She was suspicious from the start. Why didn''t he ever suspect her?


    Now that he thought about it, it was indeed strange.


    Jaime had ckmailed his mother into taking the me for a crime she did notmit. One dayter, the headlines appeared on the tabloids of F&P Media. At the time, he thought that the journalists from F&P Media were just too fast.


    But at the moment, he couldn''t help wondering. Was it really a case of them being fast, or was the news given to them by Zaria? Could it be that it was premeditated all along?


    When he thought about how Zaria had gotten close to him, he was even more crushed. Did she really seek him to negotiate, or was she sent to him by Jaime?

 Chapter 45 - Accomplice(2)

    <h4>Chapter 45 - Aplice(2)</h4>


    The pen in his hand snapped from the force he had exerted, making his fingers feel sore.


    A knock sounded on the door between hers and Zaria''s offices, and when he looked up, Zaria brought a file to him.


    "The proposal submitted by the Interior design department. Sign it if you''re satisfied."


    From her words, it was clear that she was trying hard to contain her anger. But what right did she have to be angry? She was a suspect! Being Jaime''s aplice could mean¡­


    Another documentnded on his desk, and he was surprised when he saw that it was her employment contract.


    "Are you threatening me with quitting again?" He asked through a scoff.


    She flipped to a page and pointed at it. "Page 5, use 5.1.1. Can you read or do you need me to read it out loud?"


    He swept a nce at the term then at her. It was a threat. Only this time, she was indirectly threatening to report him to the board of directors. But would she need to do that?


    "I might be able to tolerate you taking out your anger on me. However, I will not appreciate nder."


    "nder? I''m ndering you?" He burst into a sarcasticugh. Did this woman know the meaning of that word? "Get out!"


    She took back the contract and walked out.


    Well, she should have expected this. How could she be peaceful working for Desmond? The few moments of friendliness were but an illusion.


    For the rest of the day, it was as though a bomb had exploded between the two of them.


    Desmond did what he usually did when he was mad at her¡ªhe kept finding fault with everything she did, and she had to keep redoing the same thing no matter how perfect it was.


    She didn''t even have time for lunch, and by the time evening came, she still had a mountain of work. She was nning to carry some work back home, but unfortunately, that man made sure to let her suffer much more.


    "Don''t leave before you finish your work." Hemanded as he left.


    Knowing that arguing would do nothing to help her, she sucked in a breath and got back to work. She only paused when her stomach hurt too much from having eaten nothing. When she nced at the time, she was even more shocked. 11pm...her dad must be worried to death.


    She rubbed her sleepy eyes and tried to divert her attention from her empty stomach as she called her dad''s number using the telephone on her desk.


    "Hello, dad?" She tried to mask her tiredness and sound as normal as possible.


    "Where are you? I can''t contact you." Theodore let out a sigh of relief when he finally heard his daughter''s voice.


    "I''m staying over at my friend''s. Sorry, my phone broke and I forgot to contact you."


    Before she could quickly say goodnight, her father''s voice turned stern. "Does your friend live in Preston and Fort Group?"


    "Uh¡­" She was tongue-tied when she realized that she had called using her office phone. She had no choice but to tell the truth. "To tell you the truth, I have so much work I may note back tonight. Don''t worry. There is a sleeping chamber."


    She was not lying about the presence of a sleeping chamber. However, the only sleeping chamber she knew of was Desmond''s. Although it was fully equipped with afortable bed, cooking area, and bathroom, there was no way she would sneak into her boss''s chamber to sleep, especially if that boss is Desmond. She was going to have to make do with her office chair. But before that, she had to get something to eat and finish up her work.


    It was impossible to get any food in the building at this time of the night. Not to mention, she must be the only one inside the building. She was too scared to take ten steps away from the elevator, much less go to the employees'' cafeteria.


    She could only get coffee from the break room near Desmond''s office. She felt spooked as she heard the sound of the dripping of coffee against the dead silence of the night and wanted to give up a few times.


    If this was Desmond''s way of tormenting her, he had seeded.

 Chapter 46 - Accomplice(3)

    <h4>Chapter 46 - Aplice(3)</h4>


    A series of taps on Zaria''s desk woke her up just as she was about to drift to sleep. She didn''t know how long she had worked for, but when she was done, she couldn''t hold it anymore and slumped onto her desk.


    She woke up groggily, rubbed her eyes, and then looked up. Desmond was standing before her.


    "Sir, is there anything else I need to do?" She asked, then suddenly realized that he was wearing a different set of clothes. It was morning!


    The man frowned at her swollen eyes that were as red as a rabbit''s. Her hair was in a mess as some of its strands stuck on her face.


    When her mind finally cleared, she had the urge to find a hole to hide in. This was probably the most humiliating condition Desmond had seen her in. It was even more embarrassing than when he kicked her out of his house.


    Still, she cleared her throat and brushed her fingers through her hair, then straightened her back and looked straight at him. "Good morning, sir."


    "What''s so good about it? I have a meeting with an important client at 9!"


    She checked the time and found that it was 8:12 am. Recalling that the said client was Ava Sparks, she realized that it was indeed an important meeting. "I will get everything ready in time."


    Although she promised that, he looked irritated. "Are you going to meet my partners looking like this? They might mistake you for a ghost!"


    Her lips twitched. "Whose fault is that?"


    He scoffed as he looked down at her. "Don''t me anyone for your ipetence. Go change your clothes or something."


    He left her office, and if he had heard it right, she let out the breath she was holding when he left. Was she acting repulsed?


    Not wanting to waste his time, he settled down and resumed the investigation that had made him stay upte the night before.


    He had managed to retrieve her schedule for the past six months andpared it to Jaime''s. When he checked all the ces they had been to during this period, he was surprised that not only had they never crossed paths, they had never contacted each other either.


    But if this was the case, when did she meet Jaime? Could it be that they discussed it through a third party? That didn''t seem right either. Jaime was too wary to make a deal through a third party.


    Thinking about it was on the verge of driving him insane. Sighing, he downloaded a file that had been sent to him by a private investigator he had talked to the previous night. It was everything about Zaria. His index finger hovered over the right button of his mouse. Should he open it?


    It was not a question of whether or not he would get the answers he was looking for. He knew that he would know everything about Zaria as soon as he opened the document. However, it might include some secrets that she didn''t want anyone to know. He didn''t know why the hell that mattered, but he was yet to make up his mind when the door opened.


    "I forwarded your emails. Your second meeting with Mr. Bryce is today." She reported in one breath as though she couldn''t wait to leave his office.


    When he looked up to study her, his gaze darkened. She no longer looked as angry as she looked the previous day, nor was she ring at him usingly. Instead, she looked sad and tired.


    She had worked all night. Of course, she would be tired. Even so, it did not affect her efficiency. It was as though she was forcing herself toplete her work like a robot.


    "Zaria." His lips parted before he could stop himself.


    She turned and nced at him. "Is there something else, sir?"


    He studied her for a few seconds, and before he could say anything else, he reminded himself that she was a suspect of a major crime. Why would he be friendly to her?


    He ended up giving a random instruction. "Bring me the documents for the meeting with Ava."


    She nodded and left. Luckily, Ava Sparks wasing over to Preston and Fort Group. That would give her a few extra minutes to get into the right mood.


    Just as she left his office, she bumped into Liam, who had just left the elevator.


    She didn''t want to appear to pass off as rude, so she politely greeted him and continued walking her way.

 Chapter 47 - Troublesome Boss

    <h4>Chapter 47 - Troublesome Boss</h4>


    "Zaria!" He called after her.


    This time, she could no longer hold in her annoyance. She tilted her head to nce at him indifferently. "I think your assistant is back. If you need anything, please tell her about it."


    His brows knitted. He knew why she was acting this way. He also knew how Desmond had treated her, and he felt guilty to have been the cause of her suffering. "Zaria, I¡­"


    "Mr. Preston, there''s nothing for us to talk about." She interrupted coldly.


    Seeing as she was suddenly polite with him, he swallowed a gulp and blocked her path. "There is a reason why I had to do that."


    "What''s the reason?" She stopped to ask, even though she knew that it was going to be a ridiculous one.


    Liam nced at the door to Desmond''s office and frowned. "I can''t tell you yet."


    "Then get out of my way." She was annoyed. She had a lot of things to do and this man''s presence was not making it any bearable.


    "But I don''t want you to be mad at me." He sighed. "Zaria, I promise to tell you the truth when the time is right."


    Her lips unhurriedly curled into a sarcastic smile, her eyes full of ridicule. "I guess the so-called ''right time'' is when you have managed to cook up a convincing lie, right? Mr. Preston, do you take me for a fool?"


    Before he could say anything more, she pushed him out of her way, not caring that she could lose her job by doing so. Heaven knew how badly she wanted to beat him up.


    ¡­


    For most of the morning, she was able to go on with work as though she had not stayed up almost all night and only slept for less than an hour.


    However, when the side effects of the strong coffee she had drunk inrge quantities started to kick in, she felt so tired that she was barely holding up.


    In the meeting with Ava Sparks, she gave the wrong proposal and received an earful of scolding.


    When she delivered the official invitation to Samantha''s banquet, he couldn''t stand her state anymore.


    "Come here." He beckoned her over just as she prepared to leave and gulp down a cup of double espresso.


    She paused in her tracks and turned back to him. "Is there something wrong, sir?"


    He opened a drawer and took out a pair of keys, then slid it over to her.


    She nced at the keyholder and knew that it was the key to his sleeping chamber. "Would you like your chamber to be cleaned up for you to take a nap?" She guessed, preparing to call someone to do it.


    "Go to sleep." He ordered.


    She frowned when his words sunk in. "I have a lot of work to do."


    "You need to rest too." His Adam''s apple bobbed as he swallowed and nced at her. "Don''t be stubborn. Go ahead."


    She looked down at the key then at him. On one hand, she didn''t want to be treated like a child. He kept her up the whole night when he wanted to and wanted her to sleep when he felt like she should? Who did he think he was?


    On the other hand, she knew that she really couldn''t hold on any longer. If she kept drinking coffee to keep herself awake, she would only be much more exhausted when the caffeine effect faded, and she would mess up her work.


    In the end, she decided to prioritize the effectiveness of her work. She shrugged and slid the key back to him. "I will sleep in my car, then. There is enough space. If not, I can book a hotel¡­"


    She was yet to say "room" when he gave her a resounding "No." As expected, she only had two choices; to sleep in his chamber or not at all. What a troublesome boss.


    She could only grit her teeth and make her way to her boss''s sleeping chambers. Why did this feel so wrong? She shrugged at the thought. Whatever. She needed sleep anyway. It didn''t matter where she slept.


    With that in mind, she closed the curtains and took off her shoes, then climbed onto the whiterge bed.


    Probably because of her tiredness, she felt as though the bed was exceedinglyfortable. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it. The white, fluffy thing had Desmond''s scent on it. She held it tightly between her arms and fell asleep with a smile on her face, instantly forgetting about the previous day''s ordeal.

 Chapter 48 - Break Mine And Well Be Even

    <h4>Chapter 48 - Break Mine And We''ll Be Even</h4>


    Zaria woke up two hourster. Although she had not slept for too long, it was enough to make her feel refreshed. She noticed a new set of clothes beside the bed when she got up. Without needing to ask, Desmond must have prepared them for her. She didn''t allow herself to think too much about it. He had said it himself that he didn''t want her to embarrass him in the presence of his partners. It was nothing personal and he was merely saving his own face.


    Aside from a cream peplum dress, a pair of matching heels, and makeup products, there was also a note from Desmond, asking her to freshen up and change her clothes.


    When she was done taking a shower, she dried her hair and changed into the new clothes. She initially thought that it would not be an exact fit and was ready to call a nearby store to order her clothes. However, she was shocked when everything fit perfectly. How would that man know her exact size? Was he so good at guessing?


    She was about to gush at how easily he could tell one''s exact size by eyeballing them when she frowned. Just how many women had he bought clothes for before? And why did she suddenly think about it? It wasn''t in any way her business!


    The man was so good at this. He had even bought nude lipstick from the brand she liked using. If he was not a known womanizer, she would have suspected him of being a stalker. Recalling that she had left her boss to work on his own, she finished up quickly, cleaned after herself, and exited the room.


    The man had faintly heard her movements, so he was waiting for her.


    "You are awake. Are you ready for work now?"


    He was not overly friendly, and she was not expecting anything more than politeness. She nodded. "I will resume right away. Please send me the receipt for the clothes and I will transfer the money to you."


    "I don''t need that little money. Anything else?" He did not allow any chance for her to negotiate.


    She knew that she would be fighting a losing battle if she insisted, so she used the chance to talk about serious matters instead. "I have something to say."


    He nced at her and reclined in his seat, swinging it to look at her clearly. "I''m listening."


    "I understand that people have different reactions to anger, but can you not take it out on my phone every time? Thanks." A frown formed between her brows when she imagined the number of people that must have tried to contact her in vain,


    On the contrary, he grinned at her words and took out his expensive phone, holding it out to her. "Break mine and we''ll be even."


    She scoffed and didn''t react to it, making it apparent that she was in no mood to joke around.


    He knew when to stop. To avoid vexing her any further, he gestured for her to wait and made a call. An intern instantly brought over a food box.


    Zaria nced at the food then at him after the intern left. "Why are you doing this?" He was being so kind that it was suspicious.


    "Zaria, I don''t want to have a sour rtionship with you since I''m stuck with you for 10 years." He breathed, knowing that the feeling was mutual, then added, "So tell me the truth. Are you Jamie''s aplice? Were you forced or ckmailed into anything?"


    If he used the same usatory tone as the day before, she would have stood up and left without saying a word. However, he had given her the chance to exin herself and try to prove her innocence. Even so, all she had was a piece of paper on which the message was printed. It wasn''t even handwritten, and she had thrown it away knowing it would not be able to prove anything.


    She could only use her mouth now. "Will you believe me if I insist that Mr. Preston is the one who had me contact him?"


    He studied her for a while, as though trying to find the credibility of her words. She waited for his response like she was waiting for the court''s verdict. When he finally opened his mouth, he let out a heavy breath. "Let''s not talk about it anymore."


    She didn''t insist on the topic. If someone told her that her best friend had set her up, it would not be easy for her to believe it either.


    "Okay. I''ll get everything ready for your trip to Japan." She changed the topic.


    He frowned at her words. "It''s our trip, not mine alone. You''reing with me."


    She almost choked on her food. "Are you kidding me? Mr. Preston is going too. I''ll need to stay back and help take care of thepany while the two of you are away, and of course, I''m afraid I might end up killing him before wend in Tokyo."


    Based on her expression, that was highly possible, so he shook his head." I don''t want any of you dead. Just stay back."


    She finished eating and disposed of the disposable food box. "Then I''ll get back to work."


    "Wait." Opening a drawer, he took out a box containing a phone and held it out to her. "This is for you."


    She recognized that box. Wasn''t that the very phone he had bought her not too long ago, the one that had earned him a ruthless p from her?

 Chapter 49 - I Dont Like It

    <h4>Chapter 49 - I Don''t Like It</h4>


    She didn''t reach for the box, shaking her head instead. "You don''t need to do this. I have already ordered a phone online."


    "No, You haven''t."


    "You wouldn''t know." She shrugged. Unless he was stalking her, but he didn''t have time to do that.


    He pinched his nose bridge helplessly. "I know you are, Zaria. You were barely able to swallow your saliva from how busy you were. How would you have the time to order a phone?"


    He gave her the kind of look that threatened to slit her throat if she kept arguing, so she reached for it. Knowing that she was about to ask for the receipt so she would refund the money, he shot her a mean stare and she had no choice but to shut up.


    "I thought you would have given this to some other woman." She couldn''t helpmenting as she picked it up.


    He looked at her and frowned. "What other woman?"


    She wanted to roll her eyes at his feigned ignorance. "Your girlfriend. Don''t you have tens of them?"


    In response, heughed mysteriously, making her wonder whether she had said anything wrong.


    _


    Just as she thought, her new phone flooded with messages as soon as she was back in contact. She selected all their contact names and responded with the same message "I''m okay, call youter." She then set her phone aside and resumed her work.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Desmond acted as though nothing had happened. Zaria was right. It was hard to believe that Liam could do such a thing.


    No matter how he investigated it, he couldn''t find any link between Jaime and Zaria¡ªnot even a coincidental urrence. Her record was in fact so clear that if he didn''t know how secretive his brother was, he would have had more suspicions.


    On the other hand, Liam and he grew up in the same residential area. It was not unusual for him to have Jaime''s contact number. Besides, even if he lost it, there was Samantha¡­


    He didn''t want to think about it anymore. He didn''t want to wrongly suspect his friend. At the same time, he couldn''t understand the bizarre force inside him, but he wanted to believe in Zaria.


    Tapping his desk, he grinned. He knew what to do. The guilty one woulde out clean in due time.


    ¡­


    On Thursday, Desmond departed for Tokyo with Liam. Because the meeting was to be held on Friday and they were too busy all day, they could only leave at 6 pm.


    Zaria saw them off at the private airstrip. Of course, she ignored Liam and assumed that his assistant would cater for him.


    It was his fault that she was acting that way around him, so he didn''t give anyment about it and left for them to discuss freely.


    He nced at her after Liam left.


    Before he could say anything, she shoved a document folder into his hands. "You will need this. I will not be there, so Ipiled everything you need for the meeting. There is also some background information about Mr. Sano and YLD Tel Co."


    There was still a few minutes before they departed, so he opened the file. When he saw the information, some of which should be considered as YLD''spany secrets, he nced at the woman beside him while deep in thought. Was there anyone she couldn''t investigate? Why was he starting to think that she might have investigated the Fort Family on her own?


    "Sir?" She blinked questioningly in reaction to his gaze.


    "Do me a favor. Help me investigate the Preston family. I''m starting to be suspicious of them."


    She widened her mouth at the sudden order. Investigate his friend''s family?


    Were these two starting to stab each other in the back?


    Thinking of what Liam had made her do, she thought it was indeed possible. "Give me a lead."


    "Liam." He stated, knowing that it was merely a test. If she could uncover anything about Liam, then he would be sure that she didn''t need anyone to tell her about the Fort family.


    She didn''t know that she was merely being tested. Instead, she thought that the Preston family was a cover and Desmond''s actual target was Liam.


    "Give me a week." She said, just as Liam called to signal Desmond onto the ne.


    "Make sure to do it in secret." He reminded her before boarding the ne.


    ___


    On Friday Morning, Zaria woke up earlier and was about to go to the bathroom when her phone rang. She guessed that Desmond must have arrived at the hotel, so she picked it up.


    "Hello, boss? Have you arrived at the hotel? Is it good enough?"


    "It''s great, but I don''t like it." Came the man''s displeased tone.


    "I''m sorry. Hold on. I will¡­"


    "Because you''re not here. I miss you."

 Chapter 50 - I Miss You

    <h4>Chapter 50 - I Miss You</h4>


    She was just about to say that she would immediately book a different hotel when he interrupted. "Because you''re not here. I miss you."


    "What?" Her voice weakened when she realized what he had just said.


    "I miss you, Zaria." He repeated in his deep, seductive voice that was full of longing.


    She almost didn''t know what to say. "Sir¡­"


    "You know you don''t have to call me that." He cut her off.


    "I still want to. Boss, please eat and have some rest. You will meet with Mr. Sano at 16:00 (GMT+9). You have about an hour and a half to catch up on some sleep."


    Although she gave him a reasonable reminder, he knew that she was doing it just to change the topic. She was still mad at him.


    She couldn''t be med. It was he who had wrecked the closeness that had started to blossom between them, all thanks to a moment of anger. He could only sigh and think of a way to make it up to her.


    Heughed at her reminder. "Your math is wrong. There''s still 3 hours to 4 pm. What happened to half of the time?


    "There is nothing wrong." Came her sharp-tongued tone, warning him that she was about to say something mean. "Since you are fond of forgetting what to wear and bothering your employees, I set your flight at the time I did for this reason. If you sleep for one hour and a half, you will have the same amount of time to prepare for the meeting. You can use that chance to decide on what to wear. Otherwise, since I''m too busy to help you out, you may have to wear the emperor''s new robe[1]. Sir, I need to prepare for work. Bye."


    He chuckled when she hung up. She wasn''t in the slightest bit scared of offending him, was she?


    ¡­


    Tokyo, in the hotel room.


    The man held the phone whose screen had turned ck after the call ended. Despite having been scolded by Zaria, he was full of joy. It had only been a few days since he witnessed this side of her, but he had so badly missed it¡­


    "I want to sleep. What did you call me for?" Liam arrived and suddenly asked irritably, jolting him out of his thoughts and reminding him that he had called Liam a few minutes ago.


    He nced at him and went straight to the point. "Set up a meeting with Samantha."


    "What do you want to do?" Liam must have been taken aback by the sudden order.


    However, Desmond could no longer trust him with every piece of information. Not until he was sure of what was happening. He merely nced at Liam. "Just do it."


    Thetter didn''t ask too many questions either, so he dialled Samantha''s number with a shrug and made the call.


    "Liam? Why did you call me?" The woman sounded surprised, and Desmond heard her voice since Liam had the phone on speaker.


    He fought the urge to rain a barrage of curses as soon as he heard that fake, innocent voice.


    Liam shot his friend a look and spoke. "Sam, how have you been?"


    "Hanging in there." Samantha sighed dramatically. "Do you need something?"


    Desmond facepalmed when he caught the obvious hurt in his friend''s eyes. What was there to be hurt about? Had Liam fallen into that woman''s trap too? Could he not be such an idiot?


    Liam wanted to ask whether Samantha was really alright or pretending to be, but he changed his mind. Instead, he asked, "Are you free this weekend? Do you mind catching up over some drinks on Sunday?"


    "But you''re busy¡­" The woman sounded reluctant.


    Liam knew what was on her mind, so he said, "I''m not. Desmond isn''t against me meeting you so don''t worry about it."


    As expected, she was more relieved. "See you on Sunday, then."


    By the time the call ended, Desmond''s eyebrows were knitted as he shook his head.


    Liam knew what he was thinking from a nce. He sighed helplessly. "Why don''t you try to understand? Samantha is your sister. She was manipted...she didn''t have any choice but to do what she did."


    Desmond shot him a re. "Would anyone manipte the devil? She is the one who manipted everyone, and from the looks of it, she may have her way with you soon as well."


    Liam shook his head. "I know what I''m doing. I don''t do things without a reason, Desmond. You know that."


    Desmond couldn''t refute his words. If he didn''t know this about Liam, he would have long exploded regarding what he did recently.


    Liam knew what Desmond wanted to ask, so he stood up and left. He was not ready to answer to that yet.


    Luckily, he had already sown a seed of doubt between the two of them. He would not need to do anything else, and they would not be able to get as close as they had been.


    Since he had misunderstood her as an aplice of Jaime, it was like a wake-up call to her. She now knew that there could never be such a thing as trust between her and Desmond.


    While he thought of all this, he couldn''t help recalling how irritated she looked when he got close to her at the private airstrip. His heart ached all over again as he mumbled to himself. "I''m sorry, Zaria."


    ___


    Desmond would only return on Saturday, so Zaria took care of everything on Friday and would report all the major progress to him. By the end of the day, shemented about how being a CEO was no easy task.


    She didn''t have to do everything and pretty much did her usual job, only that this time she had to make the final decision about some matters. Since she didn''t want Desmond to be buried in a mountain of work as soon as he returned, she did as much as she could and was so exhausted that she slumped into the couch as soon as she arrived home. She then sent him the texts to exin what she had dealt with and what needed his attention.

 Chapter 51 - Im Back

    <h4>Chapter 51 - I''m Back</h4>


    Theodore poked his head out through the kitchen door, with a white apron draped around his waist and a spat in his left hand. He shed a smile when he saw her. He was on a call a while ago and had vaguely heard the front door open. "You''re back. How was work?"


    "Busier than on other days. My boss went on a business trip¡­ I''m done now." She tiredly pulled the heels off her feet as she smiled and answered him.


    Seeing how exhausted she looked, he said, "Dinner will be ready soon. Wash up first."


    She nodded, went upstairs, and then took a warm shower. When she was done, she changed into a set offortable, fluffy clothes and a pair of indoor slippers. Her stomach grumbled when the aroma of braised beef wafted into her nostrils as she walked down the stairs.


    Since she felt more refreshed now, she was initially nning to help her dad finish cooking, but he had her sit at the kitchen ind and gave her an apple.


    She knew that he would not ept his help, so she epted it and took a bite. "Thanks, dad. How is F&P Media?"


    He covered the casserole in which he was cooking rice and turned to face her. "I sent out job vacancy announcements. We will be back on track soon after we get enough employees to run thepany."


    Although he made it sound so simple, she knew that it was not that easy to handle. There weren''t many people willing to apply for any positions after the scandal that had erupted.


    It had been a long time, and many pieces of news hade up, making most people forget all about F&P Media. However, that did not mean that everyone had forgotten about it. There were many admirers of the Fort Family¡ªas well as those that F&P Media had uncovered before¡ªwho used this chance to send harassment messages to F&P Media.


    Even so, she did not want to dampen his mood. It was difficult to do anything at the moment, but once the agency was back on track, she would fish out everyone who sent insulting messages and make them pay for it.


    On the surface, she was full of smiles. "We can do it, dad. I''ll help you out whenever I can."


    He reached out to flick her forehead. "You cannot work in twopanies. Stay at Preston and Fort Group and I''ll handle this on my own."


    She rubbed her forehead, smiling even though she had been flicked. "I''ll make you proud dad. If you need anything, tell me about it."


    "You little brat." It was almost impossible for Theodore to believe that his little girl was now a twenty-six-year old woman who could offer someone her support.


    The food was ready, so he set the table and sat down with her. "Ximena gave me a call when she couldn''t reach you. She will be back on Wednesday."


    "She will? That''s good news!" Her eyes brightened up when she heard the news. Ximena had been her ssmate in high school. Although it had been many years, they had remained in contact and were now good friends. She had gone to study abroad and had only managed to call her a few times every month, so Zaria was overjoyed to hear that she would be back soon.


    ¡­


    The following evening.


    Zaria was enjoying the breeze on the balcony and taking photos of the chrysanthemums in the white porcin pots when Desmond called. ording to the time of his flight back to Imperium, he should have arrived.


    She sat back on the rattan chair as she answered the call. "Hello, boss."


    "I''m back." His voice struck a chord in her heart. It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts.


    "Okay. Have some rest, sir. I will report the details of yesterday''s meetings on Monday morning." She knew that he must be tired, so she didn''t want to take up too much of his time.


    She was yet to hang up when he spoke again. "I want you to report them tomorrow. Make your way to my ce in the afternoon."


    "Okay."


    There was a slight hint of disappointment in her tone, but he noticed it. "Did you already have ns for tomorrow?" He asked gently.


    "More or less. I wanted to go shopping tomorrow in the afternoon, but I can do it some other time." She answered since he had already figured it out.


    "Okay, I''ll go freshen up and rest. See you tomorrow." He ended the call when he was done speaking.


    She was just about to resume taking pictures when the phone rang again. Seeing that the caller was Liam, her eyebrows knitted.


    She so badly wanted to ignore him. Just before she tapped on her screen to send the call on voicemail, she remembered that he and Desmond hade on the same private ne. What if they were still together, and he knew that she had been speaking to Desmond a moment ago? She didn''t want to vex her superior too much, no matter what had happened between them, so she reluctantly answered the call. "Mr. Preston."


    "Zaria, do you have time tomorrow morning?" He already knew that she was meeting Desmond in the afternoon, so he suggested meeting her in the morning.


    "I''m sorry, sir. Sunday is not my working day." She rejected unflinchingly. "If there is anything to talk about, let''s talk about it in thepany on Monday."


    "It''s not rted to work. You know that, Zaria." He was helpless.


    "You also know that aside from work-rted matters, I have no reason to meet up with my boss." She didn''t care to be polite. As if thinking of something, she asked, "Are you going to exin why you made Desmond misunderstand me?"


    "No." He answered straightforwardly.


    "In that case, see you on Monday." She hung up when her words were out.

 Chapter 52 - You Have Excellent Taste

    <h4>Chapter 52 - You Have Excellent Taste</h4>


    Sunday, early in the afternoon.


    Liam had been unable to meet up with Zaria, so he had no choice but to meet Samantha as they had agreed earlier.


    The woman had sent him the restaurant location that the Fort Family frequented, so he made his way over. However, he never would have expected that he would be searched using a camera detector as soon as he arrived. He held back his disgust. Did she think he was so childish as to carry a camera to his meeting with her?


    If it wasn''t for the sake of Desmond, he would have turned on his heel and walked right out.


    "Mr. Preston, this way please." An attendant led him to the sixth floor, to a VVIP room exclusive to the Fort Family.


    Inside the room was a beautiful woman sitting elegantly on the couch, wearing a fiery red deep V dress with a long slit at the side. Her blue eyes lit up radiantly when he walked in. "You came."


    He took a seat opposite her. "Why not?"


    "I thought you would stand me up." Her red lips parted into a smile as she crossed her legs at the knees.


    He ignored her little provocative actions. "Sam, let''s cut the chase. You know what I want to talk to you about."


    "Do I?" She shifted her weight onto her left hip, her shoulders twisting as if she was trying to give him a clearer view of her upper body.


    "It''s about Jaime. I want to know who his aplice is." He went straight to the point without sparing her an ounce of attention.


    "I don''t know." She shrugged.


    "Yes, you do. You were there that night." He narrowed his gaze insistently.


    In response, she let out a soft chuckle. "Liam, you already know that I won''t tell you anything about him."


    "Why did you do it? Is it because you hate Alyssa, or are you under a threat?" He didn''t want to believe that she would testify against her mother for no good reason. Something shifted in her eyes, and he knew that he was right.


    "You can make it right, Sam. Do you want to keep living in guilt?"


    "Guilt?" The woman burst intoughter. "Are you trying to make meugh?"


    His eyebrows furrowed. How could he forget? She was such a heartless woman. As if she had a conscience.


    He was slightly irritated. "Whether you have been living in guilt or not, you have forced an innocent person into prison. Why don''t you tell the truth at the very least?"


    "And go to jail myself? Do you think I''m stupid?" She scoffed.


    He held back the urge to bang the table and clenched his fists under therge table. "If you were forced to do it, you are a victim too. We can file aint against Jaime."


    "Forget it." She sprung her shoulders.


    He nodded slowly and prepared to leave. He knew from the start that it would be a lost cause. Even so, he had decided to try because Desmond asked him to. Seeing that he was about to give up, she smiled as she looked at him. "Actually, I can tell you a little."


    "It''s not that simple." If she did not extort him, she was not Samantha Fort.


    "No, it''s not. I''m d you''re not naive." Her fake smile made the hair behind his neck rise. What was she up to this time?


    "What do you want in return?" He asked, even while knowing that it was going to be something he was unable to give her. If this woman wanted to help him, she would have done so without needing this meaningless negotiation. She was Alyssa''s daughter, after all.


    To his question, she looked shocked. "I can''t believe you''re asking me that when you know what I want."


    Rolling her eyes, she nted her hands onto the table and used them to support her chin while leaning over towards him. "Be my husband, and I''ll tell you everything you want to know."


    As if she had not just said something outrageous, she continued, "Not only will I give all the information I have to the police, but I will also do what you want. This includes¡­" She lowered her voice as though whispering a secret. "Testifying against Jaime."


    His brows knitted. "Never."


    "Why? What''s so bad about me?" She snapped at the rejection.


    "Samantha, it''s impossible between us." He stood up to leave. If this was the only way he could get her to reveal Jaime''s aplice, he would rather leave everything to Desmond.


    "Why? You loved me so much before. You still love me!" She stood up angrily.


    Liam was almost unable to hold back his anger. After what she did, she expected him to continue loving her? Did she think he was a fool?!


    "Not anymore." He said through gritted teeth.


    "Is it because of some other woman?" She asked with a tone full of ridicule as if she was sure that there was no way Liam would love anyone but her.


    He frowned and turned to leave. "Yes"


    "Who is it? In what way is she better than me?" Her voice raised uncontrobly. He ignored her and strode towards the door.


    "Is it Natalie?"


    He stopped in his tracks.


    As if she had discovered a huge secret, sheughed out loud. "Ha? You fell in love with your best friend''s fianc¨¦e...Liam, are you insane?"


    The man shook his head. What kind of woman did he fall for in the past? Was he blind?


    He left the room and gave Desmond a call as soon as he found a vacant corner.


    "I can''t believe you still try to find excuses to justify her actions." Desmondughed when he was done exining what had unfolded.


    Liam pped his forehead. "Just shut up. I thought she was manipted. I still think so, okay? I mean, no matter how evil she is, it''s hard to believe that one would testify against her mother for no apparent reason." He was going insane just thinking about it. "The point is, I didn''t manage to get anything that makes sense out of her mouth. However, this proves one thing, she knows the truth."


    He was on the verge of cursing from the difficulty of this task. Did Desmond have a grudge against him?


    On the other end, Desmond listened to Liam''s rambling as he stared out through the window.


    From his tone, Liam didn''t seem to be in a good rtionship with Samantha? Then, what was the meaning of those few instances when he made it seem like he was in love with her?


    "That stupid bitch." He cursed when Liam was finished exining. A life depended on this!


    When he hung up, his smile faded off his handsome lips.


    Oh, Samantha¡­ I tried to offer you a peaceful approach, but you preferred violence. Don''t me me for not being polite then.


    He averted his gaze and went to take a shower. Zaria arrived just as he left the bathroom. He gazed at her gently. She looked as beautiful as ever, wearing a burgundy a-line dress.


    "Good afternoon, sir." Her voice was low when she greeted him.


    Zaria tried her best to look at everything but her boss. Having just taken a shower, he had nothing but a white towel loosely draped around his waist. It looked like it would drop if he made a careless step. It wasn''t the first time she saw his sexy body, but when she unexpectedly saw his firm abs, she was still impressed.


    His lips curved into a smile when he noticed her gaze. He pointed at a console table. "ce the files there and wait for me."


    She nodded and took a seat to wait. He was back in a few minutes, d in casual clothes.


    He grabbed a key and waved at her. "Let''s go."


    "Huh?" She was confused.


    "Weren''t you nning to go shopping?" When she finally understood his implication and nodded, he asked, "What were you going to shop for?"


    She jolted back to normal. "My dad''s present. It''s his birthday soon."


    "Let''s get something together. I can give you a few opinions."


    "Uh... No thanks." With his horrible taste? What the hell was he capable of choosing?


    As if understanding her thoughts, he turned gloomy. "Are you saying that my taste is bad?"


    She realized that she had been too obvious and shook her head vehemently. "No, of course not! You are the most fashionable man in the whole of Europe, so obviously, your taste is excellent."


    "Then let''s go." He happily led the way.


    Zaria was speechless.

 Chapter 53 - Did He Knock His Head And Lose His Brain

    <h4>Chapter 53 - Did He Knock His Head And Lose His Brain</h4>


    Just like that, Zaria ended up going shopping with her boss as her shoppingpanion. She figured that there was nothing she could do to talk him into going back, so she decided to let it be. Take it as her apanying him for one of his meetings.


    The man led her into an LV store. She nced up at him like he was an alien. "Sir, there isn''t anything I can afford in this store."


    He raised an eyebrow and nced down at her, trying to trap her between the wall and himself. "What did you call me?"


    "Sir." She repeated unflinchingly, not flustered by his sudden proximity.


    He was just about to correct her when he recalled that it was his fault that she became distant. He was helpless. Was there anything he could do to make up for what happened?


    "Where do you want to go?" He asked to change the topic.


    She dly left the store and walked into one that she was a little familiar with. Although the essories here didn''t cost half as much as those in LV, they were of good quality. She ignored the man beside her and nced around before pointing at a disy case.


    "Miss, can I take a look at that golden watch marked [2] ?" She asked a saleswoman.


    "Sure." The disy cases had numbers on them, so it was easy for her to spot what Zaria wanted. She brought it after a few seconds, holding it delicately.


    Zaria felt its texture and went ahead to scrutinize it carefully, using her eyes and fingers to check its authenticity.


    The man chuckled at her antics at the side. "Aren''t there detectors for that? This is why you should have gone to LV. You never have to worry about being swindled there."


    "Shut up." Zaria red at him. He was speaking in a low tone, but it was rude to nder another brand so brazenly. In reality, it was just an innate reflex for her to scrutinize whatever she was buying, having been swindled before.


    Desmond, who had been shushed by his assistant, had a silly smile on his face. She looked so beautiful when she was angry.


    When she was satisfied with the watch, she asked for it to be packed up, wrapped as a gift, and then selected two tie clips and a brooch.


    When she was done purchasing jewelry, she dragged him into a flower shop excitedly. "I''ll nt some begonias and gift them to dad on his birthday. Boss, can I nt them on the balcony of my office? I want to give them to him when they have already bloomed."


    "It''s your office. Do as you wish." He said dismissively, so she went ahead to buy whatever she wanted. He was surprised when he realized that not only had she bought a watch and tie clips, but she had also made an order for a cake and candles to be delivered to her house on her father''s birthday.


    "So many presents for one birthday?" He asked in surprise.


    "There isn''t a limit. Wait. Don''t tell me you have never gotten a birthday present?" Otherwise, why did he sound like he didn''t know?


    "I have." Although he said so, his eyebrows were tightly knitted. He had received presents before, but they were all some sort of routine. No one was this sincere. He had never imagined that one could spend so much time and effort just to get a present for someone else. No wonder it was said that gifts could make anything right.


    Speaking of making things right¡­ He looked at her silently while deep in thought.


    "Is there anything wrong, sir?" She asked, startled by his gaze.


    "What kind of presents should be used to apologize?" He asked.


    A frown formed on her face as she handed her card over to the cashier. "Why are you asking me?"


    "Because I want to apologize to a woman." So he wanted to get a woman''s opinion.


    Her mind instantly ran wild. Had he wronged his girlfriend?


    It was almost unbelievable. After dating so many women, he still didn''t know much about them and still needed her opinion? Such a jerk. No wonder his girlfriend was mad at him.


    "What kind of woman is she?" She asked since she knew that he would keep bugging her if she ignored him.


    He thought about it as he looked at her. "She is... Beautiful... Hriously snarky when she is irritated but gentle when she should be. Hardworking, treasures friendships¡­"


    "Get her a pet." She was unable to continue hearing his exaggerated ttery about another woman.


    "Why?" He couldn''t understand. Shouldn''t she suggest expensive jewelry, cars, and mansions? Indeed, it was just as Liam had said. Women had different tastes and hers wasplex.


    She was almost annoyed by his slow brain. "Didn''t you say that she is one to treasure rtionships? She might toss other gifts aside, but she would never be able to throw a pet out. She will love it.


    Besides, every time she sees the cute little thing, her heart will soften and she will have no choice but to forgive you." She blurted in one breath, then wanted to bite her tongue. Why was she offering such detailed rtionship advice when she knew that it was going to be used on another woman?


    Luckily, he didn''t ask anymore. He nodded. "Noted."


    She was so smart and detailed that he almost wanted to hire her as a rtionship consultant.


    ¡­


    After getting everything that Zaria needed, they decided to have dinner together at a restaurant of Zaria''s choice.


    While Zaria nced through the menu, the waitress who had her hair in a bun spoke up with a smile. "It''s our boss''s wedding anniversary today, so we have several offers for married couples. For every item you order, you will receive a discount equal to the number of years you have been in a rtionship. For example, if you have been in a rtionship for five years, you get a 5% discount.


    Moreover, if you order the same foods or drinks, one of each identical order will be on the house. There are vouchers too, and¡­"


    Zaria felt embarrassed when the waitress kept rambling. She cleared her throat. "We aren''t a married couple."


    The waitress''s eyes went wide then she covered her mouth. "What a bummer. But you look so good together! I will ask my boss if he can make an exception if an unmarried couple looks so perfect."


    She looked so enthusiastic that Zaria felt her head hurt. "We are not a couple either. He''s my boss."


    "Oh my god... I''m so sorry." The waitress was embarrassed.


    "No problem." Zariaughed awkwardly and proceeded to ce the orders.


    When the waitress left, Desmond looked at her unhappily. "Why didn''t you pretend that we are a couple? We would have gotten free food and vouchers."


    Zaria was stumped. Pretend to be a couple¡­ With her boss?! Did he knock his head on something and lose his brain?


    Most importantly, "Do you need free food and discounts?"

 Chapter 54 - Kick Brainless Women Out

    <h4>Chapter 54 - Kick Brainless Women Out</h4>


    "Can''t I?" Desmond feigned innocence with a shrug.


    She rolled her eyes and chose to ignore him. He would simplye up with a random, insane excuse if she continued to argue with him.


    A message popped up on her screen when their food had just arrived.


    [Ryan: Zaria, can we talk?]


    Her mood that had just brightened up dampened. What did Ryan want to talk to her about? What she hated the most was people who deliberately did mean things and made excuses for their actionster.


    Desmond noticed her mood change and was curious. Who was texting her? Was it Liam?


    He had noticed that she had been ignoring himtely, and he had a guess of what it was all about.


    She pursed her lips and set her phone aside then continued smiling like nothing had happened.


    He couldn''t help chuckling. Were women able to switch their moods so fast?


    ___


    The following day, Preston and Fort Group.


    Thepany was in a frenzy when the employees saw their boss walking into the building, carrying a crate with a white pomeranian puppy inside it. His serious face was a stark contrast to the little ball of fluff, which kept looking around curiously.


    The women were especially excited and kept shrieking and giggling.


    "What a rare sight! The CEO has a pet? I wouldn''t have ever guessed it!" A red-lipsticked intern whispered to her friend excitedly.


    "It doesn''t look that used to him. Maybe he just adopted it?" Came anotherment.


    "Maybe he is helping someone take care of it?" Another spected, earning odd looks from her colleagues. Was there anyone with guts big enough to make Desmond do that kind of task?


    Ignoring the excited women, he made his way to the elevator and was waiting for the doors to open when a strong perfume hit his nostrils. Even the puppy in the crate scrammed to the farthest corner of his crate.


    A long-haired woman appeared in his line of sight. "Sir, I know a lot of dogs. Can I help you take care of this cutie?" She offered sweetly, but just like all the other women who were obsessed with him, she was more keen on trying to make him notice her beauty than on the puppy.


    The man furrowed his brows, almost sneezing from her perfume. "Get lost!"


    "Sir¡­" The woman was confident about her beauty, having beenplimented by almost all her male colleagues. It was unbelievable that Desmond didn''t pay attention to her.


    She looked wronged and thought that he would feel guilty for shouting at her. However, the man''s frown deepened. He dialed a number on his phone and Zaria''s voice came through clearly. "Good morning, sir. Is there anything you need my help with?"


    "I need a new rule to be set. No one is allowed to use strong perfumes in thepany¡ªespecially those that smell like cow poop."


    Zaria was stumped. That was an odd rule¡­ "Is there anything else?"


    "Yes." Desmond made sure his words were loud and clear for all the women to hear. "Filter out the employees so all the brainless ones are kicked out. This is a conglomerate, not a night club for sl*ts to parade themselves naked."


    The women shuddered in fright.


    A moment ago, they were jealous of the long-haired beauty for having the courage to go up to Desmond. But his words¡­ Wasn''t he too sharp-tongued?


    No, the point was, they had always showered him with attention. Every time he showed up, ny percent of the female employees would affectionately greet him and he had never minded it before. Why was he suddenly so harsh?


    "If you know so much about dogs, how about you be a vet? I don''t need dirty hands to contaminate my puppy." He entered the elevator when he was done speaking.


    ¡­


    By the time he showed up at Zaria''s office, he was still frowning in disgust.


    She found it hrious, paired with the odd order she had just received from him. She held back augh. "Sir, did something bad happen? Also, what''s with the dog?"


    His brows were still tightly knitted, but they rxed slightly when he got closer to her and felt her calming, sweet scent.


    "Get me a change of clothes. I''m going to shower."


    "Okay." This order wasn''t any less strange than the others, but she followed instruction and prepared to contact a store of the brand from which he usually bought his clothes.


    He was happier now, but he kept sniffing himself as though afraid that a horrible smell had rubbed off him. At the same time, he kept trying to check Zaria''s reaction. That brainless woman''s perfume was so repulsively strong. If his clothes ended up smelling like her, would Zaria be mad?


    "The clothes will be ready and delivered in ten minutes. I will send them to your office." She spoke up after sessfully ordering a change of clothes.


    He nodded and ced the crate in his hand onto her desk.


    "Huh?" She didn''tprehend his actions. "Uh¡­What''s this?" "It''s a pomeranian." His eyes seemed to scold her for not being able to tell the obvious.


    "Yeah, I know it''s a pom¡­what is it doing on my desk?" While she asked, the little thing knocked its front limbs against the door of the crate, as though curious about the new human in its vicinity.


    Desmond observed its actions with a smile. "He likes you. You will make a good human and pet duo."


    "Wait. What the heck?!"


    The man took a deep breath, opened the door, and then hugged the little ball of fur when it jumped onto his arm. "Zaria, I was a jerk that day. I shouldn''t have taken out my anger on you, especially before trying to understand you. I''m sorry."


    She finally understood what was going on, but she was still indifferent. "I''m not going to say that it''s okay¡ªit''s not. But it''s in the past, there''s no point talking about it now."


    Just as she had suggested, he presented the puppy to her. "For the sake of this cutie, can you please forgive me? I will make it up to you whichever way you want."


    Now they were back to where they had started. She wasn''t usually one to forgive too easily, but how the heck was she supposed to say this to her boss? He had believed her, so she was no longer hurt by what he had done in a fit of anger. However, that didn''t mean she would be asfortable with him as she was before. Not to mention, there were already things that she disliked about him.


    After racking her brains, she decided to ambiguously evade the answer. Instead, she focused on the puppy. "I don''t think I need a pet."


    "Is that so?" He looked disappointed. "But you said that you would never reject a cute pet."


    "When did I¡­" She suddenly remembered their conversation from the day before. So the woman he had said he wanted to apologize to¡­was her?


    She was helpless against his gaze. Just when she was about to insistently say no to keeping the puppy, the little thing whined pitifully. It was as though it could feel her rejection against it.


    Zaria''s heart softened when she saw how sad it looked. She extended a finger to poke it and the puppy jumped onto her excitedly to y. She had no choice but to rub its fluffy coat.


    "How old is he? What''s his name?" She asked out of curiosity.


    Seeing that his goal was halfway done, Desmond pulled out the exaggerated story he hade up with. "He doesn''t have a name yet. You can give him one. He is only five weeks old and will get used to a new name pretty fast."


    Before she could say anything, he added, looking sad. "He is quite pitiful. His brother was taken away a few days ago, so he was left on his own. It isn''t easy for him to get close to the other dogs at the pet center since they are all bigger than him. It''s no wonder he so badly craves for attention¡­"


    "Just stop. Please." His words were making her heart melt into a mess. It was already sinful enough that the little thing was about to steal her heart from cuteness. After hearing about its tragic life, how could she bear to reject it?


    He shrugged. "I would have taken it in. However, I''m too busy, and besides, I brought him to apologize to you."


    There we go again.


    The man used thepse tough and tap the puppy''s head. "You''ve got a mother now, buddy."


    She rolled her eyes at the ambiguity of his words and petted the cute, fluffy thing. "What shall I name you? Cookie? Jellybean? How about whitey¡­"


    Desmond smiled. They were starting to get along, atst.


    Zaria thought about it for a long while and decided to do her job first. She would think about the nameter.


    Just as she sat down, she caught sight of the door between the offices and giggled. "Pfft, why didn''t I think of that?"

 Chapter 55 - Call Me "babe" And Well Be Even

    <h4>Chapter 55 - Call Me "babe" And We''ll Be Even</h4>


    With a slight chuckle, she rubbed the little puppy''s fluffy coat. "I''ll name you Des. It suits you."


    As if trying the name out, she gently called, "Des?"


    As if understanding that it was his new name, the puppy stuck out his tongue adorably, climbing onto her arm to ask for pats.


    She happily scratched it gently behind its neck. "You like it right? I like it too."


    She was just about to settle down and start working when she recalled Desmond''s description of her the day before.


    "She is¡­ Beautiful¡­ Hriously snarky when she is irritated but gentle when she should be. Hardworking, treasures friendships¡­"


    Her gaze narrowed dangerously. Was that his evaluation of her? Her lips pursed as she shot a look in the direction of his office. Do you think I''m snarky? I''ll show you the real meaning of ''snarky.''


    Because she didn''t have a pet before, she didn''t have toys either. She thought about it for a while before taking out a fluffy pom-pom keychain. It was in the shape of a sleeping kitten and took out the key ring. She put the puppy back into his crate and ced the key chain inside as a temporary toy. She sighed in relief when the little fluff ball pounced on the ''kitten'' and started ying.


    Finally checking the emails in her inbox, she was not surprised to find several of them from Alex Cooper, apologizing to her and Desmond and asking for a second chance for his daughter.


    If it were up to her, she would have directly marked them as spam, but since the Coopers seemed to be in a good rtionship with Desmond, she filtered out the emails and sent the ones that contained relevant content to him.


    She then went to deliver some files to him. "Contracts and proposals for you to approve and sign." She ced the small stack on his desk.


    While he flipped through the first one, she asked? "Do you think thepany should ept more interns? There are tons of requests."


    "How many interns are there at the moment?" He asked indifferently.


    "Five."


    "What would you have done if it were up to you?" He didn''t need to think it through, but he wanted to know her opinion of it.


    "I would check out for any outstanding ones. If their work is as good as their academic records, I would straight up offer them a job soon after their graduation."


    He did not flinch, so she added, "This will not degrade thepany''s status. It will only give you the first chance to scout excellent employees."


    If they waited until those smart interns got into the real business world and manypanies started scouting them, it would be harder to get them into Preston and Fort Group, as they would ask for more outrageous terms.


    "I''ll leave it up to you, then." He said dismissively.


    "Okay." She was getting used to his dismissive way of leaving important decisions up to her, so this was not surprising.


    "I need my morning coffee. Add sugar and cream." He said before she could leave.


    "Okay."


    He returned to work, but it only took a minute for him to realize that she was still standing in front of him. He looked up with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Mmh?"


    "Sir, can I say something?" She asked, her voice lowering slightly because of the risk she was about to take.


    "I''m listening." He paused what he was doing and paid attention to her.


    Seeing that he was ready to listen, she was more confident to speak up. "I think you should decrease your caffeine intake. You take too much coffee every day and it will affect your healthter."


    He remained silent, and she almost thought she had overstepped her boundaries.


    "I''m¡­"


    "Sweetie, are you worried about me?" He interrupted her apology, his voice deepening as his blue eyes gazed at her like they were on fire.


    A frown quickly formed on her face. "It''s only normal for an employee to be worried about their superior."


    In response to her words, a deep smile appeared on his lips. "Babe, you don''t have to be shy about it."


    "What the heck did you just call me?" She red at him ferociously.


    He shrugged innocently. "Zaria. Isn''t that your name?"


    She raised an eyebrow to imply that she would not be fooled. She had clearly heard what he had called her. However, she chose to ignore it since blowing up the fuse would not work in her favor.


    Seeing as she was still displeased, he smiled even more seductively. "Are you displeased? If you are, call me "babe" once and we will be even."


    "May I leave now?" She asked seriously, and he let her go with augh.


    He threw his head back andughed heartily when she left. Why was it so entertaining to tease his assistant?


    ¡­


    After a meeting with thepany''s top management, Desmond found a topic to discuss with Zaria, who was trying to keep her distance behind him. "How are you getting along with the puppy?"


    She stopped at the door of her office. Work was a little difficult today, especially when the little fluff ball kept whining for attention every time she had to leave the office. It was almost like she was taking care of a baby.


    Still, Des was so adorable that she smiled just thinking about it. "Quite well. Why?"


    "Nothing. I need a coffee." He made his way to his office.


    "Okay." She shrugged. This was the fifth cup he had asked for this morning. It was almost as though he was doing it to rile her up.


    The next time he asked for coffee was a mere thirty minutester, and she delivered it before she got back to work and made a phone call.


    "Hello, I would like to order something."


    ___


    Later in the afternoon.


    Desmond nced at the ck gadget that was now in his office and frowned as he turned to look at the woman who had just brought it. "What''s the meaning of this?"


    She finished up the instation and opened the box containing a packet of ground coffee beans. Satisfied after running a test on it, she stepped aside as if she had aplished a nerve-wracking mission. "That''s a coffee machine. I saw a simr one in your mansion, so I''m sure you know how to use it. You''re wee!"


    When she was done, she sauntered out of his office, making him grin at her courage. She was bing more and more audacious around him.


    ¡­


    That evening.


    Zaria was about to get to her car when Liam stopped in front of her.


    "Do you need a ride home?" He asked as he pointed at his car.


    "Thanks but no thanks. My car is in perfect condition." It was almost baffling how much they wanted to give her a ride despite knowing that she had a car.


    "How about grabbing a cup of coffee together?" He suggested when he saw that she was about to leave.


    "No thanks. I have a date." She blurted. She didn''t intend on spending even a single extra minute with him unless he had something reasonable to talk to her about.


    The man frowned when he heard her words, then he guffawed. "Date? Last I checked, you didn''t have a boyfriend."


    "It''s none of your business." She shrugged. In the next second, she reached into the backseat of her car that was parked nearby and took out the crate where Des was still ying with his make-do toy. "Besides, who is to say that I don''t have a new boyfriend?"


    "That¡­" Liam coughed furiously. Wasn''t this the dog that Desmond insisted on adopting this morning? Don''t tell him it was for Zaria?


    No wonder he had found it strange that he didn''t see the dog all day.


    ¡­


    A few minutes earlier.


    Desmond was answering a call outside the building as he waited for Zaria so he would ask her out for dinner.


    When his call ended, he turned just in time to see Liam standing in her way. He wasn''t that far from them, so he heard the man ask whether she wanted a ride.


    Zaria''s responses were as hrious as ever. She didn''t care to be polite even when the man used a calmer approach.


    He was just about to gloat in his friend''s misfortune when he heard her response. "I have a date."


    A date?! Zaria had a boyfriend?!


    Was it that man who always wanted to stick around her¡ªthe one whose name was Ryan?


    Swallowing a gulp, his hands uncontrobly balled into fists at his sides and he had the sudden urge to destroy something.


    Before he could fully register his bizarre feelings, he saw her reach into her car and take out her ''date.''


    So the so-called date was the puppy. He was relieved, remembering that she indeed needed to make living arrangements for the puppy. However, why was he still displeased? Why did it suddenly feel like he had just bought himself a rival?

 Chapter 56 - What Dream Are You Stuck In?

    <h4>Chapter 56 - What Dream Are You Stuck In?</h4>


    The man watched silently as Zaria yed with the puppy a little before gently taking it back into the car, treating it better than she had ever treated him.


    __


    When Zaria arrived, Theodore was confused when he saw her. "You adopted a dog?" He knew that his daughter didn''t have a particr fondness towards animals and it was not very likely for her to adopt a pet.


    "My boss gave it to me." She responded as she gently took the puppy out of the crate. After work, she had taken him along to shop for his food, toys, and snacks. He had fallen asleep on their way back.


    Theodore frowned as he watched her gently ce Des on a couch before unpacking the things she had bought.


    "Zaria¡­?" He drawled out her name suspiciously like he always did when he suspected that she had done something wrong.


    "Mmh?" She tilted her head and looked at him innocently.


    His gaze turned strict. "Why would your boss randomly give you a puppy for no reason?"


    "It''s not random. He gave it to me to apologize." She exined, and as expected, he didn''t believe a word of it.


    "You''re telling me that Desmond Fort, that arrogant man, apologized to you? What dream are you stuck in?"


    Zaria was helpless. She knew that it would not be easy to exin." I''m not dreaming, okay? He was in the wrong, so it''s only right for him to say he''s sorry."


    Even if he did realize his fault and decide to apologize, why would he go out of his way to prepare a gift and such a meticulous one at that?


    Not only was Theodore not convinced, but he was also even more suspicious of whatever was going on.


    "Dad, what''s wrong?" She asked when she noticed his odd stare.


    He snapped out of his thoughts. "Nothing. I just want to ask, How would you feel if your fianc¨¦e got overly close to another woman? Would you befortable if their rtionship is too close to be appropriate?"


    "Dad, what are you trying to ask?" She looked at him seriously as she paused unpacking the shopping bags.


    "How do you think it would feel to be cheated on?" He asked more straightforwardly.


    She didn''t need to think about the answer. "Awful. Why do you ask?"


    Although she asked, she could pretty much tell where this conversation was headed.


    As expected, he sighed like he was at a loss and gently spoke, "Zaria, I don''t want to control your love life. You are already a grown-up woman and know what''s right for you. Furthermore, you can get into a rtionship with whoever you fall in love with regardless of their looks, status, and whatnot. However, I would not appreciate it if you fell in love with an engaged man. He is a known womanizer and all that, and it probably wouldn''t make any difference to his fianc¨¦e if he had another mistress. Even so, I would not want you to be the source of another woman''s grief."


    "Dad¡­" She was speechless at how fast this had escted.


    Not giving her a chance to squeeze in a word, he continued," Most importantly, what would you gain from a man who knows nothing but to cheat on his future wife? Have you thought about your future? Even if he broke his engagement and married you instead, he would give you nothing but endless heartbreak."


    He could not count the number of news stories he received every day about women whomitted suicide, fell into depression, or ended up as criminals because their husbands kept cheating on them. He didn''t want his daughter to end up as one of them, and he didn''t want her to be an enemy of the Spark family''s heiress because she messed around with thetter''s fianc¨¦.


    "Dad, I know. I will not be inappropriate with him." She finally responded to his lecture.


    Hearing her words, he was reassured. Even so, he frowned and swore to kick that man from the Fort family if he dared to y around with her.


    Dinner was ready soon. She finished eating fast so she would have time to continue her research before sleeping. Just as she was about to go to her room, she recalled something and brought out a packet of kibble and a new dog bowl.


    "Des? Time to eat, my darling." She called out to the puppy that had woken up and was now sneaking curious looks at Theodore as though wondering whether they could be friends.


    Hearing her voice, he rushed over and buried his head into the bowl as soon as she poured some food into it.


    Theodore''s reassurance flew out through the window when he heard her.


    It was obvious that she was talking to the puppy, but why did her tone sound so ambiguous? It was almost as though her words were not meant for the puppy.


    ¡­


    The following day.


    "I''m done investigating the Preston Family. Here are the results." Zaria announced when she arrived at Desmond''s office.


    He held back his surprise. She was done? That fast? When she asked for a week, he was almost certain that she would need more time. To his surprise, she had not even used half of that time.


    Holding back his shock, he looked at her attentively. "Speak."


    She held the files in her hand close to her chest as she exined her findings in detail. "On the surface, they are a normal aristocratic family, but my investigation proved that they are the mostplicated family in Imperium. I could take days exining the dark secrets that no one knows."


    He observed her facial expression and concluded that she was ufortable about having to divulge the dark secrets that she had mentioned. They were probably things that the Preston Family did not want anyone to ever find out.


    He didn''t want to know them either. "I only need to know things rted to my family." "Okay." She was relieved as she filtered out what she had found out. "The most suspicious person in the Preston family is Liam."


    "How so?"


    "He was in love with Samantha." She carefully waited for his reaction, and when she saw none, she continued. "Although she loved his elder brother, she somehow had his child. Take a look at this."


    She flipped through the file and handed him a white sheet of paper, whose content was a photo that had been reprinted. It was an amniocentesis report.


    The mother''s details were clear as day: Samantha Fort, 25.


    The results showed that the father of the unborn baby was Liam Preston.


    He was shocked, but not for the reason that she thought.


    It happened three years ago. When Samantha begged him to help her keep the secret with tears in her eyes, he deleted all the records to make sure that no one ever found out. No one, aside from him, Samantha and Liam, knew that Samantha had been pregnant.


    Zaria continued when she was convinced that he had digested the shock. "The most suspicious thing is that no one knows about it except him and her. Yet the records were not deleted by them¡ªSamantha had an abortion right after the amniocentesis and was unconscious for a while. On the other hand, Liam was too heartbroken to do anything to help her. Someone else helped her do it and that is odd. My guess is that it''s a member of the Fort family."


    He smiled at her analysis. None of it was wrong. Could it be that she really managed to investigate the Fort family? But if that was the case, then how did she manage to get the wrong thing?


    She did not sense his emotional turmoil. "Strangely, Samantha suddenly wants to marry him. Do you think she is under a threat? Because I think Liam definitely has a motive for revenge. What if he wants to destroy the Fort family for helping Samantha three years ago?"


    "Anything else?" He asked, not daring to jump to conclusions based on a spection.


    "He has been investigating me. Is this not suspicious?" She smiled, though she inwardly wanted to strangle Liam. What the hell was wrong with that man?


    "Did you choose the wrong profession?" He finally asked. "Were you a detective in your past life?"


    She rolled her eyes at his exaggeration. "Business is my forte. I only became an investigative journalist to help my dad. Sometimes, we need to thoroughly research to find the hidden truths that we need to publish."


    It was surprising that she had exined so much, but he caught the tiny sh of pain in her tone. "You don''t sound like you like it?"


    She shook her head. "Not that I don''t. It''s just that sometimes, one can get ndered even after spending so much time and effort to find the truth."


    This was where he differed from her. "But you did lie, Zaria. You ndered my mother."


    If this was before, he would have long exploded at her words. But after hearing her clear results that were a hundred percent true about Liam, he wanted to believe her even though the facts pointed in a different direction.


    She sucked in a breath and looked at him. "Sir, would you believe me if I said that your mother is the kind of person I made her out to be in those articles?"

 Chapter 57 - Even Mountains Have Their Breaking Point

    <h4>Chapter 57 - Even Mountains Have Their Breaking Point</h4>


    "No." His voice resounded in the quiet office.


    "Okay." She didn''t say anything more of it. She knew that it would not be that easy. No one would be willing to believe that the person they loved and trusted was a criminal. As long as she had expressed her opinion, it was up to him whether or not he wanted to believe her.


    The atmosphere was turning heavy, so she changed the topic by reporting matters rted to business.


    "Zaria." He called out to her just as she was about to leave.


    She turned back to face him. "Is there anything else, sir?"


    "Don''t talk about it again." His voice was stern, and she could only nod. She knew he was talking about the matter regarding his mother. She was not allowed to mention it anymore.


    "Also, you didn''t find out anything about Liam or the Preston family."


    She shrugged and appeared to be bummed. "What a pity. Each of those secrets would have created scandals huge enough to be on the trending searches for a month."


    He raised an eyebrow at her audacity to joke around at such a time. A devilish smile formed on his lips as he gazed into her eyes. "How about I make you dominate the trending searches of all the media agencies in Olphire for a year? I can sure do that."


    "How?" She didn''t want to ask, knowing that he was going to tease her, but her lips moved against her will.


    As if he had been waiting for the cue, he stood up and closed in before she could flee. He held her left hand as he whispered in her ear gently, "By proposing to you in public. That would make you the most talked-about woman in Olphire, now wouldn''t it, sweetie?"


    She pushed her fist against his chest, but he didn''t budge. "Sir, you are too close."


    He chuckled, his deep voice vibrating against her neck and sending shivers under her skin. "I can get even closer."


    As if struck by electricity, she raised a leg and looked at him threateningly. "If you don''t let go of me, don''t me me for disabling your bloodline."


    "You wouldn''t dare." Heughed, but he knew that she could do just that, so he stepped back two steps.


    "You seem to be suddenly repulsed by me."


    Although she was never very close to begin with, the distance between them seemed to have grown overnight. Shouldn''t she be friendlier since she liked the puppy he gifted her?


    She seemed to have expected this question. before her father pointed it out, she had almost forgotten the facts. She straightened up and gave the obvious answer. "It''s not appropriate for you to keep getting close to me. Miss Sparks wouldn''t like it. Also, if you could please save the pet names for her, thanks."


    Augh rolled off his lips. So it was about Natalie. Was she jealous? He considered his words and spoke, "Zaria, the rtionship between Natalie and me is¡­"


    "Please save me the details, thanks." Since she had gotten the signatures she needed, she walked out.


    The smile remained on his lips long after she had left. He couldn''t help berating himself soon after. Every time he saw her, his interest in her grew deeper. Even though he knew that she was his employee and that she was one of the women he could not touch, he was growing more and more fond of her. He was even starting to like her¡­


    He forcefully tore his thoughts away from his feelings and thought about her investigation report. Although he had dismissed her, deep down he was anxious. Hence, after canceling his next meeting, he made his way to the detention center.


    Being able to meet suspects of murder was not easy, especially when it was termed as "psychotic." He had to pull strings in order to see her.


    They sat across each other at a wooden table with benches on each side, but she had handcuffs on.


    The man swallowed and didn''t dare to believe that the woman in front of him was his mother. Alyssa Fort was a knowndy of a wealthy family and had married a man of equal status. She was the subject of the admiration of every woman old and young alike. Yet at this moment, she looked pale and had lost a lot of weight.


    Her expensive clothes and jewelry had been reced by a red T-shirt with [Detainee] printed on its back inrge, bold font.


    He nced at the woman who had changed within just three weeks. "I came to see you."


    "Desmond. I miss you so much." She almost teared up when she finally saw her son after an agonizing amount of time.


    His throat bobbed. "I''ll get you out of here."


    "You don''t need to. It''s already enough that you came to visit." She suddenly dered.


    "Why?" He was confused.


    "It''s what Samantha wants." She shrugged. "She is the only witness and she testified against me. There is nothing I can do to change her mind, much less her testimony. She hates me so much."


    There were many things that Desmond would never understand, and one of them was the rivalry between Alyssa and Samantha. Those two had suddenly grown cold towards each other and neither of them cared to exin what was going on. He didn''t want to waste his time asking about it, but he couldn''t help thinking about Zaria''s words yet again.


    Would you believe me if I told you that your mother is the woman I described in those articles?


    "Mother, is there anything you didn''t tell me?" He asked suspiciously.


    Alyssa suddenly looked like she was at loss. Remembering that she had already exined it to thewyer anyway, she thought it would not make much of a difference if her son knew too. Besides, he might find something to help her leave this awful ce. "Looks are deceiving, son."


    "Don''t I know that?" He mumbled when he remembered how he had been the most doting brother to his little sister and how she had turned out to be the evil snake hiding among them unbeknownst to them.


    Alyssa shrugged and narrated, "My marriage to your father was a contractual one. However, at some point, we just couldn''t be together anymore. I asked him for a divorce."


    He had heard tidbits of this and was not surprised. "And?"


    "He didn''t agree." She let out a heavy breath. "We got married not only because of the pressure from my family but also because I was expecting Jaime. The thing is, in our terms of the contract, if we broke up, the family business and properties would fall in the hands of our child, Jaime. With the passing years, I felt that this was unfair to you and Sam. We kept fighting about it since I wanted to revise it, so you all shared the wealth, but he wanted to take it back instead. I thought that perhaps he has an illegitimate child or a mistress, so I sued him. It was not just his blood and sweat, after all. It was my hard work too. How could I let him take it away from me and my children?"


    She smiled bitterly. "Desmond, I''m d that you made a life for yourself and didn''t need the family business. But you know Sam. She isn''t patient enough to settle down, so I was worried about her. Who would have thought¡­"


    "What did he do when you sued him?" He pulled her thoughts back to the matter at hand.


    "Nothing. I knew my life was in danger because I held onto the original contract as well as the ownership documents of some of the properties. I knew he was trying to find ways to get them back, and he was starting to get violent, so I entrusted the documents to Jaime.


    "Damn it." He muttered a curse. All the more reason for him to suspect Jaime.


    She continued, "Meanwhile, I contacted awyer and would only meet her in secret so he wouldn''t ever find out. One night, I snuck out to meet her at Le Perle, but when I came back, he was on the living room floor, dismembered. Samantha arrived barely a second after I realized what had happened."


    He knew that Samantha was maniptive, so he didn''t dare to believe that she had mistaken their mother as the murderer. If she arrived a few seconds after her mother did, she must have seen Alyssa walk in.


    In the next second, Alyssa let out a burst of self-mockingughter. "But it doesn''t matter, Desmond. It''s only a matter of facing judgment by the court or from the angry public. That journalist from F&P Media even imed that I was having an affair with mywyer and that to save my reputation, I murdered my husband because he had found out the truth. This is what the public believes. I would rather stay here than have fingers pointed at me for the rest of my life."


    He furrowed his brows. "When did you be so weak?"


    Her lips twitched. "Even mountains have their breaking point."

 Chapter 58 - Could You Take It Back?

    <h4>Chapter 58 - Could You Take It Back?</h4>


    After hearing what his mother had said, Desmond was at a loss. Proving her innocence was one thing, but changing public opinion was a different story altogether. It was only possible if Zaria admitted that what she wrote in the articles was a lie.


    However, doing that would make F&P Media sink to the bottom of the sea just as it was starting to rise back from its ashes. Zaria had worked so hard to revive it¡­ She had even gone so far as to stalk and seduce him, then sign a ten-year employment contract for the sake of the agency. Wouldn''t all her effort go to waste?


    Besides, if he made her do such a thing, she would be so sad. He loved her cheerful smile so much that it would kill him if that smile were to fade. If it was possible, he didn''t want to ever see the sadness he had seen in her eyes a few days ago.


    After thinking for a while, he still didn''t know what to do, so he went to look for Samantha as soon as he left the detention center.


    The woman was reclining on the leather couch in the living room of their home, doing what she was best at¡ªenjoying thevish life that she didn''t know she would soon lose. When she saw the man who had walked in, she sat up and took off her blue wireless earphones as though they were blocking her vision. "Bro, you finally remembered that I exist."


    Desmond frowned ever so slightly, disgusted by the word she had just called him, which was once his favorite word.


    He gave the servants who were waiting on Samantha a look, and they knew to leave them alone. When they left, he didn''t even bother to take a seat as he dumped his intention without wasting his time. "Change your statement and tell the truth. I''m giving you onest chance to do it willingly."


    As if she had heard the funniest joke, she burst intoughter and picked her ear. "If not? What will you do, brother?"


    Her tone was deliberately taunting. "Tarnish my reputation? Reveal to the public that I had an abortion? Hand me over to the police?" In her view, this was the only thing that Desmond had against her. It was the only measure he could take if he was very desperate.


    Before he could give a response, she maliciously added, "While aborting a three-month-old baby is a crime in Olphire, what if I said that I did it in a country that allows it? If not, I could im that it was therapeutic and that my life would be in danger if I didn''t do it."


    Desmond''s lips curled into a smirk. This brainless woman. Did she realize who she was dealing with? He had more than a few ways to use that information if he wanted to, but there was no use threatening an idiot.


    When she saw that he didn''t say a word, she panicked slightly but quickly covered it up. "Don''t forget, you helped me hide the truth. You were an aplice and will go to jail too, for tampering with evidence of crime and whatnot."


    The man silently mocked her.


    Since they were young, he loved her so much that he had only let her see the doting side of him. She didn''t know how heartless he could be once he was triggered. For the sake of their biological bond, he held back his anger and said, "The hearing is in two weeks, Samantha. You better meet the attorney within a week and think about what you will say."


    Not wanting to hear any more of the crazy woman''s idiotic words, he turned on his heel and left.


    "Huh, whatever." She shrugged. If Desmond thought she was some tame and naive woman, he was wrong. She wouldn''t have gotten to where she was if she didn''t have a brain.


    ___


    Wednesday morning.


    "Good morning, sir." Zaria shed a bright smile as she delivered some documents.


    "What''s the good news? You look jovial." He looked up as he asked. His gaze fell on her pink lips that were slightly parted, giving him an insanely strong urge to pin her against the wall and kiss her.


    "Ximena ising back today." She responded. "My friend. She''s been studying abroad."


    When she was done speaking, she noticed his furrowed brows. "You don''t look happy."


    "Mmh. I''m very sad." His expression changed into an agonized one.


    She couldn''t control herself from asking, "Anything I can do to help?"


    He must have been waiting for the question because he looked like he had seen a ray of hope. "Zaria, could you take back the coffee maker? I promise not to constantly ask for coffee."


    "Uh¡­"


    She didn''t know how to exin this. In what way was the coffee machine making him ufortable? Wasn''t it supposed to make work easier for both of them? She was done with this bizarre boss.


    "Do you need the day off to go meet your friend?" He asked out of the blue.


    Knowing him, she couldn''t be easily fooled. "What''s the precondition?"


    As expected, he nced at the coffee machine in a way that could make one mistake it for a bomb.


    She shook her head. "Thanks, but her flightnds in the evening. I''ll still make it on time."


    She left, making him wonder if he should make her work overtime today. However, remembering how angry she would get if he deliberately made her miss the opportunity to pick her friend up from the airport, he could only bite his tongue and hold it in.


    ___


    In the evening.


    Due to traffic, Zaria was almostte and arrived when Ximena''s flight had justnded. She only waited for barely a minute before she saw the tall, beautiful woman looking around.


    "Xim, here!" She raised her card excitedly.


    The woman turned around and saw her. Instead of rushing over to hug her, she crossed her arms and looked away.


    Zariaughed at her antics and went over to her instead. "Xim?"


    "Hmph. I don''t know you. Who are you?" The woman pretended to ignore her.


    "Did I make you wait? Don''t be mad. I''m sorry, okay?" Zaria said through augh, wondering when her friend learned to throw tantrums.


    "How could you not tell me when you went through such an ordeal?" The woman finally exploded as she red at her friend with her gorgeous brown eyes. She was talking about what happened to F&P Media.


    "It''s settled now." Thetter said in a tiny voice. "You already had so much on your te. How could I bear to tell you about matters that would distress you?"


    "I still hate you." Ximena pouted. She was an unruly woman who looked like she couldunch a punch at the slightest provocation and was strong enough to scare men away. Her pouty expression was so unlike her that it made Zaria hold her tummy andugh.


    "Hey, let''s grab some ice cream." She changed the topic while reaching for her suitcase.


    "Nope. I won''t go with you even if I was going to grab some."


    "Really? Not even vani ice cream with chocte shavings? I know a perfect spot that you will love." She winked.


    "I hate you, Zaria!" Thetter huffed but followed her towards the car anyway.


    "I love you too!" Zariaughed.


    ¡­


    Pearl Ice Cream Parlor.


    The friends finally had some time to talk when they sat down.


    "How is your work?" Ximena asked as she scooped her vani ice cream, which was the most delicious she had ever tasted.


    "It was hectic at first. I''m all good now." A certain boss had started learning to behave himself, so she was much happier.


    "How are your dad and Ryan? Is Nina feeling better?" Ximena rattled off a series of questions.


    "Dad''s better now. Nina¡­ was alright thest time I saw her."


    "That sounds like a long time ago." The other raised her eyebrow.


    "It is." It was only a few days ago, but Zaria already missed Nina so much. She just couldn''t make her way over to see her when her brother did not want her to.


    "You and Ryan stopped talking?" Ximena guessed, and when the other nodded, she found it impossible. "How is that possible?"


    "He asked me to leave and not interfere with their lives anymore." Zaria shrugged and exined the entire situation.


    "It''s merely because I''m working at Preston and Fort Group. He''s strange, I swear. Why are you giving me that look?" She asked when she noticed her friend''s eyes glued on her.


    Ximena pushed her tub of ice cream aside. "Are you an idiot? The man is angry because your boss is Desmond Fort, that devilishly charming man who is said to have the entire female poption of Olphire wrapped around his pinky finger."


    "That''s none of his business. I''m his employee, not his potential mistress." Zaria shrugged. Why the hell would it matter?


    Ximena found her slow-witted. "How do you expect a jealous man toprehend that?"


    "Jealous?" She was confused.


    "You really are an idiot if you can''t tell." the woman pulled her ck hair behind her back, rolling her eyes.


    "What''s there for me to tell?" Zaria mumbled.


    "That he likes you!"

 Chapter 59 - Did She Steal You?

    <h4>Chapter 59 - Did She Steal You?</h4>


    It took a whole minute for Zaria to react to what her friend had just said. Augh escaped her lips. "Yup. You''re dreaming."


    "He does. I''m sure even Nina can tell." Ximena insisted. "He has been treating you so well for years. Just how much of a blockhead are you to not be able to know this?"


    "We are friends, Xim." Zaria was helpless.


    The woman tilted her head as if she heard the most insane kind of reason. "And that''s not a reason for him to not like you. Who said friends should not fall in love? Besides, look at you. Beautiful face, perfect figure. Nice bottom¡­"


    Ximena had not whispered, so the other patrons who were within earshot heard her words. Zaria could feel their eyes scanning her and checking out her bottom¡ªincluding women and a pair of teenage girls. She so badly wanted to drown in the blueberry ice cream that was starting to melt in her porcin oval te.


    Ximena nced at her and resumed. "Alluring eyes, beautiful long hair, most importantly, smart. Tell me which man won''t want to fall at your feet if you ask them to?


    If I were a man, I swear I wouldn''t let Ryan that dimwit have a chance."


    Zaria looked up at her friend and just happened to catch a guy staring at her boobs. She frowned and pulled her attention back to the rambling Ximena while tilting her angle to block his view.


    "He is such an idiot." Ximena continued.? "The two of you grew up together, sharing your snacks, crying together, and wiping each other''s tears and snot. You even snuck out at night together to watch concerts of the idols you liked. How many chances did he have, and how many did he waste?"


    "Just stop, Ximena." Zaria felt her head start to hurt.


    The other woman paused with an expression of worry. "You still don''t want to get into a rtionship? Is it because of¡­"


    "Xim, I''m getting a little tired. Let''s go home, okay?" Zaria did not know what had triggered this woman into a chatterbox tonight, but it was better to get her out of here.


    "As you wish. Don''t let your chance slip, girl." Ximena stood up at the same time as her friend. As they exited, a loud chatter suddenly broke out in the ice cream parlor and she realized that they were taking the chance to get a better view of Zaria''s body.


    The guys cheered while some of the women pouted in jealousy and called Zaria out for seeking attention. Meanwhile, a young man who must have just reached adulthood rushed over with his phone in hand. "Beauty, can I have your¡­"


    He was yet to say "number" when he received a fierce re from Ximena, who looked like she was ready to fight.


    The young man fled in panic, making Zariaugh.


    "No wonder you''re single."


    She kept scaring guys away. Who would have the guts to go after her?


    "Where are you going to stay? You can stay at my house." Zaria suggested as they got into her car.


    Ximena fastened her seat belt, excited that her friend had a new car. "Thanks, but I already rented an apartment before my return. Why don''t we call it a sleepover? I can settle in tomorrow."


    "Good idea." Zaria was ready to bite her to death if she insisted on going to her rented apartment tonight.


    ...


    Pearl Ice Cream Parlor wasn''t far from Phoenix Apartments, so they arrived within ten minutes.


    As soon as the front door opened, a cute ball of fluff rushed over, ced his paws on Zaria''s leg, and then looked up to express that he had missed her.


    She picked it up with a smile. "Did you miss me? I missed you too."


    Ximena was caught off guard by the appearance of the puppy. When she saw it clearly, she was excited and held out her palm. "Aren''t you the cutest? Come here, let me hug you."


    The little thing was friendly. Seeing that his owner was close to Ximena, he looked at her curiously before climbing onto her arm and rubbing his head against her. She could almost die from the cuteness.


    "Zaria, since when do you like dogs?" She asked the question that Theodore had asked too.


    "Recently." She changed into indoor slippers and gave a pair to Ximena, then had her sit on a couch.


    "There''s something you''re not telling me." Thetter was suspicious, making Zaria cough.


    "Is it that obvious?"


    "Spill it." She demanded.


    A smile uncontrobly formed on Zaria''s lips as she stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "Xim, are you hungry? You probably didn''t eat throughout the flight. Let me cook something."


    Ximena nced at her disappearing back then at Des. "Why won''t she answer me? Did she steal you?"


    She got no response, so she rubbed thefortable little thing helplessly. "You''re so cute. If I were in her shoes, I would steal you too!"


    ___


    At the same time, in Desmond''s mansion.


    The man was reading an article in his study when he received a call from Samantha.


    "Did you make up your mind?" He asked impatiently.


    "I know a way out." The woman chirped.


    "Speak."


    She didn''t want to spend too much time talking to Desmond either, so she went to the point. "Get that woman from F&P Media out there and have her exin where the hell she got that piece of news. That way, you might be able to get another witness and stop bothering me. Oh, her name is Zaria Williams and I heard she''s working at yourpany for heaven knows what reason."


    "What drugs are you on?" Desmond was displeased.? "Don''t even try to shirk responsibility. You have six days."


    "Indeed, you are protecting her. So Marion was telling the truth. Is she really your mistress?" It turned out that the call was merely an excuse for her to test him and confirm the information.


    He clenched his teeth. "None of your business."


    Desmond hung up on her, but that only made Samantha sure that Marion was right. That woman really was Desmond''s mistress.


    ¡­


    Grinning, she made her way to Sparks Vi the next evening.


    Sparks Vi was one of the most affluent residences in Imperium City and was almost as big as the president''s pce.


    Such a ce was bound to have security high enough for visitors to find oppressive and Samantha was no exception. The countless security checks irked her. Since when did she, the daughter of the Fort family, have to undergo such humiliation?


    From her information, the Fort family was highy respected by the Sparks and such treatment was uncalled for. Was it because of Desmond''s yfulness that the Sparks had started to bare their fangs?


    Samantha would never have guessed that this exaggerated treatment was because of how she had humiliated Desmond''s best friend four days ago.


    When she arrived at the vi, she met a straight-haired woman at the entrance¡ªNatalie Sparks.


    "It''s you." Her tone was neither enthusiastic nor contemptuous. She weed Samantha into the house distantly.


    "It''s been long." She said as a formality.


    Samantha was too enraged to go through with small talk, so she grabbed the chance. "I can''t see you anymore. Plus Desmond is too busy with his new assistant to bring you home for a visit."


    "Hm." Natalie merely hummed expressionlessly.


    She was usually cold and distant, so Samantha didn''t overthink. She gently apologized, "Sorry, I spoke too much."


    "It''s alright. How have you been?" She didn''t bother to ask about the assistant, but Samantha offered the information anyway. This was what she was here for.


    "Desmond still ignores me. What a jerk. It''s all because I told him to stop ying around. Even if he wants to y, why does he have to go for a lowlife with poor morals? There isn''t anyone in Olphire who doesn''t know about your engagement with Desmond, but she still fools around with him. That''s degrading a perfect woman like you!"


    She had attempted to jab what she thought was the woman''s most sore spot. She was every man''s dream, yet her fianc¨¦ was constantly cheating on her and wasn''t even trying to hide it. Was there any woman who could take it lying down?


    This is why Samantha had chosen this method to deal with Desmond''s new pet. By simply throwing the legitimate fianc¨¦e into the mix, she would not need to dirty her hands.


    "You don''t have to feel wronged on my behalf." Natalie merely smiled.


    Samantha was done here, so she didn''t overstay her wee and left after a little small talk.


    "Was that Samantha? Why didn''t Desmonde along?" Ava Sparks¡ªNatalie''s mother¡ª appeared from the kitchen, having overheard their conversation.


    Natalie shrugged. "Who am I supposed to ask?"


    Ava thought about it with a frown. "I don''t trust a woman who would backstab her mother. But hooking up with his secretary does sound like something Desmond would do. He has done worse before." She pped her forehead in anger. "What was your dad thinking, pairing you up with a man who knows nothing but to y around? I will¡­"


    "Stop." Natalie grabbed her mother''s phone as she knew that thetter was about to give Desmond a call to scold him. "I can handle my own rtionship matters."

 Chapter 60 - A King And His Queen

    <h4>Chapter 60 - A King And His Queen</h4>


    Friday, in the morning.


    Zaria received an inte message from her intern assistant. "Miss Sparks is here to see you."


    Her eyebrows furrowed. Miss Sparks¡­ Natalie Sparks? Why would she be here for her? She carefully asked, "Did she specifically ask for me?"


    "Yes. Should I let her in?" The intern responded nervously.


    "Let her in." Zaria sighed. There was only one reason for Desmond''s fianc¨¦e to look for her and that reason was Desmond. Could it be that the woman had misunderstood something and was here to start a fianc¨¦e vs. mistress scandal? But she was not Desmond''s paramour, okay?!


    Angry with that man for bringing trouble and hate wherever he went, she waited for whatever fate was about to bring her.


    Her assistant''s cubicle was on the same floor, so it wasn''t long before Zaria heard the soft but firm and confident nk of high heels. A knock resounded on her door and a woman in a royal blue one-piece business dress walked in. Her long brown hair was let loose, and although she was not trying to show it off, it was certain that the red lipstick she had applied might be more expensive than Zaria''s entire closet. More than that, she looked so beautiful and noble.


    Zaria was irresistibly beautiful, but in the face of Natalie, she thought of herself as pale inparison. Of course, how could amoner like herpare to an elite who was born to be a queen?


    And she had almost started to think that Desmond was interested in her. Why would he be interested in her when he had such a beautiful and intelligent fianc¨¦e? She stopped herself from thinking about the numerous achievements that had Natalie''s name before them on business magazines.


    "Are you here to see Mr. Fort? He is¡­"


    "I''m certain I know the difference between the CEO and his executive assistant, Miss Williams." The woman interrupted before Zaria could state where Desmond was.


    Her response made Zaria tense up slightly. "Okay, you are here to see me then... How may I be of help?"


    The ps and yelling she was preparing to counter did not arrive. Instead, the woman smiled politely. "May I have a seat?"


    "Of Course! Forgive my manners." Zaria was so intimidated that she had forgotten to offer the guest a seat. It was only now that she noticed the assistant behind Natalie. She looked like she was here on business¡­?


    Natalie made herselffortable and opened her palm to the young woman beside her, who immediately handed over a white envelope.


    "I would like to offer you a job." Spoke Natalie. "I can help you terminate your contract with Preston and Fort Group. I know about the ten-year terms and the six-month advance sry. I will help you pay it back along with the cancetion fees."


    Zaria was still in shock when she heard her conclude, "You just need to read and sign this."


    She was confused. She was not here to yell, p, or call her names and offer her money so she would stay away from her fianc¨¦. Was she offering her a job instead?


    She was inarticte. "Miss Sparks¡­"


    "Miss Williams, if you need to add any other terms, feel free to let me know." Natalie did not let her say no.


    Zaria felt her mind explode. "That''s not the thing. The thing is¡­"


    "That the Sparks family''s hotel chains cannotpare to Preston and Fort Group? While thetter is indeed argerpany, Sparks Hotel chains have been in business for decades and they keep improving. Besides, you will be the CEO''s secretary." Natalie said in one breath.


    "I¡­"


    Zaria was yet to respond when the door between Desmond''s office and hers opened. The man walked over to them with aplex expression and stood beside Zaria as though he was protecting her.


    "Are you seriously scouting my assistant while I''m right here? That''s so gutsy of you, Nat."


    Natalie was displeased about being interrupted. "So what? If it''s a talent, I can scout even Leo Qin''s daughter, let alone your executive assistant."


    "I do not allow it." He ignored her exaggeration.


    Even Zaria couldn''t help but think that Natalie had a humorous side of her. Who would think about scouting Leo Qin''s daughter? Thetter was still a toddler, and even if she was old enough, her father¡ªwho was said to dote on her to the heavens¡ªwould never allow it.


    "I do not answer to you." Natalie looked at Desmond unflinchingly and continued attempting to negotiate with Zaria.


    They looked like a king and his queen. In fact, one could say they wereparable to Olphire''s popr power couple¡ªShera and Leo. But Zaria couldn''t help but think that this pair was kinda odd¡­


    Something was strange about their interaction, but Zaria couldn''t figure it out. Though she had to admit that the fact that she thought of them as a match made in heaven made her a bit sad¡­


    She jolted from her thoughts. What nonsense was she thinking? This was her boss''s personal matter. She didn''t have the right to have opinions about it. Besides, she should be happy for her boss, but why wasn''t she?


    She didn''t hear much of the conversation between the couple in the room until Desmond brought her up. "Right. My little assistant was wondering whether you would be displeased if I used pet names on her."


    Natalie looked surprised by his words then nced at Zaria. In the next moment, she let out a soft scoff at Desmond. "Whatever helps you sleep peacefully at night." She stood up and faced Zaria. "Think about my offer. It won''t be valid for very long."


    Zaria waited until Natalie and her assistant had left before she turned to glower at her boss. "Was that necessary?"


    The man grinned, happy about heaven-knows-what. "You were worried that she would be unhappy so I asked. See, she doesn''t mind."


    "Sir, go to your office." She was tired of thinking about them. Natalie probably didn''t mind her man having rumors of flirtations surrounding him because she was confident in her charm.


    The man didn''t leave, and instead, he leaned against her desk from the side.


    "I want to work here today. Do you have any problem with that?"


    "It''s yourpany. You can do whatever you want." She waved her hands to indicate just how tired she was of putting up with this man''s constant dramatics.


    She hoped that he would leave, but she was wrong. He pulled her off her chair and settled down. "Then I''ll take your seat."


    She shut her eyes to prevent herself from exploding in the anger whose source she didn''tprehend. "Where am I supposed to sit?"


    "On myp." He looked up at her and grinned mischievously, finding her chair morefortable than his own even though he was of much better quality.


    He swung to the side slightly. "Or you can be the CEO for the day." As he spoke, he ripped off his tie and muttered, "Sofortable."


    She held in her anger and shook her head. "I am not interested in taking your ce for even a minute. If you find this chairfortable, please take it with you and sit on it in your office. Thanks."


    The manughed at her counterattack and offered her another option. "If you don''t want my seat or myp, you can stand all day."


    Zaria shook her head when she thought about upying the CEO''s seat. That was so wrong¡­


    She then nced at hisp and shook her head even more furiously. "Did I offend you in my past life?"


    "Maybe you did." The man drawled. "And in the present life, I want nothing but to punish you." He suddenly tugged her arm and she tripped andnded on hisp. He secured his arms around her before she could regain her bnce.


    She struggled out of his arms in vain, and when she was just about to give up, she felt something rising beneath her. Her eyes widened and she jabbed him furiously when she realized what it was. "You jerk!"


    ___


    Meanwhile, at the entrance of thepany.


    Natalie was about to enter her car when she ran into Liam, who was on his way to the elevator.


    "Ah, Liam. I was just about to give you a call." She spoke with a smile when she saw him.


    "What do you need?" He was not particrly close to her¡ªat least not as close as she was to Desmond¡ªso they usually kept their conversation polite and straight to the point.


    "I need something that Desmond would never give me."


    "What''s that?" He was curious.


    "Zaria''s number." The woman spoke like it meant nothing then added, "I still think I can be sessful if I keep trying."


    Liam could notprehend what the woman was thinking, but he gave her Zaria''s private number anyway. Natalie was not one to make friends easily. It didn''t matter why she asked for Zaria''s phone number, but if she was going to help get her away from Desmond, it would be for the best.

 Chapter 61 - He Isnt Ours

    <h4>Chapter 61 - He Isn''t Ours</h4>


    Desmond was unable to stop her in time and grunted in pain when she jabbed him. He tried to restrain her on hisp and lock her down. "Babe, are you trying to kill your boss?"


    She flung his hands off her and jolted out of hisp huffing in anger. "Your fianc¨¦e was here barely a minute ago yet you are already flirting around? Have you no respect?!"


    He chuckled at her explosive temper that he had not encountered in a long time. "Does that mean I can flirt if she was here long ago, or if she didn''te?" seeing her re, he shrugged. "I wanted to tell you about us but you interrupted me before I could exin. Are you ready to hear it now?"


    One part of her wanted to hear his so-called exnation but her rationality convinced her otherwise. What did an engaged man have to say about being a womanizer? That he was forced into the engagement and that he didn''t love Natalie? How many women had he said those lies to? Besides, he was her superior. She so badly wanted to m his head against the edge of her desk. "Get lost! If you don''t, I will sue you for sexual harassment."


    He raised an eyebrow and was about to ask whether she was sure that she didn''t like it when he realized just how serious she looked. She really meant it¡­ She was truly enraged.


    Although he was not afraid of being sued, he knew to retreat when she looked this angry. Why was she so upset though? He wondered.


    One moment she was smiling at him in the elevator and averting her gaze and secretly smiling because he winked at her and the next, she was jabbing him and threatening to file aint against him for sexual assault. Women were indeed strange.


    It wasn''t long before he saw her again as she went to his office before he could fully concentrate on his work. She wasn''t here to report anything and directly brushed past him to head to the corner several steps behind his desk. He tilted his head to see her reach for the coffee machine. He hadn''t asked for anything¡­


    He was still trying to figure out what she was doing when she reached for the coffee machine and disconnected it from its socket. Was she here to take it away? His lips curved upwards. Finally, he could once again ask for coffee.


    She took the machine to who knows where without telling him a word of it. As if on cue, he immediately asked for coffee over the inte.


    The woman was back with a white cup and ced it on his desk with a grin he couldn''t quite understand. It was as though she was anticipating something. "Your coffee."


    "Thank you." He smiled and mentally added, ''for taking the damned thing away''. Did this mean she was no longer angry with him for whatever reason was making her fume earlier?


    She smiled and left the office but he knew better than to be fooled by that smile which didn''t reach her eyes. The way she ignored his words proved that she was still angry and it made him wonder if he had done something wrong. Did he overstep the boundaries?


    He took a sip and the word he was about to say turned into a curse. "F***!" He called her back in rage and asked, "What the heck is this?!"


    "I guess you have eyes, Mr. Fort. Besides, don''t you know what you asked for?" She left his office without turning back and he had to ball his fists. Yes, it was coffee. He could agree that it looked the part. But how could he still call it that when it tasted like a bitter, concentrated saline solution? Did she mistake sugar for salt?


    No way. From her wicked smile, she had done it on purpose.


    ¡­


    It seemed like the woman had resorted to ying pranks because that was what she did for the most part of the day. From sending him files full of nothing but insults about what an asshole he was to adding random ingredients to his takeout lunch and water, she was nonchntly doing things that people wouldn''t usually have the guts to do to their bosses¡ªand she was doing it with an evil smile. It seemed like he had been too lenient with her, she was ying around too freely.


    The man looked at the cup of coffee that she had sent to his office through an intern in the afternoon¡ªon her own free will. The coffee wasn''t ck or dark brown. It was something between scarlet and pink.


    However, he didn''t have the heart to punish her. Whatever helped her vent her anger.


    ¡­


    "Are you trying to poison me?" He asked the next time he saw her, on their way to a meeting in a conference room.


    She shrugged and gave him a sinister side-nce with her beautiful hazel eyes. "Are you worthy?"


    "Haha¡­" Augh escaped his lips. Was she saying that he was too lowly for her to take the chance to poison him? "But I could sue you for trying to harm your boss."


    "Did I?" She entered the elevator and would have closed the door on him if he wasn''t fast enough.


    Bored that he had not fallen for her little scheme, her lips twitched. She tapped on her phone rapidly and gave it to him.


    He was intrigued to see the dictionary application on the screen and the content was even more outrageous.


    nder.


    Verb.


    Make false and damaging statements about someone.


    His eyebrows raised at her. "Are you iming that I''m ndering you?"


    "If you im that I tried to poison you, no one will want to employ me in future. Is that not defamation?" She responded shamelessly, rendering him speechless. Where did she get the guts to say such words in the face of the multicolored water and coffee she had sent him earlier?


    "Will it really affect you? You always have the option to go to the Sparks." He deliberately taunted.


    She pressed the button to the eighteenth floor button instead of the fifteenth¡ªprobably on purpose¡ªand he had to correct it while wondering what had gotten into her. He ignored her antics and asked, "Are you nning to go?"


    She merely smiled and threw a question back at him. "What if I want to?"


    "I will not allow you."


    She shot him a look and he wondered if that was a threat. Was she going to continue pranking him? He really couldn''t take her pranks anymore, he decided to give her the rest of the day off. "You can go home after the meeting."


    "dly. Thanks." She was already feeling so overwhelmed that she didn''t think she could handle it for a minute longer so she didn''t pass on the chance to leave work earlier, even if it would only be an hour earlier.


    Before leaving, she made sure to get everything that Desmond would need ready. She also told him to call the intern if he needed anything.


    ¡­


    As soon as she got home, she took a long, warm bath and grabbed a tub of ice cream. Thoughts flooded her mind as soon as she flopped onto her bed, none of which were things she wanted to think about.


    She thought about the short time they spent together with her stolen identity. At the time, she knew that he was engaged and fooling around like the damned homme fatal he was, but she couldn''t im to have felt nothing from their close contact. The man was a good kisser despite his narcissism. Despite the sour oue that had resultedter, he had been recently acting all crazy around her and she couldn''t im that it did not affect her.


    She had not entirely been against his ttery, she had merely hoped to hear something different from him. After all, he always looked humoured when she mentioned his fianc¨¦e. She somewhat hoped that he would one day clear the air and tell her that their so-called engagement was merely a rumor; that it was a business strategy¡ªlike what many celebrities did in this era.


    Who would have thought that with the appearance of Natalie, all the hope she didn''t know she had been holding would shatter into smithereens?


    Could it be the reason why Liam didn''t want her to be too close to him? Was it because he knew that she might be swayed by his insanely seductive looks and that she would end up feeling sad once she realized that she was making a clown out of herself?


    It was as though Des felt her sadness, he climbed onto the bed and ced his paw onto her forehead to offerfort. She smiled at the cute thing and hugged him with a sigh. "Why am I thinking about him? He isn''t ours. He was never meant to be ours.

 Chapter 62 - Join Me For Dinner

    <h4>Chapter 62 - Join Me For Dinner</h4>


    Sparks Vi, in Natalie''s study.


    Natalie was reading a file on the desk when her phone vibrated. She took it up and saw a new text message from a contact saved as [D]. She was just about to reply to it when she heard footsteps, making her let the phone drop onto herp and continue reading the file on her desk with heightened concentration.


    Ava walked in after knocking softly. "Are you busy?"


    "It''s alright. Is something the matter?" Natalie asked with a soft smile.


    When Ava identally saw some of the content on the file Natalie was reading, she sized up her daughter suspiciously. When thetter asked someone to do a background check on Zaria, she had thought that her daughter was going to confront Zaria or destroy her.


    She hadn''t wanted to meddle, but when she saw that Natalie was nning to bring Zaria over to theirpany, she couldn''t help being curious. "What are you up to?"


    Natalie closed the file she was reading, opened another one, and then ced her hands with entwined fingers under her chin. "She is a genius so I''m bringing her over to the family business. I hope you don''t mind this?"


    Ava shook her head. Who would mind having a genius in their family business? But she was still skeptical. "Even though she is your love rival?"


    "Love rival or no love rival, her abilities are too great to ignore." She was impressed when she learned how capable Zaria was and finally understood why Desmond would directly hire her as his executive assistant. Aside from the single mistake she made that stained her name, she had top-notch school and work records.


    Ava was not fully convinced. "Natalie, you are not nning to torture her after making sure that she is your subordinate and is bound under a contract where she cannot leave, are you?"


    The woman withheld a scoff. "Please. Do you think that lowly of me?" If Desmond wanted to y around, he could do as he pleased. Not to mention, Zaria was a friendly woman who didn''t seek trouble with her. Why would she be the one to seek trouble?


    ¡­


    When Ava left, Natalie waited for a few seconds before picking up her phone.


    [I miss you.]


    Three simple words, but they had almost turned her into a ball of nerves.


    She nced at the door before drafting a message. [I miss you too.]


    About two seconds after she sent the message, her phone rang.


    "Are you attending Samantha''s banquet?" Came Desmond''s deep voice.


    She thought about it and wasn''t sure. "I don''t know. Do you need me to go?"


    "Yes. I have sent a gown to you." He responded, and before he could even hang up, a knock resounded on the door and a maid came in.


    She immediately understood that it was the package from Desmond, so she agreed. "Sure."


    As she hung up, the maid respectfully held out the package to her. "Miss, Mr. Fort sent this package for you."


    "Thank you. You may leave." She dismissed the maid and immediately opened it. Her eyebrows soon raised in curiousity. The blue sequin gown was beautiful, but it didn''t look like anything she would love to wear. It was miles different from her style. Besides, when she tried it on, she thought it would look better worn by a woman slightly curvier than her.


    She was just about to call Desmond and ask what he was thinking when she noticed an invitation card under the shoes that came with the gown.


    Why would she need an invitation to attend a banquet hosted by a member of the Fort Family? Having known Desmond for years, this was all it took for her to understand what he wanted.


    She found a box and gift wrapper in her closet. cing the note that Desmond had used to deliver the gown to her on the table, she wrote a new one. She put down the address, and after transferring everything into the new box, she stuck the note onto it and summoned a maid.


    "Miss, you called for me." the maid bowed and awaited instructions.


    "Send it to this address."


    ¡­


    Zaria went out for fresh air, and when she returned, she was given the gift box that had been left at the reception. She took it, mumbled thanks to the receptionist, and went up to her unit, opening the box immediately. She was shocked when the blue gown came into view.


    She recognized it at a nce. Wasn''t this one of the dresses she had checked out online over her lunch break three days ago? At the time, she had looked at this particr blue gown longingly and saved it in her favorites even though she knew that she would not afford it any time soon. What was it doing in her house? If that was not confusing enough, she had also saved the shoes she thought would match perfectly with the gown and they were in the box too.


    She checked the note on top of the box suspiciously and was even more surprised. It looked like a woman''s handwriting, but it was not Ximena''s. Could it be¡­ from her mother?


    Even she rolled her eyes at the thought. That woman would never think about her, much less send a gift. When she saw the invitation to Samantha''s banquet, she wondered whether the sender was Samantha. They had never crossed paths, had they?


    Just as her mind was about to explode from spections, her phone rang. It was an unknown caller and she guessed it must be the sender of the gift, so she answered it. She was surprised to hear Natalie''s voice.


    "Why would you send me a gift?" She asked suspiciously. Was this a Bribe so she would consider the Sparks Hotel chains? It made her wonder whether multi-billion conglomerates always showered people with gifts when trying to scout them.


    "Please ept it. Take it as a greeting gift." Natalie hoped she would not return it, knowing that women like Zaria didn''t like to ept gifts from people they were not close to. She immediately added, "I would like to meet you at Samantha''s banquet. Don''t miss it, okay?"


    "Miss Sparks, I would¡­"


    Natalie knew what she was about to say, so she quickly interrupted her. "I have a meeting to attend. See you!"


    Zaria nced at the ck screen of her phone with raised eyebrows. "Yup, she certainly is strange."


    The screen lit up once more, and she thought that Natalie was calling back, only to see Ximena''s name on the screen.


    "Hi, Xim. Have you settled down?" She asked cheerfully, afraid that Ximena would pick up the gloom in her voice.


    However, she should have known Ximena better. "Zaria, are you alright?"


    "I''m fine." She lied and even pitched her voice to feign happiness.


    "No, you''re not." The woman was not easy to lie to and she effortlessly detected the lie. "Do you want to grab dinner together?"


    She was hungry, so she agreed. "Where?"


    The woman paused for a second. "I just sent the address. Don''t keep me waiting! Thest to arrive pays the entire bill."


    Zariaughed. "I''ll be sure to make you pay every cent of it."


    This was a small tradition they kept when they were younger. It didn''t matter how much money they had, they would always try to find ways to make sure the other party paid the bill. Zaria was certain that they would keep doing it even if they were to be billionaires.


    Ximena chuckled when she recalled the past. "Let''s talk when you get there because I''m already on my way!"


    Zaria checked herself over and decided that her clothes were good enough to go out. Rubbing Des behind the ear, she gave him a treat. "I''ll be back soon."


    The puppy didn''t understand what she meant, but he was happy to receive rubs and a treat, so he didn''t whine to prevent her from leaving.


    ___


    There wasn''t much traffic at this hour, so Zaria arrived within twenty minutes. When she entered the restaurant, she looked around for Ximena and couldn''t see her.


    She took out her phone to give thetter a call when someone closed in on her.


    "Zaria."


    She almost dropped her phone from shock and looked up at the man in disbelief. What was he doing here? Was it a coincidence?


    As if knowing what was on her mind, the man stepped aside to let her walk to the table he had chosen. "I have already ced the orders."


    Finally understanding what Ximena had done, her lips moved, but her words were stuck. Ximena finally picked up the call.


    "I take it as you have arrived?"


    "Ximena Morel, is there something you would like to exin?" She fumed. "Did you call me out for dinner?"


    "I did." Thetter yapped innocently, infuriating Zaria all the more.


    "Then, can you exin what Ryan is doing in front of me?"

 Chapter 63 - Cupids

    <h4>Chapter 63 - Cupids</h4>


    "I did call you out for dinner, but did I say I would eat with you?" Ximena asked her, forcefully twisting logic to justify what she had done.


    Zaria gritted her teeth and hung up. She didn''t hate Ryan. Thetter had been her friend for much longer than she had known Ximena, after all. However, she didn''t know how to face him when Ximena pointed out the things she said not too long ago.


    Ryan witnessed her phone call and smiled to mask his hurt. "Don''t you want to eat with me?"


    She kept her phone in her purse without looking up at him. "Think about it. If you were in my ce, would you want to eat with yourself?"


    The man realized that there were things that would not be forgotten if he did not exin himself and apologize for it. "Zaria, I''m sorry. I was angry and¡­"


    "You took it out on me?" She was no longer angry, but that didn''t mean it was alright. Why did everyone snap at her when they were angry then expect to make things rightter? She was tired of hearing the countless apologies. Although she wasn''t faultless herself, she would appreciate it more if they didn''t explode on her for things that were not her fault.


    Ryan didn''t know what to say to her anymore. "Nina misses you."


    She instantly calmed down as her heart softened. She was just about to say something when he spoke again. "And I miss you."


    "I¡­" Her lips opened, but she didn''t know what to say to that. That she missed him too? She would have said that in the past¡ªbecause it was true. But how could she still say such a thing now? After what Ximena said, she felt as though her words would imply a different meaning to him.


    "Can we go back to how we used to be?" He added when she didn''t move.


    Go back to how they used to be? She was afraid not. They used to be friends. How could they still go back to the time when all they had between them was an innocent friendship when one of them had feelings for the other?


    She forced a smile. "Did you say you ced the orders? Let''s go. I''m starving."


    He paused for two seconds. It was obvious that she was avoiding the topic. Even so, he led her to the table he had booked.


    "How is work? Is your boss still being an asshole?" He asked when the food was served.


    "He''s worse." She tried to ignore the fact that he had ordered steak and wine. Paired with the roses on the table, all that was left was candles to be lit to make this look like a date.


    She focused on his expression instead. This just happened to catch the tiny smile thatced his lips when she said that Desmond was worse of an asshole than he used to be. Why would anyone be happy about such a thing? Unless¡­


    Was he happy that Desmond must have lost all his chances to be with her? Was Ximena right? Did Ryan really like her?


    Her head hurt when she thought about it and decided to shift her focus. "How is Nina?"


    "She''s doing great. But I''m not."


    Just great. They were back to where they started.


    A call from Desmond interrupted their conversation.


    "How are you feeling?" The man asked, and she knew he was referring to her bad mood. He had the audacity to ask?


    "I was alright until you called." She scoffed.


    "Are you insinuating that my call is what made you feel worse?" The man sounded amused and it was driving her insane. Why else would she have a turmoil of emotions she didn''tprehend?


    "What else?" She sounded like she wanted to strangle him through the screen of her phone.


    Heughed for a moment before he got to serious business. "Could you get to work earlier tomorrow?" I need to go somewhereter and I don''t want to leave any work undone."


    "Okay." She hung up after giving him a response and was met with Ryan''s gaze that looked¡­jealous.


    "Was that your boss?" He asked, confirming her suspicion.


    "Yes." She answered it like it was a normal question.


    "You seem close." He chuckled, making her wonder how the hell one would be termed as close to someone else because they scolded the other person.


    "Zaria, can we have dinner tomorrow?" He plucked the courage to ask.


    "Aren''t we eating dinner now?" If it was possible, she wouldn''t put herself in such an awkward situation anymore.


    "I need to tell you something." He pleaded, and she immediately guessed what he was nning to talk about.


    ''Ximena, I''ll kill you.'' She thought. How could she put her in such a hard spot? Were they really friends?


    After making up an excuse about being busy for the next few days and promising to let him know when she would be ready to have dinner together again, she finally managed to leave the restaurant with her brain still functioning.


    However, Ximena''s voice was full of disapproval when she heard about her friend''s dismissal. "Seriously, Zaria. If you like each other, I don''t see why you shouldn''t get together."


    "I don''t like him, okay?" She insisted for the umpteenth time.


    "How sure are you when you have not given it any thought? How about you give him a chance and see if you like it?" Ximena suggested.


    "Then I might end up sticking with him out of guilt." She didn''t want to live in that kind of trap. How would she ask to break up with Ryan if he made her realize that he loved her too much?


    When she hung up, she set her phone aside and let out a long, tired sigh.


    This was the scene that Theodore witnessed when he came in through the door.


    Her face lit up in happiness. "Did you have to work overtime today?"


    "There was a lot of work. Why do you look so exhausted?" He asked as he changed into indoor slippers.


    "Ximena thinks I should be with Ryan. That we''re some good match and whatnot." She blurted not because she wanted his opinion but because she knew he would find it as absurd as she did.


    However, the man looked intrigued. "What''s wrong with Ryan? He is a nice guy and he loved you for ages. If you like him, you do make a good match."


    She stood up with her eyebrows still knitted from the response she had just heard. "I''ll just warm up your dinner."


    As she headed for the kitchen, her puppy¡ªwhich didn''t want to leave her side for a second¡ªran in after her.


    "Des, do you also think I should be with Ryan? You don''t, right?"


    The little pup wagged his tail at whatever he was happy about, and she was defeated. "You all are insane."


    ¡­


    The following day, Zaria was in a better moodpared to the day before.


    However, that was only until Desmond walked in through her door.


    She didn''t want to see him for a second longer than necessary, so she tried to shoo him off with a polite but distant "Good Morning."


    "Don''t you have anything else to tell me?" The man raised one of his wicked eyebrows, making her realize how handsome he looked today. He was wearing a grey suit sans tie, and as usual, it was one she had never seen before. She doubted he ever wore his clothes a second time.


    Ignoring his charm, she looked up at him. "There is indeed something I would like to ask. At what time do you n to leave, and what''s the venue?"


    "Are you trying to monitor my movements, sweetie? Not that I mind." He teased with an evil smile, even while knowing that she merely wanted to use the information to adjust his schedule for the day.


    "Take it as you wish." She was tired of arguing with this unreasonable man who knew nothing but to twist her words.


    "I take it as you want to monitor me." He took pleasure in her re. "Why don''t youe with me?"


    "Not interested. Answer the question and save us both the time." She fought the urge to p him across his handsome face.


    "So confident, are we? Sweetie, you seem to constantly forget who the boss is here." Augh left his lips as he leaned against her desk.


    She blinked unflinchingly. "I don''t know about that. But I''m not sure there is anyone who would want to remember that the insane scumbag before them is their superior."


    "Did you just badmouth me...to me?" He asked threateningly.


    "Did I? I was hypothesizing." She countered. "Surely, you don''t think of yourself as the scumbag I just mentioned, do you?"


    The little fox¡­ she was proving to be smarter and more audacious with each passing day.


    "Apany me. I''m meeting the Sparks at Imperium Royal Hotel, 12 pm." He ordered.


    "Okay." No wonder he had outdone himself in dressing up. Something in her heart dimmed.

 Chapter 64 - Please Leave, Mr. Fort

    <h4>Chapter 64 - Please Leave, Mr. Fort</h4>


    Zaria didn''t know why she was ufortable with the idea of meeting the Sparks family with Desmond, but it didn''t sit well with her. However, it wasn''t like she had a choice to say no. She was his executive assistant and it was only right for her to apany him to business meetings.


    Smiling at herpliance, he nced at her business outfit with a slight frown. "Would you like to change into something else? You could go for a dress the color of my suit."


    "No need." She dismissed him. Was he a fool? Who would go to meet his fianc¨¦e''s family while wearing matching attire with another woman?


    When he left, she wondered whether she should have refused to apany him. If she insisted on not wanting to go, would he have an intern or Liam go with him instead?


    But what reason did she have to not want to go?


    Noon came and she was yet to decide whether she wanted to talk him out of it. Shrugging, she decided to go with the flow. What harm could there be?


    Imperium Royal Hotel.


    Desmond had deliberately told the chauffeur to slow down the car. By the time they arrived, the Sparks were already there. Natalie waited for them at the parking lot and she walked over as soon as the two of them stepped down the car.


    "I''m d to see you here." Natalie greeted with a smile, something that was rarely seen on her beautiful face.


    The woman was indeed happy; she was even dressed in a brilliant red dress, youthful makeup, and the lipstick that was of the same shade as her dress highlighted her pretty eyes and teeth when she smiled.


    Desmond gave her a once-over. "You sure look happy to see me."


    He emphasized thest word and Natalieughed before shing a smile at the woman who had apanied him.


    "Hey, Zaria. It''s a pleasure to see you again."


    "Hello, Miss Sparks." Zaria tried her best to keep her tone polite.


    Natalie must have sensed that the woman was not particrly enthusiastic to have a conversation with her, so she tapped the man''s arm to call for his attention. "Desmond, my parents have been longing to see you. I don''t know what it''s about, though I have a bad feeling. Can you make a guess?


    "I can''t, but don''t worry. There isn''t anything we can''t handle together."


    There isn''t anything we cannot handle together. What a romantic statement. Zaria smiled and went towards the elevator, falling two steps behind them.


    ¡­


    In the private VIP chamber.


    The Sparks couple must have known that their daughter went to meet Desmond, so they were watching the door for their return.


    When the two walked in, Ava smiled and looked relieved. "You look handsome as usual, Desmond."


    The man wiggled an eyebrow in the slightest. "Is that so? You don''t think I should have worn a red tie to match Natalie''s dress or something? That''s not right. Even if I wore a red tie, I would still pale inparison to the most beautiful woman."


    "Don''t be silly." Ava smiled, and Natalie was relieved. The atmosphere had been tensed a moment ago and she was sure that her parents were going to put Desmond in a tight spot. However, she had thought too much. Desmond knew what to say at the right time to ease the tension.


    There wasn''t anyone who didn''t like to hear their children gettingplimented, and Ava was d that Desmond still found Natalie to be the most beautiful woman. Although that was the case, Natalie merely smiled as she wasn''t sure whether Desmond was referring to her.


    "This is¡­?" Ava asked about the woman who had walked in after Natalie and Desmond. She looked strangely familiar.


    Desmond tilted to nce at Zaria. He pulled her to his side to introduce her. "This is my executive assistant, Zaria."


    "So this is your executive assistant. She is indeed pretty." Avamented, a strange tinge in her voice as she nced at Zaria.


    "Good afternoon, Mr. And Mrs. Sparks." Zaria greeted so she wouldn''t appear to be rude.


    Ava no longer paid attention to the assistant who was said to have an affair with her daughter''s fianc¨¦e. It was still an unfounded rumor at first, but she was paying attention to Desmond and she happened to catch the gentleness in his gaze when he introduced her. More than that, she noticed that Zaria had pursed her lips slightly by the way he had introduced her. It was as though she wanted to be introduced differently. From a woman''s intuition, Zaria had feelings for Desmond.


    On the other hand, Weston Sparks did not spare her a nce and waited for them to take their seats before getting to the point. "I called you here to discuss your wedding."


    "Wedding?" Desmond and Natalie expressed their shock in unison.


    Mrs. Sparks ran her skeptical eyes over the two of them. "Yes. Otherwise, is there something else you would like to do after getting engaged?"


    She was right, engagement was the prelude to marriage, so it would not make any sense if they were against it.


    "Mrs. Sparks, we are not in a hurry. Natalie isn''t either." Desmond, who was sitting beside Natalie, was the first to speak up.


    "Well, we are. I have already contacted a wedding nning agency. What type of wedding would you like to have?" Mrs. Sparks took out a small notepad to write down the important points. She was not letting them off this time.


    "I would like to have a word with Natalie." He said before adding, "In private."


    "So you can coerce her into convincing us that she is not ready for marriage and needs more time?" Ava red at him. She had heard these excuses for too long.


    "Is she?" Desmond retorted. If the couple had eyes, they would know that their daughter was not ready to get married.


    "You either set a wedding date today or cancel this goddam engagement." Ava was losing her patience.


    "Mother¡­" Natalie was stunned. It was rare for her mother to lose her temper. She was really mad this time.


    "Not a word from you." She shushed her daughter before ncing at Desmond seriously. "What''s it gonna be?"


    "Ava, you cannot be rash. Perhaps they have a good reason." The middle-aged man at the table spoke up before focusing his gaze on Desmond. "Tell us. What is so bad about my daughter that you want to tarnish her reputation by dumping her when the whole world is expecting your wedding with her?"


    "Dad, I already talked to Desmond about this." Natalie hooked her arm around Desmond''s, and her parents noticed it.


    The most awkward person on the table was Zaria. She had thought that this was a business lunch, not expecting to be a family banter meal of some sort.


    Besides, she was neither part of the Sparks nor the Fort Family and that made her stand out like a sore thumb. She stood up with a slight smile. "I would like to use the restroom."


    She stumbled out of the room, almost stumbling towards the exit instead. When she finally corrected herself and entered the restroom, she went to the sinks and sshed water on her face. She wiped her face with a sigh, and in that fraction of a second that her eyes closed, the image of Natalie and Desmond holding hands shed through her mind. She pped her forehead at the dull ache that she felt.


    "They are a couple. What''s wrong with them holding hands?" She berated herself in a mumble. It was already wrong of her to have unwanted thoughts of her boss. How could she feel jealous of his fianc¨¦e as well?


    She had smudged her makeup, so she took out the makeup remover pads she had carried in her purse and wiped it off in the mirror. She looked dull because of her dampened mood, so she knew that she should reapply it.


    "So this is my dear brother''s new pet. How intriguing." A voice came from behind her and she raised her head to look at the person through the mirror.


    Her blood ran cold and she had to turn sharply to confirm what she was seeing. Her breath hitched when she clearly saw him.


    Jaime Fort.


    The man towered over her with his generous height and looked down at her like a defenseless little animal.


    It took a few seconds for her to stop the wild racing of her heart. When she was as calm as one could be in the presence of a cold-hearted psychopath, she finally spoke up as she held her small foundation tube between her fingers.


    "I''m not a pet, I do not belong to anyone, and nothing is intriguing about me. If you''ll excuse me." She turned around to continue doing her makeup and was done with her eyes when she realized that the man had not moved an inch. With her lipstick in hand, she frowned slightly through the mirror. "What I mean is, Mr. Fort, this is the women''s bathroom. So unless you are a woman, please leave."

 Chapter 65 - Unpredictable World

    <h4>Chapter 65 - Unpredictable World</h4>


    The man nced at the gutsy creature before him and couldn''t help smirking. "You are so confident, aren''t you?"


    She looked confused, all the traces of fear that she had in her eyes gone in a puff of smoke.


    "You even dare to try and shoo me away." Something in hisugh made one''s insides clench. He sounded like he was about to start a killing spree.


    However, she kept herself calm even though she knew that she was merely faking it. "Did I? I don''t remember doing such a thing as shooing the ''almighty Mr. Fort'' off. In fact, I gave you an option to stay¡­"


    "Right. If I''m a woman." Heughed heartily.


    Zaria knew that the longer she stayed in here with this man, the higher her chances of losing her life. Thinking about it, he would not blindly go into such a ce as the women''s restroom, which was not in the slightest private, tomit a crime. His identity as a man was outstanding enough for anyone to find him suspicious. He must have messed with the entrance beforeing in.


    This was not her first time encountering people who wanted her life and it had happened a few times in the past. After all, she held onto too many secrets whose owners thought were none of her business.


    She had gotten into too many people''s way in the past and had thus be a target. Even so, she could never get used to it. She still had to use up all her inner strength to keep up her nonchnt front while showing the man the door. "Ah, so Mr. Fort happens to be a woman. Sorry, my bad. I shouldn''t have tried to kick a fellow woman out."


    She thought the man would be angered, but he merelyughed. "Interesting. I was aiming for the fianc¨¦e, but I just happened to bump into the pretty and feisty toy."


    "For thest time, I am neither a pet nor a toy, and there is nothing interesting about me." She wondered how long it took for him to get it into his head. "Besides, you don''t ''bump into'' people in the women''s restrooms."


    "Aside from family, every other woman around Desmond is either his fianc¨¦e or his new toy. He reces thetter every week." The man pretended to have let thest statement slip identally, then seemed to have remembered something. "Right. Then there''s you: the executive assistant he must be thinking of bedding if he hasn''t done that yet."


    When he saw her re at him, he switched back to the main point. "And you are right. I have something to talk to you about."


    "Spill." She wanted this man out of her sight and the only way to do so was to ensure he told her whatever the heck he wanted to say so he would no longer have any business with her.


    "Work with me." He said it like it was one of the sanest things to do.


    Her eyebrows furrowed deeply, which was within his expectation. Women like her would pretend to be loyal until the terms were good enough and he had met many of this sort. His lips twitched as he ran his eyes down her body. "You are such a beautiful woman, Zaria. Why are you letting yourself be treated this way? Do you think you deserve to be the mistress of the man who doesn''t give a damn about the women he sleeps with, a man who will discard you before you get the chance to pull your clothes back on?"


    She kept her lipstick back in her purse as she listened to the man before her ramble on. She heard him conclude his powerful, standing-ovation-worthy speech. "You deserve better than this, beautiful Zaria."


    "And this better option is you." She raised an eyebrow, and he nodded in affirmation and made her wonder how shallow he was to have not sensed the sarcasm in her tone.


    She ignored the rest of his words since she had already figured out his strategy. He wanted to make her think he cared about her and probably fall for his charm. By the time that happened, she would be knee-deep into the mud. If she didn''t agree to turn against Desmond willingly, the man would probably ckmail her using the evidence that he was nning to gather. Being the enemy of two powerful men was much worse than only being on the bad side of one of them so anyone would know how to choose.


    Zaria smiled with a slight raise of her eyebrows. "Aren''t you scared that I will tell him about it? He is my boss, you know. While I have only met you once. I could do just that."


    The subtle threat in her tone made him pause for a second before he found her humorous. "You have a good sense of humor, beautiful girl. Aren''t you scared that you might not leave this ce alive?"


    The brothers must both be fond of using pet names on everyone, she thought. Besides that, they were both arrogant and looked down on everyone else like they were more worthless than the particles of sand under their ridiculously expensive shoes.


    Not only was she not intimidated, but she was also scornful. "Aren''t you scared that you might be the one whose head will be rolling on the floor while I leave this ce?"


    "I mean, the world is so unpredictable¡­ angels can turn out to be devils in disguise. Don''t you agree Mr., no, Miss Fort?"


    She took his narrowed eyes as a chance. "Of course, you can rte to what I''m saying. You understand better than anyone, so even if a soon-to-be-discarded pet like me turns into the woman who will make your head roll across the floor, it will not be surprising considering the things you have done yourself, right?"


    She knew she had caught his attention. From her information about the Fort family, Jaime believed that everyone had been blinded by him and no one suspected him of having any dirty secrets. No one except Desmond, who he was now trying to go against.


    "Humans can be greedy." She taunted to let him know that she knew much more than he would have thought. "If you found out that there was a document that could make you inherit everything your family owns, what would you do? We are talking about all the family assets here¡ªbillions inpany shares, properties, and estates." She whispered out thest few words like a devil making a tempting offer to him, and it made his frown deepen.


    She knew he was wondering how she would know such a thing since it would not make any sense for Desmond to have told her. She did not wait for him to try and figure it out before she leaned over with a quizzical look. "Would you keep them safely, or¡­ use it to your advantage?"


    A few heartbeatster, heughed her words off. "You are so creative, beautiful Zaria. You should consider being an author."


    "Right? I''ve thought of it. But it''s already good enough to write articles about real life. Those are more interesting to me." She dropped yet another indirect threat and nced at her wrist as though she was wearing a watch when she was wearing none. "ah, look at the time. Desmond must be waiting for me. Goodbye, Mr. Fort."


    She made her way past him, having figured out that he would not try to hurt her. At least not yet. She knew what he had done in secret, and it was unsure to him whether she had told anyone else about it. If he was smart enough, he knew that killing her might agitate whoever else knew the truth into revealing it to the public. Desmond was on alert at the moment and would grab whatever tiny piece of news showed up. It would be wise not to risk it.


    Jaime nced at the woman as she brushed past him, leaving behind her mild yet sweet floral scent. She was wearing a beige business dress that was not tight, but it didn''t manage to hide the beautifully shaped body beneath it. Such a beauty with a brilliant brain in her head at that¡­


    Was it time to finally switch targets from Natalie to this new beauty?


    Of course, he wasn''t thinking about permanently using her alone as it was unsure how long she would be by Desmond''s side. All he wanted was to take away what Desmond wanted and it would be worthless if his little brother merely thought of Zaria as a bed buddy.


    He had tried to woo Natalie before, but much to his chagrin, the woman had never spared him a nce despite his vehement pursuit. Now that he had met this stunning beauty, his tongue peeked out from the corner of his mouth to run along his lips.


    She would make a good partner, and he could use her to get rid of Natalie when the time was right.

 Chapter 66 - Unreasonable

    <h4>Chapter 66 - Unreasonable</h4>


    Zaria let out a sigh of relief when she made her way back to the VIP room in one piece. She had the facts on her side, but that did not mean she was ready to die! Even if she had to die, she would rather not end up in the hands of a heartless man like Jaime.


    The room was quiet, so everyone noticed the return of Zaria, who had been gone for so long that it was almost questionable. "You took long, and you look pretty." Desmond broke the silence in an attempt to take everyone''s attention away from Zaria.


    While that did work, Zaria had the urge to stab the golden fork held leisurely between his fingers right into the side of his neck. How could he say something of that sort? Did he not know how to talk?


    Initially, Zaria wasn''t much of a threat, so no one cared about her. However, when Ava saw the little exchange and noticed that Zaria had red at her so-called boss, and thetter seemed to be amused by it, she couldn''t pretend to close one eye anymore.


    "Zaria, sit beside me." She offered, since thetter was yet to go back to her seat.


    It was not a question of whether she would like to sit beside Ava, so Zaria knew that it was no request. It was an order that was not wise to reject. She made her way over and sat silently, wondering what the older woman had in mind.


    "Try some lobster. Have you tried the seafood of this restaurant before?" She asked as she served a piece to Zaria.


    "No." Thetter shook her head. This was the Imperium Royal Hotel. How could she have afforded a meal here in the past?


    "Oh, sounds like Desmond didn''t take the opportunity to bring you here." Sheughed, but the hint in her words was obvious to Zaria and Desmond, who were now sitting opposite each other.


    Knowing that it would be rude to reject the gesture, Zaria picked up the piece with her fork and put it in her mouth.


    "Doesn''t it taste great?" Ava smiled and offered a few more pieces with her eyes glued on Zaria.


    She nodded even though she didn''t know how it tasted. How could she still be in the mood to taste anything when she was being indirectly aimed at and couldn''t even retaliate?


    After a while that made everyone else ufortable, Ava moved from a different topic after having enough fun teasing the mistress. "Would you like to attend Natalie''s wedding? She mentioned wanting to get close to you and I''m sure she would like to invite you. Isn''t that right, darling?"


    "Yes," Natalie hoped that her mother had finally stopped saying mean things. She was ufortable, but she was in an awkward position and could not speak up. She tried to ease the atmosphere. "Zaria, if you would like toe, we can go to fit for our dresses together when the timees."


    At least she was giving her a choice unlike Ava who was forcing her on edge, thought Zaria. She smiled and nodded, wondering when Desmond would decide that it was time to take their leave.


    Ava looked pleased when the two women came to an agreement. Natalie has many acquaintances, including bachelors of high status. She is even close to the son of Imperium City''s mayor."


    "That''s a good thing." Zaria said indifferently, wondering what Natalie''s friends had to do with anything.


    "Isn''t it?" Ava chimed and picked up her ss to take a sip of the refreshing wine. "Her wedding is a grand affair, so most of them will be present. You can get a man you like from the eligible choices."


    Zaria became ufortable when she finally realized what the middle-aged woman was up to. She had seen iting, but it was still unpleasant when she actually heard it. Her husband minded his business as he was too engrossed in the conversation he was having on his phone while Natalie''s eyes narrowed in shock at what her mother was doing.


    Zaria looked up and her gaze met with Desmond''s. He looked upset and was about to say something when she shook her head. She could handle it herself, and besides, it was not worth it for him to speak against his future mother-inw for her sake.


    "I''m not interested in dating or getting married at the moment." She responded in the kindest tone she could muster despite her anger.


    The woman looked amused. "I see. So some women prefer to be mistresses all their lives instead. If that''s what you want, I do not me you."


    If this woman was not Desmond''s future mother-inw, Zaria would have said something mean. However, not only was she Natalie''s mother, she was also Norman''s sister. The difference between the siblings was baffling.


    She softly remarked, "Thank you for your kindness in looking out for me, Mrs. Sparks, but I prefer to be a mistress all my life. I hope this doesn''t affect your life in any way?"


    "You¡­"


    "Mother, Desmond and I have matters to deal with, so we will take our leave first." Natalie announced and stood up without giving her mother the chance to say a word.


    She then helped Zaria up and looked at her apologetically. "I''m sorry about my mother. She is sharp-tongued sometimes but doesn''t usually mean any harm. Don''t take her words to heart, okay?"


    She was speaking to Zaria, but Ava was still in the room and was able to hear their conversation.


    The middle-aged woman''s face contorted. Her daughter was letting her know whose side she was on. Ava pped her forehead with a re at her daughter. Naive woman. How could she be kind to the mistress? Did she not know that showing a third party kindness was the worst thing to do?


    "Stay for a second." She ordered, and Desmond left the room with Zaria.


    "Are you naive or stupid? Why do you want to pet a snake even while knowing its identity? When Desmond starts running off with that womanter, you will be crying all alone while holding your marriage certificate."


    "You know that he is capable of cheating on me and making me cry, but you insist on me marrying him?" She raised an eyebrow at her mother. "Besides, you were the one who didn''t want me to do anything to Zaria. Yet, here you are doing just that. Mother, you baffle me sometimes."


    _


    Desmond and Zaria got into his car first, and the man sent his chauffeur off to take a cab first before upying the driver''s seat himself. This was the first time Zaria was seeing him drive and she wondered whether it was because they were going together with Natalie. Could it be that he was too possessive to let another man drive his fianc¨¦e?


    Having been forced into the shotgun seat, she felt as though she was sitting on needles. Natalie joined them a few minutester and she looked less cheerful than she did earlier. It made one wonder whether she had argued with her parents before leaving.


    "Drop me off here." She said in a slight whisper and Desmond stopped the car.


    "Thank you." She mumbled softly and left the car to disappear into a hotel at the side of the road.


    "Do you want to catch a movie?" Desmond asked as he stepped on the elerator, breaking the ufortable silence in the car.


    "No." She rejected him without flinching.


    "I know you like them though." He smiled and gave her a side-nce.


    "That doesn''t mean I want to watch them with you." Came her retort.


    He chuckled as though he was expecting it, stopping the car at a red light before turning to face her. "Tell me what happened in thedies'' room."


    "Are you kidding me?" Her voice raised in shock at the absurdity. Who would ask a woman such a thing?


    "You looked anxious when you came back, and you seemed to be relieved like amb that had expected ughter. What did you think I was asking?" He teased.


    "That''s none of your business." She ignored him to look out through the window.


    "The former or thetter?"


    "Both." She was not interested in prolonging this topic.


    He dropped the subject, knowing that he had ways to make her willingly open upter. "I insist on watching a movie with you. This Saturday at 7 pm."


    "I have ns." She had already agreed to go with Ximena.


    "Cancel whatever it is and postpone it to next weekend." He demanded with no space for negotiation.


    Still, she did not give in. "It''s up to me to decide what I want to do on non-working days."


    "Yeah¡­ unless it''s an order from your boss." He directly used his position to pin her down.


    "You are being unreasonable." She tried not to yell at him. It seemed like the man was taking pleasure in doing this.


    He smiled and resumed driving when the light turned greed. "I never said it was reasonable."

 Chapter 67 - Take It A Step Further

    <h4>Chapter 67 - Take It A Step Further</h4>


    With no other choice, Zaria was forced to cancel her movie date with Ximena and go with her boss instead. The man chose to watch it at his mansion much to her chagrin. Why did it seem like he had done it on purpose?


    Of course, everything he did to irk her was on purpose. There was nothing surprising about that.


    She grudgingly made her way to his mansion, and as soon as she arrived, she nced at the man who wasfortably sitting on the plush couch. "What movie?"


    "Hello to you too." His lips curled into a smile at the sight of the woman he had been thinking about all day. Her high heels nked softly against the marble floor as she walked towards him. It was obvious that she was still upset judging from the way her lips were pursed, but it only made him want to tease her more.


    "Why do you look so displeased?" He sat up and patted the space beside him on the couch to invite her to sit next to him. She did not make a single step closer but looked at him like he was a heartless man who had prevented her from being where she wanted to be. While it was true that he had done that, he didn''t think he would be able to watch a movie peacefully with her ring daggers at him.


    "What do you like to watch?" He asked her coaxingly. "Don''t be mad, sweetie. I promise to make you enjoy the movie¡ªand mypany."


    The second part was said like it was the most important point and it gave her the urge to roll her eyes. She ignored his taunting and focused on the topic of the movie. "I thought you had something in mind."


    "Well, I will soon. I don''t know much about movies." He ruffled his dark brown hair, and she averted her gaze with a scoff.


    He was too busy to do such things as watch movies and y games, which he termed as "wasting the precious time that he could have used to earn millions." He only ever yed games if it was simultaneous to a business deal.


    "Why don''t you get to the kitchen first? Go and cook something for us to eat first. I''m hungry." He demanded and she had no choice but to obey his orders.


    She didn''t have the strength nor mood to bicker with him and she was hungry too, so she went to the kitchen. She poked her head out merely a few secondster. "What would you like to eat?"


    "You." Came the unreserved response, and she frowned. Crazy man. Was there anything sensible that ever left his mouth? She wondered how one could possess such tremendous capability in the business field yet own an insanely dirty mind. Did he reincarnate wrongly?


    Whatever, she would cook the first thing that came to her mind and he would have to shove it down his throat whether he liked it or not.


    When the woman disappeared into the kitchen, Desmond paused for a moment before calling Natalie.


    "Nat, what movie are you watching?" He threw a question over as soon as he heard the woman''s groggy "Hello."


    "Are you crazy?" The woman on the other side sounded like she was holding back the urge to yell a series of insults at him.


    He didn''t mind and continued, "Tell me. I don''t know what kind of movie to select."


    "You disrupted my nap for this?! Desmond Fort, is your skin itching for a beating?"


    Heughed at her fierce tone. "You sound so harsh. It almost sounded like I had interrupted something else." The man chimed. "Are you alone?"


    "I''m hanging up. Don''t call back." Natalie hung up in annoyance, making him throw his head back andugh. Were women all so explosive? Natalie was never unkind to anyone unless the other person pushed a wrong button on her¡ªbut the line between her good mood and her anger was as thin as a strand of her hair. If she had too much pressure from work and anyone annoyed her, she would explode. She would erupt if disturbed from her sleep, but aside from these two instances, she was a sweet woman¡ªdistant but kind to the people who deserved it.


    Sometimes he wondered why he wasn''t in love with such a perfect woman. Perhaps their stars just weren''t aligned. Maybe his stars were aligned with those of the other atomic bomb¡ªthe one that had just entered the kitchen?


    It took a few minutes for his phone to ring, and his screen was full of emojis to express shock and exmation marks. The other party had just made a discovery. A new text message immediately followed. [Are you going to watch a movie with Zaria? Suggest these three to her. She will surely like one of them.]


    Below was three titles of what Natalie said were thetest released movies that were popr. They were even of different genres. How thoughtful.


    He stood up and made his way to the kitchen.


    "What are you doing here?" She asked when she felt his presence.


    "Can''t I freely go into ces in my own house anymore?" He asked tauntingly, using the same excuse as he did when he insisted on sitting on her office chair.


    "Go ahead. You can sit on the gas stove for all I care." She pointed at the blue me on which she was boiling something, then resumed chopping vegetables at the craziest speed he had ever seen. Did she always chop vegetables this fast and urately, or was it a result of her anger?


    He waited until she was done chopping the white onions and closed in on her, locking her between the kitchen counter and himself as he took the knife from her hand to avoid idents. "Zaria, what is really bothering your pretty mind? Do tell me about it." He asked beside her ear.


    "I don''t want to. It''s none of your business." She tried to get away from him in vain since she was trapped and didn''t budge an inch when she attempted to push him off her.


    "But it is." His lips moved gently to her earlobe and he could feel her back tense up. His voice lowered into a coaxing whisper. "It''s affecting your work performance. No one wants to see a gloomy EA beside me, lest they mistake you for a ghost."


    She was initially shocked when she heard that her mood was affecting her performance, but when she got to hear all he had to say, she jabbed the man to have him step back. How dare he call her a ghost?!


    He smiled at her reaction, knowing that he had sessfully caught her attention. "So tell me, Zaria."


    "If you stop being such a load of crap, I will be happier. I will no longer have to look like a ghost in the eyes of your partners." Shemented, ying sarcastically with his words.


    "Be specific. How am I being a load of crap?" He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he feigned innocence, making her want to slice the knife she had been using earlier right through his heart.


    "Zaria, look at me." He urged, and her eyes moved against her will to meet his. She was now facing him with her back leaning against the cold marble kitchen counter. He closed the distance between them yet again and she didn''t even have the time to stop him.


    "By overstepping the boundaries." She answered his question as she raised a hand to stop his face from moving closer to hers, at the same time trying to get away.


    "How so?" He once again feigned innocence while catching both of her hands to effortlessly pin them at her sides. She swallowed as he gazed deeply into her eyes. "Do you mind exining?"


    She could notpare to him in terms of physical strength, so she spoke up hoping that he would step aside. "What you keep doing at work¡­and what you''re doing now."


    "What do I do at the office that displeases you? Sending you on many errands?" Hepletely ignored the second part and she knew he was doing it on purpose because it was clearer.


    "No. You know what I''m talking about, sir."


    "Enlighten me."


    She was about to die from fury. Was this man addicted to angering people? "Stop trying to flirt with me at every turn¡ªand stop calling me ''sweetie''."


    When she had blurted it out, she felt relieved after having held it in for a while.


    "Okay. Since it is making you ufortable, I will stop doing those two things." He said, much to her relief.


    The feeling was short-lived. Although it was what she wanted, why did she feel slightly disappointed?


    The man enjoyed her expression, guessing what she must be thinking. "Henceforth, I will stop calling you "sweetie" and switch to something else. Honey."


    She was yet to process it when he stepped even closer, invading her space so much that she could barely breathe. "As for flirting, perhaps I should take it a step further?"

 Chapter 68 - You Like Me

    <h4>Chapter 68 - You Like Me</h4>


    "No!" She was baffled by the fact that he could even get such a suggestion out of his mouth. "Sir you should¡­"


    The rest of her words were swallowed into his mouth as he took her lips in his. Her eyes shot wide and her first reaction was to try to push him away. He seemed to have been anticipating this response, he pulled her hands off his chest and slid one hand behind her neck as he gently nibbled on her lower lip.


    Zaria so badly wanted to disappear into a crevice. What was he doing? This shameless man¡­


    His long fingers wove into her hair and made her unconsciously close her eyes. Her breath hitched with every stroke of his tongue against her lips and with every move his fingers made against the back of her neck, she shuddered.


    The man kissed her roughly, driving her on edge before soothing her lips with his hot, moist tongue. A gasp escaped her lips from how crazy he was driving her.


    She felt her feet leave the floor and in the next moment, her butt came in contact with the cold marble kitchen counter. She shuddered, unsure whether it was from the cold or from the sudden waves that pooled in her stomach when his tongue invaded her mouth.


    He parted her legs, making her dress slide up her thighs and before she could react to pull it back into ce, he upied the space he had just created and held her waist securely with his strong arm. His lips moved against her soft cheeks before theynded at the side of her neck to kiss it softly. Her hands moved to circle around his neck against her control.


    She wanted to tell him to stop what he was doing¡ªit was the right thing for her to do¡ªbut at the same time, she wanted to wait a little longer. Just a little longer.


    A sudden dull pain arose her from her thoughts when his teeth made contact with the soft skin of her neck. The man ran his tongue over it, flicking it over and over to gently soothe the part he had just bitten. His actions forced an uncontrolled gasp out of her mouth and she bit her lips in embarassment.


    She wanted nothing more than to force her thighs back together and push him away, not daring to imagine how immodest she looked in front of her boss right now.


    He didn''t give her the chance, takingplete control of her feelings. He knew how she felt, knew the ces that needed his touch the most but he did not give in to the need he was igniting in her. Instead, he wanted her to yearn for him even more.


    "You like me." He whispered into her reddened ears.


    She didn''t react to his words.


    "Zaria, you like me don''t you?" It was a question this time, one whose answer he already knew.


    She finally reacted by shaking her head.


    "Mmh?" He probed, his tongue moving back up her neck as he found the straps of her dress.


    "No I don''t." Her words were interrupted by her own gasp as the man grabbed her butt to pull her against him.


    "Are you sure about that?" It was a taunting whisper.


    She didn''t say a word, not that she had anything to say. He was driving her crazy. She could feel his teasing kisses making their way down her corbone, but when he reached for her zipper, she jolted and pushed him off her.


    "Sweetie, are you still¡­"


    She pushed him away with all the strength she could muster. "Stay away!"


    It was as though a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him, Desmond instantly stopped and looked at her. Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he moved back two steps.


    She almost couldn''t look up to meet his gaze, realising that she had overreacted. She pulled her dress back into order while forcing a slight smile. "I.. I do not appreciate doing this."


    "Is this about Natalie?" He asked, wondering whether she had stopped him because she didn''t want to be intimately involved with him thanks to his engagement to Natalie.


    He was ready to continue speaking when he saw her shake her head.


    "No."


    Her answer was firm and left no space for doubt. She didn''t look repulsed. How could she be repulsed? He had clearly noticed her body''s reaction to his kisses and touch.


    aside from the seriousness in her eyes, he thought she looked scared¡­


    The observation conflicted him, and she didn''t look like she was ready to talk about it


    "Okay." He did not want to press the matter lest it made her ufortable, so he dropped it. "What are you cooking?"


    At the mention of cooking, she noticed the ingredients that had been pushed aside to create space for her to sit. She ignored the sight and jumped down from the kitchen counter then straightened her dress. "Braised pork. You seemed to like it."


    "I will love anything you cook." He responded with a gentle smile, his mind indulging in fantasy. How nice would it be to have her cook for him once as his girlfriend. He had initially nned to use this chance today to tell her about his feelings for her but from her reaction, he was no longer confident about it.


    Satisfied with his response, she nced at the ingredients she had prepared and tried to resume. However, her mind was disoriented from the kiss they had shared just now. Although she had not actively kissed him back, he did not force it on her and she couldn''t deny that she liked it too¡­ otherwise, how could she exin the wetness between her legs?


    She could still recall the feeling of his tongue against her skin, his hand on her waist and backside, and it was hard for her to forget the feeling in her lower body with the man still standing so close to her.


    He must have known the effect of his presence as he moved a few steps away-which still didn''t help because he was in the same room.


    "Do you need help?" He asked.


    "No, I''m good." She could do it herself. Even if she did need a hand, she would rather not ask. That man''s presence was like a deadly poison to her body.


    He continued keeping his distance and decided to silently keep herpany. Pulling a chair to sit at the kitchen ind, he gently tapped the keys of his phone and didn''t let out a peep.


    When she heard the gentle sound of a chair being dragged against the floor softly, she wanted to turn and find out what he was doing but didn''t. Did he sit down? Could it be that he had found a chair to be out of order and had arranged it before leaving?


    Soon, she heard a soft sountrack that she recognized within a few seconds. He was ying a game, and she wanted to turn around and ask him about it because it was a game she liked to y too; she had yed it as a young girl and had never forgotten about it. Even when the gamepany got banned, she had still got Ryan to help her get it from a pirate site. Luckily, thepany was restored a few months ago and new levels were released. She no longer needed the pirate site.


    Thinking of this, her feelings suddenly becameplicated. It was her mother who had introduced it to her. While her love for the game had nothing to do with her mother, she still couldn''t help thinking about it.


    Since her mother had left when she was still young, she wasn''t sure whether she could recognize her. She didn''t have much impression of her physically and could only remember the feelings and memories they once shared.


    Her mind reyed a scene that had almost been forgotten.


    "Mummy, why is this level so difficult?" The young Zaria pouted to her mother. She stared at the old-modelputer in front of her like it was an impossible task.


    "Not everything is so easy." Came the response, before the older woman taught her how toplete it.


    When she was done, she pushed the mouse back in front of her daughter but before thetter could joyously move to the next level, the woman carried her off the high stool and ced her on the floor.


    "Go and get ready."


    "Ready for what?" She blinked innocently.


    "Didn''t I say that we would be visiting a friend of mine today? Go on. Do you need help washing?" the woman asked.


    "No! I''m a big girl now." The young Zaria blushed, as she was too old to be bathed by the nannies.


    The present Zariaughed at her own memories. It seemed that just like her father, her mother treated her as a girl younger than she was.


    ¡­


    When the young Zaria was ready in her beautiful blue dress and shoes, her mother held her hand and carried a luggage in another. It was Zaria''s first time on a ne, and they were going to the ce that she had only heard about from her parents and friends¡ªImperium City.

 Chapter 69 - 69

    <h4>Chapter 69 - 69</h4>


    Within just a few hours, the mother and daughter duo had arrived in Imperium City, and it was different from what Zaria had expected. It looked beautiful and futuristic and it made her dart her eyes left and right out of curiosity.


    She was still lost in her small fairytale world when her mother tapped her head to introduce her to someone. It was only then that she realized that they had entered a grand apartmentplex and there was a beautiful woman with blue eyes before them.


    "Is this Zaria? She is so cute!" Eximed the woman, reaching down to pinch her adorable chubby cheeks. "Hey, I''m Emma. Do you like ice cream?"


    She wasn''t used to the jovial woman so she snuck a nce at her mother before shyly nodding when thetter gave her a go-ahead smile. At that, the beautiful woman took her hand to lead her into the kitchen to give her ice cream.


    She didn''t have many memories of Emma except the few times that the woman gave her toys and snacks. She always regarded her with a warm smile and hugged her, but didn''t seem to have any family of her own. One of those few times, she baked her muffins before sweetly asking, "Zaria, do you want to meet your grandmother?"


    "Uh huh." She nodded without thinking through it. She didn''t know much about her mother''s family; thetter rarely talked about them and all she knew was that they lived in Imperium City.


    Her mother was busy so Emma took her to her grandparents'' house. All she could remember was Emma talking to a middle aged man, then frowning and turning away while holding Zaria''s hand. She then gave her a new pair of cute shoes and didn''t mention her grandparents anymore. She didn''t ever understand what happened.


    Thest time she met Emma was when her mother, Emma and her went to the amusement park.


    "Wait for mummy, will you?" Said her mother, stuffing a ribbon into her small hand and disappearing into the crowd.


    "Where did she go?" She asked Emma innocently, having realized that her mother had been acting strange and leaving her side for long periods.


    "She went to get you a new doll." Thetter replied and led her to one of the rides.


    "But I have very many new dolls already." Zaria did not understand why she needed so many of them. Besides, did it take so long to get a toy?


    "Zaria, look at that! Do you want to y over there?" Emma pointed at a crowd of kids gathering around something.


    "She did not answer me." Zaria muttered aloud, having suddenly noticed that Emma was acting weird too. Nothing was strange about her mother''s friend helping her evade matters that were not meant for a child''s ears, except the timing of it.


    "Who did not answer you?" Desmond asked, making Zaria drop the knife in her hand out of shock.


    "Careful!" Desmond yelped and leapt to her side in an instant to check her feet. "Are you alright?"


    "Yes, you startled me." She wheeled her breath back to normal and patted her chest before picking up the knife and cing it in the sink. She then checked on the food and faced him with a frown. "My mother''s friend. And when mother came back, she looked distressed¡­"


    She stopped when she realized that she was telling him things that were none of his business and he would not even understand them.


    She thought he would berate her for it but on the contrary, he looked interested in hearing about her past. "What happened?"


    "It''s thest time I spent time with my mother." She looked down as she tried not to think about the events that unfolded after that. They went back to Luxenville and the next thing she knew, her parents started fighting about a divorce.


    He took in her drooped expression and knew that while she needed someone to talk to about what happened in the past, she wasn''t fully ready to open up. He raised his hand and patted her head gently. "Don''t think too much about it."


    She looked up to meet his gaze and heard his next words that sounded so unlike him. "Sometimes the past should be left to be just that-the past. Unless there is anything to resolve and you are ready to resolve it, it will only keep haunting you when you think about it."


    She thought he made sense, and she didn''t think there was anything much for her to think about. No matter what decisions her parents made in the past, it was not up to her.


    "Do you miss her a lot?" He asked gently, realizing that this was the first time she was mentioning her mother. She seemed close to her father and had only talked about him before.


    She nodded, and he asked, "Is she¡­"


    "Divorced." She smiled through the word and sighed. "I would rather not get married than get a divorceter."


    He knew she was talking about how agitating it was for kids to separate from one of their parents and he sunk into thought. "What a coincidence, me too. I will not settle down and get married until I meet a woman with whom I am ready to spend the rest of my life."


    She tilted her head to look at him in surprise. Who would have thought that a man like him would have such a strong belief.


    "But you have been with so many women¡­" His words did not make any sense to her. How could one be so open about breaking up countless times but be against divorce? Was there a difference?


    He knew that he didn''t have a good reputation but he smiled. "Does it bother you?"


    "You are not asking this for the first time." Her hands tightened around the mittens she was about to wear as her brows knitted. He had asked this before. "Why do you keep asking me this kind of question?"


    "Because you seem bothered by my ''yboy'' reputation." His lips slightly parted in a grin. "Does it make you jealous?"


    She frowned. "No."


    Her answer didn''t hold much water, it was thin and sounded like there was more to it. He smiled as he watched her start to braise the pork as he said, "I have been with a few women in the past but the media exaggerates it."


    She was puzzled by his words but when she looked up into his eyes, she was convinced that he was not lying. Besides, she had not seen any woman aside from Natalie by his side since she met him. remembering how he had reacted to the news before, it didn''t make sense for him to let the media tarnish his reputation beyond recognition. "You let them. Why?"


    "You are smart." He smiled down at her and wondered whether he should be honest with her. "Can you keep a secret?"


    "You can tell me anything. All I''ll do is make it a front page headline." She joked, earning augh from him.


    "I did it for my friend." He paused topletely get her attention before he dropped a name. "Natalie."


    "Natalie? As in Natalie Sparks?" She asked for confirmation and gasped in disbelief when he nodded. "Why would you call her your friend? She is your fianc¨¦e. No, wait. Why would you make the public think you were cheating on her¡ªyour friend?"


    "It''s not for the public. It''s for her parents. They were forcing her into marriage so we came up with this n. I showed interest in her and after our parents set us up to get engaged, I started ''fooling around with multiple women''. The point was to make the Sparks'' drop the idea of forcing her into marriage if she will merely be cheated on. Too bad, they didn''t care much about it." He looked disgusted when he talked about it. What kind of parents were they? They were more keen on gaining benefits from their future son-inw than they were about their daughter''s happiness.


    "Anyways, neither of us agree to break the engagement yet because it''s a cover up for the real reason why she doesn''t want to get married. It''s her personal reason. I hope you don''t mind if I don''t tell you about it?"


    She was already in so much surprise that she was unable to believe that Desmond could be such a loyal friend. She nodded her head routinely. "I don''t mind."


    "Wait. Is this what you wanted to exin to me before?" Her eyes widened in realization.


    He chuckled. "Yes. What else did you think? That I was in love with Natalie?"


    She frowned and thought back to their interaction. Although they looked like they could make a perfect couple with a smart, handsome man and a beauty of equal intelligence, their interaction was almost like that of siblings. No wonder Natalie would be friendly with her even while suspecting that there was something brewing between her and Desmond. So they were not a real couple.


    "You don''t have feelings for each other? Not an ounce?" She confirmed suspiciously.


    In response to her slow brain, he closed the distance between them to peck her lips. "I only have feelings for one woman and that is you, Zaria."

 Chapter 70 - Did You Stalk Me?

    <h4>Chapter 70 - Did You Stalk Me?</h4>


    Her eyes darted back and forth between his before her brows slowly formed a frown.


    He noticed her little reactions and was disheartened. Did she not find his words credible? The past shed in his mind, those instances when he had humiliated her out of anger. Having been close to her for a while, he couldn''t help but wonder if she was questioning his words because of the past. He had to admit that no one would do any of those things to the person they liked.


    "Zaria, we didn''t start on the best note. I know it''s hard to trust me, but¡­" She looked up at him, letting him know that he had caught her attention. He tried to phrase his words to exin his feelings and at the same time not make her feel pressured. "Could you give it a try? You might find that¡­"


    "No." She interrupted by shaking her head.


    "Why?" His hope that had just started to rise sank.


    She frowned. Did he really need her to point it out? "You know the rtionship between you and Natalie¡ªat the moment, it''s just you, her, and I who know the truth. But what about the rest of the world? In the eyes of the public, I will still be a third partying in between an engaged couple."


    "We can rectify that." He stated, only for her to re at him.


    "You agreed to the wedding."


    She knew that he was surprised, not having expected her to know. They spoke of it when she had left the room. "Logic, Desmond. The only way to calm Ava down was to agree to the wedding."


    "It''s to buy time." He exined, and she nodded.


    "I know. But before you resolve whatever it is that you and Natalie are buying time to resolve, I cannot be with you. Besides, I don''t like the idea of workce rtionships."


    He knew that he could wiggle his way out of the second part, but regarding the matter between him and Natalie, there was no way out.


    He gazed down at her and traced his thumb at the side of her face. "It can wait, and I''ll try to take care of Natalie''s matter as soon as possible. But please answer me one question."


    She batted her eyelids in surprise. The words she had just said meant a direct no to many guys and they would not bother to converse with her anymore. She thought he was going to drop the topic and never bring it up, but he picked the wrong meaning instead?


    She didn''t mean that he should hurry and settle his matter!


    Her lips pursed. Why was she happy to have been misunderstood by him?


    It was only after letting out a silly smile that she realized that he had spoken of wanting to ask a question. "Go ahead."


    "Do you feel the same way?" He directly asked as he looked into her brown eyes. "Do you like me?"


    He waited with bated breath. He already knew the answer from her explosive attitude ever since Natalie went to Preston and Fort Group and from the reaction of her body every time he teased and touched her. Even so, he wanted to hear her admit it with her own lips.


    She gave him a confused look as she battled her thoughts. It was not a matter of whether she did or did not like him, she knew the answer to that already. It was a matter of whether or not admitting it was worth it. After pondering for a while, she averted her gaze. "Can I not answer that right now?"


    He grinned at her reaction. No answer was much better than a tant "No." His gaze followed her as she resumed cooking and the rice was ready at this point. "Actually, we can be together in secret and only reveal our rtionship when you are ready to." He suggested, making her pause to look at him.


    "Besides, it will not affect our work. I will make sure of that." He added.


    She smiled, grateful for his reassurance. Even so, she was not ready to be in a rtionship. At least not yet.


    "The food is almost ready." She announced and he knew that she was trying to change the topic. Not wanting to push it and create a disagreement, he nodded and moved over to help her.


    ¡­


    "What do you want to watch? Natalie sent over some movie titles." He spoke up when they were done eating.


    At the mention of Natalie, Zaria finally understood something. No wonder Natalie would send the dress she had been eyeing not too long ago. She raised an eyebrow as it dawned on her. "You are the one who sent the dress, right?"


    He knew what she was talking about and since she had already found out, he couldn''t deny it, so he remained silent and smiled.


    She grabbed his hand and pinched it hard. "Did you stalk me?"


    Heughed at her switched attitude, d that she was morefortable around him. "You were staring at it so intently, so it was impossible to not notice it."


    She wondered whether he had witnessed anything embarrassing and blushed slightly at the thought of it. Luckily, she didn''t do anything that could be termed as embarrassing while in her office. "Thank you."


    She had already epted it and knew that he would not take the dress back even if she beat him up. Besides, now that she knew that it was not something he had bought for one of his ''innumerable women'' and was given to her because the target rejected it, she was more epting of it.


    "You don''t need to thank me. Feel free to order anything in my name the next time you like something." He offered, overjoyed that he had not received a p this time.


    "I can''t do that." Sheughed at his absurd offer.


    "Are you ready for the movie?" He asked as he stood up, ready to lead her upstairs. Before she could respond, his phone rang and Natalie''s voice urgently came through.


    "Jaime looked for me. It''s bad." The other woman spilled in one breath.


    "Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?" Desmond asked in concern while cursing his brother a hundred times. Did that bastard still want to live?


    "I''m alright." Natalie sounded out of breath. "I managed to throw him off. However, I''m afraid he might look for Zaria. He knows about her."


    "Noted. I''ll be careful. Don''t go anywhere on your own, okay?" He reminded.


    At the side, Zaria was a little startled when she overheard their conversation. It seemed like her spection was right. Jaime did go to look for Natalie again after failing to negotiate with her.


    When she heard Desmond''s tone as he reminded Natalie to be careful and to take bodyguards when she went out, Zaria finally understood why she thought their interaction was strange. They sounded almost like siblings.


    The man hung up with distress written all over his face. He hugged her tightly while trying to calm down his racing heart. Afraid that she would be worried, he pulled away. "I will send a bodyguard to protect you. Don''t worry. He will not interfere with your life."


    Seeing her nk look, he realized that it was too sudden, so he exined, "It''s Jaime. He might look for you and he¡­ he isn''t someone who can be easily handled and doesn''t have a conscience."


    She knew he was putting it in the simplest terms possible so he would not scare her, but she already knew the kind of person Jaime was from her investigation.


    "I don''t think he will look for me¡­ again. Not any time soon." She softly stated after thinking of the consequences of hiding things from him.


    His blue eyes snapped to look at her in confusion.


    "He looked for me already." She exined.


    "In the washroom?" He guessed. She had left the washroom looking shocked and he had known from the start that something out of the ordinary must have happened. Sure enough, she nodded.


    "Yes. He didn''t do anything and I managed to dismiss him."


    "Mmh." He was expressionless in his response, picking up his pace to go upstairs. She followed him and almost had to run to catch up to his speed. They entered a mini theatre¡ªwhich was the strangest thing in the house of a man who had little to no interest in watching movies.


    However, she didn''t have time to notice this as the man ignored her and slumped into a seat on his own, closing his eyes.


    She carefully approached him and stretched out a finger to poke his arm. "Are you mad?"


    He opened his eyes and she almost ran away from his murderous gaze. "What do you think?" How could she hide such a thing from him? Did she think her life was a joke?


    "I didn''t want to bother you with trivial¡­" The rest of her words stuck on her tongue when she met his eyes. Geez, did he have to look so fierce?

 Chapter 71 - Why Would I Like Him?

    <h4>Chapter 71 - Why Would I Like Him?</h4>


    If this was before, Zaria would have taken off in fear that he would erupt and take it out on her. However, after hearing him open up about his feelings, she seemed to have developed slight trust for him and it made her believe that he would not hurt her. She carefully took a seat beside him. "I just didn''t want you to be more worried. You already had so much on your te." Not to mention, she was more used to solving her problems on her own than seeking the help of other people. However, she knew that saying this out aloud would only lead to him being angrier. The matter regarding Jaime was not only her business and it was his too.


    "Don''t be mad anymore, okay?" Her hand carefully raised to touch his hair.


    The man froze when he heard her words. When he felt her fingers on his head, he was certain that he was dreaming. The distance between them had shrunk significantly within the hour, and more than that, she was trying to soothe him so gently. It was a stark contrast from the usual ps and sarcasticments.


    "I''m still mad at you." He tilted his head to look at her.


    "Is there anything I can do to make it up?" She asked, hoping that they would remain as peaceful as they were right now. She didn''t want them to go back to being enemies at each other''s throats.


    "Yes. Kiss me here." He joked and pointed at the corner of his lips. He was certain that she would roll her eyes and ignore his words, so he was taken aback when he felt a warm, soft sensation on his lips.


    He looked at her only to find that she had restored her nonchnt expression and was acting like she had not done anything. If it wasn''t for her chest that was heaving to prove just how fast her heart was beating, he would have thought that what he felt a moment ago was an illusion.


    He brushed the side of her face with his thumb to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Zaria, look at me." He called for her attention and when her brown eyes met his, he gently kissed her temple. "Nothing is trivial if it involves you. Even if you think it matters as much as a fart, tell me about it, okay?"


    She nodded reflexively then wondered what to do if it was a matter that was too personal. He didn''t expect her to tell him everything right?


    It didn''t take long for him to guess what she was thinking. He would be d if she told him everything, but he didn''t want her to find him intrusive. "The point is, nothing regarding you is trivial." She looked morefortable now, so he asked, "What else are you hiding from me?"


    "Nothing. Jaime wanted me to work for him. He said something about wanting to bring you down. I''m not sure whether he was going to have me reveal important information that could lead to the downfall of Preston and Fort Group or if he wanted me to directly murder you. Either way, there might be someone out there he can use in my stead." She spected as she pulled away from him while trying not to be too obvious about it.


    He scratched his chin in thought. "Jaime wouldn''t kill me. It wouldn''t give him as much satisfaction as making me lose everything and fall below him."


    "He is jealous of you," Zaria guessed from his answer, and he nodded.


    "But he is a great man too. What''s there to be jealous about?" She didn''t understand.


    "When we were younger, I was more brilliant than he was in everything we did. Our parents would oftenpare us and scold him for his poor performance in school and talent. But the truth was, he was not bad at anything he did and he just wasn''t as good as me."


    Zaria sunk into thought. It was hard not to be jealous.


    "When I realized what was happening around me, I started holding back to let him stand out more. He is my elder brother, after all." He continued, making Zaria''s lips twitch.


    She had heard of many cases of siblings being jealous of each other and, even if jealousy was not involved, most of them were stillpetitive. How could Jaime not treasure his younger brother? "And then what happened?" She queried.


    "Iter realized that he was taking me for granted. I stopped holding back and continued showing my full potential, putting in more effort than I used to in the past." He concluded, earning a chuckle of approval from Zaria.


    This was the first time he was willingly talking about his family. She wished that he could tell her more about his childhood but was afraid to do so when she recalled the first thing on his dislike list.


    "Do you have any siblings?" He asked, looking at her curiously.


    She shook her head. "It''s just me." The topic of her childhood brought back memories she didn''t want to think about, so she nudged him. "Can we watch the movie now?" Otherwise, it would be toote by the time they were done.


    "Sure." He brought out the popcorn and started preparing to watch. Just before she made herselffortable, the phone in her hand rang.


    He was beside her, so he saw the name that made him cringe. Ryan, that guy again? Thest time that man called when they were together, he used work as an excuse to make her hang up the call. However, he couldn''t be pushy and could only grit his teeth as she answered the call.


    "I''m alright." He heard her say and tried to concentrate on something else.


    Zaria was ufortable. Thest time she talked to Ryan was when Ximena set them up for dinner.


    "Where are you? I went to your house, but you were not there." Ryan asked with concern in his voice.


    "At my boss''s." She forced the words out, suddenly realizing that she would be misunderstood if anyone knew where she was right now. To be exact, it would not entirely be a misunderstanding considering what had transpired between them in the kitchen earlier.


    As expected, came Ryan''s roar. "Zaria! How can you be so close to that kind of man? What are you doing at his house at such a time and on a Saturday?"


    She didn''t exin herself as that would only make it seem more suspicious. The man sounded more agitated. "He only wants to lure you! Heaven knows how many women he''s been with. Not to mention he is engaged."


    "That doesn''t necessarily mean he''s going to do the same thing to me, and besides, why would it matter?" If this was before, she would have thought that Ryan was merely worried about her. However, she didn''t miss the jealousy and anger in his voice now that she had been paying more attention to what he did and said.


    When he heard her words, Ryan was on the verge of exploding. "Zaria, how can you be so nonchnt?"


    "Don''t worry about me, okay? I''m a grown woman, and I know what to do." She hung up to stop the awkward conversation. She knew that the innumerable women that Desmond had bedded in the past did not exist and neither did the engagement truly exist. She ran a hand through her hair and wondered whether Desmond would mind that her friend was speaking such judgemental words about him.


    "That''s in the past." The man spoke up and it took a while before she understood that he was talking about the women. He took her hand in his to stop her from walking out of the room¡ªeven though he knew that she wouldn''t. "And it''s exaggerated. The engagement is fake."


    "I know." He had exined it barely two hours ago but thanks to Ryan''s words, he was scared that she would misunderstand and reject him, so he exined anew.


    Desmond''s long fingers yed with hers and she couldn''t help but note the displeasure on his face.


    "You don''t like him?" She asked, noting that the two men had disliked each other for as long as she could remember. It was as though there was an underlying grudge between them even before they met for the first time. There was always tension whenever the two of them were in the same space or even when their names came up in the same conversation.


    Desmond nodded in response to her question as his hand tightened around hers. "He likes you. Why would I like him?" Was there any man who would like their romantic rival? Even if there was, that was definitely not him.


    Zaria stared at the man beside her in surprise. Even Desmond knew about it? Was she seriously thest person to know about Ryan''s feelings for her?

 Chapter 72 - Go To Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 72 - Go To Sleep</h4>


    After the series of interruptions that had just happened, the duo finally settled down to start watching the movie. Since Zaria liked science-fiction movies, it wasn''t long before she was engrossed in the storyline. She barely let out a peep and she barely blinked.


    She almost forgot about the presence of the man beside her until she felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning to take a nce, she found that he had rested his head on her shoulder and had fallen fast asleep, letting out soft, slow breaths.


    "Desmond?" She tried to shake him awake and whispered out his name. He did not move and continued resting with his eyes closed. Thinking about how busy he had been, paired with theplications he had to take care of in his family, she couldn''t bring herself to wake him. He must be too tired.


    She continued watching and let him take a nap. When she felt him stir and almost wake up, she raised her right hand to pat him on the head. She tousled his soft, brown hair as she gently whispered, "It''s okay. Go to sleep."


    Unbeknownst to her, the man whose head was buried in her neck let out a bewitching smile.


    Earlier, he had realized that she was so engrossed in the movie that she didn''t even touch the popcorn. He had been looking forward to chatting with her¡ªhe had heard people im to have paid zero attention to the movies they watched and chatted or made out the entire time. Those who watched it exchangedments once in a while, and it was surprising for him to find that there was one who could watch with such silence.


    He leaned on her shoulder to seek her attention, but who would have thought that he would get something much better than her attention? She was so gentle that he almost truly fell asleep. Was this how she had always been? If he didn''t irk her in the past, would he have enjoyed her gentleness much more?


    He wanted to curse at himself for missing out on so much, but then he smiled it off. It didn''t matter. He would make sure to keep her happy now that she wasfortable around him.


    The movie was short and it was only an hourter that the credits started rolling.


    She finally pulled her gaze away and stretched her limbs. "As expected of my idol. Every movie he acts in is a hit."


    "Your idol?" The keyword alerted him out of his pink bubble. He was not about to gain a new romantic rival, was he? It was already hard enough to deal with Ryan.


    "Jupiter." She exined as she pointed at a handsome man who had appeared on the screen in a post-credits scene.


    "Do you like him?" He questioned without looking at the man she had pointed at.


    She shook her head at his ridiculous question. "I''m not head over heels for my idols. I just admire his determination. His path to stardom has been rough, but he has embraced all his hardships and used them as a stepping stone to fame. If I were a man, I would want to be him."


    He chuckled at her unique way of appreciating stars. Luckily, it was admiration and not infatuation, so he was relieved. He even offered, "Would you like to get his autograph?"


    "I can?" She tilted her head to ask, her eyes not hiding the anticipation she was feeling. Who didn''t want an autograph from their idol?


    As soon as her question fell, she looked up to meet his knowing smile and it made her realize how silly her question was. As a famous businessman of his caliber, was there anyone he could not meet? He only needed to say the word.


    "You don''t need to use your connections for me¡­" She declined the offer. The thought of him seeking a superstar just for an autograph was really¡­


    "Okay." He dropped the matter after stating that Jupiter would attend a fan meeting soon.


    "It''s gettingte. I should get going." She realized that it was almost midnight.


    "I''ll drop you off." He did not ask her to stay over for the night since he already knew what she would say.


    She thought about what happened when Liam dropped her off and chuckled. "What if you get a beating from my dad?"


    Desmond recalled the same incidence andughed. "Will you stand to the side and watch me get beaten up?"


    "Of course not! I will record a video andugh at it for days with Ximena." She teased and made fun of him as she checked her phone for missed calls. There were two of them from her dad and a voicemail message stating that he would not return tonight as he had to rush to Luxenville.


    She was curious, but she knew that if she called to ask now, he would not answer her. She could only ask when he came back.


    Having overheard the voice mail, Desmond grabbed the opportunity to use it to his advantage. "Why don''t you stay over tonight?" When she looked at him sternly, he coughed up an excuse. "Your dad isn''t home. Do you want to be alone?"


    She knew there was more to it, but she did not expose him. She politely declined the offer. "I can''t leave my darling on his own for too long. He is still so young."


    "Your darling?" The two words almost shattered his rationality before he recalled that she had a pet now. "Right, the puppy. I thought you would have dumped him already."


    "Why would I do that?" She was baffled at his cruelty. Would anyone want to dump a pet as adorable as Des?


    "I bought you toys." He stated when he remembered the toys he was unable to give them to her earlier. Since she was worried about the time, he went to retrieve them and took his car keys while he was at it.


    "Here." He handed a shopping bag to her and she peeked to see a few chew toys in the shape of animals.


    "Thank you. He will love them." She smiled and couldn''t wait to get home to give them to him.


    When they arrived, she excitedly opened the door and looked around. The puppy didn''t rush out to her as it usually did so she looked around as she called out, "Des, I''m home!"


    "Des?" The man beside her was intrigued.


    "Uhm¡­" She had forgotten that she had named the puppy after him and didn''t expect him to ever find out.


    "Do you love me so much that you named him after me?" He trapped her against the wall to tease her. "Don''t tell me you usually tell him how you feel for me?"


    "Shut up." She pushed him away, and luckily, the puppy came running over and interrupted the awkwardness.


    The little ball of fluff did not hop onto Zaria to y, but instead, he took two steps back when he saw who was beside his owner.


    "Des?" Zaria was confused when she heard the puppy''s fierce growls. He stared at Desmond like he was going to attack, looking more fierce than she would have expected for a puppy this young.


    Zaria crouched to pet and rub his ears. While the puppy did calm down, he continued staring at Desmond and looked like it would tear him apart as soon as Zaria looked aside for a second.


    "He doesn''t like you. It must be because he knows that you''re mean to me." Zaria teased Desmond and he was speechless. Weren''t puppies supposed to be friendly?


    "I''ll leave now." The man stated and she did not protest since it was already sote.


    She ced the puppy on the couch, gave him his new toys, and then straightened up to show Desmond to the door. "Goodnight."


    He pulled her into his arms and pressed a peck onto her lips. Before he could kiss her any longer, he felt something fluffy slot itself between them. No need to ask because the puppy was here to interrupt.


    "He seriously doesn''t like you." Zaria burst intoughter, notprehending the source of hostility. Was the puppy mad at Desmond for giving him away?


    The man speechlessly looked down at the now calm little thing that was rubbing his fluffy coat against Zaria''s leg. Why did it feel like he adopted his own romance blocker and shoved him right into Zaria''s arms?


    "Do you want to take a walk together tomorrow?"


    "Maybe some other day? I promised to catch the movie that I missed with Ximena tomorrow. We will also go shopping in the afternoon." She exined as she petted the puppy in her arms. It was cold outside and the wind made her hands feel chilly.


    Noticing her rub her hands, he urged her back into the house. "See you on Monday, then."


    ___


    Lol, Des and Des aren''t each other''s favorite.

 Chapter 73 - Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 73 - Coincidence</h4>


    "Is that all you are buying?" Ximena asked Zaria the following day as they shopped around. While she bought several sets of new clothes, shoes, and essories, she noticed that her friend had bought nothing but a watch. More so, it was a men''s watch¡ªshe was probably buying it for her dad whose birthday would be in a week. Aside from that, she had bought nothing for herself.


    Zaria took another nce at the watch to decide whether it was good enough and nodded. "Let me help you with your bags."


    Thetter had many of them and it was getting hard to carry them, so she passed two of them to Zaria. She was more relieved as they left the jewelry store. "Are you hungry? I''m craving for ramen."


    "There should be a seafood restaurant on this street, but I have never tried it out. Wanna take the risk?" Zaria suggested then immediately recalled that she had said something simr before.


    They exchanged nces andughed, recalling their horrible experience at an unfamiliar restaurant many years ago that had made them swear to only set foot in ces rmended to them by someone they knew.


    "Don''t worry, this is a high-end street. A restaurant can''t thrive on this part of the city if it''s not good enough. Besides, hygiene and food safety officers are stricter these days." Zaria reassured her friend, but just as they headed into the restaurant a few meters away, she felt troubled. "Ryan isn''t going to ''coincidentally'' pop up out of nowhere, right?"


    "No, he won''t." Ximena said guiltily. Knowing that Zaria was displeased thest time, she did not secretly invite Ryan this time. Although she felt bummed that Zaria was dismissing such a caring guy, she knew that it was not up to her to push it.


    "Do you want to go and see Ninater?" She proposed as they would still have time after eating.


    "Not today." Zaria sighed when she thought about it. She would only go over when she was certain that Ryan would be absent. How ironical it was for her to be avoiding the man she had always looked up to, she thought to herself.


    ¡­


    Monday, in the morning.


    As soon as Zaria entered the elevator, Desmond stepped in and shed her a sideways smile.


    "You arrived too. What a coincidence."


    "You were waiting for me." She had not seen him before he walked in, but she didn''t believe that there was such a coincidence.


    "Are youining?" He questioned as he moved closer to her.


    Unlike the other times, she did not push him away but ced a hand on his chest when he hugged her. "I do have aint. You look too handsome today."


    It was the first time that he heard her openly admit that he looked handsome, so he was intrigued. He looked down at her peach-colored manicured nails that were trailing down his blue tie. "I dressed up for you. Don''t you like it?"


    "I do." He had always been breathtaking but he seemed to have paid more attention to detail today. She had heard the gasps and flying kisses from the female employees when he made his way into the elevator a moment ago. Under his fiery gaze, she frowned. "I just don''t like the flushed look on other women''s faces when they see you."


    "Are you jealous?" He leaned down to take her lips in his gently. "I don''t care about their opinion. I only belong to you."


    Her heart picked up its pace and she was shocked at the same time. Such honey words¡­ "Isn''t it too early to make such a deration?"


    "It''s not about time, sweetie. It''s about how I feel. It''s the same whether I say it on our first meeting or ten yearster."


    Sniffing in her floral scent that he was getting addicted to, he pulled her tightly into his arms.


    "I missed you so much."


    His voice was croaky and his breath warm against her ear. She felt her skin start to heat up.


    "It''s only been a day and a night." She bit her lower lip to calm the pool of emotions that was starting to flood in her stomach.


    "Two days and two nights." He corrected her. "I miss you as soon as you leave my sight."


    She wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt him run his hands down her back. Just as he turned to pin her against the mirrored wall, the door slid open.


    "This is not our floor." She murmured against his chest as she realized that they couldn''t have arrived so soon. She turned in time to see Liam who was about to enter the elevator. As soon as he saw the scene inside, he took a U-turn and went to the next elevator.


    Later when he went to Desmond''s office, it was evident that he was displeased by what he had witnessed earlier.


    "Do you have something to say?" Desmond asked him even though he already knew what his friend had to say.


    "You cannot be with her." As expected came Liam''s solemn words.


    "Can you exin why not?" Asked Desmond, deciding that this was the only time he would be patient with anyone who said such things to him. No one was allowed toe in between him and Zaria. Not even his friend.


    Liam made sure the door was locked before he turned and looked at his friend seriously. "You don''t even love her. You are only going to hurt the innocent woman."


    "And what makes youe to such a conclusion?" Desmond dropped his pen to listen attentively to the nonsense that was being uttered before him. "Surely, you of all people should know me better than this?"


    Liam frowned and wanted to punch something. "You know what I am talking about, Desmond. You will make her a target. Don''t forget about M¡­"


    "Shut up." He interrupted with a fierce re. "I can protect my woman from whateveres her way. If this is the only reason, then leave."


    Liam nced at the door and was preparing to leave after finding that this was a lost cause. He had just taken two steps when he turned on his heel. "No it''s not."


    "What else?" Desmond was beginning to lose his patience.


    Liam battled with himself and wondered whether or not he should pull out the big guns. Was it worth it and could he handle the aftermath? He wanted to let it go, but as soon as he blinked, the future shed in his imagination. He decided to go through with it. "There is more to her than meets the eye. Her identity is suspicious."


    Desmond raised an eyebrownguidly. "What about it? She is Theodore Wiims'' daughter and that''s all. What else could there be?" He guffawed when he thought about the absurdity of things that could be unpredictable sometimes. "Unless there is a twist and you discovered that she is not Theodore''s daughter?"


    Even if that were the case, it would not be enough reason for him to not be with Zaria. He loved her and that didn''t have anything to do with who she was or whose daughter she was.


    "She is Theodore''s daughter. I confirmed it through my means." Liam replied, and Desmond didn''t look surprised.


    "That''s predictable. One look and you would know that." He shrugged.


    "I know. But many things still don''t make any sense when pinned together." Liam insisted. "I''m investigating her and when I get a definite answer, I will tell you about it."


    "Then I will never get an answer from you." Desmondughed and picked up his pen to resume his work. On one hand, Zaria knew that Liam was investigating her and would probably not let him get answers to whatever it was that he was looking for. On the other hand, Liam wasn''t even certain of what he was trying to find evidence of. It wasn''t every day that he thought of Liam as unreliable and it was baffling as well asical.


    "Samantha went to the attorney." Liam changed the topic when he realized that they were getting nowhere discussing Zaria. Not to mention, thetter was only one wall away and could walk in any instant.


    "What''s new about that? Did she grow some brains?" Desmond''s voice was filled with intrigue. He knew his sister well enough to be certain that she would not do as he asked her to. Unless something else triggered her.


    Liam''s face was filled with scorn. "The brainless woman. She reported that you had threatened her to change her testimony into a lie."


    Desmond''s lips twitched as the pen between his slender fingers broke from the impact of his grip. "Truly brainless. I gave her enough chances."


    It was she who did not treasure the chances that had been given to her. She had no one but herself to me if her fate turned out to be simr to that of the pen.

 Chapter 74 - How Are You Still Alive?

    <h4>Chapter 74 - How Are You Still Alive?</h4>


    During lunch hour, Zaria waited for Desmond to leave his office, but after waiting for almost half an hour, she concluded that he would not go out for lunch. She thought about it and took a small box with her to his office.


    "Haven''t you gone to eat lunch?" He asked when he saw her since she always had her lunch at the employee cafeteria.


    "I already did." She lied, but the truth was that she was waiting for him the entire time, and it was probably already toote. Most of the delicious food would be sold out by the time she went there.


    The man''s gaze trailed down to the small box in her hand and wondered what she was carrying. He observed that it must be a gift box and his lips curled into a smile. Did she bring him a present?


    "Did you need something?" He asked, his voice gentler than it had ever been.


    "I came to check up on you. Do you need me to order you takeout?" She asked and secretly hid the box behind her, d that his desk was high and he couldn''t have seen it. She had initially wanted to give him a gift, but when she thought about it, she found it silly. He had everything. Why would he want anything from a brand that could only pass off as third tier?


    "Are you worried about me? I''m not hungry." His expression was full of joy as he probed, "Is that for me?"


    She realized that he was gazing down at the gift box she was trying to hide and felt bummed. Since he had already seen it, it would not make sense for her to deny it. "Yes."


    She presented it to him and the man impatiently tore the wrapper open. His gaze fell on the golden watch-the one she had bought the previous day while shopping with Ximena. He stared at it wordlessly for a while.


    "I thought it would look good on you¡­" She exined, her words trailing off when he didn''t say a word. She had found it beautiful when she saw it, but would he despise it? Although golden jewelry didn''t cost peanuts, there were different types of it and the type used to make this watch wasn''t one of the most valuable. It couldn''t even match up to a single button of his shirt, she thought exaggeratedly.


    While she waited for him to throw it on the floor, or worse, in her face and erupt in anger at the ''insult'', the man looked up in astonishment. "You bought this for me?"


    He was surprised but he didn''t look displeased so she nodded.


    "You have good taste. Thank you." His face uncontrobly revealed a smile and he immediately picked it out of the box. Under her shocked eyes, he took out the immensely valuable diamond watch on his wrist and reced it with Zaria''s gift. She would have thought that he was doing it for show, but he lifted his wrist to check the time, looking like he couldn''t wait to show his new watch to the entire world.


    Her heart that was racing finally calmed down but in the next second, her eyes drooped.


    "Are you alright?" He noticed the change in her expression.


    "Yes." She smiled, pushing the thoughts of that woman out of her mind. Why did she suddenly think about her? Her brain had just reyed a memory of her childhood yet again.


    At the time, she was only six and had joined the drawing art ss. They had been tasked to draw portraits of one of their parents. After beingughed at by the entire ss for drawing the ugliest woman who was supposed to be her mother, she went home and desperately tried to hide it, only for it to be discovered by her mother when she took her school bag.


    "Did you draw me?" Asked her mother with a gentle smile, running her fingers over the horribly shaped heart with a ''mum'' written inside it. Beside it was the barely recognisable outline of a woman with long hair.


    "I wanted to give it to you but it''s too ugly." Zaria was on the verge of tears as she tugged the hem of her school uniform.


    "How can you say that? It''s lovely." She patted Zaria''s head and kept the picture. At the time, Zaria also thought that her mother was merely saying it to make her feel better, until she saw the same drawing framed and disyed on her mother''s desk in the study.


    Jolting back to the present, Zaria blinked rapidly and tried to clear her mind of the unwee memories. "Why don''t you want to eat lunch?" She asked the man in front of her.


    He had noticed that she had spaced out but did not interrupt her. When she snapped back, he was still caressing his new watch as he answered her question. "I don''t like the idea of eating from restaurants every day. Sometimes I like to have homemade food but I can''t cook."


    "Why don''t you let someone deliver your lunch from your mansion?" She suggested, thinking that he must have already thought of this. To her surprise, he looked like he had just made a discovery.


    "Good idea."


    She was baffled. "You didn''t ever think about it? How are you even still alive with your slow brain?"


    "If I was capable of doing everything on my own, I don''t think I would need you." Heughed, and her eyes narrowed.


    While what he said was true, why did it sound ambiguousing from his lips?


    Not wanting to have a starving boss, she ordered food for him and made a mental note to remind him to tell his chef to prepare his lunch the next day.


    "You look nervous." He noticed her balled fists and pulled her to sit on hisp. She was startled but he hugged her waist so she couldn''t move and could only give up trying to get away.


    "The bid is today. The Su family hotel chains."


    At her words, he remembered that she had been preparing for ittely. "Are you scared that you might lose?" He asked.


    "A little." She was confident that not manypanies could offer more benefits than she did on behalf of Preston and Fort Group, but she came up with a sum by statistical prediction. She could notpletely rule out the possibility of one of thepanies offering more than one could ever guess.


    He understood her worry. In truth, she was doing this for him and she would not lose the money if she failed. She was just afraid to disappoint him and it warmed his heart up. He ran a thumb along her neck. "If you lose it, you can try to snatch it back from whoever wins. It doesn''t matter how much money you use at the end of it."


    She gave him a surprised look. While she was used to him throwing huge choices at her, wasn''t this too much? Wasn''t he scared that she could make use of his trust to send Preston and Fort Group to bankruptcy?


    "Thank you." She whispered, and he leaned down to kiss her lips.


    "You don''t need to thank me, babe. It''s thepany that will gain the most out of this."


    She heard the telephone in her office ring and rushed to answer it, before returning a few minutester.


    "It was Mr. Dumont. He wants to know why you pulled out your investment from your joint project." The man had not stated the specifics but she knew what he was talking about.


    "If we have called off one deal, then the others are cancelled too. What was the use of him spending so many years in school when he cannot even figure this out?" Came Desmond''s unfiltered sharp words, his mood dampening. How dare that man disrespect his executive assistant then contact herter to ask baseless questions? The audacity!


    Her feelings were in a mix when she realized what this was all about." Thank you. But you don''t have to burn bridges for me."


    "Don''t worry, it will not affect me in the slightest." He reassured her with a smile. "If I can''t even protect my employees, who am I supposed to protect?"


    ....


    "That sick bastard." Snarled Samantha, who had just arrived at a private vi that only few people knew about. She slumped onto the couch opposite which Jaime was sitting and waiting for her.


    "He came looking for you a few days ago. What did he tell you?" Asked Jaime.


    "To change my statement." Samantha burst intoughter, not believing that the unintelligent man she was talking about was her brother. Did his brain get eaten by a zombie? She met Jamie''s amused gaze with a smile. "Don''t worry. I wrecked him."


    Not only was Jaime not reassured, he was deep in thought. "What about Liam?"


    "That fool doesn''t know what''s good for him." She shrugged. She enjoyed the chase anyway, and she would make him hers by all means. She sat up when she thought about what had been happeningtely. "Something doesn''t seem right, Jaime. Natalie befriended that journalist even though she is Desmond''s mistress. Just what is going on?"


    "It doesn''t matter. She will soon be mine." Jaime knew that his sister was talking about Zaria.


    Hearing his words, Samantha''s lips secretly twitched. This idiot.

 Chapter 75 - Good Luck

    <h4>Chapter 75 - Good Luck</h4>


    "Go and visit that woman." Jaime ordered after a pause.


    Samantha held back the urge to hurl curses at the man in front of her. All he knew was to order people around and she doubted he could do anything on his own. What did he think she was, his stupid little minion?


    "You mean your mother. Why don''t you pay her a visit?" She threw the responsibility back at him, not intending to be associated with Alyssa in the slightest.


    "She''s not my mother. I don''t have a mother." He sucked in a breath and Samantha shrugged.


    "She is no one''s mother. Oh, right. She''s probably Desmond''s. That guy would do anything for her."


    Jaime huffed and let out augh. His blood boiled just thinking about her. "A whore who cheated on my father, I would never acknowledge her as my mother."


    Samantha frowned. While she disliked Alyssa, she would never appreciate another woman being referred to as a whore, and she was irked by her brother''s unfiltered mouth.


    "Is it about seeking justice for your father? What father, huh? The one who also cheated on his wife or the one whose life you nned to take?" She asked through augh to hide the disgust she felt deep inside.


    "I did not n to kill anyone. Get your facts right, little Sam." Heughed and looked at her like she was still the little sister he used to cradle and give candy to. "Besides, it''s my business. Stay out of it."


    She took a deep breath and gave a fake smile, one that hid her intentions. The only way to trample over Jaime was to pretend that he was in control, so she could only hold back her true thoughts and keep humoring him.


    "I will make her pay for it." She heard him guffaw once again after thinking about heaven knows what.


    ''And I will make you pay for it''. She thought, the smile still pasted on her red lips like the supportive sister she was pretending to be.


    ¡­


    "I have to go." Zaria said to Desmond who had her trapped between his arms on hisp.


    "Just a little longer." He pleaded while he continued nuzzling his nose against her neck.


    "I''ll bete." She said, ncing down at the time on his watch since he had his hand around her waist. In truth, she was already certain that she would bete. The meeting at Royal Hotel would start at 4 pm. It was already 2 pm and it would take her two hours to go to Luxenville by train.


    "So what? No one will have anything to say about it." His matter-of-fact tone was as arrogant as ever.


    "No one would have the balls to utter a peep even if you are an hourte." She stated, and when he hummed in agreement, she pinched his wrist. "That''s you. I would get cursed at if I arrived a minutete."


    "No one will curse at you." He insisted as he pulled her so her back was almost stered onto his chest. Before she could frown at him, he added, "You can take my helicopter. Shall I call the pilot over?"


    "What?" She thought she had heard him wrong.


    "I''ll call him over." He went ahead and made a call without letting go of her, and when he was done, he pulled her back into ce and rested his chin on her shoulder. "There''s still ten minutes before he arrives."


    Zaria was helpless. "Why are you acting this way?"


    "Isn''t that your fault?" She felt his chin move as he spoke to use her.


    "How is it my fault?" She asked, feeling relieved that no one had the audacity to enter the CEO''s office without knocking. Otherwise, it would not be good if anyone saw their current posture.


    "Your scent is so addictive and you feel so nice to hug that I don''t want to let go. Whose fault is that?" He shamelessly pointed the finger at her.


    She knew that arguing with him was not a sane option, so she let him be. "You don''t mind me working then, do you? I still need to go over the details needed for the meeting. Just making sure I didn''t miss anything out."


    "Go on." He shifted so she would be morefortable. As long as she was within his line of sight and he could hold her in his arms, it didn''t matter what she was doing. It gave him a sudden idea.


    When the helicopter arrived, he led her to the top of the building where he once again hugged her endlessly and only let go when she threatened to ignore him if he continued being clingy.


    He wanted to suggest going to Luxenville with her, but when he heard her threat, he did not dare to take the risk of getting ignored. He could only grit his teeth and let her go, immediately missing her presence.


    He frowned at whatever was happening with him. What was with these overly infatuated emotions? He was not a teenager experiencing the first awakening of love.


    Zaria thought about her father''s reaction when Liam gave her a ferrari and wondered how he would react if he happened to bump into her leaving her boss''s helicopter. Even though she knew that the chances of that happening were so thin, how would she ever exin herself if it happened?


    Luckily, her worries were unfounded and she got to the conference room of Regal Hotel with two minutes to spare.


    The interested parties had already submitted their proposals as well as the benefits they had to offer several days ago, so the meeting was only meant to announce whichpany had offered the highest benefits.


    She crossed her fingers as the elderly yet energetic gray-haired man rambled on About Regal Hotel¡ªall of which were things she knew thanks to her remarkable investigation skills. Her phone vibrated and she wanted to ignore it, but when the screen lit up with [Handsome Boss] disyed, she clicked her tongue and couldn''t help secretly peeking at the content.


    "Good luck." It was a pair of words that sounded impossibleing from him, and she cleared her throat to prevent a smile from surfacing.


    More than the surprise, she wondered how he had essed her phone and when the hell he had changed his contact name from "Asshole Boss" to "Handsome Boss". How narcissistic.


    "So we have decided that thepany that deserves most to be the new owner of Regal Hotel is Preston and Fort Group." The patriarch of the Su family announced, pulling her out of her thoughts.


    She was not entirely surprised since she had worked hard enough to know that she had high chances of winning, but her heart still flooded in joy when she heard the elderly man''s words.


    "Could the representative of the saidpanye with me. I will show you around." The man quickly discarded the other representatives, not intending to keep them since he had already announced the decision after an in-depth discussion with his family.


    "I object!" Came the stern voice of a woman dressed in a ck suit as she stood up. "How can¡­"


    "I have gone through all of your proposals. If you did not impress me enough on paper when you had all the time to draft a satisfactory proposal, what makes you think you can impress me now?" The man shut her up instantly, leaving the other representatives no choice but to give up.


    Zaria made her way to the elderly man and he gave her the contract. "Read it at your own pace and sign it when you are ready."


    "Thank you. I will send you the cheque as soon as I sign the contract." She was almost unable to contain her excitement and had to try her best to remain sane.


    The elderly man led her into the elevator.


    "Let''s start from the top floor, shall we?" He offered, but before she responded, he added, "Of course, you can choose to skip this. I can send you all the information about the hotel or you can send someone to check it out on your behalf."


    He knew that it was tiresome and time-consuming¡ªanother reason why he had ensured the meeting did not take longer than necessary.


    "I will check it out on my own, thank you." Putting aside the fact that she was being cautious in case of hidden ws, this was Patriarch Su, one of the most respected men in the republic, and he was offering to tour her around. She would be a fool if she rejected this kind of chance.


    "What''s your position in Preston and Fort Group?" He asked to strike a conversation as they took the elevator to the top floor.


    "I''m the CEO''s assistant," She replied.


    The man hummed. "He''s got himself a smart assistant this time. The lucky devil." There was something strange in his tone, and before she could figure it out, he dropped another question. "Girl, what''s your surname?"

 Chapter 76 - Impostor

    <h4>Chapter 76 - Impostor</h4>


    "Williams." Answered Zaria, wondering why the man would ask for her surname and not her full name. Besides, if he knew so much about her, howe he didn''t know her surname?


    "Is that your father''s second name, family name or is it your mother''s family name?" He probed.


    "My father''s family name." She answered to shut the man up. Perhaps he had this peculiar way of striking conversations.


    "What about your mother''s name? I mean, her maiden name." Came the next question.


    "Roatta. Lucy Roatta." She added before she could be asked about the first name.


    "Oh." She caught a hint of disappointment in his tone and she wondered whether he was sad about not having anything to talk about anymore.


    "What about you?" She asked.


    "What about me?" The elderly man was either feigning ignorance or he was shocked that someone was interrogating him.


    She dipped her head to make up for the difference in height. "What''s your surname? And what are your parents'' surnames? Also, what''s your first name?" Her aim was to let the elderly know that his questions were making her ufortable.


    However, thetter didn''t seem to find them problematic as he answered all her questions.


    "My surname is Su and my name is Nathaniel. You can call me Nat."


    "Okay¡­" She was puzzled. How strange it must sound to use such a childish nickname on a man like him.


    He soon switched back to business mode as he showed her around the hotel, and her feet were sore by the time they were done. Luckily she was not wearing high heels or she would have long fallen to the floor.


    She took note of all the important aspects and what she needed to change, rece, and restyle.


    ncing at the time, Nathaniel offered, "You can choose any of the presidential suites to spend the night. Dinner will be served to you at the ring of a bell or if you wish, you can go to the restaurant at the lobby."


    It was a tempting offer, but she had to reject it. "I need to get back to Imperium as soon as possible."


    "Aw bummer." The elderly man drawled, making her wonder whether it was an impostor beside her. How could Nathaniel Su be so different from the intimidating man she had heard about?


    "Can we at least be friends?" He asked in a coaxing tone and she could only nod. "Sure."


    Luckily, the man''s assistant came to look for him and it saved her the absurdity of whatever was going on.


    Deciding not to think about it for too long, she went back to Imperium and arrived at 8pm, tired and famished.


    Her father was yet to return from Luxenville and it made her more curious. What business did he have that took him so long? She gave him a call to confirm that he was doing alright before she started to prepare her dinner.


    Her phone rang as she chopped the vegetables and she paused to answer it, recalling that she had yet to report the oue to her boss.


    "What''s the news?" The man asked as soon as she answered the call. As expected, it was the reason why he had called.


    "We won the bid. Regal Hotel now belongs to Preston and Fort Group." She chirped jovially.


    "Good girl." He praised her in his deep voice. "Would you like a reward? No, what would you like as a reward?"


    "You don''t need to reward me." She quickly rejected it. How could she ask for a reward from her boss?


    "But I want to." The man insisted, and she heard the sound of an engine that was on the other end of the linee to a stop before the man spoke again. "Come down."


    "Huh? Down? As in at my apartmentplex?" She was disoriented.


    "Mmh. Don''t keep me waiting." He hung up, leaving her confused.


    She dropped the unchopped radish in her hand onto the chopping board and dashed to the balcony to peek. When she saw a familiar head of brown hair below, she blinked and rushed out to meet him.


    The man turned around when he heard the sound of rushed footsteps. Zaria was no longer in her business attire, she was wearing a pair of shorts with a purple cotton t-shirt, and had an apron draped over her. Her hair was in a messy bun and some of the stray stands fluttered in the breeze as she rushed to him. He ran his eyes over her, thinking about how lovely it would be to see her like this every evening.


    He couldn''t resist grabbing her in a hug and kissing her neck.


    She quickly tried to push him away. "Desmond, you can''t do that here. It''s a public zone!"


    It was arge apartmentplex and not everyone preferred to mind their own business.


    Hearing her warning, he looked around before pulling her towards a wall. He pushed her against it and resumed kissing her. "Then I''ll do it in private."


    "You shouldn''t either. We have an agreement." She protested, but that didn''t stop him from running his thumb against her cheek.


    "We do, don''t we?" Heughed.


    "Des¡­" The word was interrupted when his lips connected with hers in a fiery, impatient kiss. He pinned her against the wall as he held the back of her head in his hand, kissing her senseless.


    "I missed you." He whispered before biting her lip and she whimpered. Her hand held onto his that was caressing her neck and moving down her chest, but she did not intend to stop him. When she felt his tongue pressing past her lips, she finally pressed onto his shoulder to push him away.


    After getting pushed by her thest time in his mansion, he was more careful and paid more attention to her feelings. He was ready to break the kiss as soon as he felt any hint of difort from her. At the slightest tug, he stopped and took a step back.


    "I don''t want to create a headline." She wheeled her breath back to normal as organized her hair that had fallen out of the bun. She had already made the headlines before and the ending was not something she desired to happen ever again.


    "You will not. No one dares to report news regarding the Fort Family." He let it slip. In a way, thewsuit he had filed against F&P Media had its advantages. For instance, it was a stern warning that aside from the agencies he was in secret coboration with, whoever dared to report anything about the Fort Family should prepare for their agency to shut down.


    He was helpless when he saw that she was still regarding him with a gaze of displeasure. "Zaria, I did promise to give it time, but I can''t stay away from you even if I try to."


    "You never tried." She yfully punched his chest as she used him.


    "Would you like me to try?" His eyebrow quirked in amusement, she was probably the only woman who wanted to be away from the man she liked.


    "I didn''t say I wanted you to." She cleverly denied the im, making himugh.


    "Your roundabout way of expressing affection is quite unique." He felt her shiver from the cold. Knowing that she did not have any intention to invite him into her house and the little puppy would growl at him, he held her in his arms to keep her warm and asked about the bid instead.


    "Everything went smoothly." She answered in one statement, nning to send over a detailed report to him.


    "Not everything. You look like you are in deep thought about something." He observed and probed.


    "It''s alright. It''s just that I think Nathaniel is strange." She exined so he wouldn''t mistake it for something huge and worry about her.


    "There isn''t a single day when that old devil hasn''t been strange. Ignore him. Unless he did something out of line?" His voice turned deeper and threatening at thest statement.


    "No, he didn''t. He only kept asking me about my and my parents'' surnames. What a bizarre method to get to know someone." She found it amusing and creepy at the same time.


    "Must be a weird hobby of his. He once asked Natalie and I the same questions." He frowned and wondered what kind of hobby that was, but she was reassured.


    "I need to go back." She wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss onto his lips, taking him by surprise. It was just a peck but he did not let go and instead deepened the kiss with his arms around her waist.


    ¡­


    A few meters away, a man held his camera and checked out the photo he had just taken of the kissing couple. Although it was dim in the spot they were standing, the photo taken was of good quality so one could still recognize the man and woman.


    The man grinned. "Zaria, my beautiful Zaria.. I bet you can''t get yourself out of this." An evil smirk reced his smile. "Don''t worry, I''ll help you."

 Chapter 77 - Too Much Fun

    <h4>Chapter 77 - Too Much Fun</h4>


    The following day.


    When Zaria arrived at Preston and Fort Group, she exited her car and walked towards thepany building. She suddenly started and dropped the key, then bumped into someone as she bent down to pick it.


    "It''s so unlike you to be this clumsy." Commented Liam whom she had bumped into. He handed the red key over to her with a smile.


    "Thank you." She took it and brushed past him to head for the elevator.


    "You are still ignoring me." Liam spoke up behind her.


    She nced at him over her shoulder and wanted to say something but decided that it was not worth it.


    "I''m still speaking to you." The man sounded annoyed, and she turned to face him.


    "For thest time, Mr. Preston, I do not like to be pestered by people who have nothing of importance to say to me."


    Liam didn''t seem to have anything important to say as he took her words as a cue to leave, much to her relief.


    Since she was apanying Desmond to inspect one of the hotels owned by Preston and Fort Group, she quickly did a double check on his schedule which she had previously rearranged to save more time and printed the documents needed for the other meetings. She was done just as he walked in through her door.


    "Good morning." She greeted without straightening up since she already knew who had walked in.


    The man watched her pick up the paper from the printer and smiled at the drool worthy view. She was wearing yet another dress of his favorite color on her¡ªcream. He should certainly rece all her clothes with those of this color. On second thought, he shook his head. That would take away the thrill of waking up every day, hoping she would wear a cream-colored dress.


    Because she was slightly bending over, the dress had slid up to reveal a little more skin on her thighs and he had to avert his gaze while hoping she did not notice his tightened pants.


    "Did you dream of me?" He asked jokingly.


    She straightened up topile all the documents and spared him a nce. "You bug me all day, and in the evenings, you won''t let me off either. Now you want to haunt my dreams as well?"


    "I''m no ghost." Heughed, observing her movements. "But if you want me to haunt you in your bed at night, I can consider it."


    She shot him a re before showing him the door. "We have to get going."


    "After you." He spun on his heel as he watched her leave the office in her signature saunter that always drove him crazy. How he wished he could shut the eyes of all the men in the world, so he was the only one to enjoy such a view.


    They sat side by side in his car, and this time, she did not keep her distance and read random documents to avoid him. However, she didn''t seem that happy either.


    "Did something happen?" He asked.


    "I''m being followed." She confessed. She had noticed it earlier when she left the house but believed that she was overthinking, until she realized that she had been followed all the way to thepany.


    A frown formed on his face. "Could it be Liam? You mentioned that he was investigating you.


    "It''s Jaime." She said certainly. "He is the only lunatic I have spoken totely. I didn''t think he was going to start following me this soon."


    Desmond''s frown deepened. He had initially decided to handle Jiame with as little bloodshed as possible since they were biological brothers. However, the man had overstepped the boundaries.


    "Leave him to me. I will teach him a lesson." She ced a hand on his. It wasn''t hard to know what he was thinking, but she did not want to use violence. At least not until she really had to.


    "Will you be okay? Tell me if you need anyone''s head snapped out of their neck." He offered seriously, making her wonder whether he was joking. Why did it sound so much like something he was capable of doing? She nodded nheless.


    "That doesn''t only apply to Jaime." He added.


    She looked up at him when she understood the implication of his words. He would get rid of his best friend as long as she said that his existence bothered her? He wasn''t being serious, right?


    ¡­


    Jaime was thrilled after taking several pictures and even a video of Zaria. At first, he only wanted to do it to get evidence of Zaria being in a rtionship with Desmond. However, heter realized that she was too beautiful and couldn''t help tailing her for more photos.


    He assessed his collection in his car for a while with a grin on his face. "My beauty, did you miss me? It''s been a whole night and I miss you so much."


    "It''s such a bummer that I have to go and pay a visit to that bitch Alyssa." He frowned as he started the car. "Luckily, I have your beautiful pictures to cleanse my eyesight once I leave that ce."


    He drove to the ce he didn''t think he would set foot in if it wasn''t part of his n. He had wanted Samantha to go and utter words of constion to the woman and pass his heartfelt greetings while at it. However, the little brat had adamantly refused to go. He would teach her a lessonter.


    ¡­


    It didn''t take long before the woman was brought into the visitation room with her hands still cuffed. Her eyes watered as soon as she saw her son.


    "How have you been?" He asked, even though he already knew the kind of condition she must be in considering how she looked. He didn''t even want to hug her.


    Alyssa didn''t want to make her son worried, so she smiled her emotional tears away. "I''m fine, Jaime. How are you doing? Are you alright? Are Sam and Desmond well?"


    "They are." Obviously, he added mentally. Samantha was having so much fun that she was starting to think that she had the right to make her own decisions. On the other hand, Desmond had a beauty to bed, the same beauty who was responsible for Alyssa''s predicament. He wondered how entertaining it would be if Alyssa found out that her most beloved son was fooling around with Zaria.


    ''Instead of thinking about it, why not watch the actual live version?'' He thought through augh, and his smile disappeared as soon as his gazended on the handcuffed woman.


    He shifted in his seat. "I''m worried about Desmond."


    "What about him?" As expected, Alyssa was on alert once she heard that her most beloved son was a cause of concern.


    "He''s been doing his all to get you out of here. He even resorted to cringe-worthy means¡­" He let the words sink in before cunningly adding, "He even decided to befriend and get into a rtionship with Zaria Williams."


    As for who Zaria Wiims was, Alyssa knew better than anyone.


    "That''s not possible." She shook her head in denial, and Jaime''s lips twitched.


    Stupid humans, always doubting the truth even when it was right in front of them. It wasn''t that he was unhappy about it¨Cit was the main reason why he was able to manipte them at the palm of his hands after all¡ªhe was willing to y with them to their hearts'' content.


    On the outside, he kept a nonchnt expression. "I saw it myself. Or perhaps, he has been brainwashed. That woman sounded pretty sure of what she reported after all."


    "Do you think so too?" Alyssa asked. "That I''m guilty?"


    It didn''t matter what outsiders thought. It didn''t even matter what the court thought, but the only thing that mattered was what her sons and daughter thought of her.


    Jaime shook his head. "I know that you did not kill our father. You couldn''t have done it." Stated Jaime and his words brought a smile to her face.


    "Thank you for trusting me, son." She brought her cuffed hands up to hold his hand.


    He had to suck in a breath to stop himself from pping the brainless woman''s hands away. She didn''t even realize that he had left the second usation vague. How could he say that he was certain of her not being a promiscuous woman who cheated on her husband? He knew everything about her ns.


    As for the murder. He knew the truth. She was obviously innocent because he knew who the real murderer was¡ªand he knew that it was someone she would never expect. How thrilling it would be if she finds out.


    With a smirk, he wondered whether he should change the n and keep her alive. He could have someone keep her stay in prison memorable and then wait until she had only a few days left to stay in prison before telling her the truth. Now, that would be fun.

 Chapter 78 - Do You Like Someone Else?

    <h4>Chapter 78 - Do You Like Someone Else?</h4>


    Natalie was about to leave for a meeting with a partner when her phone rang, making her panic as she answered in a flurry.


    "I told you that I will call you back."


    "And you didn''t, so I missed you too much." Responded a man''s voice.


    "Don''t call me again. I''ll give you a callter, okay?" Although her words were a plea, her tone was stern like she was not giving the other party any choice.


    She was about to hang up when the man sighed. "Nat, do you really love me? Why do I have a feeling like you are into someone else instead?"


    "I''m not." She was helpless and sighed. "Why do you like to overthink?"


    "Then what about the wedding?" He questioned.


    "I''ll exin thatter. It''s not what you think, okay?" She answered and wanted to hang up as fast as possible.


    "Who are you speaking to?" Came Ava''s voice from the door.


    Natalie felt her blood run cold. She hung up and turned to smile at her mother. "Mother, when did you get here?"


    "When you were busy arguing with someone over the phone. Natalie, who was that?" Ava crossed her arms. Her suspicions did not stem from any of the argument but Natalie''s reaction when she got caught. Why did it seem so strange?


    "It''s Desmond." She answered with a frown, then picked up her bag. "I was about to leave for work. Do you need anything?"


    "Why are you arguing with Desmond?" Ava did not drop the matter, and it made Natalie wonder whether she thought of her as a child. How was it her business?


    Knowing that shutting her out would only arouse more suspicion, she shrugged. "He doesn''t want a church wedding."


    Ava frowned, and perhaps because she did not trust her daughter, she took out her phone to call Desmond and ask for confirmation.


    "What kind of wedding do you prefer?"


    On the other end, Desmond was a little taken aback when he heard this kind of question from Ava. What was the woman up to this time? Just when he was about to ask what drugs the woman was hooked on, he heard a small cough that he guessed to be Natalie''s. It took him a few seconds to understand what must be going on. Was she trying to corner Natalie?


    "A beach wedding." He tried his luck answering. He knew that Natalie liked a church wedding, so he answered with something that wasn''t her preference. Soon after his voice fell, he added, "But if Natalie wants a church wedding, then I canpromise. A wedding is, after all, a woman''s most important day."


    As expected, Ava sounded less stern. "Then I''ll let you youngsters make the decisions."


    He smiled and hung up.


    When Ava called, he was heading towards the elevator with Zaria to go to their next meeting. He hung up just as they entered the elevator and grabbed Zaria''s hand to exin himself even though she already knew what was happening. "She must have gotten herself into a tight spot with her mother."


    "Let me guess. Natalie has a boyfriend?" She looked at him and made a guess.


    "Mmh. Her parents don''t know about it yet." He exined briefly.


    She wondered why her parents were still forcing her into marriage with a man who she didn''t love even though she already had someone she liked, but she did not want to probe into someone else''s personal matters.


    "Where are we going now?" He asked to change the topic.


    "To the West Golf Course." She answered without referring to the schedule. She would never forget it when they were going to meet that casanova who had previously lingered his lecherous gaze on her. Just the thought of it made her stomach turn.


    "I will not let anyone take advantage of you." He pulled her into his arms, knowing what she was worried about.


    "I''m worried that I may lose control and end up gorging someone''s eyes out." She frowned slightly.


    "Don''t dirty your hands. If you need any eye gouged out or any hand dislocated, tell me about it and I''ll do it for you." He promised as he kissed her temples.


    "I don''t want you to dirty your hands either." She held his hand, noticing that he was still wearing the watch she had bought him. It seemed to be his new favorite.


    "Are you worried about me?" He smiled, rubbing his thumb against the side of her face. He was just about to kiss her lips when the elevator door opened and someone else entered. Feeling bummed, he could only sulkily hold back his kiss.


    ¡­


    Evan West was once again holding a beauty in his arms¡ªa different one from the one he had thest time.


    However, as soon as he set his eye on Zaria, he smiled at Desmond. "You really don''t want to think about it?"


    "She is not an item to be used for trade." Desmond''s eyebrows furrowed as his eyes turned defensive. He pulled her closer to his side protectively.


    Zaria didn''t initially understand what it was that Desmond and Evan had disagreed about thest time they tried to negotiate, but now she did. It seemed like Evan wanted her in exchange for the deal. How stupid.


    As if he was not insane enough, he winked at her and turned to Desmond. "It''s not like I''m taking her away forever. I''ll give her back."


    Desmond red at him. "Don''t even dare to look at her. She''s mine."


    Evan was initially thinking of asking for Zaria''s opinion, but when he heard that she was already imed, he could only give up.


    "Let''s talk over lunch." He invited the two of them, having already asked the chefs to prepare specialties for them.


    He led the way and Zaria and Desmond followed him into a resort that she didn''t know existed within the golf course.


    "Feel free to sit wherever you want." He took a seat at a round table near the swimming pool that was outside the resort, then pulled the beauty to sit on hisp.


    Desmond sat down opposite him, and like the idiot he was, he pulled Zaria onto hisp.


    "You don''t want Mr. West and hispanion to witness our couple fight, right?" He chuckled in a low tone to stop her from fighting to leave hisp. His words were loud enough to be heard by the duo across the table, but she could do nothing but re and make a mental note to get back at him for his nonsense.


    At the p of Evan''s hands, the food was served.


    Desmond stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and brought it in front of Zaria''s mouth. "Do take note of what you like."


    She smiled when she understood what he meant. "I can''t take it like this, can I?"


    He could only let her sit on her own chair then resume discussing it with Evan.


    "A little birdy told me that you are having trouble with Samantha. That, and the matter regarding your mother." Evan started as he raised his ss to give a toast.


    "Little birdies are usually too urate." Desmondughed.


    Evan dismissed the beauty who was having a good time sitting on hisp. She was displeased about having to leave, but he didn''t spare her another nce and she had no choice but to go. He then looked at Zaria meaningfully.


    "There isn''t anything she can''t know." Desmond implied that Zaria could stay.


    He cringed slightly, wondering a man could let a woman in on such important matters. Wasn''t he aware that these cunning creatures were often the cause of one''s downfall if kept too close? Since it was his friend''s choice, he had nothing more to say of it, so he went straight to the point. "What if I said that I had a way to tie Samantha down?"


    "If this includes you seducing her, forget it." Desmond was dismissed right off the bat. He disliked tricks of seduction, and besides, he didn''t think it could work on Samantha. Not when the woman was hell set on getting Liam to be her husband for whatever reason she was pestering him.


    "Don''t worry. It doesn''t involve that." Evan chuckled, his gaze on Zaria.


    "You don''t give up, do you?" Desmond frowned.


    "I''m sure she can apany me to dinner at least? I''m just curious about her. You cane along." He coaxed.


    Desmond was about to say no when Zaria''s handnded on his. She interrupted his words with a "Sure. I''m curious about you too, Mr. West."


    "Whatever it is, you can ask me and I''ll tell you." Desmond was displeased.


    Zaria grabbed her phone from her bag and typed a text message then sent it to Desmond. When he read it, his face revealed a deep frown as he nced at Evan across the table. "See you tomorrow in the evening."

 Chapter 79 - Who Dares To Leave A Golf Course Without Playing Golf?

    <h4>Chapter 79 - Who Dares To Leave A Golf Course Without ying Golf?</h4>


    Evan was curious about their little exchange, finding it odd that Desmond had changed his mind and agreed to his meeting with Zaria simply because of a text message from her. He wanted to know what she had told him, but at the same time, he knew that they would not answer him even if he asked¡ªshe would have said it out loud if it was meant for his ears.


    Even so, he couldn''t stop his brain from running wild. Did thedy give an excuse because she wanted to see him so badly again? The strangest thing was that Desmond had always been the one to give instructions and forcefully change people''s minds. He never took no for an answer and it was impossible to sway him once he made a decision. It made one wonder just what a capable assistant¡ªor partner¡ªshe was, to be able to convince him so fast.


    "About Samantha." Evan pulled them back to the main point.


    "What do you have in mind?" Desmond listened even while knowing that he would probably not do as Evan suggested. He had his own n and he was certain that it would suffice.


    "I know where she was on the night that your father was murdered. And I have evidence to prove it." Evan winked at Zaria as though his words were directed at her.


    "Why are you aware of her whereabouts?" Desmond did not trust Evan in the slightest. To be exact, he didn''t trust anyone.


    "She''s a beauty." He shrugged like it meant nothing. He was then curious of Desmond''sck of reaction. "Don''t you mind? She''s your sister after all."


    Was he supposed to mind? Zaria wondered. It sounded like Evan was trying to provoke Desmond on purpose by indirectly letting slip that he was with his sister that night.


    "Her matters are none of my business." Desmond was nonchnt.


    "Welp, you owe me a dinner then. I will give you the evidence of her true location." Evan concluded.


    Desmond was about to stand when the other man jabbed him. "Have you heard about what happened to the Zhens?" He struck up a conversation.


    "No. Not interested." Desmond stood up with Zaria.


    "Let''s y two games of golf? Who dares to leave a golf course without ying golf?" insisted Evan, but Desmond had already seen through him.


    "You only want to keep looking at Zaria." He exposed Evan mercilessly.


    "Can you not paint such a picture of me in her brain? Jeez!" The manined, making Zaria wonder what picture there was for anyone to paint of him. Wasn''t it evident enough from the rate at which he switchedpanions and how intimate he was with them?


    As they left the golf course, Desmond finally had the chance to ask about the text message she had sent him. "What does this have to do with Liam?"


    "Evan is under Liam''s instructions. There isn''t any other way that he knows so much about what''s happening with you." Zaria exined. "Besides, I identally saw his schedule, and at the time that we bumped into each other this morning, he was going to meet Mr. West."


    Desmond snickered as they got into the car. "Here I was starting to think that it''s because Evan is close to Samantha."


    "Obviously not." She was surprised that he was even swayed by that yboy''s insane excuse. No one in their right mind would discuss such matters with the brother of the woman they have been with. Something was off about it.


    "He must have offered to give Evan something that you couldn''t, and this is why Evan is willing to listen to him. Long story short, Liam is trying to do the right thing but using the wrong means to do it."


    His eyebrows were knitted and his eyes closed. From her knowledge of him over the past few weeks, she guessed that he was closing his eyes to suppress his anger. He rubbed his temples before gritting his teeth. "There isn''t such a thing as doing the right thing using the wrong means when it involves you. There is only right and wrong. What he is doing is the worst thing in the world."


    "When it involves me?" She was confused for a while before it dawned on her. The thing that Liam had promised to give Evan if he helped Desmond deal with Samantha couldn''t be her, right?


    "What the heck is wrong with Liam?" She facepalmed. First, he set her up to appear as Jaime''s aplice and now he was giving her to another man? Did he think she was an item to be possessed and given away on whim?


    "He is asking for a beating." Desmond felt his knuckles itch for violence. Realizing that Zaria didn''t know what Liam was up to, he opened his eyes. "He said that we couldn''t be together. Something to do with your identity beingplex."


    He watched her to see her reaction, but she frowned then burst intoughter. "Is there something wrong with Liam''s brain? You should consider signing him up for therapy."


    "Good idea. I also think he''s going crazy." The anger in his eyes had dimmed down significantly and he ced a hand on hers. "Zaria. As long as you are willing to be with me, nothing can stop us from being together no matter what it is."


    Her lips slowly curled into a gentle smile before she nodded. "Let''s talk about that when we''re together."


    "Right. The wedding." He recalled the main thing that was holding her back but this time, he was no longer feeling bummed. He had spoken to Natalie the previous evening and learned that it wasn''t long before they could officially cancel their engagement with a valid reason.


    ¡­


    In the evening, Zaria finally found Theodore home and rushed to him. Even Des was snuggling up to him like it had missed him.


    "You''re finally back! Where did you go for so long?"


    He patted the space beside him, and she sat down. Then he gave her a chocte candy that made her burst intoughter at his dramatics. Seeing that Zaria had received something that made her happy just because she had sat down, Des also sat on the couch obediently and waited for his treat with his tongue sticking out. Theodore had been waiting for this so he chuckled and gave the puppy the treat he was hiding. "He is smart."


    Zaria gazed at the puppy lovingly as he jumped around then settled on herp to ask for pets. "He makes me feel like I have a baby." Her eyes turned stern as she snapped them back to her father. "But nope. You are not going to use him to distract me."


    "What''s there for me to distract you?" He chuckled guiltily after being seen through. "I went to meet up with an old friend."


    "Okay." She drawled out the sybles to indicate that although she was not going to probe, she was not convinced by his answer in the slightest.


    "Is there anything wrong with that?" He questioned.


    "You made yourself seem suspicious." She confessed.


    "There is nothing to be suspicious about, don''t overthink. How has work been?"


    "Great." Came her monosybic reply.


    "Just great? Nothing more to it?"


    Knowing that he liked to overthink, she nodded. "We just have to snag some deals, deal with one asshole or two¡­ or three. That''s all."


    He was d to hear that she was doing alright. "I hope your insanely arrogant boss has started to realize your worth?"


    She neither nodded nor shook her head as her hand continued rhythmically running over Des'' coat, seeming like she was in deep thought. "Actually, he only appears to be arrogant when he is dealing with his enemies. In truth, he is a great guy. At least he is to me¡­ we talked about our misunderstandings and he has been treating me well since then."


    Theodore felt like he had been struck by thunder. It was confirmed. His daughter was officially in love with that man. It wasn''t just like or a mere infatuation; she was falling dangerously in love. There wasn''t any other exnation for her to suddenly stop hating the man she had vowed to destroy as soon as she had the means. It was toote for him or anyone to intervene.


    What worried him was the fact that Desmond''s reputation wasn''t anything like any parent would want their daughter''s boyfriend to have. On top of that, he was a harbinger of doom. How could Zaria fall for him?


    What was worse, he couldn''t bring himself to force her into something she did not want or away from something she wanted¡ªespecially not after the kind of childhood and past love life she had been through.


    He took a deep breath and hoped that if Desmond was going to show his true colors and break her heart or dump herter, he better do so as soon as possible, before she fell too deep to get up again after the heartbreak.

 Chapter 80 - I Can Let You See Mine

    <h4>Chapter 80 - I Can Let You See Mine</h4>


    Later at night.


    Zaria was on a phone call with Desmond. The man didn''t want to end the call and talked about many things¡ªnone of which was sensible. She decided she may as well use thepany while she decided on what to wear the following day.


    "What do you think I should wear tomorrow?" He asked, reminding her of the morning he woke her up to simply ask this.


    "A blue suit." she responded without thinking it through. It was the first color that crossed her mind since she had just checked out a blue dress.


    "What about the tie?" Came another question. It seemed like he was taking her suggestion seriously.


    "Red." Once again, it was only because she had touched a red blouse.


    "Shirt?" He asked yet again, making her want to beat him up.


    "Can''t you choose that yourself?"


    "I don''t know what shirt would go well with a blue suit and a red tie."


    She shook her head but still answered him, "White. Change the tie to burgundy."


    She heard a shuffle on the other side and guessed that he was seriously selecting the clothes she had suggested.


    "Is burgundy the color you like best on me? This is the third time you are suggesting it." He asked with a hint of mischief in his voice.


    She didn''t remember the first two times she made any such suggestion, but she did like the color on him. "It makes you seem more friendly and less arrogant."


    Heughed at her response and did not retaliate. "Boxers?"


    "Desmond!" She couldn''t believe he was asking that too.


    "What? Isn''t that part of clothing? Let me see. White?"


    She rolled her eyes. "Who is going to see your briefs? You can wear pink for all I care!"


    He searched for a while before sighing. "Unfortunately, I don''t have any pink pair. But I can order it online."


    She had said pink to shut him up and was puzzled by his response. "Wait. Pink boxer briefs exist?"


    "Why not? Isn''t pink a color?" He answered with a question and she burst intoughter.


    "Haven''t you seen one before?" He was amused by her reaction.


    "No." She didn''t want to imagine the thought of it and focused on her clothes instead.


    "What colors have you seen?" He asked shamelessly, and when he didn''t get a response, it was his turn to be shocked. "You haven''t seen any before?"


    "Don''t make it sound like there is a medal for women who have seen men''s intimate clothes." She pulled a hanger with a red dress out of her closet, frustrated by his tone.


    The man on the phone was still at it. "I''ll pretend that I didn''t think about what else you have never seen. If you want, I can let you see mine. I''ll wear my best one specifically for you."


    Her jaw dropped at her boss''s insanity. "Who said that I have never seen one?"


    "You did." His tone sounded like he was using her of feigning memory loss.


    "Are you crazy? Haven''t I watched movies before? Haven''t I gone to male clothes stores?"


    "So you haven''t actually seen a man sans his pants before." He picked the main point from her words. "Zaria, can I ask you a question?"


    "Don''t." She knew what he wanted to ask and she was not ready to answer it.


    "Are you going to sleep now?" He changed the topic after pausing for a few seconds.


    She was d that he knew when to stop. "Yes. See you in the morning."


    She said her goodnight, and as soon as she hung up, she identally answered an iing call from Ximena.


    "There you are. You have been unavable for ages. Were you discussing with the entire republic?" Ximenained.


    "I''m sorry. I was speaking to Desmond. It''s quitete, do you need something?" Her tone was a little t after her previous call.


    "Aren''t you free with your boss?" Ximena''s tone raised, but she did not linger on the trivial matter. "Are you free on Saturday?"


    "No, I''m attending a banquet." She sat on the bed, feeling bummed that she had to miss out on fun.


    "What a bummer. I wanted to invite you to go somewhere with me." Ximena was disappointed but she didn''t me Zaria. "Have you already selected what to wear for the banquet? You know that I have to approve of it."


    Zaria smiled. Ximena had not changed the slightest bit. Being a stylist, she took it upon herself to ensure that her friend looked beautiful no matter what asion she attended. It was she who had taught Zaria all the makeup tricks she knew. "I have. I hoped you could do my makeup, but¡­"


    "Count on me. I''ll squeeze in a few minutes for you." Ximena interrupted before the other could talk about her being too busy.


    "What would I do without you?" Zaria sighed.


    "Cry in front of the mirror over the bothersome details." Ximena teased. "Of course, there isn''t such a thing as free service. You will have to pay for it with lots of food and chocte."


    "I''ll get you an entire factory of chocte." Zaria exaggerated before they decided on the time to see each other on Saturday.


    ...


    The following evening.


    As agreed, Desmond and Zaria met up with Evan at the resort of West Golf Course.


    The casanova was silent at first, but when Desmond stepped away to answer a phone call, he turned active as though a button had been pressed on him.


    "You said you were curious about me. What are you curious about?"


    Zaria had food in her mouth and didn''t respond immediately, but Evan took it as her being too shy to speak. "Nothing? That''s alright. You have all the time in the world to figure me out. On the other hand, I''m curious about this. Why do you look so beautiful? Did you dress up for me?"


    Her beaded sheath dress was nothing out of the ordinary, but because it was red, he allowed himself to overthink.


    "Don''t be silly." She found it amusing that someone was able to constantly think up so much crap. She wondered what his brain was made of, but that was none of her business. "Why are you helping Desmond?"


    "Because he''s my friend." He gave the most obvious answer, then realized that she didn''t believe it. "Fine. That and because whether or not I help him, he will get himself out of the fix either way. Why not owe him a favor by force?"


    She frowned for a moment and then her eyebrows raised. "Your logic isn''t impossible. However, it only works for people who have no abilities and can only resort to sneaking their way out of situations."


    He was intrigued that there was a woman who dared to directly diss him. "That''s not a lie." He cut his roast duck into pieces as he focused all his attention on her. "In the business field, it''s not the means but the results that matter. Don''t you agree?"


    "I mind the means." She shut him up, but soon realized that his eyes were glued onto her, making her look up at him quizzically.


    "I want to know. Why do you look so familiar?" He came up with some random bullshit when he was caught staring. "Ah, I remember. You look like someone I saw in my dreams several times¡ªmy bride."


    She ignored his words and focused on looking around, taking note of a few things while the owner of the ce wasted his time jabbering on.


    Desmond finally returned and sat next to her. "You didn''t get swayed away in those few minutes that I was away, did you?"


    She shook her head. "His pick up lines are cheesy¡ªnot that he would have swayed me otherwise."


    "I''m still here, you know." Evanined about being discussed in his presence.


    ...


    The dinner turned out to be a waste of time because Evan promised to give Desmond the evidence over the next dinner.


    Zaria didn''t mind since she had not wasted her time. She had gotten a few ideas which she brought up when she was alone with Desmond. "Do you have any ns to change the ambience of Regal Hotel?"


    "What do you have in mind?" He looked up from hisptop, knowing that she would not have brought it up without thinking about it. She hesitated so he added, "You are in charge, in case you have forgotten."


    She felt free to give her suggestions after obtaining his permission. "I want to get rid of the current swimming pool and rece it with one of mixed style. If possible, I would add an artificial hot springs bath."


    "And?" He knew that there was more to it.


    "Have the restaurants serve food from as many parts of the world as the space can allow this includes Olphirian. I don''t want guests being unsatisfied." While having lunch with Evan, she had seen a tourist ask for Olphirian food and he got upset when he was informed that there was none. The tourist had disappointedly remarked about how ironic it was to be in a popr resort in Olphire and not get a taste of Olphirian specialties.

 Chapter 81 - Dont Dirty Your Hands

    <h4>Chapter 81 - Don''t Dirty Your Hands</h4>


    "Would you like to rename it?" She asked after thinking about it.


    "I''m still thinking about that. Why do you ask? Do you have a suitable name in mind?" He threw the question back at her.


    "Nope." She shook her head. She had not even thought about it.


    "Do you have anything against renaming?" He asked for her opinion, even though he wasn''t nning to rename it. He felt the name was perfect as it was.


    "I don''t." I think "Regal Hotel" is perfect." She looked up at him as though trying to read his eyes for his opinion on what she had just said.


    "What a coincidence. I have the same opinion." He smiled." Wepliment each other, don''t you think? I only thought of recing the employees with new ones from a different chain."


    "I would not advise you to rece any of the employees, especially if you want to send the new ones over from another chain. Not only can this create an imbnce, it might cause the opposite of the desired effect since there are many changes to be put in ce within the shortest time possible." She countered.


    "Mmh?" He probed for her conclusion.


    "It''s better to keep them as they are unless there are ck sheep who need to be fired. I will do a detailed check on them." She offered.


    "Thank you." He ced a hand on her knee, and she slowly pushed it off.


    "It''s my job. You don''t need to thank me." Besides, Regal Hotel was once under the Su family. She doubted there was much dirt for her to find on any of the employees.


    Desmond knew that she had swatted his hand away because the chauffeur was present, so he was not disheartened.


    ....


    They got back to Preston and Fort Group because they had unfinished business which they had toplete before going home. When he entered his office, the first thing he was was an uninvited guest making his way out of his resting chamber after not finding him. It was Liam of all people, and he couldn''t pretend that he was happy to see him.


    "What are you doing here?" He closed in on the man he was supposed to call his friend.


    "There you are, we need to talk." Liam was in the middle of speaking when his cor got grabbed and he was pushed against the wall in the next instance.


    "What the hell do you think you''re doing?" He tried to maintain his calm as Desmond tightened his hold on the front part of his shirt.


    "That''s my line." Desmond resisted the urge to throw a punch across Liam''s face. "What the fuck are you trying to do?"


    "I don''t know what on earth you are talking about, but I have one answer for it. Whatever I do is none of your business."


    "What kind of deal did you make with Evan?" Desmond was huffing in anger, only to hear the other snicker. "That has nothing to do with you."


    "It has everything to do with me. What''s the deal? Do you have a thing for Zaria?"


    "Let go of me." Liam roared, holding back his anger or he would have kneed his friend in the stomach.


    "Speak!" Desmond insisted.


    Liam took a deep breath, his usually calm eyes raging in fury. "Don''t make me hit you."


    "Desmond?" A sweet voice called from the door just as the two men were about to explode into a fist fight.


    Zaria was bbergasted when she clearly saw the situation in the room. She had juste to say goodbye and did not expect to bump into her superiors who were about to fight. She suddenly didn''t know whether to proceed or turn back and leave. She then pretended that she had not seen anything.


    Hearing Zaria''s voice, Desmond''s eyes restored their calm as he let go of the other''s shirt. He then straightened up and looked at Zaria who was standing awkwardly at the doorway. "Come in. Do you need something?"


    She was about to shake her head and leave when her eyes met Liam''s sharp ones. He was sending a warning re her way. She initially didn''t know why they were fighting but after seeing that kind of gaze from Liam, it wasn''t hard to guess. She averted her gaze back to Desmond. "Didn''t I tell you before not to dirty your hands? Come here. Are you hurt?"


    Like an obedient child, Desmond took a few steps to close in on her. She took his hand to carefully inspect it like he was severely injured.


    "My hands hurt." He exaggerated when he saw her caring gaze.


    She raised her head to re at him. "Why did you go to touch trash?" With her hand still holding his, she used one hand to fumble into her handbag for a piece of wet antiseptic wipes, then rubbed it against his outstretched palm. She cleaned it thoroughly, and when she was done, he held out his left hand as well. She finally threw the antiseptic wipe in the trash bin when she was done. "You''re alright now."


    Liam frowned and could not watch whatever charade they were acting out anymore. He left Desmond''s office. There was still time.


    ...


    As soon as the door closed, Zaria dropped Desmond''s hand that she had been holding. "Don''t think too much about it. I was just proving a point."


    "I know." Although he knew what she was up to from the word go, he yed along because he enjoyed the hand-cleaning service, and because he was trying to prove the same point as she was. As long as she and Zaria wanted to be together, it was pointless no matter what Liam wanted to do. All his attempts at stopping them would only appear as the buzz of a fly.


    "The hearing is on Monday." He spoke out of the blue.


    He didn''t need to borate as she already knew that it was Alyssa''s hearing in court. She moved close to him to ce a hand on his. "Are you tense about it?"


    "What if I am?" He wasn''t, but he enjoyed the close contact, so he didn''t mind being misunderstood.


    "Don''t be. It will be alright." She assured him.


    "You are just saying it to make me feel better, aren''t you?" He raised an eyebrow. If there was anyone who thought of Alyssa as the guiltiest party, it was her. She must believe that unless there was underhanded means involved, Alyssa would be convicted. However, it was almost impossible to bribe the courts in Olphire. The police force was much easier to have in one''s pockets. The chances of Alyssa being pronounced innocent in Zaria''s opinion must be zero, right?


    She did not answer his question. Instead, she took out a sh drive from her bag. "I also came to report that my proposal is ready. Please check it out when you have the time."


    "Okay." He took the sh drive, wondering why Zaria was of the same opinion as him regarding everything but this. Just what made her think that Alyssa was guilty?


    ...


    On Saturday.


    Ximena had arrived to do Zaria''s makeup when her eyesnded on the gown on thetter''s bed. She gushed in admiration and helped Zaria wear it, then gasped in a mixture of shock and awe. The blue sequined gown had a deep V and a high slit at the side, and it made Zaria''s figure stand out all the more.


    "Such a beautiful gown? Where did you buy it?" Ximena asked curiously.


    "Vie Luxe." Zaria knew where it was from since she had once looked it up. She then looked through the full length mirror at Ximena. "Do you approve of it?"


    "With ten stars!" Thetter''s eyes were still glued on her in admiration. "It must have cost a dime, right? It looks expensive."


    "Desmond bought it for me." She confessed, since there wasn''t any way she would buy anything from Vie Luxe. Even a mere handkerchief would put a dent in her wallet.


    Ximena was shocked by her words, and her voice lowered. "I''ve been meaning to say, don''t you think he is treating you a little too nicely? It''s almost as though he has feelings for you."


    "Xim¡­" Zaria turned to face her with a tired expression.


    "Okay. I won''t lecture you." Ximena let her off, which wasn''t something that happened often. "But if someone can''t keep his dick in his pants and needs a beating, you can count on me." She promised, looking like she was ready to fight Desmond as soon as Zaria said the word.


    Sheughed at her friend''s antics. "When will you stop fighting men?"


    "Are you going to taunt me about me being single?" Ximena smiled in good humor. "Whoever has the guts to fight with me can be my boyfriend. What''s the point having a man if he will cower away whenever a problem arises?"


    She looked to be deep in thought, and Zaria shook her head. "I don''t like that look."


    Ximena defended herself. "What about it? I''m only thinking that I should wrestle with all your admirers to see if they are capable of physically protecting you."

 Chapter 82 - Im Glad You Came

    <h4>Chapter 82 - I''m d You Came</h4>


    "That will not be necessary." Zaria shuddered at the thought of her friend locking fists with Desmond.


    "What? Are you scared that I will beat the crap out of him?" Ximena taunted as she readied her fists as though Desmond was in front of her, and she was ready to start beating him up.


    Zaria shook her head and sat down in front of the mirror. She then took out her makeup kit. "I''m just scared of the repercussions. He is my boss, after all."


    "Right, that." Ximena felt bummed that she had to miss out on so much fun, but she could only bite her tongue and do Zaria''s makeup. Thanks to years of practice, she was done in just a few minutes.


    "You look so beautiful that I''m about to fall in love with you." Sheplimented as she took Zaria''s photos to admireter.


    "It''s thanks to your magic hands, but please don''t. I''m afraid I will not be able to reciprocate the feelings." Zariaughed, and Ximena feigned heartbreak.


    "You heartless creature. Take care, okay? Otherwise, all the men will fight over who gets to steal you. I don''t want my most perfect muse stolen away." She so badly wished she could apany Zaria as her bodyguard. She was most worried about Zaria''s boss. Having heard the infamous tales of his debauchery, she was certain that he would go crazy seeing Zaria looking this beautiful.


    "I will take care." Zariaughed at her friend, who looked like she was losing ten years of her life.


    She took out a box of choctes from a drawer and gave it to Ximena, who sulked in response. "This is not enough to cate me. If you don''t want me to worry to death, give me a callter to tell me you''re alright."


    "Will do." Zaria promised.


    Since Ximena was on her way out, the two left the house together.


    ¡­


    Ximena was about to say goodbye as she saw her friend in the parking lot when she noticed a ck car that looked out of ce. She was just about to gush about it when the door opened, and a man stepped out of it.


    The man was wearing a ck suit with a blue tie, and his dark hair wasbed back, disying his charmingly handsome face. It was someone she had never met before, but she knew him from all the photos of him posted in business magazines.


    "What is this man doing here?" She shifted her gaze between him and Zaria.


    Desmond''s blue eyes lit up when he saw how beautiful Zaria looked. He knew that the dress would look lovely on her, but seeing her in the flesh, a smile formed on his lips. However, he was distracted from his pink bubble by the woman next to Zara, who was asking a silly question. "Picking her up. Don''t tell me she was supposed to drive in her high heels?"


    As he spoke, his eyes trailed to her leg that was exposed by the high slit. Was it a bad idea to buy her the dress? He could bet that the entire male poption at the banquet would be drooling at her. The thought of it made him so jealous that he almost cancelled his ns of attending the banquet and took her to his mansion instead. He stretched out a hand to take hers. "Ready?"


    Ximena saw that the man was absent-minded and took a deep breath. He better not take advantage of Zaria.


    She was just about to tell Zaria to call her if the man tried to do anything against her wish when her eyesnded on Desmond''s wrist. She frowned at the golden watch he was wearing. Wasn''t that the watch that Zaria bought a few days ago¡ªthe one she thought was for Theodore? How did it end up on Desmond''s wrist?


    It didn''t take long for her to realize that she was mistaken. It was not for Theodore, but it was for Desmond all along!


    "Just so you know, I don''t like you. You are not a good choice for Zaria." She spoke up tantly, and Zaria''s eyes went wide.


    "Just so you know, that will not change anything. I will take good care of her." Desmond countered with a grin.


    Ximena looked defeated and was about to say something mean when she caught Zaria''s pleading gaze. She finally understood it. Were these two a thing already? She nced at the man who was the city''s most infamous yboy and her eyes surged with anger. "I don''t care whether you are a thing or not. If you dare cheat on my friend or make her sad in any way, I will beat the hell out of you."


    He pulled Zaria to his side with a smile. "Don''t worry. You won''t need to trouble your delicate hands."


    He helped Zaria into his car and left behind an enraged Ximena. Who did he just call delicate?!


    ¡­


    Soon after the chauffeur drove off, Zaria finally turned to look at Desmond. "Xim likes to speak her mind and doesn''t hold back, but she means no harm. Please don''t mind her."


    "How can I? She is a loyal friend." Desmondughed, amused at how angry the woman looked as she warned him.


    Zaria was relieved that he was not upset. Having friends with unfiltered mouths could cause one''s brain to explode from nervousness. As soon as they opened their mouths, heaven knew which big shot they would offend.


    "You look beautiful." He bit out the words, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss the breath out of her.


    "Thank you." She half-whispered, her eyes trailing to his tie which was of the same shade and material of her dress, and so was his pocket square.


    "Do you like it?" He asked while gazing down at her.


    She nodded honestly. She continued staring at him, and then out of the blue, she tilted her head upwards and pecked his lips.


    He was shocked, but before he could properly register what she had done, they had arrived at the venue of the banquet and her hand was already holding the door handle. This was not the first time that she kissed him, but she always did it when he least expected it. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her for a few seconds. Only then did he let go and get down from the car.


    ¡­


    The banquet hall was flocking with exquisitely dressed men and women¡ªmost of whom frequented the high-end magazines. It was not a walk in the park to be able to invite a single one of them, so it was impressive that Samantha had so many of them under the same roof.


    She made small talk with some women in her circle and her attention was piqued when she heard someone mention the arrival of Desmond. She looked over at the entrance from the mezzanine and frowned in the next second.


    She then walked downstairs to meet her brother and greeted him indifferently. She then looked at the beautifully dressed Zaria. "Oh, the mistress is here too."


    "Samantha." Desmond frowned at her words.


    The woman shrugged. "Isn''t she? Don''t worry. I won''t tell anyone."


    Desmond ignored her and focused on Zaria who was holding his arm. "Many of the guests here are partners of Preston and Fort Group. Do you want to say hi to them?"


    "Okay." She followed his lead into the crowd.


    Samantha picked a ss of champagne from the table of drinks and sipped it as she chuckled to the woman beside her. "How ironic it is for Desmond to bring another woman as a femalepanion when he is engaged."


    As soon as she spoke, she noticed that Natalie was just making her way past her. She tapped the other woman with a kind smile. "Natalie, if you mind, I will have a word with him."


    "I''m not that petty." Dismissed Natalie, then she went to say hi to Zaria.


    "I''m d you came. You look so beautiful." She hugged Zaria, and although thetter found it unexpected, she could only return the hug.


    Samantha was within earshot and she rolled her eyes at the two women''s interaction. "If a woman is friendly to her rival, it''s either because she is cheating or she is pretentious."


    Zaria did not mind Samantha''s words even though she heard them. She offered Natalie a smile. "You look so beautiful yourself."


    Thetter was wearing a backless silver-grey gown and had her hair in an elegant updo.


    "Come, let''s take a walk." She suggested, much to Desmond''s chagrin.


    "I''m still here." He announced his presence to Natalie, who was trying to steal hispanion.


    "Continue staying here for a while. I''m only borrowing her for a few minutes." She did not pay any heed to Desmond''s words and led Zaria away.


    The hotel where the banquet was being held had a beautiful garden behind it, and Natalie led her over for a walk.

 Chapter 83 - Theres No Such Thing As Too Much Caution

    <h4>Chapter 83 - There''s No Such Thing As Too Much Caution</h4>


    As Natalie made her way to the garden with Zaria, a young woman in a bob haircut rushed towards them to stop Natalie. "Excuse me, you dropped your handkerchief."


    Natalie looked down to see that she was holding a white cotton folded handkerchief in her hand, but she did not reach for it. "Thank you. Please help me throw it in the nearest trash bin."


    She then turned to resume walking, and Zaria noticed the bob-haircut woman clench her fists and narrow her eyes as though in disbelief. She even thought she had heard the woman curse and mutter under her breath about the arrogance of women from wealthy families.


    "She definitely took it the wrong way." She chuckled, though she didn''t actually have anything against Natalie''s reaction. It was only natural that she no longer needed something she had dropped and it had nothing to do with her finding the woman who had picked it up dirty.


    Natalie smiled in return. "If I spent too much time caring about how everyone feels about what I do or say, I would be long dead. That, and the fact that it isn''t even my handkerchief to begin with."


    "It isn''t?" Zaria was baffled. From Natalie''s tone, it didn''t sound like the woman had followed the wrong person. Not to mention, they were the only ones on this path at the moment.


    "It couldn''t be. She is betting on the fact that I must have too many of them to tell whether or not it is mine. She thinks I would ept it anyway, and she is probably only trying to strike a conversation." Natalie was tired of such antics and decided to ignore it before it began.


    Although she did not say what could happen in the worst case scenario, Zaria could make a guess. She suddenly remembered a case from many decades ago, involving a president who died mysteriously and after months of investigation, it turned out that he had received a piece of poisoned jewelry from his friend.


    She could be thinking too much by imagining the same scenario with Natalie, but anything was possible especially with one of the most admired women in the republic.


    "There isn''t such a thing as too much caution." Natalie advised out of the blue. "You are Desmond''s right hand, which means many of his enemies will set their eyes on you. You have to be extremely careful."


    Zariaughed when she thought of how Natalie sounded so much like Ximena right now.


    "What''s so funny?" Natalie did not understand.


    "I used to think that you were cold and unfriendly." She confessed.


    Natalie''s expression didn''t flinch. "I get that a lot."


    "I''m sorry."


    "You don''t have to be." Natalie smiled. "It''s much better this way, than having to try and please every Tom, Dick, and Harry. And what a coincidence, I thought you were snobbish and arrogant."


    "Good Lord, why would you even think that?" Zaria was perplexed that there was someone whose first impression of her would be so horrible.


    "Because you''re a beautiful genius¡ªsomething everyone would love to be¡ªand you have everything every woman wants." Natalie confessed then realized from Zaria''s horrified gaze that she was not making much sense. Sheughed. "That''s what I thought before I met you."


    "I wouldn''t imagine such words leaving your mouth even if you beat me up." Zariaughed, and then her gaze narrowed in a direction.


    "What is it?" Natalie tried to follow her gaze.


    "I thought I saw someone who looked familiar over there." She stared pointedly at the farthest part of the garden. "It looked like an actor but he walked away."


    "Oh." Natalie kept looking with interest.


    "It''s him! Jupiter." Zaria tried to hold herself back from going over to ask for an autograph, wondering whether she would be making a fool out of herself by doing that.


    "Do you like him?" Natalie asked with a slightugh while looking at the blonde-haired man in a ck suit, who was speaking to a small group of men. He was standing out as the most handsome among them all, and with the way he was dressed, he should have a red carpet rolled out for him.


    "I''m his loyal fan." Zaria averted her gaze from him, giving up the idea of an autograph to ask Natalie, "Are you his fan too?"


    "His girlfriend." Natalie answered as her eyes turned gentle and a rare doting smile graced her lips.


    "Oh my world. You didn''t strike me as the type to be so madly in love with artists." Zaria was shocked, but not too shocked since there were innumerable women who always screamed about being Jupiter''s wives and wanting to have babies with him. It was only when she was done teasing that she looked up in time to catch the man winking at Natalie. "Wait. You''re serious."


    Natalie nodded, looking as smitten as any girlfriend would be in the presence of her boyfriend.


    "It''s not much long before we can announce our rtionship to the world." She let slip.


    Zaria wondered what they were waiting for, but she did not ask, since it was up to Natalie whether or not she wanted to tell her about it.


    Thetter tore her gaze away before anyone could notice their exchange. "My parents wouldn''t approve of him."


    "Why not? He is a great guy, hardworking and there has never been any scandals about him and other women." Zaria tilted her head in confusion.


    "That, he is." Natalie sounded disappointed. A bartender passed by with a tray of drinks and she called him over to pick a drink. "Want some?" She asked for Zaria''s opinion then picked another ss of wine when thetter nodded. "Let''s sit over there."


    They went to sit on a bench in the garden, then Natalie took a sip elegantly though her eyes looked lost. "My parents are greedy. No matter how well the hotel chains are doing, that''s not the end of the world for them. If all they wanted was for me to marry a wealthy man, they would have married me off to Mayor Fort''s son when he hinted at it to them. Even if I said no to that, I would be certain that they would agree to my union with my boyfriend since he is notcking in wealth."


    His worth was almost in the billions, so Zaria couldn''t understand what was so bad about him either.


    "What they want is a man with tremendous potential¡ªone they can exploit if need be. Which is why Desmond was the best choice." Natalie exined.


    Zaria did not know what to say. Such parents existed? She now understood why they were putting Desmond under pressure to get married with Natalie despite all the rumors circting him. They were merely afraid of losing a businessman with tremendous potential.


    "Don''t look so gloomy." Natalie poked her. "Luckily, Jupiter is hardworking too. As soon as he wins the Brs, he will have proven to be useful and they will not have anything against him."


    "So that''s what you are waiting for." Zaria finally understood why she and Desmond were buying time. Jupiter had been nominated for the Br Awards for Best Actor, and if he won, his poprity would rise by leaps and bounds.


    Natalie nodded. "But that doesn''t mean I''m going to let them use my man. I''m only buying time to cut away from their business."


    "Maybe you can talk to them?" Zaria suggested, since she would never prefer for anyone to leave their family unless they really had to.


    "If talking works." Thetter chuckled mysteriously then stood up when she realized that the men who were with Jupiter earlier had left and he was walking towards them. "Do you want me to introduce you?"


    "Sure." Zaria was looking forward to meeting her idol who she had never seen from this close.


    "Miss Sparks, it''s been long. Did you get tired of waiting for me?" The man asked Natalie directly, with a yful smirk that one would never imagine on his face.


    "I wasn''t waiting for you." Natalie called him out for thinking too much since she didn''t even know that he would be here until she saw him earlier.


    "How can you say such heartless words? Who is your friend?" He looked at Zaria.


    "Desmond''s girlfriend and my friend. She''s your greatest fan. You don''t need to put on an act around her." She introduced. When she heard Zaria gasp in shock when she heard the word ''girlfriend'', she lowered her voice to add. "Just in case he keeps letting his mind run wild and thinks that I''m starting to have feelings for Desmond."


    "Zaria Williams, right?" The man guessed from what Natalie had told him before, and stretched out a hand to shake Zaria''s while ignoring what his girlfriend had just said about him. "It''s a pleasure to meet you. My real name is Devonte Lemaigre. You can call me Devonte or Dev."

 Chapter 84 - Trouble In Paradise

    <h4>Chapter 84 - Trouble In Paradise</h4>


    While the three conversed, a young woman made her way over to them and Natalie sighed at their bad luck. Perhaps because she had encountered too many people in her life, she could tell at a nce if someone had ill intentions and the jovial-looking purple haired woman before them was definitely up to no good. She walked to the man in front of Natalie to clinch sses. "You are Jupiter, aren''t you?"


    Just like Natalie, Devonte had had his fair share of cunning backstabbers, so he knew from a single nce that this was no fan of his. He neither nodded nor shook his head, neither being enthusiastic nor giving the woman anything against him. "Anyments, miss?"


    Perhaps she was Samantha''s shill, she nced at Natalie before proceeding to talk about her. "Don''t get too close to her. She is engaged and her fianc¨¦e is a bloodthirsty tyrant. While the woman beside her, she is worse news. She will report all sorts of nonsense about you as long as she can prove that she was near you for a second. You probably do not know this, but the Fort family''s predicament is her handiwork. She is also the tyrant''s mistress."


    "How is that my business?" Devonte frowned.


    Natalie remained silent while Zariaughed. "You know this, yet you say it right in front of me? Do you want me to dig dirt on you and say it in front of the whole nation? I can wreck the life of your sender while at it."


    The woman trembled when she realized that Zaria could indeed do such a thing. She let out an awkward smile and turned to Devonte. She then took out a pen and pointed at the edge of her purple scarf. "I was hoping I could get your autograph. Excuse me if I spoke too much."


    Devonte knew she was lying but still held the edge of the scarf to his palm and signed his stage name on it.


    From her scared reaction, Zaria knew that the woman definitely had a lot to hide. She was scared that Zaria would really dig up her dirt, and thetter had considered doing so to punish her for having such a foul mouth. However, it was not worth her time and she had better things to do.


    "I''ll go take a walk." She decided to give the couple some space to talk since the woman had disappeared back into the banquet hall.


    "You don''t need to. Dev has somewhere to be." Natalie didn''t want Zaria to be on her own when she had been the one to take her away from Desmond.


    "There you are, Sam is looking for you." Someone patted Devonte''s shoulder and it was yet another person that thedies did not want to see. It was Jaime.


    The man looked over at Zaria and almost couldn''t stop his drool. His gaze then trailed to Natalie and he almost eximed at how lucky he was to bump into both of them in the same space. "You are here too, sister-inw." He greeted with a smile, though his eyes were on Zaria.


    He then pretended to correct himself. "Not you, Zaria. I''m talking to Natalie."


    It was lucky that Devonte had gone to speak to Samantha who was a few feet away, or else he would have pummelled someone to death.


    "It''s been long since youst visited." He said to Natalie. "Not only do I miss you, but it''s also advisable to stake your im. I would not want to have a change of sisters-inw."


    Zaria almost couldn''tprehend his gibberish, but Natalie had heard such things from the Fort siblings to know that they were trying to use her as a sword to get rid of their enemy, Zaria.


    "What does he mean? Do you have a thing with Desmond?" She yed along for Jaime to hear.


    The man departed since he was done here, but he heard their little conversation.


    "How could I do such a thing? We are friends. Don''t trust... Uh he''s gone." Zaria''s tone changed as soon as Jaime was out of earshot. "What''s wrong with that man anyway? And why are we meeting so many lunatics today?"


    "Just our luck." Natalie sighed.


    "Forget them. I saw someone I think looks familiar, I''ll go to say hi. Do you want toe along?" Zaria suggested, but thetter shook her head since her feet were sore.


    "I''ll wait for you."


    Zaria left, and Natalie was about to find somewhere to sit down for a while when a hand dragged her to a secluded corner.


    "Dev?" She was startled when she saw him, but before she could say a word, he kissed her. She pushed him in shock. "What the hell are you doing?"


    "Kissing you. Can''t you tell?" Devonte frowned at the silly question.


    "This is a public ce." Natalie protested sternly, wondering how audacious he could get.


    "I checked and there is no one here." He assured her, but she still tried to push him away.


    "Let go of me." She ordered.


    It took him several seconds to ept that it was indeed what she had said, so he slowly pulled his fingers away from her. She adjusted the silver scarf around her shoulders, which hade undone from the sudden contact. His face was full of displeasure. "I came here for you. I wouldn''t attend such a sick banquet whose purpose I don''t know if I didn''t get intel that you wereing, but you don''t even want to be near me?"


    "You could have stayed at home for all I care." She sharply retorted, making the man look like he had heard the most shocking thing in the world. She sighed helplessly. "Dev, your reputation would be ruined if anyone saw us together. you know fully well what could happen if someone got hold of a scandalous picture. Your opponents are waiting for you to fall before the day of the awards. How can you be so careless?"


    s, the man didn''t say a word in response. He nodded slightly and stepped back to disappear into the hotel.


    She looked in the direction he had left and closed her eyes to suppress her emotions. Regaining her calm, she made her way back towards the garden to look for Zaria, so they could go back to the banquet hall together.


    She smiled slightly when she saw Desmond who looked like he was searching around for something.


    "There you are." Desmond walked to her with a curious look on his face. "I just brushed past your boyfriend and he looked like he had lost a gamble worth his entire worth, and you look gloomy too. Trouble in paradise?"


    Although his words were meant to be a tease, Natalie knew that he was concerned. They were friends and Desmond was the only one aside from Zaria who knew about her rtionship with Devonte, so she knew that she could talk to him.


    "He''s impossible. All I did was mention his career. I only said that his opponents are waiting for him to make a slight slip up so they wouldtch onto it and force him off the list of nominees or fatally decrease his chances of winning and off he went."


    She felt her head hurt as she wondered whether she had hurt his feelings. Had she said the wrong thing? She knew that what she said was true, she had seen it happen many times before, but if he found it offensive that she had pointed it out, he could say so. What would walking away solve? "Perhaps as a man you can understand him?"


    Desmond assessed her words and shook his head. "Trust me, I don''t. But I''m certain that whatever it is, he loves you."


    "You always know what to say." His words brought a smile to her face. Sometimes she wondered whether Devonte loved her as he imed, since he was often insecure and he let his insecurities get the better of him. But as long as they loved each other and their rtionship was not toxic, they could handle the rest together.


    Desmond was relieved when he saw the smile on Natalie''s face. He was bad at coaxing women and he sometimes wondered what he would do if Zaria ever got mad at him and decided to dump him. Frowning, he decided not to think about that. His Zaria would never want to leave him.


    "You better know what to say in exnation of the fact that you left my Zaria all alone." He looked at Natalie sternly.


    "She went to say hi to a friend and will be back soon." She answered then thought back to what Devonte had said. No one knew why Samantha threw a banquet. They had all thought that she was inviting close friends to celebrate something but now that she thought about it, it seemed too peculiar. "Desmond, do you know the purpose of this banquet?"


    The man was yet to answer when Samantha held the microphone and called for attention.


    Desmond shook his head at her question, but he had a bad feeling about this.

 Chapter 85 - Noticed (By The Beauty)

    <h4>Chapter 85 - Noticed (By The Beauty)</h4>


    Samantha had an inexplicable smile glued onto her face as she faced the guests, and Desmond had a gut feeling that trouble was brewing.


    "Should I stop her?" Natalie suggested as she also didn''t have a good feeling about the look on Samantha''s face.


    "Let her be. It''s her banquet, after all." Desmond dismissed. If his sister had a brain, she would know better than to mess with him in such a setting, so he somehow wanted to believe that this whole charade had nothing to do with him.


    "Extinguished guests, thank you for attending this banquet." Samantha smiled. "Allow me to use this chance to invite my brother, Jaime."


    When she finished speaking, she gestured her hand towards the entrance that was on her right. A man in a cream tuxedo walked in and stood beside Samantha, taking the microphone while muttering an audible "Thanks, sis."


    Some meters away, Desmond frowned as it finally sunk in. Samantha was the stage warmer all along. Today''s stage belonged to Jaime, who must be the star of whatever nonsensical charade was about to unfold. He looked like a self-proimed king as he gazed at the crowd as though he looked down on everyone like they were as worthless as the dust under his feet.


    "I''m d that you all made it to this special banquet." His tone was sarcastic, making it apparent that he was far from d. Not wasting his precious time on meaningless small talk, he spoke again. "I would like to take this opportunity to announce an extremely special and unexpected piece of news. Everyone knows that there are three children in the Fort Family, but from now, there will only be two."


    He searched the crowd with his arrogant eyes, and when he locked eyes with his brother, the corners of his lips lifted as though he was provoking him. There was nothing Desmond could do about it anyway.


    "No way." The guests exchanged nces and gossiped in low tones. Was Jaime leaving the Fort family? It was not impossible since his father was dead while his mother was in jail for murder. Anyone would be disheartened, but wasn''t leaving the family too much?


    Outside, Zaria heard Jaime''s announcement and held back a gasp.


    "He is going to disown Desmond." A curse resounded beside her.


    "No fucking way!" She let out an unrestrained curse. How dare he!


    It was only when she was done cursing that she realized that the person beside her was Liam. Her gaze narrowed at him.


    "Forget our grudges for a second. I know you have something against Jaime." Liam looked into her narrowed eyes urgently. "Of course, he cannot erase the blood running in Desmond''s veins, but he will be humiliated in public and heaven knows what kind of rumors would erupt from this incident."


    Zaria stopped the mean words at the tip of her tongue from shooting at Liam when she realized that his words made sense. She gathered the skirt of her dress and sprinted into the hall, entering using the right-side door that Jaime had entered earlier.


    Jaime enjoyed the misunderstanding he had created and smiled as the guests guessed and spected. He thenughed jovially. "Aren''t you so imaginative? The idea of leaving the Fort family may be thrilling, but it''s not what I have in mind." He once again let them specte for a second before he yed with the microphone as he resumed speaking. "I would like to announce that I am disowning my younger¡­"


    Before he couldplete his statement, he noticed that Zaria had entered the hall at some point and was now standing beside him. His eyebrow raised in question. What was this? Had the beauty finally noticed him? Was she here to express her support as he made the big announcement?


    He held a hand out to her, and she smiled as she ced her phone in his opened palm. He found her actions peculiar. Even if she wanted his cell phone number, she could take it from himter. What did she mean by doing so in a hall full of guests and by interrupting his speech?


    Thinking that she probably wanted to stake her im on him so other women would stay away, he found her cute and raised the phone in front of him to insert his contact number, but what he saw on the screen was baffling.


    His face turned pale as his eyes bulged, but itsted a fraction of a second and disappeared before anyone noticed it. He nonchntly returned the phone to Zaria and continued with a smug smile. "I would like to announce that I''m disowning my younger sister, Samantha."


    "What?" More than the guests, Samantha was so shocked that she almost made a fool out of herself. What had gotten into Jaime? This was no time to y around!


    "Since my sister felt that it is too boring to be part of the family, I found it only right to let her go. Good luck, Sam." He concluded his speech by sending a fake smile in Samantha''s direction, and then he shoved the microphone back into her hands while trying to maintain his calm. Then he walked out of the banquet hall.


    The smile on Zaria''s face deepened. She made to leave and turned back to brush past Samantha and whispered, "Congrattions, Samantha Fort."


    Leaving behind the enraged Samantha, she made her way to the spot where she had seen Desmond and nudged him. "There is nothing more to see. Let''s go."


    "He was about to disown me. What did you show him?" He asked in a low tone.


    "A threat. Want me to show you?" She yfully smirked.


    "Yes. Can I see?" He asked, wondering just what it was that could make his stubborn brother change his mind. Not only that, but he also returned the phone to Zaria without faking an ident to break it or flipping up on her. It had to be something extremely impactful.


    In response, she shook her head like she was waiting to be bribed before she could share the information. "Ask me nicelyter."


    Desmond smiled and nodded at her before he made his way to the stage. Samantha was currently making some small talk even though it was evident just how embarrassed she was while everyone asked her why she was leaving the family. She had already testified against her birth mother and this was still etched in the minds of everyone who heard about it. The few that had forgotten about it were reminded of what a heartless traitor she was by this piece of news.


    "What do you want?" Samantha mouthed when she noticed Desmond taking the microphone. It was already awful enough that Jaime had changed ns at the final moment and left her in the eye of the storm. What was Desmond doing?


    Before she could stop him, the man had already started speaking. "I''m sorry about that. My brother likes to joke around at times that are least appropriate. What he meant is that Sam is getting married soon, so there will be one less person using ''Fort'' as their surname."


    "Oh¡­" A guest eximed in understanding.


    "So that was what Jaime meant." Anotherughed.


    "Jaime didn''t strike me as the type to joke around at such a time."


    Seeing that the discussion had turned in the direction he wanted, Desmond smiled at Samantha. "Congrattions, sis."


    "Thank you brother." She was not getting married any time soon, but that was a much better rumor for people to spread than her being the ck sheep of the family. It was ironic that the real ck sheep was helping her out, but she knew better than to be relieved. He definitely had some other n.


    She was right because Desmond indeed had a grander n and did not want Samantha out of the family or it would not have the desired effect. After sessfully averting the crisis, he waved at Zaria to follow him out so they could leave. There was nothing else to watch since the show was over. The clown had long fallen and could no longer continue to perform his theatrics.


    "Don''t be so smug." Jaime growled through gritted teeth when Desmond brushed past him with Zaria, who had just ruined his n.


    Desmond turned to nce at him spitefully. "Oh, I have to be. I just squished you like an ant with zero effort. What made you think you had the authority to disown people from the family anyway? You made a total fool out of yourself out there. But do not fret. I''ve got your back, brother."


    He patted the back of Jaime''s shoulder through thest word, and thetter rubbed it as though he had been touched by something disgusting.


    "I will kill you when I have the chance, Desmond."


    "I''ll be waiting." Desmond scoffed like he was looking forward to witnessing the clown make a fool out of himself once again.

 Chapter 86 - Trial (1)

    <h4>Chapter 86 - Trial (1)</h4>


    Long chapter iing


    _


    "Hey, let''s catch a movie tonight." Desmond suggested as he snaked a hand around Zaria''s waist, recalling how great it was to watch with her the previous week.


    "It''s my dad''s birthday tomorrow." She pulled away, so she would slip out of his hold.


    He frowned in displeasure but could only hold back, recalling that they were still near the hotel and someone could see them. "Since his birthday is tomorrow, we can watch a movie or two and you will go home to wish him tomorrow."


    "I want to spend the whole day with him. Starting from midnight." She declined.


    "Why does it need to be that way?" His voice was full ofint, but he could do nothing about what she had decided. He had never heard of anyone nning out an entire twenty four hours just to spend with the person they loved.


    "There''s still many hours before midnight." He coaxed pleadingly.


    "I need to n it out. Find some snack or something to keep your mouth shut and stop bugging me." She cast him a threatening look and answered a text message she had received earlier from the online shopping application where she had ordered baking ingredients.


    When he dropped her off, Ryan was waiting below the apartment building.


    "What is this guy doing here?" He so badly wanted to turn the car around and go to his house instead.


    "Goodnight. Remember to behave yourself." She looked at him sternly, making him give up on the idea of causing trouble with Ryan. Although she liked Desmond, she didn''t want to unnecessarily wreck her friendship with Ryan. If it was possible, she wanted to maintain peace between them.


    "You are defending him. What if he steals you away?" He asked with his brows furrowed.


    "If that were possible, you would have zero chances with me." She reminded him that she and Ryan had grown up. If she were to fall in love with him, she would have done so as a teenager. "Be good and go back, okay?"


    Seeing that he was still looking at her sulkily, she leaned over and raised her head to kiss his cheek.


    He swallowed to prevent his smile from surfacing, then pointed at his lips to indicate that he wanted them kissed too. Resigning to her fate of having to sit a big baby, she pecked his lips. "Happy now?"


    "I am. But I would have been happier if you did that out there in front of him." He chuckled.


    "Don''t be so childish." She chided.


    After pacifying the big baby with more kisses and hugs, she finally left the car and walked to Ryan, whose eyes were full of anger after having witnessed what happened in the car from the windshield. "Ryan, why are you here?"


    He swallowed back his anger and stopped himself from saying something stern. He knew that she would be angrier and that might just push him closer into Desmond''s arms. "It''s Uncle Theo''s birthday tomorrow, right? Do you need help preparing everything?"


    "It''s okay. I will manage it on my own." She modestly turned him down.


    "Are you sure?" He asked, knowing that it was not a lot of work. Although it was not too much, she would have dly epted the help if this was a few weeks ago. They were drifting more and more apart by the day.


    "I''ll go up now." She spoke up while pointing towards the elevator.


    "Please give this to Uncle Theo." He took out a card from his pockets. It was a VIP membership card for a golf club.


    "Thank you." She took it and wordlessly went to the elevator.


    "Zaria, did I lose you?" He muttered with a sigh when he saw the elevator doors slide to close. If he didn''t run his mouth off and tell her what he felt for her, would he still be her best friend?


    ¡­


    Once home, Zaria took a quick shower and prepared the ingredients to bake a blueberry cake. Theodore wasn''t home, making her wonder just where he was spending so much of his timetely.


    Seeing that it was almost 11pm, she set the cake to start baking while using the chance to decorate the house. When she was done baking and decorating the house, he was yet to arrive. She picked up her phone to check up on him when she noticed his text message that he had sent about two hours ago.


    She tiredly slumped onto the couch, and when Des rushed to snuggle onto her belly, she rubbed his ears with a sigh. "He''s in Luxenville again and will only be back tomorrow Morning. What has he been doing there anyway?"


    Of course, Des had no answer to offer. She could only specte and unknowingly, she fell asleep on the couch and woke up to the feeling of a soft nket sliding onto her body.


    She rubbed her eyes as she woke up and sat up. "Dad, you are back. What''s the time?"


    "How could you sleep on the couch all night? You could catch a cold."


    Only then did she realize that it was already morning. She caught sight of the balloons, most of which had burst¡ªprobably because Des thought of them as fun toys and decided to take a bite.


    "Happy birthday." She said through a smile, d that she had kept the cake in the fridge.


    "Thank you." He sat on the couch as she went to retrieve the cake. As she set it on the table, he softly called her name. "I''m sorry I was not herest night. You even prepared a surprise for me."


    "Don''t mention it." She didn''t want to dwell on the trivial matters. "It must have been an important matter if you had to rush to Luxenville on such short notice?"


    "Yes, it was." He vaguely agreed but did not offer any exnation.


    She could only continue to specte. Was it the same matter as thest time?


    ...


    On Monday, Desmond sought Zaria soon after they were finished with their first meeting.


    "Do you need something?" She asked when she noticed him standing unmoving behind her.


    "I''m going to court."


    He didn''t need to borate for her to know that he was going to attend his mother''s trial.


    She didn''t know what to say in sce so she smiled. "I will take care of things here."


    "I love you Zaria." He pulled on her chair to make it swing, so she would properly face him. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on her lips.


    "Good luck." She said in return.


    "Walk me to the car." He demanded like a clingy child and she sternly shook her head.


    "I will have more mountains of work today. Do you have the heart to make me walk back and forth as well?"


    She was right, and he didn''t want to tire her out either. "I will make sure to return as soon as I can."


    ....


    In the Imperium Criminal Court, Samantha was called onto the witness stand since she had imed to have walked into her mother who had just murdered her father.


    Desmond sent a reassuring look to his mother who had been handcuffed and was sitting on a high chair between two policemen.


    "I would like to ask the witness a few questions." Asked Desmond''swyer, a middle-aged man who was known to have managed to win most of the cases he took on.


    When the judge granted him permission, he looked at Samantha while adjusting his sses. "Miss Samantha Fort, where were you on the night of 11th August?"


    Samantha frowned about having to narrate the tale she had already told. "As I said, I was at my friend''s house then at about midnight, I decided to go back home."


    "I see." Thewyer adjusted his sses once again, but his action gave Samantha goosebumps. "May I ask what the two of you were doing?"


    "We talked about her engagement to my brother." She answered with a shrug.


    "Who is your friend?" Came the next question.


    "Natalie Sparks. My soon to be sister-inw." She was starting to feel irritated but had to hold her ground.


    "I would like to confirm the credibility of your words. Is this friend of yours nearby?"


    "She is here now." She impatiently pointed at Natalie who was beside Desmond. Thetter looked surprised. The eyes of bothwyers, Alyssa, the judge, and the few onlookers all flew at Natalie¡ªeveryone for their different reasons.


    "Miss Natalie, could you step into the witness stand?" Thewyer requested after getting permission from the court.


    Samantha nced in the direction of Alyssa and tried not to look smug. She was confident because she really was at the Sparks'' vi on that night and they had indeed talked about her engagement.


    Natalie was sworn in as a witness before the first question rolled out. "Can you confirm that Samantha was at your home on the 11th of August?"


    Natalie nced at Samantha and shook her head indifferently. "No, she wasn''t."


    "What? She is lying!" Samantha eximed. "This is no ce to joke around, Natalie!"


    "Order!" The judge bellowed and Samantha, along with everyone who was whispering had to shut up.


    Natalie continued, "On that night, I was with my fianc¨¦e all night. Samantha did not seek me, nor did we talk about my engagement."


    "She is lying, I swear!" Samantha wanted to pull her hair off. This bitch!


    "Her parents saw me there." She yelled even though she was not allowed to talk outside the witness stand.


    However, Natalie countered her. "My parents were outstation."


    "This is unexpected." The middle-aged man eyed Natalie. "Do you have a way to prove that they were not home either?"


    "Yes. I have a copy of their schedule but it''s not here with me. However, I can prove that I was with my fiance and not with Samantha on that night. I still have the photos we took in Ciel on my phone. We also booked a hotel room at L''Hotel Onice and I have a record of that."


    Thewyer asked for the evidence and Natalie gave her phone to him. Thewyer gave it to the judge, who immediately summoned the expert in charge of checking the authenticity of electronic evidence. A few momentster, the judge called for order once again and dered sternly, "Due to her statement which is inconsistent with the truth, Miss Samantha Fort has been disqualified as a witness."

 Chapter 87 - Trial (2)

    <h4>Chapter 87 - Trial (2)</h4>


    "She is lying about everything!" Samantha insisted while pointing at Natalie with a re. If her statement could no longer be used in court, that would be fatal. There was little evidence against Alyssa and she was the only eye witness. If she was discredited and didn''t manage to make Alyssa convicted, Jaime would not spare her.


    "Speak when you are asked to, Miss Fort. One more word from you and you will be thrown out of the courtroom." The judge threatened and Samantha had no choice but to shut her mouth. She felt as though she was sitting on needles.


    "Objection." Jaime''swyer spoke up against Samantha''s dismissal. "Natalie''s location has nothing to do with the current case. It''s not enough ground to discredit a witness."


    As soon as he was done speaking, Desmond''swyer adjusted his sses and countered him. "It''s only right for us to prove that the witness is saying nothing but the truth. Or else, who knows what other lie she would tell that might be fatal? This case involves people''s lives after all."


    "Objection overruled." Decided the judge, since Desmond''swyer made sense. Samantha was officially dismissed from having anything to do with the case. "Does anyone else have anything to say?"


    "Allow me to ask Ms. Fort a few questions." Jaime''swyer requested.


    Natalie who had left the witness stand and was back to sit beside Desmond tensed up. "He is up to no good."


    The man didn''t say a word and only patted the back of her hand, which was a sign for the other person to not worry. She didn''t know why he was so rxed even in the face of awyer hired by Jaime, by she sighed and remained silence since she had never doubted him.


    "When was your husband murdered?" The procecutor went ahead to start interrogating Alyssa.


    It was not the first time Alyssa was hearing this question but she had to answer it every time.


    "I don''t know. I found him dead when I got back home." Came the words she had said so many times that she could no longer keep count of the number of times she had said them.


    "What time was it when you got back home?" The man asked.


    "1:10 am." She answered, and noticed that a few people gasped and gave her odd looks. She knew that they were judging her for getting home sote, but she didn''t care. The whole nation was judging her for being a cheating wife anyway, this was nothing new.


    However, the prosecutor has something else in mind. "Your husband had been dismembered in the living room, and you had the time to check the clock?"


    "No. I checked the time when I was at the door before I entered the house, to guess whether or not he was asleep." She exined indifferently.


    The prosecutor paused for a few seconds as though gauging whether or not her words made sense, then asked, "And then what happened?"


    "When I saw him, I was shocked for a moment. I was yet to call for help when I heard a scream from behind me. I turned around and saw my daughter." Truth be told, at the moment, Samantha''s appearance was so sudden that she had almost though that thetter had killed her father. She only realized that she had just arrived when the young woman became hysterical and pointed a finger at her while expressing her disbelief at the fact that her mother had murdered her father.


    "Did you have fights with your husband?" The prosecutor asked.


    "Yes." She did not lie about being in perfectly good terms with herte husband.


    "Did you ever wish for him to get out of your life and never return?" Came the next question.


    "What? No way." She frowned.


    "You said that he was cheating on you and that he had tried to steal away all the family assets? Were you ever tempted to silence him?" The prosecutor provoked her directly. "Besides, from a few of the things you said and the fact that you were out of the house and sneakily returned at 1am, it almost sounds like you were cheating too. I''m not saying you did it, but what if you colluded with your lover to get your husband out of the way so the two of you could enjoy all the wealth?"


    "Objection. My client is being emotionally provoked." Thewyer hired by Desmond spoke up, but Alyssa answered the question she was asked anyway.


    "Couples usually have conflicts but that doesn''t make us wish each other dead. I am a strong believer that every marital problem can be solved peacefully."


    Desmond smiled. He knew that his mother would not be as brainless as Samantha who had trapped herself.


    The court was adjourned, and Desmond left the courtroom with Natalie. They initially kept their silence but when they entered his car, Natalie could not keep her curiosity to herself anymore.


    "Jaime''swyer wasn''t this easy to deal with thest time. He kept asking your mum questions that appeared to be out of context but were meant to trap her into saying things that could incriminate her. What happened to him?"


    Desmond started the car and raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you think that there is such a thing as winning the case as long as you have the bestwyers? Maybe that works in other countries but in Olphire, it''s all about who is more generous."


    "Wait. You ''shook hands'' with him?" Natalie was puzzled when she understood the implication of his words. Desmond remained silent and she took that as a yes. So those tricky questions were only meant for the situation to appear natural. If not, it would be suspicious if the prosecutor was suddenly on the used''s side.


    She said nothing more but silently praised Desmond in her heart. Both sides were doing the wrong thing anyway, no one could me him for lying to give an innocent person justice.


    "You did well." He praised her for going along with the n.


    "Do you want to reward me? It''s not going to be so easy." She gave him a meaningful look.


    "What do you want?" He asked with a side-nce, even though he could already guess what she wanted.


    "A presidential suite." She responded with a proud hard-to-please expression.


    He chuckled at her antics. "You got it. I will book the presidential suites in one of your family''s hotel chains in both of our names, and you will also get one of the top actors in the country as your special surprise guest to entertain you all night. Is it okay to get Jupiter?"


    "Don''t tease me." She rolled her eyes and looked forward to spending the night with her boyfriend even though it was still early in the afternoon.


    "I''ll pick you up in the evening." He promised and dropped her off at her house before going back to Preston and Fort Group.


    _


    "Sweetie, I don''t know whether the chances of her being proven innocent are higher but Samantha was dismissed." He reported to Zaria when he returned to the office.


    "Good job." She praised him and set the files she was holding aside to pat him on the shoulder.


    He looked at her meaningfully. Knowing that he was asking for better praise, she tiptoed and pecked his lips. He smiled in satisfaction.


    When she sat down, he pushed her chair far from her desk and faced her with his back against the desk. "On Saturday at the banquet, what did you show Jaime?"


    "I deleted it." She knew he was talking about the time when Jaime was about to disown him as a member of the Fort family, but had given up and changed his announcement after seeing the content of whatever was on Zaria''s phone screen at the time.


    "What was it?" He probed.


    "It won''t matter anymore." As she spoke, she stood up and tapped him to remind him that they needed to attend a meeting.


    "Zaria,"


    "Desmond, I''m tired." She interrupted him before he could say anything further. "Could you please prepare yourself to attend the meeting? The interns are already waiting."


    This was not the first time she was avoiding his question. Why was she being so secretive?


    Knowing that he was displeased, she ced a hand on his shoulder. "I''ll show it to you when the time is right, okay? I don''t want to put you in danger."


    "So you want to put yourself in danger by keeping that information all to yourself?" He knew that his brother would not sit still while knowing that there was someone who knew something grave about him. "Tell me about it, okay? I will protect you." He promised.


    She hesitated, so he added, "Then don''t tell me. But this time, don''t insist that you can protect yourself. I will add more bodyguards to protect you."


    "There are bodyguards protecting me?" She was puzzled.


    He pulled her into his arms in response. "What did you think? That I was going to let you be targeted?"


    She gulped in shock. No wonder she was feeling paranoidtely, as though she was being followed. So it was the bodyguards. She took a deep breath. "It''s a video from your family''s living room''s surveince camera on the night of your dad''s demise. a hacker friend helped me retrieve it."

 Chapter 88 - Double-edged Sword

    <h4>Chapter 88 - Double-edged Sword</h4>


    Desmond was speechless for a while, digesting the news that his family home was not as secure as he thought. There was a hacker who could retrieve a surveince camera footage of the living room? More importantly, there was someone who knew what went down on that day?


    He couldn''t help wondering what else Zaria and her friend knew, but that was not his business for now. "Is there any way I can see it?"


    She shook her head in response to his question, then immediately nodded. "You can, but it will be harder than it would have been if I showed it to you earlier. I knew Jaime would try to find me so I deleted it."


    "Your phone stores deleted files for sixty days before they are permanently deleted." He pointed out. He was certain because he used a phone from the same brand.


    "I know. I permanently deleted it from the [Deleted Files] folder as well."


    "Okay¡­" He could only resign to his fate though he wondered whether he could retrieve it if he found a hacker.


    "It''s...Hard to retrieve it, but it''s not impossible." She stated.


    "Is this hacker friend who helped you get it Ryan?" He asked. Why else would it be hard?


    "No." She took a step away from him in contemtion.


    "Is it Ximena?" His next guess was the other person who didn''t like him.


    "It''s not her either. It''s a friend I met online." She confessed.


    "You know about Inte friends, Zaria." He narrowed his eyes at her, his tone was full of disapproval.


    She took a step away from him. "I do. But we have been friends for years. If he was going to do anything to me, he would have done it already."


    "And you didn''t meet him to know him better because?" He asked skeptically.


    "At first, I didn''t trust him so I was scared. Butter I decided that it was alright to keep it online." She exined.


    "I still don''t trust him." Not just because he was a man, but because he thought of hackers as double-edged swords and didn''t want any of them near his Zaria¡ªof course, the fact that the hacker was a man made his eyebrows knit even deeper.


    "Why don''t we go somewhere more...secretive? It''s hard to guess what might be in here." She looked around as she spoke.


    "My house this evening?" He suggested, knowing that she probably wanted to talk about the content of the surveince video.


    "Okay." She agreed, then wondered why it felt like she had just gotten herself into a trap.


    ....


    When she had finished work and was about to leave, an unwee guest made his way into her office.


    "Look what the cat dragged in." Her brows furrowed as she looked at Liam.


    "Thank you for helping Desmond out." He did not give her the chance to kick him out before he could state the reason for his visit.


    Hearing his words, she let out a low snicker. "Don''t think too much of yourself, Liam."


    "Am I?" He wondered what she was talking about when she acted on his words.


    Her lips were curled into a smile as she yed with a pen in her hand. "I did it for Desmond. There isn''t a woman who wouldn''t do her best to help her man out, Mmh?"


    "Your man, Zaria¡­"


    She didn''t wait for him to finish speaking as he was standing there and looking speechless. Dropping the pen into the pen holder, she kept the remaining files in her drawer and locked it, then took her bag. "He''s so great. You have no idea. Will you stop trying to separate us?"


    Liam who was already speechless, didn''t let out a peep. He simply turned around and left.


    ...


    "Shoot. What the fuck is wrong with me?" Zaria cursed as she left her office.


    "What''s wrong is that you''re madly in love." A familiar scent wafted into her nose as a pair of hands wrapped around her from the back. "With me." The narcissistic man added.


    "Shut up." She silenced him then wondered whether she had overheard their conversation.


    He zipped his mouth and pressed the elevator button, then pulled her in as soon as it arrived. "I want you so badly."


    "What the hell do you mean?" She chided as she looked up to meet his gaze.


    "What I mean is, I want to make love to you." Came the man''s unrestrained answer. "I want to pin you down on my bed and¡­"


    "I know what you mean, dummy. You don''t have to say it out aloud." She interrupted him, feeling embarrassed. Luckily, there was no one else in the elevator or she would have died from their piercing, judgemental stares.


    The man shrugged in all innocence. "You asked me. I was only stating what I want to do to you."


    She ignored him, but then noticed that his eyes were glued onto her. His seductive gaze made her hairs rise and when she peeked at him through the mirror, she almost couldn''t stop herself from kissing him.


    " Don''t give me that look." She tried to maintain her rationality.


    "Let''s talk about this." He smiled and before she knew it, he was in front of her and pinning her against the wall. Her bag fell and she couldn''t pick it up because he grabbed her hands and pinned them above her. His hands circled her neck and she bit her lower lip to stop a gasp.


    "You''re being invasive." She softlyined.


    "You''re hot and cold." He retorted, referring to how she would kiss him one moment and avoid his touch in the next. He almost couldn''t keep up.


    "This is an elevator."


    He was not listening to her because his lipsnded on hers, his hands snaking down her body to hold her waist. He kissed her as much as he had wanted to do all day, savoring her lips as his hand slid down her butt and held her thigh to bring it up his waist.


    She heard a soft chime and her eyes flew open. She tried to push him off her but the man didn''t budge.


    "Desmond."


    "Mmh?" He paused even though he didn''t want to.


    "We''re on the ground floor." Her voice was like that of a mistress and her lover, caught pants down by the legitimate wife.


    He turned to find that not only was the elevator open, but they were also being stared at by the employees who were gathering to watch the spectacle.


    Disregarding her awkwardness, she picked her bag and straightened her skirt then walked out like nothing had happened.


    "The CEO and Miss Williams were making out in the elevator?" She heard a secretary gasp in shock as she passed by the employees.


    "Is that supposed to be something new?" Came another employee''s retort.


    ¡­


    Zaria entered her car, and Desmond thought that she was nning for then to go to his house in her car today. He entered and sat in the passenger seat, but she started driving without saying a word to him.


    "Are you upset?" He asked for confirmation.


    From her silence, he didn''t need to ask a second time. "I''m sorry, I lost control of myself and¡­"


    "Do you think I''m mad about that?" She interrupted him with a re.


    "Why are you upset, then?" He asked as gently as possible.


    She stopped the car at a red light and red at him. "You have the nerve to ask? "Is that supposed to be something new?" What does that mean?"


    He didn''t understand what she was talking about.


    "Is it a normality for you to kiss and make out with your assistants?" She directly asked the man who she thought was feigning ignorance.


    He finally understood that she was asking about one of the employee''sments. He cursed that employee in his heart for creating such a misunderstanding.


    "No. I''m sure that''s not what her words meant. They meant you. It''s not the first time I''m kissing you in the office building."


    "Don''t try to weave your way around it." He sounded like a scumbag would, making excuses to get away with cheating.


    He knew that it was hard to exin but he still tried. "I promise you. I have always drawn a line between work and personal matters. I''m sure she did not mean that I have done it in the past because I didn''t do it."


    "You expect me to believe you." She chuckled and resumed driving as the light shed to green. Who would believe his words? If he had always drawn a fine line between work and personal matters, then what about all those times he flirted with her in the past? What about now? Wasn''t she his assistant?


    "No." He admitted when she saw her usatory look.


    "Yet you still exined yourself.?" She found him absurd.


    "Because I know that once you calm down, you will do your magic and find out whether or not I''ve flirted around with my former assistants." Came his reply.

 Chapter 89 - A Harmless Father-son Talk

    <h4>Chapter 89 - A Harmless Father-son Talk</h4>


    "Your reputation isn''t all that good." She shrugged at his words and resumed driving. Whose fault was it that his words could not be easily trusted?


    "Do you trust me?" He asked, even after hearing her statement and knowing what the answer was probably going to be.


    She frowned slightly. "Trust is a strong word. But that doesn''t mean I like you any less. I mean, it''s part of you. Do I have a choice?"


    Her words took him by surprise, then he found her funny andughed. "You look and sound so cute right now."


    "Don''t get used to it. I''m not always like this." She retaliated while taking the route to his house.


    "Yeah, it''s probably momentary. You might soon go back to the ordinary version of yourself, or worse, to the snarky one that seems to have something against everything I do¡ªincluding breathing." Heughed when she rolled her eyes and then he continued, "which is why I''ll be a fool if I don''t take full advantage of it."


    As soon as he spoke, his hand snaked around her waist, then made its way back, and slid onto her knee which was exposed by the skirt she was wearing.


    "I''m driving. Keep your hands to yourself or I''ll make sure I''m thest thing you touch." She threatened, since his actions were distracting her and making her lose focus from the road.


    However, he took her words as some sort of ttery and smiled like he had heard the most romantic thing. "That would be awesome. It would be the greatest honor to my hands."


    She red at him fiercely, as though she was ready to slice his hands right off, along with his mouth that was speaking a ton of nonsense.


    "Okay. I''ll behave myself." He retracted his hands, even though her thighs were just too tempting to ignore. Not just her thighs, he wanted to touch and explore every part of her body, but she was right. He shouldn''t do that while she was driving or else he might lose control and cause a fatal ident.


    When they arrived at his mansion, she sat on a sofa far away from his favorite spot in the living room, but he knew it had nothing to do with avoiding him. If she wanted to avoid him, she would not agree to go to his ce.


    "What would you like to drink? Coffee?" He offered, knowing that she must be tired and thirsty after such a long day at work. She shook her head so he tried again. "Wine?"


    "No, it''s okay." She tried to calm down to stop her head from hurting.


    Observing that she must be feeling under pressure thanks to what she was about to tell him, he sat down beside her and ced his hands on either side of her back. "You don''t have to feel obliged to tell me anything. If it''s making you ufortable, then forget about it."


    She smiled in relief at how considerate he was, but she shook her head. "It''s harder to keep it in. Seeing how hard you are trying to search for the truth, how can I bear to not tell you what I know?"


    He thought of a possibility and his fist clenched. "If you are being threatened to keep your mouth shut by anyone..."


    "Jaime hasn''t sought me yet. But I know he will." She interrupted him. "I already know how to handle him when he does."


    He didn''tment on her words, but he made a mental note to ensure she didn''t go anywhere on her own.


    "About that night, no one else was at your house except your dad, Samantha and Jaime." She started, and Desmond frowned.


    He knew it. The real murderer had to be either of those two bloody fools who thought they had the world revolving around them.


    She snuck a nce at him before she continued, "Samantha left and it was just the two of them left.


    ¡­..


    ~11th August, at night.


    "Jaime, we need to talk." Said Marchal Fort, ncing at his son who was about to leave the living room.


    The man turned around with an inexplicable grin. "That, we do."


    "Let''s go to my study." Marchal suggested, but Jaime had other ns in mind.


    "Why do we have to hide behind closed doors when we have a normal father-son conversation? Let''s do it right here."


    Marchal pondered for a few seconds. The servants never left their rooms unless they were needed to, while Samantha had left and on the other hand, Alyssa was not home either. He decided that it was not worth it to waste time just trying to convince his stubborn son to follow him to the study.


    "I know what you have in your possession." He lowered his voice to state affirmatively. "Your mother gave it to you, didn''t she?"


    ¡­.


    ~The Present.~


    "Perhaps the surveince cameras glitched and the audio recorder stopped working for some minutes, but I find it more usible to believe that the hacker muted some parts of the video. Perhaps whatever the two talked about was not that important? I don''t understand geniuses'' trains of thought either." Zaria exined that she did not know what Marchal and Jaime talked about. "However, your father and brother looked like they were arguing. I think it''s about whatever is in Jaime''s possession that was given to him by your mother."


    "The property ownership and transfer documents." He filled in the nks with the information that his mother had told him before.


    "I guess. Anyway, it was heated and your dad... Tried to kill Jaime."


    Desmond was not shocked by this piece of news. ording to how Alyssa had described the situation, paired with the gravity of the fact that the documents were in Jaime''s possession, it was indeed not surprising for him to try and get rid of Jaime.


    For a second, he couldn''t help but wonder if it was possible that Marchal had initiated the attack and Jaime had only killed him for self defense. However, he knew his brother well enough and would never mistake him for the victim. Besides, he believed that self-defense was instinctive. The victim would not have the time nor the psychotic desire to dismember the assant.


    He waited for Zaria to continue and she did. "He missed the attack. Then he tried to leave and go upstairs after speaking for a few seconds. He seemed to have calmed down, and he even held his palms together in front of his face¡ªI guess he was apologizing. But as soon as he turned to leave, Jaime threw a knife through his back. The rest of it is... Unbearable to watch or talk about." She closed her eyes just thinking about it.


    She didn''t watch through the entire video and wanted to erase what she saw from her memory, even though the hacker had pixted the gore.


    All she knew was thatter, Samantha returned.


    " What did you do?" She asked through a yell.


    "You saw nothing." Jaime red at her from the unbearable pieces of flesh and blood that were their father just a short while ago.


    "This is what we nned. I''m making our dreamse true, Sam." He smiled, while Samantha continued to stare at him in shock.


    "But you didn''t have to do it this way. You could have faked an ident or something." Said Samantha, and Jaimeughed at her silly logic.


    "Are you saying that it''s alright to kill people as long as you do not dismember them? Don''t be naive my sweet little sister. Come here, help me clear all traces of myself. We can still hold that bitch responsible."


    Samantha trembled as she picked the knife and took out her handkerchief, then wiped the handle of the knife and looked at Jaime as though wondering whether to leave the knife in the crime scene.


    "Bury it somewhere." Jaime ordered and Samantha nodded.


    He was about to turn to leave when he caught sight of a maid trembling while holding her phone.


    "Don''t do anything you shouldn''t. Otherwise, You will be next." Heughed and continued walking away. The maid threw her phone to the floor to prove that she would not do anything that was not required of her, much to Jaime''s satisfaction. Two stepster, he grabbed a ceramic vase and threw it in the maid''s direction.


    "Drag her away." Hemanded Samantha, referring to the maid who was now on the floor with blood spluttering from her head.


    "Yes." Samantha resigned to her fate. It would be midnight soon and Alyssa would return, so she had to hurry. When she was done removing the bloody shards, burying them and cleaning the floor except the past where Marchal''s body was, Jaime had yet another order for her like she was his minion.


    "Now, be a good girl and wait for that bitch toe home. You already know what to do once she arrives."

 Chapter 90 - Dont Stop

    <h4>Chapter 90 - Don''t Stop</h4>


    It took a while for Desmond to process everything that he had just heard.


    She ced a hand on his shoulder to offerfort, which he took and ced on his chest as his breath hitched out of anger and disbelief. "I cannot believe it. I mean I had a gut feeling that Jaime killed my dad, but it beats me how heartless one has to be to kill their own dad."


    Zaria was in disbelief when she found out about it too. What was worse, Jaime and Samantha had ganged up to frame their own biological mother for the murder. No matter how much she hated Lucy, even though thetter had disappointed her for the better part of her life, she would never do such a thing to her.


    But then again, Jaime and Samantha were a selfish duo who would do anything to achieve their goals and that did not exclude hurting the people who cared about them the most.


    "It will be alright." She coaxed him in a low tone.


    He frowned. "What baffles me is that he used my mother of it. That''s his mother too. Doesn''t he have a heart? And Samantha¡­ that ungrateful brat." He gritted his teeth and ran a hand down his face to prevent himself from exploding in anger.


    She continued to sit there silently, not interrupting him and let him calm himself down. He sat for a few minutes with his hands shaking and she knew that he was so angry he could be the next murderer if he met either of his siblings right now. Just when she wondered whether or not she should say something, he sprang to his feet and stormed out of the room.


    She trembled from his outburst, but she had seen iting. Not sure whether or not she should follow him, she decided to let him have some time to himself. In the meantime, she took out her phone and found that she had received a text message from Ximena.


    [Where are you? Are you in the mood for some blueberry muffins?]


    She stared at her phone screen unmoving for a while and slumped into the backrest. Of course she wanted blueberry muffins! She was always in the mood for one or two. However, she couldn''t leave Desmond on his own. At the same time, she couldn''t tell Ximena the real reason why she could not apany her, or she would be asking for a round of endless lectures.


    Thinking for a moment, she drafted a message. [I can''t for now. I''m so sorry T_T. I''ll be homete, could you help me feed Des? The spare key is in the old spot. The food is in the left storage shelf in his room.]


    She checked the message again to ensure she had not given herself away and sent it when she was certain that Ximena would not detect anything.


    However, that woman was a psychic. Her reply came a few minutester.


    [Of course I''ll be d to feed the little darling. Take care of yourself and if that Fort guy tries to force you to do anything, hit him right in the balls and paralyze his entire generation.]


    Zaria burst intoughter at whatever hatred there was between Ximena and Desmond. It was as though the two of them were enemies in their previous incarnation, they just couldn''t stay in the same space and maintain a second of peace. She knew for a fact that Ximena was a strong supporter of her being with Ryan, which might exin her dislike towards Desmond.


    Luckily, Zaria knew that her happiness was the most important thing to Ximena, so thetter would soon start to ept the fact that the man she liked was Desmond and not Ryan. ncing in the direction that Desmond had left earlier, she went to the kitchen.


    When she was done cooking and was about to give him a call and ask where he was, she heard movement from the staircase and sure enough, he was back. He had just taken a bath and had a white towel around his waist, exposing the upper part of his body that had her averting her gaze.


    He had not done it on purpose but when he saw how flustered she was at the sight of his seductive body, a smile graced his lips. This was probably the best reward he had ever gotten from his strict schedule of working out¡ªnot that he had always done it to get rewards. It was only to keep himself fit.


    He wanted to tease her but his senses were filled with the aroma of food that smelled so delicious that his stomach grumbled. "You cooked dinner?"


    She snapped out of her trance when she heard his question. She looked up but didn''t dare to look down at his abs to avoid embarrassing herself by drooling. "Go and wear some clothes thene back and eat." She ordered, making him chuckle.


    "Are you sure you want me to wear my clothes, and not drop the towel?"


    "Do you dare?" She mumbled, not daring to be too loud as she knew the kind of idiot he was. He could simply drop the towel and blind her.


    Luckily, he knew what not to do and went back upstairs, feeling her gaze on his back as he made every step. Heughed but didn''t expose her.


    By the time he returned, she had set the dining table and was waiting for him.


    The food tasted better than it looked and smelled and if he wasn''t too full, he would have loved to clear the entire table. Thinking about it, he decided that he would keep the rest of the food to savorter. If only Zaria was not his executive assistant. He should have lured her into bing his chef instead.


    Zaria was not sure what the man beside her was thinking but she stood up when they were done eating, and the servants appeared as if by magic to take the dishes away before she could do it.


    "I will try to talk to the hacker and ask him if he can retrieve the video." She spoke as they got back to the living room.


    He had almost forgotten about the matter and was a little slow to catch on what she was saying. "Okay. Thank you so much."


    "You don''t need to thank me." It was only right for her to bring the truth to light after hiding it for too long.


    He thought about how things had progressed since his father''s death and that included his sister''s fake tears on the day he was buried. Soon after, fake news erupted, with all versions of tales about the cause of his demise. Speaking of false news, he looked at her questioningly. If she knew the truth all along, why did she use his mother? Could it be that just like the others, she mistook Alyssa as the culprit and only found out the actual truth muchter?


    He was still deep in thought when her lipsnded on his, taking him by surprise. It was not the first time that she was initiating a kiss but he found it sweet each time she did. He held the back of her head and returned the kiss, deepening it as his thumb caressed the back of her neck.


    Her hands caressed his face as she paused to whisper, "Don''t let it get to you. I will do my best to help you."


    If any other woman said this to him, he would scoff and send her away with a sneer. However, after witnessing Zaria''s stunts, he knew that her capability was not to be underestimated.


    Nodding, he pulled her onto hisp. "Then let me thank you in advance."


    He pressed his lips against her, unbuttoning the front part of her blouse and sliding it down her shoulders. He paused and when she continued to caress his hair while kissing him, he gently grabbed her left breast through her bluecy bra that was of the same shade as her skirt.


    "Desmond," She whispered.


    He paused his actions to look into her eyes. "Do you want me to stop?"


    She was out of breath and she shook her head, holding his hand that was still on her breast so he wouldn''t stop.


    "Mmh?" He probed for actual words.


    "No." She bit out.


    "No what?" He asked insistently, making her wonder if he really didn''t understand what she meant.


    "I want to hear it from your mouth, Zaria." He whispered, his voice making goosebumps rise on her skin from how alluring he sounded.


    "Don''t stop." She answered then felt awkward about being so direct in front of a man, but she didn''t care since they both liked it anyway.


    He was satisfied with her answer. "Then I won''t." As soon as he finished speaking, he reached behind her back and undid her bra, letting it fall on top of her blouse that was on the floor. He then cupped them in both of his hands.

 Chapter 91 - This Is What You Do To Me

    <h4>Chapter 91 - This Is What You Do To Me</h4>


    She sucked in a breath and gasped when his fingers gently fondled her nipples, and they instantly hardened at his touch. Holding the small of her back, he kissed her neck and corbone, then his tongue slid down to the curve of her boob.


    He gently bit on the soft, fair skin, earning a gasp as he took one of her hardened nipples in his mouth as he massaged the other between his thumb and forefinger. She tightened her hands around him as she felt pleasure course through her body like a me.


    When he paused to kiss her neck, she held the front of his nightshirt and ripped the buttons off. Her heart raced as she gazed at his firm chest that was now in her line of sight. He smiled and took her hand, pressing it against his abs. The heat from his skin felt like it could burn her to ashes. She hesitated for a second before nervously running her fingers up his chest.


    He chuckled and took the hem of her skirt in his hand. "May I?"


    She didn''t know how to respond to that and remained silent. From the flush on her skin that was a result of his question, he smiled and gently lifted her skirt to her waist, then caressed her thighs as he kissed her boobs.


    Her moans were like music to his ears, luring him to do everything he had wanted to do to her since he first saw her. However, he did not give in to that urge right now. Holding the back of her head, he kissed her deeply as he ran his other hand from her thigh up her waist to hug her. He gradually slowed down his kisses and when she looked up at him, he kissed the corner of her lips that were slightly swollen from the kisses, and hugged her.


    "Desmond¡­" She drawled and pulled her head away from his chest, looking at him.


    He almost couldn''t take the allure of her fiery gaze. "Don''t give me those eyes. I will not be able to stop myself from pinning you down and making hard love to you."


    She felt her inside twitch from his words. She took his hand and was about to nt it back on her boobs but before she could do so, he took her bra and blouse and helped her put it on.


    "Would you like to stay over?" He asked, as though he was not the one who had just turned her on and left midway.


    How shameless, she thought.


    She shook her head. "I don''t want to impose on Ximena to take care of Des all night."


    "Then I''ll drop you off." He suggested, then remembered that she had driven here. As expected, she declined the offer and picked her bag to leave.


    Seeing her disappointed demeanor, he walked her to the door while trying to hide his delight in the fact that she wanted more of him. He could have taken things further a moment ago but he realized that there was still a hint of fear in her.


    Why did she feel that way? He wondered. Was it her first time?


    Regardless of whether or not it was her first time, or whether there was another reason, he decided to take it slow until she was ready for it.


    "See you in the morning." She offered him a smile as she pressed the button on her car key to make it beep twice.


    "Goodnight." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek, then watched her drive away.


    When she arrived home, Ximena was waiting for her in the living room while hugging Des in her arms.


    "Your mummy is finally here. Perhaps she went to find you a dad." Joked Ximena, even though the puppy couldn''t understand what she was saying.


    "You are full of nonsense." Zaria rolled her eyes and sat on the couch, trying not to blush as she could still feel the remnants of Desmond''s touch on her skin.


    Ximena observed her friend whose skin was flushed and chuckled. "That insane yboy, is he good in bed at least?"


    "Ximena!" Zaria yfully pped her shoulder at the lewd question. When she saw her friend''s meaningful look, she sighed. "How would I know? Thanks for helping me feed the little pup."


    In response to her words, Ximena rubbed Des'' ears. "Look at her, Des. The heartless woman. She is going to discard me now that she no longer has a use for me."


    "Come on, Xim. You know that''s not true." Zaria chuckled at her friend who was pretending to be heartbroken.


    "Really? Then you are going to be my muse as well as model for my new makeup line." Ximena demanded.


    "Of course I will. Wait. You have a new makeup line?" Zaria was pleasantly surprised.


    "Super special lipsticks. They will be ready soon. Do you want to try them out? They are prank lipsticks and taste horrible. If your asshole boss tries to kiss you, it will stick right smack on his lips and he will have to answer to his fianc¨¦eter."


    "Uh¡­ No thanks." Zaria shook her head reflexively, making the other reel inughter.


    "I''m just kidding! I''ll give you a few to try out when they are ready." She promised. "I have to go now. I still need to review the form for the new makeup remover. Bye little guy."


    Zaria walked Ximena to the door while Des tried to follow her, but she didn''t let him go out and he could only go back to his crate. When she was on her own in her room, her mind couldn''t help trailing back to Desmond.


    ¡­


    At the same time, Desmond''s thoughts were filled with her. He missed her so much that no matter what he tried to do, he could not concentrate for more than a few seconds. In the end, he took out his phone and dialled her number. Just as he wondered whether she was already asleep, the call connected.


    "Desmond?" Came her voice that was full of desire.


    "I miss you." He croaked and reclined on the bed.


    In her room, Zaria hugged her pillow as she held the phone to her ear and sucked in a breath when she heard his voice.


    "It''s only been two hours." Sheughed as she rolled onto her side, even though she had missed him just as much.


    "It''s gettingte. Why aren''t you asleep yet?" He asked in his deep voice, sending chills down her body.


    "Isn''t it all your fault?" Sheined before her brain could process it, and when he chuckled, she felt out of breath.


    "How is it my fault?" He asked, even though she was certain that he knew what she was talking about.


    His teasing tone was nothing different to what he did a while ago, asking her for rification even when he alreadyprehended her words. Her boobs itched for his touch once again, and while he spoke, she couldn''t help sliding her hand onto them while imagining the feel of his hands on her skin.


    "Zaria?" He called her name softly when he realized that he was soecking to himself.


    "Mmh?" She bit her lower lip tightly to stop a moan that could give her away?


    "What are you doing?" He asked.


    "Getting ready to sleep." He could hear the breathlessness in her voice, and it made his already hard manhood twitch.


    "Are you certain that it''s the only thing you are doing?" He asked through a tease.


    "Yes." She bit out.


    "Where are your hands?" Came his silly question, and she frowned.


    "Holding my phone, idiot. Where else?" She threw a question back at him, guiltily sliding her hand out of her pajama top.


    "I''m hanging up. Goodnight, Desmond." She quickly hung up before he could detect anything.


    The manughed at the screen of his phone that had turned dark after the call ended. He tried to ignore the feeling in lower body but he only got harder by the second. He groaned as he pped his forehead. "This is what you do to me, Zaria."


    ¡­


    Imperium Sparks Hotel.


    Natalie made her way to the Presidential suite that Desmond had booked for her.


    When she arrived, she left her bag in the living area and made her way to the bedroom. As soon as she opened the door, her sight was filled with bare skin.


    "Dev?" She called out to the man who was reclining on the bed, shirtless and reading a book.


    "Do you like the surprise, my love?" He wiggled his brows and set aside the book which he wasn''t even reading and was only waiting for her.


    "I missed you." She stalked onto the bed and sat on it.


    Sitting up straight, he closed in on her with a grin. "Why are you telling me? Show me how much you miss me instead."


    "I''ll do just that." She mumbled, and her lips crushed on his.

 Chapter 92 - Good Luck

    <h4>Chapter 92 - Good Luck</h4>


    Zaria couldn''t sleep even after her call with Desmond. Instead, she was even finding it much harder to catch any sleep. Sitting up, she grabbed herptop from the night stand and ced it on a pillow between her legs. She turned it on tounch her Creszone[1] application. She checked through her moments, and when she saw that Ximena had posted a picture three minutes ago, she raised an eyebrow. The sleepyhead was still up?


    Scrolling down, she saw several more posts one of which was Ryan''s, who had posted a picture of his hand interlinked with a smaller one. She didn''t need to ask to know that the little hand belonged to Nina.


    She suddenly realized that she had missed the little teenager so much¡­


    [You''re still up?] Came a text message in her private message box and she clicked on it. It was Zeus, the night owl¡ªher hacker friend.


    [What are you doing?] Came another question, which Zariaughed at and drafted a reply.


    [Do you even need to ask? You can find that out by merely tapping a few keys on your keyboard.]


    Zeus replied within a minute since he was online. [I don''t want to hack my way into knowing things about you.]


    [Like you didn''t do that before?] Zaria sent over an eye roll sticker and then wondered whether it was the right time to ask him. Remembering that she would be too busy during the day to log into Creszone, she decided to ask. [I was hoping you could do me a favor.]


    [Anything for you, my dear.] He answered in his usual friendly tone.


    [Could you send me the video again? I deleted it.] Remembering that he had sent her many videos and might not know which one she was talking about, she added, [The one from the Forts'' living room.]


    [Why did you delete it?] Came his question, and she could imagine his frown as he typed it as though reprimanding her.


    [I showed it to Jaime to threaten him and was scared that he woulde to seek me.] She exined, since he had helped her out and he could find out even if she tried to hide it anyway.


    [Why do you need it now?] He interrogated her.


    [It will be used to sue Jaime, I guess.] She typed after thinking about it and not being able toe up with a definite answer.


    The other party typed for a long while, but he did not send his text message even for a long while, rendering her nervous. Just when she wondered whether he had flopped on his keyboard and fallen asleep, his text message arrived and it was preceded by an angry sticker. [Zaria, I sent that video to you so you would use it to clear your name after getting in trouble with the Forts. It was for your own good. I''m not going to resend it and make that Fort guy fall harder for you.]


    She felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach and she didn''t know how to respond. It was only a whileter that she managed to ask, [What''s this got to do with Desmond?]


    [Who will it benefit the most?] Came the quick question.


    She was about to answer when she realized that indeed Desmond was the person who would gain the most out of it. Once he managed to sue Jaime, he would have managed to get rid of the real murderer, and at the same time, proven his mother innocent and gotten her out of prison.


    However, she couldn''t help asking, [What do you have against him?]


    [He is after you. Is that reason enough?] Zeus replied, rendering her speechless.


    Desmond really was a harbinger of trouble. Just how many people disliked the fact that she and him were getting closer?


    ¡­


    "Zeus doesn''t want to send the video to me." Zaria reported to Desmond the following morning in his office.


    For some reason, he seemed to have expected it. Perhaps it was because he was used to being opposed by everyone around Zaria, so he didn''t think this hacker, who was a man, would agree to help him. It made him wonder whether the man had feelings for Zaria but the thought would anger him so he tried to forget about it.


    "You tried your best and that''s already good enough." He held her hand. "I have another alternative, but it will depend on whether you are willing."


    "What is it?" She was curious to know what the harbinger of trouble had in mind.


    "Get a hacker to retrieve all the deleted information from your phone. This will restore everything including the video." He suggested seriously, and she looked up at him.


    "I don''t mind. I can simply delete what I don''t wantter." She decided after thinking about it.


    He didn''t expect her to agree so fast, so he was surprised. "You have to know that the deleted information will appear on hisputer. If there is anything that is too personal¡­"


    "There isn''t." She interrupted before he could finish his statement.


    "I''ll call him over then." Desmond took out his phone. He was already prepared since soon after he made his call, a young man entered the office and he introduced him to Zaria.


    "Meet skeleton." He showed the skinny man in.


    "So this beauty is the one whose phone I''m about to wreck?" The man named Skeleton asked while pointing at Zaria.


    "Don''t you dare wreck it." Desmond threatened him.


    "Don''t be so serious. I''m just kidding." The skinny guyughed and opened his palm to Zaria.


    "Bring it over."


    The guy took her phone and tapped a few things on it. He then took out aptop from the bag he had brought, and after turning it on, he typed a few things and turned to her. "Wait. What am I looking for?"


    "A video from a surveince camera footage. The angle is nted, obviously. And the thumbnail is Samantha sitting on a couch while Jaime and Marchal standing behind it." She answered while trying to peek over and wondering whether he had already finished hacking into her phone. She would be shocked if she had not noticed the speed at which Zeus did things.


    "It''s not here." Skeleton shook his head after ncing through the thumbnails.


    "What?" She hurried to his side to take a look. She nced through the videos carefully and when she didn''t see it, she frowned. "Maybe the thumbnail changed?" Desmond asked at the side.


    "I don''t know if that happens but let me take a look." Zaria responded and tried to click on the videos to y snippets.


    When she was done, she frowned. "It''s really not here. I know all these folders and none of them is it."


    "Think about it. Did you perhaps save it in a different folder so no one could get to it fast?" Skeleton asked.


    "I do have a secret folder, and I remember saving something in there." Zaria felt rejuvenated as she hurriedly clicked on the said folder and entered the password.


    However, as soon as she saw the content, she froze. It was toote when she remembered the content and it was already disyed on theptop screen. Uhm¡­


    She hoped Desmond was not looking, and when she felt his breath from behind her, she closed one eye and quickly exited the folder.


    "You took pictures of me?" Came the tease behind her.


    He was puzzled, not expecting that the subject of her secret folder was none other than him. He wasn''t sure when she took it but the background looked like a golf course¡­the West Golf Course?


    "Honey, you didn''t need to sneak photos of me. If you wanted to, you could ask me to pose. I would do so however you want. I would even do so au-naturel if you asked me to." He teased the woman in front of him, who looked embarrassed after getting caught.


    "Can''t you feign oblivion? Sheesh" She jabbed him.


    "You are blushing. Could it be that you already have a picture of me with nothing on?" Heughed out aloud.


    "I would love to watch your lovey dovey interaction but I need to get back to work." Skeleton interrupted.


    "What about yourputer?" He asked Zaria.


    "It''s not there either. I think I know what happened." She frowned as she spoke.


    "I think so too. It''s the hacker, right?" Desmond asked with a frown, a hint of irritation in his tone.


    Skeleton couldn''t initiallyprehend what they were talking about but when he did, he was baffled. "Who is that damned hacker? I want to show them how it''s done.


    "Tone down your arrogance, Skeleton." Desmond rubbed the space between his brows.


    "It''s birds of a feather for you." Zaria chuckled, knowing that Skeleton could not defeat Zeus. Thetter was too good and fast at it.


    "Do you want me to help you hack the surveince cameras at your home? Maybe there''s still a record." Skeleton suggested.


    "I find it more usible to think that it''s deleted. If he didn''t want me to ess it, he wouldn''t leave the original in an essible ce." Zaria sighed, wondering what Desmond had done to deserve so much hatred from someone like Zeus.


    "While that''s true, I like to believe that while some things are nightmarishly challenging, nothing is impossible." Skeleton stubbornly insisted, and Zaria could onlyugh.


    "Good luck."


    ____


    [1]... Creszone, a social media application like Instagram and Tiktok


    ...


    AN


    Darlings, I will participate in WSA 2021. Please support me!

 Chapter 93 - How Do You Expect Me To Leave When Youre Seducing Me This Way?

    <h4>Chapter 93 - How Do You Expect Me To Leave When You''re Seducing Me This Way?</h4>


    "Thedy doesn''t believe in me. She trusts the other hacker instead." Skeleton stated,ining about being underestimated.


    Desmond frowned at the man''s tone. He hated hearing anything to do with Zaria trusting someone else, especially if that person was a man. In his mind, it almost sounded as though she preferred the damned hacker to him.


    Not realizing the fire he had set aze in his friend''s heart, Skeleton looked pleadingly at Zaria. "Why don''t you let me try?"


    Zaria knew that she would not be able to shake the man off and who knows, he might just start hacking into her phone andputer as a way of bugging her. She could only roll her eyes helplessly. "If you have so much time to waste, go right ahead. Just don''te crying to me if you get your stubborn ass kicked. Cry to Desmond instead."


    "I don''t want anyone crying to me either. I can only wipe your tears." Desmond ignored his friend and said to Zaria.


    "You meanies. News sh, I will not need to cry and neither of you will get the heavenly opportunity to wipe my tears." Skeleton waited to be given the chance to kick the other person''s butt.


    Zaria smiled and logged into Creszone on her phone to make a voice call. "Zeus, someone wants to contest with you. " She reported as soon as the voice call connected, increasing the call volume to let the two men overhear the call.


    "Is that so?" Zeus burst intoughter in his deep voice, sounding like he had heard the craziest joke of the year. Zaria did not say a word, so he realized that she was serious. "Wait. You are serious."


    "Yes." Zaria responded, taking note of how enraged Skeleton was for being underestimated before being given a chance to prove himself.


    "Let them hack into the city''s surveince system and wreck it for a moment, then get it back to normal. If he can''t do it before I do, then he better tuck his tail between his legs and never try to challenge me again." He instructed, then hung up without one more word.


    Zaria and Desmond expected to see Skeleton sit and start madly typing on hisptop in an attempt to hack into the city''s surveince system before Zeus did, but instead he looked frozen.


    "Uh¡­ did you just say Zeus?" His mouth was gaped in disbelief.


    "Yes." Zaria blinked. Did they know each other?


    "I give up." He suddenly announced.


    "Is he that good?" Desmond asked in surprise when he saw his friend throw in the towel. Skeleton was one of the world''s best programmers and hackers, it was not every day that he gave in to another one. Just how good was this Zeus?


    "He''s the creator of Creszone." Skeleton responded in frustration. He would have wanted to believe that Zaria''s Zeus was just another newbie who had named himself after his idol, but he had heard Zeus'' voice before. It turned out, this was not the first time that he was challenging Zeus. He had done it before, and the man had given him a stern warning before wrecking his preciousptop with viruses. After hearing the voice of the man who Zaria spoke to, he was certain that he was the very Zeus he knew¡ªHacker Z.


    "No way. The creator of creszone is a woman." Zaria retorted to his im.


    "That doesn''t mean she truly created it, right? Perhaps he sold it to her. But I believe him because he is also the secret creator of Crescent, a virus used by the national military system." Skeleton exined.


    Zaria was surprised. So, when Zeus made a im about being Creszone''s creator, he was not lying to make himself appear to be a pro. She had even challenged him to prove it, which had him shutting down herptop for a while. Hearing that he was also the creator of a virus that the military used, it made her wonder just how great he truly was.


    Desmond nced at Zaria in displeasure. Her face was full of admiration. Although it was the same look she had when she talked about her favorite actor, Jupiter¡ªpure admiration, he was jealous and he knew that it was ridiculous.


    "There''s only one major point in all of this. We have a genius against us." She wondered whether the situation would have been different if she had not spoken to the man the previous night. If she didn''t alert him about her intention to help Desmond, he wouldn''t have gone out of his way to make it harder for them.


    Deciding that it was not the right time to start indulging in self-me, she pped her forehead. "What to do now?"


    "You have already helped me so much. Don''t sweat it, my love." Desmond took her hand.


    However, she was not intending to give up halfway when she had already started helping out. "There has to be something he will ept in exchange for the video."


    Before she could think about what to offer, her phone chimed with a text message from Zeus on Creszone.


    "Trust me, you don''t want to ask me for an exchange." He had attached a sly sticker, making her frown.


    "Did something happen?" Skeleton asked.


    "He is listening to us." Her brows creased.


    "We cannot even n in peace anymore, huh?" Desmond was on the verge of exploding in displeasure. "Doesn''t he have a job or something?"


    [Tell Desmond that I spend my days lying around and spending all the wealth I''ve umted. I n to get a lifetime partner, by the way.]


    When Desmond saw the text message that had arrived on Zaria''s phone, he had the urge to challenge that man to a fight.


    He shrugged and walked towards his desk, then tapped a button in his drawer to turn off the surveince camera in his office, which the Zeus guy must have hacked. For double security, he walked over to a flower pot by the window and threw his jacket over it.


    He then returned to the duo who was wondering about his antics and wrote on a piece of paper, "I covered the surveince camera."


    "He reminded us of an important point." She whispered, before sending a [thanks Zeus] to the man. If Zeus could hack into the surveince cameras in Desmond''s office and overhear their conversation, then someone else could do it. What if Jaime hired someone to do it too?


    Communicating on paper, they made their way to a conference room that Desmond was certain did not have any surveince and had a soundproof door and walls.


    "Let''s go on." Zaria resumed when they had sat down.


    "Your phone." Skeleton reminded her.


    "He can listen if he wants." Zaria was too tired to deal with him, and she knew that he wouldn''t have the time to waste anyway.


    "Since we know the truth, we can make ns and trap Jaime." She suggested.


    "How will we do that?" Asked Skeleton, who had decided to help out too.


    "We can start by trapping Samantha first." Zaria exined her suggestion, knowing that Jaime wascking in minions. "He is trying to get Natalie and me on his side because Samantha cannot do everything on her own. If we trap her, not only will we deal Jaime a huge blow, but we can also get the truth out of her mouth.


    "What a coincidence, I was thinking of starting with Samantha too. The clock is ticking away the seconds left to her death." Desmond''s lips curled into a lopsided grin, and he took out his phone to give Samantha a call.


    "You son of a bitch!" Yelled Samantha, threatening to shatter Desmond''s phone by her shrill screech.


    "I didn''t know you were fond of calling yourself names, my dear sister?" Desmond responded unhurriedly, his tone calm.


    "I will make you pay for what you''ve done." The woman threatened angrily.


    The manughed at her tone. "Indeed, two siblings, one mind. I was also thinking of making you pay. Who do you think should go first?"


    "You will pay for this!" The woman continued screaming, but Desmond cut her off.


    ___


    Natalie woke up in Devonte''s arms and he was stroking her skin gently.


    "You still want more?" She tilted her head to meet his gaze when his fingers snaked down her belly.


    He did, but he shook his head. "I should get going soon. I have a movie to start shooting in a few hours."


    "Okay. Should I see you off?" She suggested, understanding that he had a busy schedule.


    "Are you certain that you will not get caught?" He questioned, and she sat up then slid off the bed.


    "I''ll do it secretly." When she stood up, the sheet covering her slid off her skin, leaving behind her exposed body. Her perfect curves were a feast for his eyes and he swallowed.


    She was yet to take a step away when he pulled her right back into his arms.


    "You said that you have to leave." She asked amid his onught of impatient caresses.


    He kissed her neck and held her against his bare body. "How do you expect me to leave when you''re seducing me this way?"

 Chapter 94 - Grandchildren

    <h4>Chapter 94 - Grandchildren</h4>


    Muchter, Devonte brushed his lips against Natalie''s neck in gentle kisses and pulled away from the bed. "Want to join me in the bathroom?"


    She shifted to a morefortable position and although she missed his touch already, she didn''t want him to bete for his shoot. "I might not be able to walk out of the bathroom if I join you."


    He chuckled in response. "I can''t promise that won''t be the case. But then again, I can carry you wherever you want to go."


    Sheughed and yfully pped him. "Such honeyed words. Is acting making you a sweet-talker? Those who didn''t know would think you act romance movies."


    "You know why I won''t act those." He dragged her off the bed so she would get up. "It''s all because a certain someone will explode in jealousy when she sees me acting lovey-dovey with other women."


    "What''s this got to do with me?" Natalieined about being used unjustly, though she had to admit that the thought of his obsessed female fans screaming fawningly to him often made her jealous. She would kill someone if sheid a finger on him.


    "Just a quick shower." He tried to convince her and when she pushed him into the bathroom, he could only go on his own and they freshened up separately.


    "How I wish we had more time to spend together." He pulled her into his arms longingly when they were done dressing up. He so badly wanted to im her as his own to the entire world, to be with her without worrying about being considered as an adulterous couple by society.


    "That depends on you." Remarked Natalie, who had just realized that she had to go home and pick something before attending a meeting that was only two hours away.


    "I will not disappoint you." He promised and kissed her temples, then they left the hotel separately. Devonte was famous so it might be scandalous for him to be seen leaving a hotel with a woman, so he left through the VIP exit while Natalie took the main exit. After all, this was her family''s hotel so everyone would assume that she was here for inspection.


    ¡­


    Sparks Vi.


    Ava had happiness written all over her face as she looked through the signed bills that she had received from Imperium Sparks Hotel.


    "What''s got you so happy, dear?" Her husband asked as he took a seat diagonal to hers at the dining table.


    "Desmond and Natalie spent a night together. At this rate, we may be grandparents soon." Ava was delighted.


    "That''s not the main point for you." Owen picked up a slice of bread from the bread tray and buttered it as he eyed his wife since he knew her too well.


    Ava ced the bills under herptop and pushed theptop aside to have breakfast. "Well, you know what happens when we have a grandchild¡ªwho is specifically Desmond''s child."


    Her eyes were full of longing.


    "Forget about the wealth earned by Alyssa and Marchal. There is the n too. Do you have any idea how many estates the old gizzer has? And his favorite grandchild is Desmond. He already signed a will with Desmond as the heir to all of them. The only prerequisite is that he has a son."


    " That has nothing to do with out Natalie." Owen found her absurd.


    "Well, not yet. But when they get married and have kids, who do you think will enjoy all that wealth? Don''t forget the worth of Preston and Fort Group." Ava entertwined her fingers.


    "You sound like a greedy woman right now." Owen chided as he ate his bread, to which Ava narrowed her eyes.


    "Maybe. But do you know who this is for? It''s our daughter. Owen, I''m not ready to see my only daughter suffer in future when I brought her up like a princess. Otherwise, I would have chosen Jaime as a suitor¡ªhe likes her too, and he is from the Fort family as well."


    Owen didn''t know what to say for a moment, then he simply sighed. "You told her so many lies. And that man¡­"


    "Forget it. He likes Natalie. As for the mistress, I will take good care of her." Ava smiled as she grabbed an apple, but Owen''s gaze was full of disapproval.


    "Don''t get yourself in trouble." He warned. He had only met Zaria once but he knew that there was nothing simple about her. If she were as easy-going as she looked, she would be long dead considering the number of enemies she must have.


    As the couple spoke, Natalie arrived home.


    "Good morning father, mother." She joyously made her way to the dining table.


    "Aren''t you brimming with joy? Tell us, what''s the good news?" Ava asked, as though she didn''t know the cause of her daughter''s good mood.


    "I feel like everything is finay falling into ce." Natalie chirped, making Ava think that she was talking about how Desmond was no longer hanging out with the damned mistress and was spending time with her instead. Thetter smiled smugly.


    "I heard the mistress won the bid for the Su family''s Royal Hotel." Ava sneered.


    "And?" Natalie was displeased with her mother''s name for Zaria but correcting her would only start an argument so she tried to ignore it.


    "What do you mean ''and''? Go snatch it by all means." Ava was shocked by her daughter''s nonchnce, while thetter was shocked by her mother''s shallowness.


    She was in no mood to argue with her so she shrugged it off. "Desmond is the final benefactor. I don''t want to snatch it from him." She grabbed a pear from the fruit tray and stood up. "I have to go. Goodbye mother and father."


    "But honey, you haven''t eaten a grain." Ava tried to talk her into staying while gloating in the words that thetter had just said. Her daughter cared about Desmond! They really were a match made in heaven.


    "This will suffice." She took a bite and left the dining room, not wanting her mood to be ruined by this greedy duo.


    ¡­


    After nning out what to do with Jaime and Samantha, Zaria went to the bathroom only for Jaime to appear again while she washed her hands at the sinks.


    "Do you have a thing fordies'' rooms? You really are a pervert." She nonchntly scolded him as she turned to face him.


    Crossing his arms, Jaime stared at the woman before him in interest. "You keep poking trouble even when you know that it might bite you back. If I didn''t know, I would think you''re ignorant but aren''t you too brave?"


    "You didn''te here to have a chat." She said conclusively. He was here to threaten her.


    "It''s good to know that you have a brain. One that functions better than everyone else''s at that." He closed in on her. "Zaria, be a good girl and hand over the video."


    "And if I don''t?" She asked mockingly.


    "You be the next Marchal." Heughed through his threat that meant that he would dismember her like he did his dad.


    He thought she would be terrified but he was wrong. She found him funny and it annoyed the hell out of him.


    "Jaime, do you want to know what I''m still in one piece despite having so many people''s secrets on me?" She chuckled. Whether he wanted to know or not, she closed in on him rapidly and chopped her hand against his neck.


    He almost passed out from the impact, but he remained unmoving and couldn''t retaliate even though he wanted to.


    "I didn''t want you to pass out because I still needed to talk." She withdrew her hand as though she had done nothing.


    "If you have a brain, you will stay away and not try to trouble me again."


    "Girl, you are too gutsy." Jaimeughed and grabbed her hands to lock them behind her in a sneak attack, but he would never expect her to be swift enough to twist his hands and lock them behind him instead. "Don''t be rude."


    Jaime suddenlyughed, and Zaria wondered what was funny until she felt a familiar scent that made her blood go cold. Desmond was here!


    "Desmond¡­" She quickly let go of Jaime and looked up at Desmond in panic. She then red at Jaime. It was all thanks to this man''s towering height that her vision was blocked and she couldn''t see Desmond when he walked in.


    "What are the two of you doing?" Desmond asked, his tone full of displeasure after having seen the position they were in.


    "What else?" Jaime straightened his clothes smugly. "Zaria was just showing me the kind of bondage y she likes. If you didn''te in, she might have probably wanted us to go all the way.


    "Don''t believe his crap." Zaria huffed in anger. What was wrong with this man?

 Chapter 95 - Extra Care

    <h4>Chapter 95 - Extra Care</h4>


    "Of course not. Why would I believe an idiot over you?" Desmond ignored his brother and pulled her hand to hug her. He checked her all over for injuries, knowing that thest person he could trust was his cunning brother.


    "I''m d you think so." She rested her head against his chest with her arms wrapped around him. He was facing away from the mirror so when she pulled her head from Desmond''s chest, she saw the expression on Jaime''s face. He was trying hard to hold his anger even though he was on the verge of exploding. She thought he would walk out but instead, he took a picture of them.


    She turned tough at his antics. "Oh Jaime. You forget that you are a man too. Sure, you took a photo as evidence of my rtionship with your brother, but what were you doing in thedies'' washrooms?"


    Before he could respond, she added, "You never know, I could have recorded the entire thing. You threatening me and all. I could simply say that I was scared and called my boss to help me, and that I leaned against him instinctively out of fright."


    Jaime frowned in anger. This woman coulde up with anything. Not to mention, he was certain that she could still ess that video. The longer she had it, the more dangerous it was for him.


    When the duo left the bathroom, a frown remained on Jaime''s face. He was initially nning to coborate with Zaria but it now seemed impossible. She had to get out of the picture.


    He went back to his car and took out a phone that no one knew he had, then contacted someone. "I want that woman dead before midnight. Zaria Williams."


    "Got it." The other party did not ask questions and took the task readily, as though they had been waiting for it.


    ¡­


    On the other end, Samantha paced in the living room of her vi as she waited for the men she had just summoned. She felt as though she was standing on pins and needles and when they finally arrived, she let out a soft sigh of relief.


    "What took you so long?" She asked a purple-haired man who looked frail and much weaker than the other four, but who was actually the strongest and most terrifying of them all.


    "We were finishing up on some missions. Miss, what can we do for you?" He asked, but he was yet to finish asking when a stack of paper was mmed on the table. He went over and picked them up curiously, to find that they were pictures of a woman.


    "What would you like us to do with this beauty? Fuck her?" The man asked, running his foul tongue over his lips lecherously.


    "Don''t you dare." Samantha growled.


    "Oh, what a bummer." He dared to remark, but the others remained silent even though they felt the same way when they looked at the woman in the picture. She had a beautiful face and alluring figure, and if they hadn''t seen her on the news before, they would have mistaken her for a front cover model.


    "Bring her to me before 6pm." Samantha ordered then dismissed the men.


    She then sat calmly on the couch. Between 7pm and midnight, she would have five hours to teach Zaria what happened to people who poked their long noses where they were least needed. That damned woman would not have it easy. It was all her fault that the Fort family''s matter came to light before the right time and almost wrecked hers and Jaime''s n. It 2as also all her fault that Jaime was behaving more like a lunatic. She would make the woman pay for all her crimes before murdering her in the slowest, most painful way.


    ¡­


    After work, Zaria was about to enter her car when her phone chimed with a text message from Creszone.


    "In case you don''t know yet, you are being followed."


    The sender was Zeus, and she was thankful.


    She did know that she had been followed since she left the bathroom with Desmond after infuriating the rationality out of Jaime, so she knew that it had something to do with him. She knew that her life must be in danger.


    Though she couldn''t help wondering, how did Zeus know, and why was he paying so much attention to her?


    "Are you going home already?" Came the voice of Desmond, who was once again trying to stick onto her.


    "Yes. I need to have a word with my dad." She tilted her head to spare him a nce. Before he could suggest dropping her off or having her stay over at his mansion, she quickly said her goodbyes. "See you tomorrow, Desmond. And take extra care of yourself."


    "Extra care¡­" He mumbled when she had driven off. What did that mean? Did she think that he was in some kind of danger?


    _


    Zaria stopped by the convenience store to buy some ingredients to cook dinnerter. By this time, she was aware of the car that had been following her since she left Preston and Fort Group.


    When she hadpleted her purchase, she looked behind her through the ss doors of the convenience store, which were able to show a slight reflection because they were tinted from the outside.


    The man that had been following her must be the purple-haired fellow who looked out of ce in the convenience store, because he had bought nothing and because he was smoking despite the presence of a No smoking sign at the door. What made him all the more outstanding was the fact that none of the store staff bothered with him. He must be a known ruffian around here, she thought.


    Knowing that he would notice her looking at him if she took too long, she pushed the door open and left the store with her purchase in hand, noticing from a series of soft footsteps behind her that he had followed her.


    She hurried to her car and kept the bag of groceries, before leaving and disappearing into an alley.


    "Stupid woman. I didn''t know that beauties could be so stupid too." The man snickered. She had managed to get to her car. She should have driven off, but she entered an alley instead. Although he found her stupid, he couldn''tin because she had made work multiple times easier for him.


    He followed her into the alley and when he reached the end which was a dead end, he frowned. Where did she go?


    "Looking for me?" Came a voice behind him, spooking him out of his skin. Before he could turn to grab her, he felt something bump into his head and he heard the shatter of ss, followed by the burning sensation of a sour, acidic liquid down his neck and face. He passed out.


    "How dare you!" A roar resounded behind her, and she knew that it was the man''spanions who had been following secretly.


    She turned back to them and shrugged. "Too bad, your friend here finished all the vinegar. I would have given you some. But I could give you this."


    As soon as she spoke, she threw the remaining top part of the broken bottle of vinegar at the man in front. It went right through his neck, rendering him immobile as he slowly slid to the ground.


    The other three hesitated and treaded more carefully.


    "Want some?" She picked another shard, not caring that it sliced through her palm when she grabbed it.


    "Attack her together!" Roared a bald man, not believing that she would be able to beat all of them together.


    Zaria panicked when she heard the order. She wasn''t that good in fighting and had only picked up some self-defense skills. She could knock down one or two ruffians if she caught them off guard, but in the face of three of them who were prepared, she felt outnumbered.


    "Do you dare?" She tried to keep up her sinister stance and threw the ss shard. When her target dodged it, she felt chills run down her body. They closed in on her and two of them grabbed her arms as she tried to punch, then a kick assaulted her stomach.


    She gritted her teeth to stop herself from crying out while punches and kicksnded all over her body.


    Her skin felt sore and she knew that she had bruises all over. She could feel the taste and strong smell of blood in her mouth, her own blood that was a rest of her identally biting the insides of her cheeks.


    "Bring her to the boss." One of them spoke, and another countered.


    "No way. We have to make her pay for murdering our mates."


    She caught on the main word. We''re those two men who she had attacked dead?


    Trying to keep her eyes awake, she realized that they were arguing. Then she noticed that while hitting her, one of them had dropped a pen knife.

 Chapter 96 - How Did She Do It?

    <h4>Chapter 96 - How Did She Do It?</h4>


    "What do you mean all of them were killed?!" Samantha yelled over the phone furiously, reacting to the words of a henchman who had just told her that the men she sent to bring Zaria were all dead.


    "Miss, they were all killed at an alley. I guess it''s the same person who killed them." The man exined, and he was also furious about the death of his mates.


    "And you are telling me this?! Where is that witch?" She exploded.


    "She escaped." The man replied angrily.


    "Go and find her and bring her to me! I will let her know what I do with stupid women like her." Samantha huffed, nearly pulling the hair off her head.


    "Heh. My bros are dead because of you and you still want to order us around? Why don''t you try something else?" The man cackled and hung up before Samantha could say anything in response.


    "Damned dogs!" Samantha yelled, just as another call connected. She was even more infuriated. "Jaime, I''ll let you know when I''m done."


    "If the woman escaped, how will you be able to aplish the mission?" Jaimeughed sarcastically. "You were only given one task, but even that couldn''t be done well. Is there anything you can do?"


    "Do you have any idea how many things I have done for you?" Samantha was displeased by his tone.


    "Of course, you did so many great things. You even left the surveince footage for that bitch with the surname Wiims to easily ess." His tone was full of scorn, and Samantha simply hung up so she would not hear his bothersome words. She would make him pay for humiliating her once she was done settling these troublesome matters.


    Now that she was done talking to him, she couldn''t help but wonder, just how did Zaria manage to kill five men on the spot and escape? Was she a superhuman?


    ¡­


    After cleaning her wounds, Zaria sat on the couch to rest, and Des rushed to her, looking distressed.


    "Des, what''s wrong?" She asked the sad little puppy gently, then realized that he was sad about her wounds. She lovingly rubbed his fur. "It''s alright now."


    As she petted him to calm him down, the front door opened and Theodore arrived.


    "Good evening." He brought with him two shopping bags, and frowned when he had a clear look of her. "Zaria, what happened to your face? Did someone attack you?"


    "Just some random ruffians. Don''t worry, I beat the crap out of them." She did not let him know that they were a group of hooligans sent by either of the Fort siblings to stalk and murder her, so he would not worry.


    "Stay in the living room and rest. I will cook something yummy for you to eat." Theodore headed to the kitchen. In truth, he knew that his daughter was hiding what really happened but he decided to find it out on his own. Whoever dared to hit his daughter would get hit at least ten times more. For every strike, he would stab them through a vital organ.


    While she waited for the food, her phone rang with a call from Desmond and she peeked at the kitchen before answering it in the lowest voice she could muster. "It''s quitete."


    "Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.


    "Yes, I am. Why wouldn''t I be?" She didn''t bring up what had happened earlier, afraid that it would worry him.


    The man was silent for a while, as though trying to hold back his anger about something, then he let out a heavy sigh. "I will fire those idiots who can''t do their job well."


    When he spoke, she finally realized that he was talking about his bodyguards, who he had tasked to protect her. She blinked, not wanting anyone to be fired because of her. She had almost forgotten about their existence since they did not show up when she was attacked, but she did not me them for it.


    She had never wanted to let anyone be in charge of her safety, and this incident reminded her that she should have Ximena teach her to fight. "You shouldn''t¡­"


    She started speaking, only to be cut off by her. "Zaria, I know you don''t want me to fire them but they deserve it." He gritted his teeth when he remembered how the damned idiots had only appeared at the scene when Zaria had already dealt with the ruffians.


    "Don''t worry about it. I''m alright." She spoke as Des snuggled to her tummy, and he climbed onto herp while staring at her phone, It was almost as though he knew who she was speaking to and didn''t like the other party. She chuckled at his antics and said to the man on the other end, "Des still doesn''t like you."


    "That little puppy. He was named after me, yet he doesn''t even give me any face?" Desmondughed and wondered why the little thing was so much against him.


    "I''ll hang up now. See you at work." She chuckled as she tried to calm the puppy.


    "But I miss you." Heined.


    "Let''s talk about it tomorrow." She peeked at the kitchen where she had heard movements and as expected, Theodore returned with a te of fruits to ce on the table, then he sat on the couch opposite hers.


    She quickly hung up. "Thanks dad."


    "Eat some fruit first, the food will be ready soon." He instructed, then went to pour some kibble into Des'' te.


    When he returned, he looked at her seriously. "Who were you speaking to?"


    "No one important." She brushed it off and took a piece of mango in her mouth.


    Still, he knew that the other person had to be Desmond. He tiredly sighed. How he wished that the man bringing such bright smiles onto his daughter''s face was not Desmond. Anyone was better than that womanizer. Heaven knew, perhaps it was all that man''s fault that Zaria was attacked by ruffians. It made him dislike the man even more.


    "Dad, what business do you have in Luxenville?" She asked him not only to change the topic, but also because she was curious about his two sudden visits to Luxenville.


    He frowned slightly at the question, and she knew that he must be ufortable about it.


    "If you don''t want to talk about it¡­" She started.


    "It''s okay. It''s not some secret or something." He smiled and picked up a piece of fruit with his fork. "Do you remember that house we used to live in with your mother?"


    "Yes." She frowned slightly at the topic regarding the woman who had abandoned them like they didn''t matter in the slightest and who no longer had anything to do with them.


    Theodore noticed her difort and wanted to stop talking about it but since he had already brought it up, he decided to go through with it. "I initially didn''t want to sell that house because it held so many of our memories, especially with your mother. However, I decided that it''s been too long and I shouldn''t be holding onto things that no longer matter."


    "So you sold it?" She guessed the rest of it.


    "Yes. I finalized the deal thest time I went to Luxenville." He concluded.


    She thought about it for a while and wondered why he would suddenly sell a house that he had been holding onto for so long. Was it really only about the house not mattering anymore?


    "Are you having trouble with anything, dad?" She asked gently, wondering if he needed money.


    "No, I''m not," He chuckled when he understood what she was worried about. "I just wanted to get it out of my head. I did not tell you about it because I was worried that you still wanted to hold onto it, and I had hurried to sell it before telling you about it."


    "No, it''s alright. We had only stayed there for only a few years." She smiled. Although it was part of her childhood and she was a little attached to it, she was more attached to their current house, which was why they had never moved out.


    He reached over the table to pat her head. "It''s gone now."


    Speaking of moving out, she thought about something else. "Have you ever thought of moving out from here? If you do, we can do so as soon as you are ready. We can afford a bigger and better house now."


    "Settle down first, then we can think about moving muchter." He advised, though he also thought it was a good idea. They couldn''t take Des for walks yet, so it would be much better if they had a bigger living space to allow him to move and y around as he pleased.


    ___


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 Chapter 97 - Late Night Visitor

    <h4>Chapter 97 - Late Night Visitor</h4>


    Later at night.


    Zaria was done reading a book and was preparing to go to sleep when she heard Des'' whines. He slept in the room next to hers, which she had improvised from being a guests room to the puppy''s room, and he had been staying there calmly. She wondered what the whining was all about. Was it perhaps too early to let him sleep on his own? Maybe he felt scared without her?


    Deciding to ask Ximena who knew more about dogs than her, she sent her a text message to ask if thetter was still awake, but Des'' whines grew louder. It wasn''t anything like his usual attention-seeking whines, but more like yips for help.


    She got off bed and went to his room to check on him.


    "Des?" She softly called, and the puppy ran to her in the semi-dark room that was dimly lit by the moon outside. Before she could pick him up, he rushed to the door and then back to her, once again faced the door.


    She was having a hard time understanding his actions. Was he hungry? Or maybe he wanted to go potty?


    "You want me to follow you?" She finally understood when he nudged her leg, so she followed him through the hallway. When he butted his head against the door of the storage room, her blood ran cold. What was in there?


    She carefully pushed the door open while instinctively picking the puppy up to protect him.


    "Stay back." Her shoulder was suddenly tugged, her dad stood in front of her, shielding her as he entered the storage room to inspect it. She peeked in as he turned the light on, only to see a mane out from the shadows.


    She was surprised when she saw the tall frame and almost cursed under her breath, until she saw the man''s face. Thank goodness, it was not Desmond. She had almost thought that the man was crazy enough to climb into her house through the storage room window, especially when she remembered how aggressive Des looked a moment ago. It turned out that the little pup didn''t like the eldest of the Fort siblings either.


    He was an intruder. Of course, the puppy wouldn''t like him.


    "I would havee and gone undetected. However, some wretched fool in the name of a dog had to ruin the fun." Jaime cursed as he red at Des behind Theodore.


    "If you ever think of hurting my puppy, I will chop your legs off and shove them where the sun never shines." Zaria threatened with her eyes narrowed.


    "Only an obsessed woman would protect the dog before caring about how they will escape the ws of death." Jaime found it ironic that one would think of protecting a dog.


    Zaria patted Des to calm him before he could rush to Jaime to rip him to pieces¡ªshe knew that it was beyond his ability and Jaime might just hurt him. "Only a fool would enter the devil''s house to check whether there''s anyone home."


    Just as she taunted him, she noticed that Theodore pulled a gun from his waist and aimed it at the intruder.


    "Dad, wait." She ced a hand on his shoulder so he would calm down.


    "He is here to hurt you." Theodore''s eyes were full of anger. Thest thing he wanted was to spare the man who was here with the intention of hurting his daughter.


    "I know. But let''s talk about it, okay?" Zaria coaxed, and Jaime found her foolish. Didn''t she know how much she risked her own life by having her father pause the attack?


    "Let''s have a good word with this Mister." Zaria led the way to the living room, and Jaime followed with Theodore''s gun pointed at him. Any stupid movement and he would be shot through his brains.


    Theodore checked that the window was properly closed before leading the man to the living room, and he pointed the gun at Jaime''s temples even when thetter sat down.


    "You can rx. I only wanted to have a chat." Jaimeughed.


    Theodore found him annoying. "This is how we have chats over here. Didn''t your father teach you to follow the rules of the ce you visit? He must have been quite a useless man. If the best he could do was teach one son to be a yer and another how to invade people''s homes in the middle of the night, then Marchal did the most sloppy job at parenting.


    "Forget about Marchal for now. All I want is a video from your precious Zaria." He smiled at Zaria. "She took a video of things she shouldn''t. How naughty of her."


    Zaria frowned at how lewd he made it sound. "It''s just a video that would make this man rot in prison. No wonder he wants it so badly. The idiot."


    "Do you have it?" Theodore asked. Killing a Fort would never be a sane option no matter the circumstances. He was willing to go the insane route if it would save his daughter''s life but if there was a peaceful way out, he would want that instead.


    Of course, he was not so naive as to believe that Jaime would leave Zaria alone as long as she handed over the said video that was in her possession. Heaven knew, handing it over might only prove that she knew something she shouldn''t, and the Forts might soon create an ''ident''.


    Zaria shook her head at his question. "I deleted it. I don''t know why Mr. Fort would still stalk me."


    "You¡­" Jaime was about to speak when he paused. He stared at Zaria for a while and suddenly didn''t know how to attack her. He wanted her dead just a few hours ago, so he had wanted to hire another team after Samantha''s idiots failed. However, he was yet to know just how strong she was. He didn''t want a halfpleted job anymore, and he couldn''t do it himself. That was not his style.


    "I''m leaving." He announced and headed towards the door like an ordinary invited guest.


    "Tell me what the devil looks like." Theodore pointed his gun at Jaime''s head and just as he fired, a movement by Zaria distracted him and he missed, shooting the idiot''s shoulder instead.


    "We need him alive. Otherwise, the truth will nevere to light." Zaria exined why she had grabbed his arm as he fired his shot. She then glowered at Jaime who had to leave with a bleeding arm.


    "Thank me for saving your life, you fool. But don''t worry. I wille for it soon. Now, off you go."


    ¡­


    When Jaime left, she was in disbelief.


    "He really left. Are you sure he didn''t leave behind some ''extra special'' gifts like bombs and grenades?" Zaria asked, feeling paranoid. How could Jaimee and leave without doing anything? He had to have been up to something.


    "I checked and there wasn''t anything harmful." Theodore responded, knowing what she was worried about. "He was probably here to get familiar with our house structure so it will be easy for him toe back next time." He concluded, since Jaime was unarmed earlier.


    "He will probably return some day...and hurt you." Theodore felt his body tremble at the thought of someone being after Zaria''s life. She was such a kind woman. What did she do to deserve this?


    She massaged her temples and Des sat on herp to pat her head. Sheughed and nced at her father. "Dad, howe you own a gun? When did you learn to use it and¡­"


    She sighed and didn''t know just how to express her shock. "Never mind. As long as you''re not using it to hurt innocent people, it should be okay, I guess."


    Not everyone could own firearms in Olphire. One had to have a license to own one, and they would be serialized¡ªand one must have a convincing reason to exin why they needed firearms. Aside from aristocratic families and government officials whose lives were constantly in danger and who the government usually allowed to own guns, the other owners were mostly smugglers and owned unserialized guns.


    She knew that if she asked for too much detail, it might ruin the image of a gentle and perfect dad that she had etched in her heart.


    "Don''t worry, it''s for self-protection." He assured her, and she nodded.


    "Many years ago, war and firearms was an important,pulsory topic in schools. Everyone learnt about it and so did I." He exined how he knew how to use a gun and why he was so urate at it.


    She once again nodded, finding his exnation usible.


    After thinking for a while, she knew it was time to sleep but before that she suggested, "Dad, let''s move out. We need to do so as soon as possible."


    He would have said to wait but seeing as they were getting more frequent ''friendly visits'', he could only agree this time.

 Chapter 98 - Head Over Heels

    <h4>Chapter 98 - Head Over Heels</h4>


    Desmond gave Zaria a few days off, so she could fully recover before going back to work. She called Ximena over. As thetter did not have too much work to do, she visited in the afternoon and brought the lipsticks she had promised Zaria, along with toys for her favorite puppy.


    "I''m here!" She announced jovially when she arrived.


    Des was the first to rush to the door before Zaria did, and he happily looked up at Ximena to ask for pats.


    "Des, I missed you!" She let go of the bags to pick the puppy up, only to see Zaria''s swollen face.


    "What happened to you?!" She was so shocked that she almost dropped Des.


    "It''s nothing. Come in." Zaria weed her, suddenly regretting her decision to call her over. Thetter might just create a fuse and make sure to find the ruffians and get revenge¡ªbut in this case, the ruffians were dead so Ximena might want to seek trouble with the Fort siblings instead.


    As expected, she exploded at Zaria''s response. "What do you mean it''s nothing? Would nothing hurt you this way? Tell me, is it that Fort bastard?"


    "Xim, he''s not a bastard, and he doesn''t have anything to do with this." Zariaughed and almost wanted to apud Desmond for his extraordinary ability to pop up in every conversation that involved hurting her.


    "Then who is?" Ximena was not about to drop the matter, and looked like she was ready to wage war. "Hold on. Why are you defending that man? Don''t tell me you''re really falling for him?"


    When Zaria remained silent, Ximena felt her world spin. Her worries wereing true and she almost didn''t know how to react to it. "But Zaria, you know that he is an engaged man. Why are you exposing your heart to be broken? You do know that''s what will happen in the end, right? I mean, his fianc¨¦e is from the Sparks family."


    "I know." Zaria nodded guiltily. It felt awful that her friend was worried sick about her while she knew the truth and couldn''t even tell her because it was a secret for Natalie to tell.


    Ximena observed her expressions and no longer knew what to say. She waved her hands in defeat. "What hurts is that at the end of it, he is either going to break up with you before their wedding or break his engagement with her to be with you. The second option might work in your favor, but Zaria, I wouldn''t want to see you being judged by the world for supposedly breaking up a perfect couple." Ximena sighed, and then shrugged. "I mean, if they were so perfect, Desmond would never fall for other women. But you know how harshly our society judges women."


    Zaria sunk into deep thought, and she did not hear Ximena stating the third possibility which was Desmond going through the wedding with Natalie and keeping her as a mistress. Her mind was filled with the point about society''s judgement on women.


    The four of them (she, Desmond, Devonte, and Natalie) knew the truth behind the engagement, but no one else did. Even if they did reveal in future that the two were in a fake engagement, society might still perceive it as Natalie being forced to be with someone else out of heartbreak. They might still think that Zaria was the third party who broke Natalie and Desmond up, forcing a fellow woman to be heartbroken.


    "She''s thinking about him. If they fell in love, would you ept that man as your human daddy, Des?" Ximena teased the puppy on herp when she realized that she was speaking to herself and Zaria was lost in her own world, then her gaze suddenly narrowed.


    Desmond¡­ Des.


    Howe she didn''t notice it before? She must be such an idiot for it to slip her mind. Zaria wasn''t falling in love with Desmond. She was already head over heels.


    "What a bummer. She would have made a cute family with Ryan, Nina and the little darling." She thought helplessly. However, she also knew that love could never be forced.


    "Never mind. Just be careful. I''ll be there to root for you and fight off whoever tries to badmouth you." She said resolutely.


    Zaria looked up at her friend and didn''t know whether it was something to be amazed about. "My dear, don''t you change your mind faster than the sh of lightning? You were trying to convince me to be with Ryan just a day ago."


    Ximena''s brows were knitted. "That''s because I thought you had some tiny feelings for him deep in your heart and only needed someone to point them out for you to feel it. I thought you would fall in love with him and¡­" She trailed off. "But you know, Zaria. Feelings of love can never be forced. They either exist or don''t."


    "You sound like you have experience with that." Zaria was taken off guard by her tone that suddenly sounded solemn.


    "Don''t I?" Ximenaughed it off and pped her friend''s shoulder. "Come on Zaria. You know I have zero experience with love and rtionships."


    Zaria blinked back to reality. "And you will have zero experience forever if you keep beating guys up."


    "Don''t be so mean. You bad friend. I brought you lipstick." She opened one of the shopping bags she had brought earlier, which Des had been staring at excitedly as if he already knew that there was a gift in it for him.


    Ximena chuckled and took out a blue ball. She then threw it onto the floor to make it bounce off, and the little pup ran to catch it. She then took out a box and opened it under Zaria''s awaiting gaze.


    "They look so beautiful." She was awed at the magic-wand shaped lipsticks, then picked a pink one. "Why magic wands?"


    "Isn''t that what lipsticks do? Magic." Ximena picked up a maroon wand and waved it pretending to perform magic. They both chuckled, then she twisted the top of the wand, which opened to reveal an applicator wand. Raising Zaria''s chin, she rubbed the wand against her lips as thetter steadied her head obediently.


    When she was done, Zaria hurriedly checked herself out in the mirror. "It''s so beautiful! The texture is perfect too, and it doesn''t even feel like I have anything on my lips."


    "Of course. Who wants to feel like their lips are being torn apart by their Lipstick? That would be awful." Ximena chuckled matter-of-factly. She checked Zaria out and had to admit that she chose the right muse for her cosmetic brand. Zaria looked so gorgeous that even as a woman, she almost fell in love.


    "Here. There''s some face primer, eyeliner and eyeshadow, foundation cream¡­" Ximena introduced the items as she ced them on the table for Zaria to pick up.


    "But Xim, you know I don''t use all of those." She protested as she wondered whether to keep the Lipstick on a little longer. Her skin was sensitive and she was afraid of using many products. Besides, she only knew basic makeup and may not get to use some of the products even if they were given to her.


    Regarding the first point, Ximena rolled her eyes. "Which of my rmended products irritated your skin in the slightest?"


    Zaria shook her head when she tried to remember. She realized that she was thinking too much because she knew the makeup brands that were suitable for every skin type she encountered.


    While they talked about it, Theodore returned home and looked at both of them. "Are you up to something naughty?"


    "We are innocent flowers." Laughed Ximena as he picked out a box from the shopping bag and handed it to him. "Here. For you, uncle."


    Theodore burst intoughter without keeping away the ingredients he had bought. "Why would I use cosmetics?"


    Ximena understood his train of thought, and she scoffed. "Men can use cosmetics too. Who said it was limited to women?"


    "Don''t say that to talk me into taking it." Theodore half-joked.


    "Well, that and the fact that I''m really right. Come on, don''t be shy." She handed over the cosmetics and saw Theodore nce at it curiously, which made herugh.


    "Once he gets a woman he wants to court, I will not need to bring him such products. He will be the one giving me calls to get him some." Ximenaughed to Zaria, whoughed as well.


    She suddenly nced in the direction that Theodore had left with aplicated gaze. It wouldn''t be a bad thing if he fell in love again and got someone else to be with, right? He had been on his own for too long, which was partially because he was afraid that getting married would expose his daughter to the risk of being bullied by her step mother. However, she was too old for anyone to sessfully bully her now. She would be happy for him.

 Chapter 99 - Chasing A Star(1)

    <h4>Chapter 99 - Chasing A Star(1)</h4>


    Theodore returned a whileter with snacks on a tray.


    "I''ll cook your favorite meals tonight. Stay for dinner." He said to Ximena, who was overjoyed to hear the news.


    "Then I won''t hold back!" She cheered.


    "Dad, why did youe early today?" Zaria asked curiously.


    "I wanted to take care of you. Turned out you cannot be trusted with your own safety." He teased her.


    Ximena chuckled but couldn''t agree more.


    "How is the situation with your family?" Theodore asked Ximena in concern. Last he heard of it, she was having troubles with her parents because of her career choice.


    "Same old." She sighed and didn''t want to think about them.


    Theodore couldn''t help wondering how shallow one could be that they would want to force their child into the family business even though they knew that she liked something else.


    "You are doing much better without them." Theodore said in constion, to which Ximena agreed. She had been fighting over the same matter with her parents for years. It would be surprising if she wasn''t used to it yet.


    "What''s keeping you so busy, Uncle? You have dark circles." Ximena asked, not just to shift the topic but because she cared about Theodore too. He was the closest thing to a dad that she would ever have.


    "I''ve been chasing a star." Theodore stated indifferently, making the women burst into peals ofughter.


    Zaria yed with the lipstick in her hand before an idea struck her. "Xim, do you have a darker shade of this?"


    Ximena checked her bag and nodded. "I have a dark cherry colored one which isn''t much of a difference from Maroon."


    "That''s alright. Can I have it?" She held out a hand to receive the lipstick which Ximena gave to her while holding back her curiosity. She then took a picture of it and just as she did, she received a call from Natalie.


    "Zaria, how are you doing?" Natalie asked, since she had heard of what happened to Zaria from Desmond.


    "I''m doing much better now." She smiled, pleasantly surprised that Natalie would check on her.


    "I wanted toe over and check on you but Desmond wouldn''t let me. He is so mean and he thinks I shouldn''t get to see you when he can''t. That jealous idiot." Sheined about a certain person''s childishness. "Anyway, are you up for a movie?"


    Zaria looked at her father and friend and couldn''t ditch them. "I''ll have to miss out."


    "What a pity¡­" Natalie sounded yful instead of upset. "It''s such a bummer for you. Devonte''s the star."


    "Who did you say? Who?" Zaria shot from her seat in excitement before she sat down to calm down under her father and friend''s curious gazes.


    "Devonte, your favorite Jupiter. Will youe?" Natalieughed, feeling smug after having used her boyfriend as click-bait. Wasn''t he too charming? Of course, it was because she knew that Zaria felt nothing but admiration for him. She would never use such tricks on a female fan who might have obsessive feelings for Devonte.


    Zaria contemted and couldn''t immediately make a decision. "But I promised to spend time with my best friend and my dad. I can''t ditch them¡­" She was torn in between going and staying.


    "Then bring them along. I''ll just get two more tickets." Natalie suggested and hung up before thetter could respond.


    Zaria nced at the nk screen and sighed. "Dad, Xim, are you up for a movie?"


    "Who asked you out?" Ximena was quick to ask. Was it Desmond? If it was, they would be a pair of party poopers¡ªor date poopers in this case.


    "Is it Ryan? If it is, just go with him and have fun." Theodore cheered his daughter on.


    "Dad¡­" Zaria didn''t know what to do with him. "It''s Natalie."


    "Natalie? As in Natalie Sparks?!" Ximena almost shot up in shock. The fact that Zaria was close enough to an aristocratic heiress to have such a friendly phone conversation and go out together was not nearly as shocking as the fact that the said heiress was the fianc¨¦e of the man she loved! Just how screwed up was their rtionship?


    When Zaria nodded, Ximena no longer knew what to ask while Theodore shook his head. Sometimes, knowing less would save one''s sanity.


    In the end, the duo agreed to go.


    As Zaria changed into jeans in her room, Ximena patted Des who seemed to know that they were preparing to leave and was sad about it. "Goodbye, Little guy. I''ll bring you a treatter."


    "Have you considered getting him a pet nanny?" She asked Zaria as thetter returned, all changed.


    Zaria nodded and picked the puppy up to return him to his crate. "I will when we settle down in our new house."


    "You are moving out? Why?" Ximena was puzzled. If her memory served her right, the father-daughter duo had lived here for years and only renovated the ce often because neither of them liked the idea of moving out.


    "We think the ce is a little too small now that we have Des." Zaria didn''t bring up their security concern, which would make Ximena really chop the Forts into pieces this time.


    "I can help you house hunt if you need me to." She winked, to which Zaria smiled.


    "I have already found an agent. However, I will need your help with the style and decor."


    "Count me in!"


    ¡­


    When they arrived, Natalie was waiting for them outside the cinema and rushed to them when she saw them.


    Although she was excited to see Zaria, she greeted them politely while not letting her emotions show on her face.


    "Hello, Mr. Williams. You must be Miss Morel." She shook hands with them but when she shook Ximena''s hand, it felt awkward. Why did it feel like thetter was guarded against her? She was used to being guarded against everyone but this was the first time she was the suspect, so it felt strange.


    Theodore jabbed Ximena to remind her to be friendly before shaking Natalie''s hand. "You can call me Theodore."


    "Same goes for me. Just call me Ximena." Ximena went along despite the evident friction between her and Natalie.


    Zaria smiled it off as she exchanged a hug with Natalie, which earned her a re from Ximena. "Are wete?"


    "Let''s get in. There''s still a few minutes before it starts." Natalie announced and led the way. She had to admit that she had never been under so much pressure before.


    This was probably how people felt around her, she thought. Perhaps she had always made everyone ufortable by being wary of them? It must really be the case¡­ especially for the people who didn''t mean any harm against her.


    Taking a mental note to be a tiny bit friendlier, she tried to ignore Ximena whose eyes could barely be ignored with how deeply she was looking at her. Luckily, Ximena was sitting close to the farthest end of the row while she sat on the other end with Theodore and Zaria between them.


    "Nice lipstick." Shemented to Zaria who was beside her.


    "Thank you." Zaria touched her lips with a smile. "My friend made them."


    "Ximena?" She asked in a low tone and when Zaria nodded, she wondered whether she could buy one too.


    Before she could ask, Zaria''s hand opened and a lipstick appeared on it.


    "How beautiful! What''s her brand''s name?" Natalie immediately forgot about Ximena''s unfriendliness, understanding what it was all about. In Ximena''s mind, she was her best friend''s romantic rival. Of course she would be unfriendly before knowing the truth.


    "Morel Beauty." Zaria answered as she pointed at the MB logo on the length of the wand-shaped Lipstick.


    Natalie inspected it and with Zaria''s permission, applied a tiny bit of it on the back of her hand and when she was satisfied with the color and quality, she asked about the price and whether she could get more.


    Ximena had talked about it before, so Zaria exined it in detail and sold the lipstick to Natalie.


    Ximena shot a surprised look at Zaria when she received a notification stating that money had been credited into her ount, as well as a preorder for two makeup sets from Natalie. In response, thetter smiled warmly.


    Ximena had done so much for her that she could never repay it. The least she could do was help her market her brand, which was a startup and would benefit from as much poprity as possible. It was only the first step but she would try her best.


    The movie had just started, but Ximena was trying to figure out what this meant. Was Zaria trying to help her out? She was notining, but didn''t Zaria already have a lot to take care of?


    ''That fool,'' She smiled emotionally.


    She turned to the person sitting beside her and was about to ask if it was okay for them to switch seats with Zaria when she saw him clearly. Wasn''t this Jupiter?

 Chapter 100 - Chasing A Star (2)

    <h4>Chapter 100 - Chasing A Star (2)</h4>


    Before Ximena could ask or say anything, Devonte ced a finger on his lips to signal for her to keep her mouth shut. Thetter nodded and smiled after a few seconds to indicate that she would keep the secret. However, she felt as though she was betraying Zaria. Thetter liked Jupiter so much that she would feel bummed if she ever found out that her idol was only three seats away from her and she didn''t even get to ask for an autograph.


    Thinking about it, she took out a scarf that she had carried in her bag in case of a cold and a pen, passing it to him secretly.


    This was a normal gesture to Devonte, so he epted it and signed his stage name along with a smiley.


    Ximena smiled as she thought of how happy Zaria would be when she received the autographed scarfter. As she kept it in her bag, she felt a gaze on her, emanating from Zaria''s direction. When she looked over, she found that no one was looking at her. How strange.


    When the movie ended, Natalie invited the trio to dinner at the restaurant opposite the cinema. Before they could agree to it, a man passed by them and turned to look at Natalie for a brief second before disappearing into a hallway.


    "Hey! That''s Jupiter. I''ve been trying to get him for an interview but he''s too busy to notice me. Let alone talk about the potential interview. Pardon me, but I have to try and follow him." Theodore was about to follow Devonte when Natalie stopped him.


    "You don''t have to."


    She reflexively wanted to offer to call Devonte back but thought of a better idea. "Some of his fans revealed that he will have dinner at Le Pont too. You can try to talk to him once we''re there."


    Theodore found it an excellent idea. "Thank you Miss Sparks."


    Zaria and Ximena exchanged amused looks. So Theodore really was chasing a star. They thought he was joking about it.


    "You can call me Natalie. I''m a friend of Zaria''s, after all." Natalie offered him a smile.


    Ximena saw Natalie offering Theodore a kind smile and was a little confused. She could offer a kind smile that didn''t look fake? Was she good at acting, or was it real? If it was real, then that was confusing. What happened to the arrogant, pampered heiress with a tragically cold attitude? Besides, why was she being friendly to Zaria and her family despite all the rumors?


    She was initially nning to miss out on the dinner and meet up with a CEO who had proposed a partnership, but she cancelled the meeting instead. It would be better for her to understand what Natalie was up to, and if it would cause harm to Zaria or Theodore.


    Hence, the four of them made their way to Le Pont. Natalie secretly sent a text message to Devonte to tell him where to be.


    As soon as they sat down, the man made his way to their table.


    "Miss Williams?" He looked at Zaria in admiration.


    Zaria didn''t know what he was up to, but she nodded while ying along. "Yes, that''s me. Anything I can help you with?"


    "A huge favor. Forgive my manners." He paused to greet Ximena, Theodore and Natalie while pretending not to know who they were, then he looked back at Zaria. "I''m sorry for being so presumptuous, but I''ve always wished to be interviewed by you."


    "Don''t joke around. Interviewers look for their interviewees and not the other way round. Besides, I no longer work at F&P Media." She nced at Natalie as though to ask, what is your boyfriend ying at?


    Devonte looked bummed at a hot spot for a second before he shrugged. "I don''t simply ept interviews from anyone. It''s usually me choosing the agencies and magazines I want. I remember that F&P Media has a celebrity magazine. As for the interviewer, you can get anyone else to do it if you no longer work there."


    At this point, Zaria knew what was going on. She looked at him with aplicated gaze despite knowing that her dad was feeling as though he had snagged a jackpot.


    "Can we have a word?" She asked and Devonte nodded, so they stepped out of the restaurant.


    "You don''t have to feel obliged to help us out. Natalie is my friend but I don''t want to exploit her." She stated.


    "Don''t worry about that. I didn''t lie about wanting to appear on the cover page of F & P Media''s celebrity magazine. I was about to seek you out when the scandal happened." He exined, earning a raise of the eyebrows from her. She clearly did not believe a word of what he had said.


    "I''m sorry I ditched the idea at such a moment, my agency wouldn''t let me do something they think would ruin my image." He attempted to exin. "However, I watched how F&P Media rose from nothing. I know a media agency is thest thing you would expect an actor to look up to, but I did. I admire your dad¡ªhow he took every step boldly and didn''t give up no matter how many challenges came his way. I was still a student actor at the time."


    Zaria was in disbelief after hearing it all. She would never have expected that while she admired Devonte for his hard work, he had been taking her dad as his motivation all these years.


    "I wouldn''t agree to an interview that''s not worth my time-not even if Natalie were to use beauty traps on me." He chuckled through thest part.


    Zariaughed along. "My dad will be overjoyed to interview you."


    "I''ll be d to go. Let''s talk about the schedule when you guys are done having dinner. If you don''t have a male cover model for the celebrity magazine, can I have that too?" He asked like a child asking for candy.


    "As you wish. Let''s go back before one of your crazy fans takes a scandalous photo." She suggested and led the way back into the restaurant.


    "Mr. Wiims, Zaria has a gift for you." Devonte announced yfully then jovially added, "Me!"


    "Don''t be silly." Zaria rolled her eyes and wondered why she had never realized that her idol was so childish. "What he means is that he will be the cover model for F&P Media''s magazine, and ept an interview too."


    "Well, that will be my pleasure." Theodore wondered why he would agree so easily, but he saved the questions forter.


    Meanwhile, Ximena wondered what connection there was between Zaria and Jupiter. It was more than a fan and her idol. Were they friends perhaps? She couldn''t help but wonder whether it had something to do with Natalie, who was the other oddball at their table.


    When they finished their dinner, Ximena insisted on taking a cab to go back to her house while Zaria drove off with Theodore. While Natalie headed to her car, a pair of arms grabbed her from behind which she was getting used to.


    "Dev, hold on. This isn''t¡­" She froze when she saw a female figure leaning against her car. It was Ximena.


    Thetter had been waiting for Natalie but she didn''t expect such a shocking secret to unveil in front of her. A few details suddenly started making sense. About two years ago, there was a rumor about Jupiter getting into an intimate rtionship with an heiress to boost his career. What if the rumor was true and the heiress was Natalie? If their rtionship was that old, then they really were more messed up than she thought.


    "I,..." Natalie opened her mouth.


    "Don''t worry. I was not spying on you so don''t take it the wrong way. Your secret is safe with me." Ximena assured her and didn''t want to impose on them for too long. "I only want to know where I should send the makeup kits you ordered. I forgot to ask earlier."


    "Please send them to my home address." Natalie was relieved, so she searched for a pen and small notepad in her bag where she wrote down her address and gave it to Ximena.


    When she saw thetter leaving, she red at the man who was now beside her. "Is it trouble you are looking for? How many times must I tell you to check the environment before you do such things?"


    "We''re not going to fight over this again, are we?" He asked dreadfully.


    "Not if you stop being careless." She huffed in annoyance. It was lucky that it was Ximena who caught them. She didn''t want to imagine the oue if it was someone else instead.


    "I''m sorry." He looked into her annoyed eyes as he admitted his fault. "I miss you so much that I can''t help grabbing every opportunity to hug you."


    Her gaze softened. "Don''t give me those eyes." How annoying. She couldn''t stay mad at him even if she wanted to. The loving gaze he gave her when he apologized made her want nothing more than to pin him on the bed and tease him all night.

 Chapter 101 - Late Night Date

    <h4>Chapter 101 - Late Night Date</h4>


    When Zaria and Theodore arrived home, he sat on the couch silently to contemte the weirdness of what had happened earlier. How was it possible?


    "Dad, what are you thinking about?" Zaria asked as she made herselffortable after pouring herself a ss of cold water from the dispenser.


    "Why would Jupiter agree to an interview?" He asked directly. "Not only did he agree, he was also the first one to seek us. It just doesn''t make sense no matter how hard I think about it. Also, what does it have to do with you? Don''t tell me¡­"


    Zaria could fill in his unsaid words that were too terrifying to think about. That was Natalie''s boyfriend, okay! To stop him from thinking too much, she briefly exined the man''s reasons.


    "He admires you."


    "He what? I would never have expected that." It was thest thing that would have ever crossed his mind.


    "Me either." She confessed. Not only did it make her proud of her dad, but it also made her admire her idol all the more. She had always been a little afraid that if she met him in real life, she would find out that he was no different from many celebrities, who appeared friendly on screens and interviews but were terribly arrogant and rude in real life, and acted like they owned the world and that everyone in it, including their fans, were nothing in their eyes.


    Luckily, Jupiter was friendly and kind both on screen and in real life.


    "Are you sleepy? I will continue working for a while." Theodore suggested for her to go to sleep first.


    "I will watch a drama for a while before sleeping. Goodnight dad." She made her way to her bedroom to watch a Korean drama before going to bed. There was one whose episodes she had been watching before she got too busy. When she turned on the next one, she found that she had missed so many episodes that she couldn''t even focus on the storyline anymore.


    "What a bummer." She sighed and decided to make a cup of coffee for her dad.


    When it was ready, she knocked on the door of his study and gently pushed the door open. She thought he was busy and was trying not to cause too much distraction but when she got in, she was puzzled when she saw him lost in deep thought with a frown on his face. Beside him was a packet of cigarettes which was opened but there wasn''t any smell of tobo in the air. He was probably fighting his urge to smoke.


    "Dad, you look gloomy all of a sudden." She tapped the surface of the desk a few times to call for his attention. He jolted and gave her a nk look.


    "Are you alright?" She asked as she grabbed the cigarette pack to throw it in the trash can along with his new lighter.


    "All good." He forced a smile and took the coffee to sip from it while thanking her. "You''re all grown up. You''re even taking care of me now."


    She smiled in return but couldn''tprehend what was going on. Shouldn''t he be overjoyed now that things were falling into ce? Why did it seem like he was distressed instead?


    ___


    When she went back to her room, she pondered over it and finally understood what was going on. Shey on her stomach on the bed and made a call.


    "Are you awake?" She asked when the call connected.


    "Yes. Do you need something?" Desmond sounded like he was caught in between nervousness and anticipation, but it couldn''t be helped. It wasn''t every day that Zaria called him first, so he wondered what she had to say to him.


    "Nothing I¡­" She paused to try and guess whether or not he was busy, and continued when she heard the sound of soft music from his side. "I just need someone to talk to."


    Desmond almost froze in shock. It was even more rare for Zaria to seek him simply to talk, so he was even more confused but he was quick to react and ask her what was bugging her.


    "It''s just...my dad is sad. Tomorrow is my mother''s birthday. I think my dad is sad because he is thinking about her. They shared so many memories together after all¡­" Her voice trailed off when she suddenly realized that she used to only talk to Ximena about such things. When did she rece it with Desmond? Besides, how would he react to it? Would he find her too negative and childish?


    Much to her relief, he listened to her then asked, "What about you?"


    "Me?" She wondered when the topic shifted to her.


    "How are you feeling?" He asked.


    "I''m a little¡­ sad too. Though I don''t care about her as much as he does." She responded honestly. "I just don''t know what to do with him."


    "Just let him calm down. It''s been so many years already¡­ Who knows whether he is really thinking about her? Besides, if he is even after all this time, there is probably nothing you can do to help, aside from spending a little more time with him tomorrow so he doesn''t feel lonely." He advised. "About not caring about her, you can''t conclude that on your own. Just don''t let it get to you, okay? Shall I pick you up to go out for somete night fun? You can spend time with your dad tomorrow."


    "Tomorrow is a working day." She rejected the idea, not wanting him to be too tired to wake up on time for work the following day.


    "You have a few more days off." He reminded her matter-of-factly.


    "You don''t." He threw a reminder back at him.


    "If the CEO wants to sleep in, no one will have a thing to say." He retorted in all smugness, not leaving her any room for argument.


    She clicked her tongue as she rolled onto her back. "If you keep that mentality up, it won''t be long before you drag Preston and Fort Group into bankruptcy."


    "Then that will be your fault, won''t it?" He chuckled.


    "Why would it be?" She wondered aloud.


    "The CEO is losing focus because he is too much into you. Whose fault is that if not yours?" He answered pointedly, leaving her speechless.


    "Then, should I resign so you don''t see me so often?" She suggested in all seriousness, earning a gasp from him.


    "Don''t be that evil. You know that''s not what I meant." Before she could make some other insane suggestion, he quickly got off his bed. "I''ll be there soon."


    "Call me when you get here." She suggested, which he rejected and wanted to continue talking to her.


    "Don''t talk on the phone as you drive." She reprimanded him.


    "But I''ll miss your voice." He insisted.


    "Don''t joke around. I''m hanging up." She warned and hung up, not giving him the chance to convince her. Chuckling at how silly he could get, she looked for clothes to change into and chose jeans and a ck tee.


    ..


    "I''m here." He announced over the phone just as she was done changing.


    She grabbed a jacket with a fluffy cor and left her room, only for Des to leave his room to follow her.


    "Go back." She ordered, and when she saw him sulkily go back to his room, she couldn''t help going over to pet him. "Good boy."


    After settling the puppy, she checked on her dad and when she found that he was asleep on his room, she was no longer worried so she left.


    "I thought you were joking abouting to pick me up." She spoke when she saw him waiting at the parking lot.


    "I don''t joke about such things as your happiness. Come on, let''s go." He urged her into the car as the night was chilly.


    "Where are we going?" She asked as she fastened her seat belt.


    "Why don''t you let it be a surprise?" He grinned, choosing to keep her in suspense and she had no choice but to wait.


    ¡­


    About an hourter, they arrived at their destination which she guessed to be on the outskirts of Imperium¡ªconsidering how fast he had driven and how different the environment looked from that of the capital. She had to admit that it would be the perfect destination for a vacation.


    "You didn''t strike me as one to own such things as gardens and secluded manors." Shemented when they pulled up at a manor that she guessed was owned by him.


    "It turns out you don''t know that much about me. I like a quiet hideaway." He smiled in response, helping her out of the car.


    "It looks so beautiful." She looked around unreservedly.


    "Does it make you feel more refreshed?" He asked, since that was the main reason for bringing her out for fun.


    "It really does." She admitted.


    "My grandma had it built for me. She also designed everything around it. She says she would want me to bring her granddaughter inw here." He exined. He had previously found the elderlydy insane.


    "But she doesn''t have one yet." Zaria frowned, and he nodded.


    "No, she doesn''t. But she will someday."

 Chapter 102 - Late Night Date (2)

    <h4>Chapter 102 - Late Night Date (2)</h4>


    "What kind of person is she? Your grandmother." Zaria asked as they approached the manor. She had not heard much about the matrriach of the Fort Family so she was curious about her. Was she a kind and loving woman? Was she scheming or arrogant?


    Desmond held her hand and led her into the Manor while turning to nce at her with a smile. "If you are worried about whether she will approve of you, you have nothing to worry about."


    "Who talked about approving?" She frowned and swatted his hand away, though she had to admit that she was worried about that too. Most women from wealthy families wanted nothing more than for their children and grandchildren to marry women and men of the same status as them.


    It was already difficult for such a family to ept her, an assistant, to be Desmond''s girlfriend. Of course, they didn''t know about their blossoming rtionship but she was certain that they would oppose it and prefer Natalie instead.


    "Stop thinking too much." Desmond chuckled. He didn''t need to ask to know how wild she was letting her thoughts run.


    "My grandma is a strong believer of following one''s heart." He exined.


    "She is?" Zaria would never have expected that of the matriarch who was rumored to be exceptionally strict.


    Desmond nodded. "While she appears to be unapproachable at first, that''s just a front she puts on so she is not disrespected. However, she warms up to the people she thinks are sincere."


    "She must love you so much." She observed how gentle his expression was as he talked about her. They must be close, even closer than he was to his immediate family.


    "She is the most yful elderlydy you will find anywhere." He confirmed her words with a longing smile, as though he missed her. He then snapped back to the main point. "She was forced to marry my grandpa when she had juste of age. Although they fell deeply in loveter and are inseparable even at their age, she prefers for the younger generation to fall in love first. The point is, she will not oppose you as long as you are the one I choose."


    His words made her less worried, especially when he added that she should be herself and not try to impress her, since the elderlydy was not hard to please.


    The European-styled manor was more spacious than she imagined it would be, with antique furniture. At one end of the living room, there was a firece and logs of wood near it, which he threw into the firece and lit up.


    She went over to sit near the fire as she hugged her jacket.


    "It will start snowing soon." He whispered as he nced at her.


    "And that''s a main point because?" She wondered aloud. Winter wasn''t her best time of the year. She prefered warmer days where she could go for a cold swim once in a while, or go for a vacation at the beach.


    "I want to y in the snow with you." He suggested with a gentle smile. "Roll up a huge snow ball to hit you with."


    "You psycho." Sheughed. She knew that it was rare for one to be injured by a snow ball, but he made it sound like he would create one big enough to drown her once she got hit.


    "I''m hungry." He changed the topic with augh, then put on a serious face to express that he really was hungry.


    "Cook up something to eat." She shrugged. Wasn''t that obvious? He didn''t expect her to cook for him, did he? She hoped not because she was enjoying the warmth from the fire so much that she did not want to move an inch.


    "Not just that." He rested against her shoulder. "Both of me are hungry."


    "Both of¡­" She stopped when she realized what he meant. "Get off me! Order some pizza to eat or something."


    Having been kicked out, he could only drag his feet to the kitchen to find the maic food delivery chart he had stuck against the fridge door.


    "Love, what would you like to eat?" He shouted into the living room and heard no response. Pulling the chart off, he went to find her at the firece. "What would you like to eat?"


    "Popcorn." She threw him a random order, which made him frown at her.


    "That doesn''t count."


    "I can''t think of anything." She sighed. "Just order anything."


    Hence, he ordered pizza and burgers, making her eyes bulge when the food arrived. He had ordered too much!


    "Don''t give me that look. Dig in! I heard this chain''s burgers are the yummiest." He urged, and grabbed a chicken burger.


    "How did you know I prefer beef?" She asked when she realized what he had ordered for her.


    "I took note of what you often order at the employee cafeteria." He confessed, earning a gaze that used him of being a stalker. He burst into chuckles. "One has to know their employees well, don''t they? In case I decide to buy takeout lunch for the wholepany one day." He shrugged matter-of-factly to justify himself.


    "Is that so?" She put down her burger while giving him a meaningful look. "What does Helena from the marketing department like? What is she allergic to?"


    Desmond thought hard about it then looked at her innocently. "Who is Helena? I didn''t know there was someone with that name in the marketing department?"


    Zaria was speechless. He did not even know the head of his ownpany''s marketing department? Was he really the CEO?


    She was about to resume eating when she raised her hand to wipe a food particle off his lips.


    "If you want a kiss, you do not need my permission. Just go ahead and kiss me." Came his narcissistic response, and she decided to ignore him.


    ¡­


    The Fort siblings were on the verge of exploding as they thought of how stupidly they had been yed by Zaria.


    " Why did you go to her house? Are you insane? You could have been shot!" Samantha scolded Jaime who now had a bandaged wound on his shoulder.


    "I was fucking shot, okay!" Jaime exploded.


    "Yes you were. And you should be d that the bullet did not run through your brain. Otherwise¡­" Samantha continued pacing as she thought of how tragic the oue would be if Jiame died as a result of sneaking into Zaria''s home. She would not have the chance to revenge.


    Nothing was more tragic than having her prey stolen from her by her worst enemy. She wanted to be the one to torture and kill Jaime and she would not let anyone take that from her.


    "That woman has to die." For more than a few reasons, Samantha added mentally, and her words earned a scoff from her brother who turned to look at her like she was an idiot spouting nonsense.


    "How will you be able to kill her if you could not do it thest time? She must have be more careful." He reasoned.


    Samantha sighed when she remembered that Zaria must have someone protecting her as well, and that oerson was none other than her brother. What a traitor.


    She suddenly stopped pacing. " I''ve found a sure way to get rid of her once and for all."


    "And what''s that?" Jaime didn''t believe that she was capable of doing anything that actually made sense.


    "Attack when Desmond is away." She winked, making him frown.


    "How the hell is Desmond going to be away from her when he has her as his wallet? He can''t let her be on her own for more than a few hours and probably has bodyguards protecting her." Not to mention, Theodore. That man looked simple but now that Jaime thought about it, with his profession and the fact that he was the most wanted enemy of most prominent businessmen and government officials, he should be long dead.


    His encounter with him thest time just served to prove that he was far from being as simple as he appeared to be. Perhaps, Desmond was not the only one whose absence was necessary for anyone to be able to get to that woman.


    "Don''t forget, I used to be close to that bastard." Sneered Samantha, referring to Desmond. "We can coborate with someone from the inside to get him out of the country for at least a few days, It will be adequate time to settle the mistress."


    Jaime thought about her words and turned to face her. "Who do you have in mind?"


    "Evan West. Have you forgotten the kind of man he is?" She snickered.


    When Jaime realized what she meant, a frown of discontent formed on his face. "I now know why you didn''t manage to get rid of that bitch even when you had all the good cards. Are you an idiot? Why would you even think of Evan, that double-edged sword?"

 Chapter 103 - Time To Cut Your Tongue Off

    <h4>Chapter 103 - Time To Cut Your Tongue Off</h4>


    "Are you in the mood for a movie?" Desmond asked soon after they were done eating.


    "Mmh?" She purred against his chest where she was recliningzily. "What movie do you have in mind?"


    "Nothing yet, but we can look for one. A romance movie this time perhaps?" He suggested, letting her think about it and decide whether she wanted it.


    "Speaking of movies, did you go out with Natalie today? She said you were going to watch a movie." He asked out of the blue.


    "Yeah we did." She nodded against his chest, then yelped when he suddenly pulled her to lie on her stomach against his legs. A spank came down her backside.


    "What are you doing?" She almost yelled in shock. Did he just spank her?


    "How could you go on a date with someone else?" He spanked her yet again, his gaze full of seriousness that rendered her speechless.


    "It was not a date okay?" She struggled to get out of his grip. "Natalie asked me out for movies. Natalie¡ªa woman." Before he could say something stupid, she seriously added, "we are both straight¡ªnot that it would have changed anything if we weren''t."


    The man still looked displeased as though he had been robbed of his girlfriend, and she didn''t know what to do with him. "My dad and Ximena were there too."


    He looked slightly happier, and then quickly confirmed. "Just the two of them?"


    She nodded. "Devonte did appear at some point, but we all know who he was there for. He doesn''t count."


    He looked at her seriously. "That guy surnamed Fin didn''t ''coincidentally'' find you and decide to join you, right?" He jealously asked about Ryan.


    "No, he didn''t. Can you stop looking at me like I''m cheating on you? I haven''t even started paying back for the unfounded spanking." She looked at him threateningly.


    "Don''t even think about it." He shook his head with a stern frown as soon as heprehended her gaze. No way in hell was he going to present his butt for her to spank. "Let''s find a suitable movie."


    Feeling bummed after being denied a chance to revenge, she crawled back into his arms to snugglefortably. "But I want nothing but to be in your arms."


    His gaze softened at her words which weren''t usually heard from her. "Then let''s go up to my room. We can watch on the bed and you can rest in my arms for as long as you want."


    She thought it was a good idea since the chairs were starting to feel ufortable after sitting on them for too long.


    Once they got to the French-styled room, he picked silk pajamas from the closet to wear, then gave her a pink nightgown.


    She received it though her eyebrows furrowed. Why was there female clothing in his manor?


    Considering that she had to pull off the tag, it was new and unworn. She didn''t need to know any other details as she might just end up with a broken heart, so she changed into the nightgown.


    He quickly set up their watching space and brought theptop close to them after bundling her up in a warm cotton nket. He started ying the movie he had selected and slid into the nket, holding her by the shoulders to have her rest against his chest.


    Even before the movie could actually start, he felt her drift into sleep against his chest. She was sofortable that she couldn''t help it.


    Chuckling gently, he was about to help her into a morefortable position to sleep when his phone rang.


    "What the hell do you want right now?" He yelled at skeleton who was on the other end.


    "I know I ruined your fun. I''m sorry but an emergency happened." Skeleton exined urgently.


    "What happened?" Desmond sat up attentively and even Zaria''s sleep cleared off as soon as she heard the word "emergency."


    "What happened?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes to keep them open.


    "Samantha asked me for help. She said that she wanted a reason to make you stay away from Zaria for a while and had sought for Evan, but he refused to help her." He yapped in one breath and took a deep breath. "Long story short, I agreed to help her."


    "You did what?" Desmond wanted to hit that idiot.


    "Don''t kill me okay? I saved your ass. If I didn''t agree, she would have continued seeking your friends so she would coborate with them."


    Zaria nodded at Skeleton''s quick thinking, which she had heard because Desmond had put the phone on speaker.


    "What did you agree on?" He asked.


    "I gave her your location and exined That Zaria was with you tonight, then agreed to feign an emergency to have you leave her alone."


    Zaria quickly understood what the n was, and it made her blink and take a deep breath. "She is putting her n into effect."


    "I can''t leave you alone." He dered firmly with no room for negotiation.


    "This is the only way to trap her. We had an agreement, Desmond." She had to agree that the timing was not the best, but it wasn''t like they had much choice. They were nning to trap Samantha and a chance had just presented itself. How could they not take it?


    "But Zaria, that woman is crazy. She could hurt you. I don''t want anything to happen to you." He worriedly held her chin up with the thumb of his left hand.


    Skeleton coughed on the line. "I don''t mind listening to your romantic love but you may need to know that Samantha already left her home to go to your Manor."


    "Damn you Skeleton." Desmond hung up in annoyance. He could have insisted that the only time he would be able to cause a distraction was the following day. How could he ruin his perfect moment with Zaria?


    "I''ll wait in the living room." Zaria hurriedly changed back into her jeans and top then rushed out of the bedroom.


    He changed and rushed out after her, wondering how much time they had before Samantha appeared.


    "Luckily, I''m always prepared." She took a deep breath and mustered all the acting skills she had umted from all the years of being a reporter.


    Desmond walked to the door and then right back in. "I can''t."


    "Desmond¡­" She didn''t know what to do with him. "This is for your mother, have you forgotten? We are doing this to prove that your mother is innocent!"


    "I know." He looked down with a sigh. "I''m just afraid that if I walk out that door and leave you here alone, it won''t only be my mother that I lose. How about I hide in a room? In case something happens that requires my attention, I will rush right out.


    Her heart warmed up, but he couldn''t stay. "You have to go. Samantha¡ªor one of her fellow schemers in the name of minions¡ªhas to see you leave the manor. Only then will she be certain that Skeleton has called you over and that I''m now on my own. Otherwise, there is no way she would believe that someone who is loyal to you wouldpletely betray you."


    There was nothing he could say against it because she was right. Samantha couldn''t trust people easily, especially his people. She needed proof that Skeleton had kept his word.


    Seeing as she had convinced him, she urged him out. "Go. Make sure to look like you''re in a hurry, okay?"


    "I know." He hurried out and jumped into his car, flooring the elerator as Zaria left the house to wave at him, but she was toote since he had already left.


    Samantha paused, ncing at her binocrs with a smile. As she watched Zaria''s expression change into a little bit of disappointment after not being able to wave at Desmond before he could leave, she rejoiced in her heart.


    "Aww poor Zaria, she will not be able to say goodbye to her lover even on her deathbed. Must be tragic, right?"


    "Wait here. I''ll be back." She ordered her minions and got out of the hedge, following Zaria into the house as she dragged her feet in.


    "You''re back? I thought you were going to handle an emergency at work?" Zaria pretended not to know who was behind her.


    "Ha, looking for Desmond? He is noting back for you." Samantha snickered at the door.


    Zaria turned in shock. "You, what are you doing here?"


    "What do you think, Mmh? Of course, I''m here to make friends. She answered spitefully, crossing her arms as she nced at Zaria who looked like she had been trapped.


    "Don''t even think of trying to do anything to me. It''s against thew." Zaria tried to defend herself by using thew as a shield, but that only earned her ridiculingughter from Samantha.


    "Oh Zaria. I think it''s time to cut off your tongue."

 Chapter 104 - Good Siblings

    <h4>Chapter 104 - Good Siblings</h4>


    "Why would you do that?" Zaria asked in the mildest, most innocent tone she could muster.


    What was with the sudden submissive attitude? Samantha was confused, but it pleased her so she merely snickered. Dumb bitch, she had finally learned not to cross people she shouldn''t think of offending. Too bad, it was toote. She had already done too much and should not be left alive. Otherwise, what would happen if she continued wrecking other people?


    Zaria knew what was on the other woman''s mind from the footage and Samantha''s calls with Desmond, but she pretended not to know. "Can you at least tell me why you want to kill me?"


    Samantha scoffed. "You know too many things that you shouldn''t."


    Zaria took a deep breath while pretending to calm her tense nerves, while cracking her knuckles and sneaking nces at the door. "What do you think I know? That your eldest brother murdered your dad, or that you helped him clean the crime scene and destroy the evidence?" She shrugged when Samantha narrowed her gaze. "I promise, I deleted the video."


    Samantha sighed and wondered whether to believe her. It would be a relief if she had really deleted it, but it was still uncertain. Remembering that she had shown Jaime the video on her phone during the banquet, she stretched out her hand. "Your phone."


    Zaria ced her phone in Samantha''s palm,only for the other to throw it back at her. "Don''t be stupid. Am I supposed to guess the password?"


    She took it back and keyed in the password, making sure not to take too long, before giving it back to Samantha who then went ahead to search every folder of it.


    Seeing that there was nothing useful, Samantha was irritated. How could there be nothing she could use? She started to draft a message.


    "What are you doing?" Zaria asked.


    "You don''t get to ask me questions." Samantha red at her and went ahead to send a text message to the contact saved as Mr. Preston.


    [We need to talk. See you tomorrow at 11pm, your office.]


    She smirked and deleted the text message, then wondered how entertaining the oue would be. If there was nothing for her to use against Zaria, then she might as well cause trouble in paradise before murdering her. It would be awesome for a tale to erupt about Desmond murdering his mistress because he realized that she was cheating on him.


    Satisfied with the tale she hade up with, she returned the phone, not knowing that Zaria could retrieve the message any time she wanted to, with the help of Skeleton and Zeus.


    "Now, where were we?" Samantha crossed her arms. "It''s a great thing that you have nothing against us. But do you realize how many lives you have ruined? We have to make sure you don''t do that anymore, don''t you think?"


    "No, she doesn''t." A male voice spoke from the door.


    Samantha froze when she recognized the voice as Desmond''s. What was he doing here? Wasn''t he out for an emergency? Skeleton called him out so he shouldn''t be back so soon!


    She had the urge to attack Zaria on the spot, but knowing her brother, she would end up dead too, if she wouldn''t be the only one dying.


    "I came to say hello to Zaria. It''s been long since west saw each other. Right Zaria?" She smiled pretentiously, which made Desmond almost awed at her talent at bullshitting. Perhaps only women had the ability to pretend to be friends despite hating each other to the point of wanting each other''s lives.


    Zaria nodded and went to Desmond''s side to cling to his arm with a smile. "I was about to show Samantha out. I asked her to sleep over but she did not want to ruin our fun, so let''s show her out together, my love."


    "I didn''t know you were so close?" Desmond raised an eyebrow while secretly rejoicing in what Zaria had just called him. He knew that it was part of her act but it still made him immensely joyous.


    "What are you saying? A friend of Natalie''s is my friend too." Samantha smiled kindly, stressing on Natalie''s name to indirectly remind Zaria that she would never be in a legitimate rtionship with Desmond¡ªan engaged man.


    Zaria yed along with the sweetest kind of smile. "Yes, a friend of Natalie''s is a friend of mine. This has nothing to do with you, by the way."


    Desmond chuckled at the women who were trying their best to pretend to be friends but who were scheming for each other''s death behind their sweet smiles. As long as Zaria was having fun.


    At her request, they showed Samantha out.


    "You shoulde to visit again." Zaria smiled kindly, then lowered her voice. "Just don''t appear like a psycho anymore. Otherwise, Desmond''s bodyguards might mistake you for an enemy and try to end you."


    Her words had Samantha''s eyes twitch in confusion. If Desmond''s bodyguards were protecting Zaria, why didn''t she scream for help? Why didn''t theye to intervene when they saw her sneak in?


    Deciding that Zaria must be bluffing, she forced a smile and walked into the dark.


    ___


    "How did it go?" Desmond asked when they were back into the manor.


    "What a waste ofte-night ambush." Zaria flopped onto the couch, groaning about how much of her time had been wasted.


    "You didn''t get anything?" He asked, feeling bummed. She might not have felt it but what they did was a risk and he did not want to do it again. What would they have done if the first thing Samantha did upon her arrival was firing a bullet through Zaria''s head?


    She shook her head. "Not what I wanted, but it will suffice."


    After speaking, she rushed upstairs and took hisptop, then transferred a video that had been taken from the camera she hid behind a painting as soon as Desmond left.


    Going through it, her eyes filled with excitement. "This is better than I thought."


    "What is it?" Desmond sat beside her to watch the video, but she clicked the window shut and turned off theptop with a smirk.


    "Not so fast¡­ there is no such thing as free lunch."


    "Surely there has to be something that''s free, right? Like a video or two." He chuckled, to which she waved her index finger in front of his face in denial.


    "Nope, not that either. You have to bribe me before you get to know the content." She looked like a corrupt government official asking for a bribe.


    "I see. How much for a video then?" He yed along like a good civilian.


    "I don''t know. How about a couple of drinks apanied with kisses and a movie?"


    "Deal. What should I start with? The kisses or the movie?" He asked, looking forward to it more than she did.


    "How about we start with drinks? We still need to wait for Skeleton''s signal." She suggested.


    As if on cue, Skeleton called. "She threatened my life. She knows I betrayed her, but never mind, Go through the rest of the n and I will keep my head intact." He said in one breath.


    The phone was once again on speaker, so she asked "Do we have the rest of the n in mind yet?"


    "We can draft one." Desmond suggested. They had only decided to trap Samantha, and they didn''t know how to do it without arousing suspicion. It was only out of luck that a chance had presented itself in such a manner.


    When he hung up, she was about to talk about the n when he shut her up with his lips. "We can''t go on until I know the content of the video. Let me bribe you."


    "It wasn''t supposed to be that serious." She stopped him by cing a finger on his lips, which he pulled away to kiss her gently. He started off gently before the kisses grew more intense, taking her breath away.


    "Wait, Desmond." She spoke as soon as she pulled her lips away.


    "Mmh?" He tried to kiss the corner of her lips, but she sat up to evade it.


    "I can''t really concentrate. Let''s get this out of the way first."


    He didn''t have much choice, so he sat beside her and let her y the video she had recorded. There wasn''t anything new, since he had witnessed half of the argument between the two women from Skeleton''s broadcast. However, when Samantha turned to leave, he noticed what she had termed as ''better than expected oue''. Samantha had a gun in the pocket of her pants!


    Only a small part of it had been revealed because her jacket had lifted at some point, but it was enough to be certain that it was a gun. Even if sheter imed that it was a toy gun she was ying with, she would still be on the losing end since she had threatened to murder Zaria.


    "This makes our work much easier." Desmond smiled in admittance. "Thanks, sis. Indeed, good siblings should help each other out and you did just that."

 Chapter 105 - The Verdict

    <h4>Chapter 105 - The Verdict</h4>


    "What will you do with this?" Zaria questioned, referring to the information they had just discovered.


    He nced at her with a smirk, then pointed at the corner of his lips.


    Comprehending that he wanted a kiss before he could spill his n, she leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. "Spill."


    "I wanted to indirectly let Jaime be the one to take care of her but now that I think about it, a legal twist isn''t so bad either. We can make it more entertainingter." His eyes glinted with bloodlust. He had never been one to seek trouble with people unnecessarily but if his beloved sister didn''t want to use her brain, he would be kind enough to help her go to hell earlier as the early bird and whatnot.


    Hence, the video was submitted to court, and it dragged Zaria into the mix. It wasn''t long before she had to appear before the prosecutor in the next hearing.


    As soon as Alyssa saw her, she let out a sigh before her eyes shot a re at her son. What was he thinking. By bringing this woman here, wasn''t he trying to ruin everything? They had alreadye such a long way, and if Zaria did not pop into the mix, she would have probably been dered innocent today.


    "Zaria Williams, I''m going to ask you a few questions. Are you ready?" The prosecutor asked Zaria who was now in the witness stand.


    "Yes." She already knew that the prosecutor was secretly on Desmond''s side. Besides, she was not nning to lie so she was not afraid of anything.


    "You submitted a video to the court, using Miss Samantha Fort of trying to harm you."


    May I ask how this is rted to the ongoing case against Ms. Alyssa?"


    "She wanted to get rid of me because she suspects that I can prove the truth¡ªthat Ms. Alyssa is innocent." Zaria answered calmly, earning augh from the prosecutor. He was too good at his act.


    "So, someone thinks you know the truth regarding a case and tries to kill you, yet you have the time to record a video? Is it because you are not afraid of death, or is the person blind enough to not realize that they are being recorded?"


    "The camera was hidden. It''s one of D¡­ Mr. Fort''s security measures." She corrected herself since she was here as Desmond''s assistant, not his girlfriend


    "I was at his manor at the time that Miss Fort appeared."


    The prosecutor nodded to her exnation, believing that it made sense. "What evidence do you have to prove Ms. Alyssa''s innocence as you stated a moment ago?"


    Zaria''s blood ran cold, and she hoped that Skeleton had managed to retrieve the video. He was going to make it reappear in her video gallery, so she tried her luck. "It''s a surveince camera video."


    At the side, Alyssa sighed in relief. If there was a surveince video of the night her husband was murdered, it would prove that she had arrived at the scene when he was already dead.


    Zaria took out her phone to check and just as she dreaded, the video was not on her phone.


    "I¡­" Just as she wondered what to say without appearing to be making excuses to cover up for some lie she had made up, Desmond stood up.


    "Mr. Fort, this is a court. Order is a basic requirement." The judge frowned at him.


    "I''m sorry. Zaria gave the tape with the video to me, I''m just about to give it to her." He exined, and gave it to the prosecutor instead.


    Zaria let out a sigh of relief when they went to check the video. When the court was adjourned, she went to have a word with Desmond in secret.


    "You did well." He praised her, and she could only smile in response.


    "Time for the court to take the next step. Are you nervous?" She looked up at him to ask.


    "I should be, but I''m not." He had already known that dealing with his sister would be a piece of cake. She was the type of woman who was not intelligent in the slightest but thought of herself as one of the smartest women alive. He only had to use a slight push and her self-confidence would wreck whatever was left of her.


    "Do you think anyone would suspect us of pulling stringster? It''s something we came up with in a rush after all. We could have missed something out." She pointed out. She was not being unnecessarily paranoid. It was indeed possible for one to miss out on many points considering how suddenly everything had happened, and mistakes could be made. It would be tragic if they left any loophole.


    While they spoke, Zaria''s phone rang and she frowned when she saw the identity of the caller. "I should have taken care of this."


    "What?" He asked curiously, having unintentionally seen "Mr. Preston" on her screen. Why would Liam''s call make her so flustered?


    She knew that it would be best if she didn''t hide anything from him, so she exined what Samantha had done. "She sent him a text message using my phone and although I have yet to recover it, I know that it isn''t anything good. I will have Zeus retrieve the text message so I know how to deal with it."


    "I''ll let Skeleton deal with that." The jealous Desmond was at it again, making herugh. "What do you have against Zeus?"


    "That''s a man." Came his nonchnt response.


    "But Skeleton is a man too, isn''t he?" She shrugged.


    "Yes, but Skeleton would never be overly caring of you, Zeus is." He grabbed her hand to lead her away, as though that would protect her from the eyes of Zeus.


    They headed to his car, where they would spend the next thirty minutes before the court would be back in session.


    "When did you get the video tape?" She finally asked when they sat down.


    "Skeleton thought a tape would be more credible than a phone video, so he sent the tape this morning." He ripped off his tie while looking at her, wondering when she would stop talking about the case and focus on him instead.


    She frowned at his ridiculous train of thought. "Since you had the video, why didn''t you tell me? I was so tense that I started cooking up a tale." She red at him.


    He chuckled and looked at her. "Do you want to punish me? Several kisses would be good enough to teach me a lifetime lesson."


    She ignored him and thought about the possible verdict. Would the court be in favor of Alyssa after seeing the video? She knew that the original version was authentic but she hoped that the current one was not a result of Skeleton fabricating a video to incriminate Jaime and Samantha. If that was what he did and the court found it unauthentic, it would only discredit her entire statement and nullify all their effort.


    "What are you thinking about?" He pulled her close to him.


    Before she could say anything in response, she saw a woman sauntering over to his car. "That''s Samantha. She sure is angry."


    Just as Zaria expected, Samantha banged her palm against the window of the car. "Get out!"


    "Ignore her." Desmond frowned and didn''t intend to get out. It was one thing if Samantha was the only one acting like a lunatic and trying to pick a fight with them. However, if they tolerated it and joined the fight, both parties would appear to be in the wrong and it would not be beneficial for them either.


    "You cheating scumbags! You will pay for this. I will make you pay!" She screamed and picked up a rock, and Desmond dialled a number. He was not going to pick a fight with Samantha but that didn''t mean he was willing to let her ruin his peace.


    "There''s a mad woman outside my car." He reported as soon as the call connected, but when he saw the situation outside, he realized that he didn''t even need to make the call. The police were already grabbing Samantha''s hands and pinning them together to handcuff them.


    "She did herself in. This makes it easier for us." Desmond smiled, while Zaria was awed by how good Samantha was at digging her own grave. She was a natural talent.


    ¡­


    When the thirty minutes break was over, Desmond and Zaria, along with the judge,wyers and onlookers returned into the courtroom.


    Desmond, who was sitting next to Zaria, grabbed her hand discreetly and squeezed it. He had not been nervous since the beginning of the case but now he was. Would his mother be proven innocent? She had suffered so much in jail and it was all for a crime she didn''tmit. It was finally time for justice to be served, right?


    ___


    What do you think, readers? Will Alyssa be pronounced innocent, or is there more to it?

 Chapter 106 - The Verdict (2)

    <h4>Chapter 106 - The Verdict (2)</h4>


    Everyone held their breath as the juror stood to announce the verdict. "After reviewing the facts of the case, the jury and judge has found Ms. Alyssa is innocent." The man dered without wasting anyone''s time. "The case against Ms. Alyssa Fort is now closed."


    Desmond let out a sigh of relief and almost jumped to hug his mother. No one had expected that the verdict would be pronounced this soon. In most cases, it took months or even years before a case was finallypleted, and he had dreaded that his mother would have to stay in jail for all that time since the court did not permit her to be bailed out.


    Once the court was dismissed, Desmond''swyer found him and Zaria to talk.


    "The case against your mother has been closed, but she will be released from jail in twenty four hours. I hope this is okay with you." He exined.


    "It''s alright. As long as she is released." Desmond was already happy about the good news. "I hope she is protected well enough, since the actual culprit has been discovered. He might want to try and murder her."


    "Don''t worry. The court will naturally ensure that." Thewyer was happy too, having won another major case. It didn''t matter whether or not the prosecutor had been bribed by Desmond, he would have failed if there wasn''t sufficient evidence and discussion in favor of Alyssa.


    "The court is going to open a case against Samantha and Jaime. Miss Williams, do you mind being a witness against them?" He asked Zaria.


    "It''s alright." She agreed, not that she had much choice. She knew that testifying in court when one was a witness to the crime was not a choice but an obligation¡ªnot that she minded helping pin a nail onto Samantha''s coffin.


    Once they entered the car, Desmond reyed the video that had been submitted to court. Skeleton had given him a copy, which he yed on hisptop.


    "Something''s wrong with that video." Zaria observed with a frown when she clearly saw it. It wasn''t the one she had. Maybe it was a different one that Skeleton had managed to retrieve from a different surveince camera?


    She would have believed so, but the order of events was wrong too. In the video, Marchal did not attempt to mrrder Jaime. On the contrary, Jaime had made the only strike.


    "This isn''t what happened." She asked in shock.


    "No it isn''t. It''s a video remade by Skeleton." He answered her like it meant nothing.


    Zaria was speechless. A remade vddeo was authenticated by the court as the original? Just how talented was that guy?


    ¡­


    Later that evening.


    Zaria folded herundry in her room as she chatted with Zeus on a voice call.


    "You have been quite inactivetely. What are you busy with?" She asked, since he ha always spent most of his time on Creszone.


    "My son needed help with his homework." He answered, rendering Zaria speechless with shock. Zeus had a son? He had always seemed so yful that she thought he was a bachelor at the very least and perhaps a man younger than her as well. Who would have thought that he was already a a father?


    When she recovered from her shock, she asked for confirmation. "Your biological son? Could it be a godchild perhaps?"


    "He''s my son." He insisted, and she could only swallow down her shock.


    "What about his mother?" She cautiously asked.


    "His mother?" He questioned.


    "Your wife." She bit her tongue at how nosy she sounded. However, it wouldn''t hurt to know about Zeus'' wife if it would make Desmond stop being jealous of him. Though she wondered what kind of supernatural woman was able to tame down a man like Zeus. She must be a goddess.


    "You mean my husband. We are divorced." His voice jolted her from her thoughts, shocking her immensely.


    What in the world did she just hear?


    Zeus liked men? They even got married and had a surrogate son? What shocking secret had she just heard?


    As if he had not shocked her enough, he continued, "Although we are divorced, I wouldn''t mind getting back together if he is willing. I still love him after all."


    "Please stop." She had the urge to end the call. Couldn''t he drop one bomb at a time? She was already disoriented, okay?


    When she was a teenager, she was a huge fan of BL[1] movies, novels andics¡ªso much that she once thought that Ryan and her idol Jupiter would make a good match. If Natalie ever knew that she thought that way of her boyfriend, she would be long dead.


    But now that she thought about it, Zeus might just make a good match with Ryan. One was too yful while the other was unpredictable. One was caring while the other always forced things to go his way. One was¡­


    "Stop it Zaria." She reprimanded herself before she could start thinking about what a pair of dads they would make.


    Overhearing her, Zeus decided to change the topic. "I''m going to send you a video. Thank meter."


    "Anothe vddeo? Why?" Zaria asked, wondeirng what the hacker was nning this time.


    "I''m sure you need it." He hung up and before she could guess what it could be about, she reeeived a notification in her inbox. Her first reaction was to save the video in her phone just in case the idiot decided to once again delete it. When she realized what the content was, she rolled her eyes. It was the video from the Fort family''s surveince cameras, the very one that he had deleted before.


    "Watch it." He sent a text message before she could ignore it.


    Hence, she did.


    ¡­


    After Samantha left, followed the argument between Marchal and Jaime. Zeus had sent the original! The voice had not been muted at any point this time.


    "What right do you have to hold onto my children''s property? What right?" Marchal yelled in anger.


    "Aren''t I your son too? I''m your eldest son but all you care about is Desmond! Desmond this Desmond that. You might as well make him your god!" Jaime''s tone was full of bitterness and hate.


    Marchal burst intoughter. "My son? Are you listening to your fucking self? Why don''t you take a piss and look at your reflection?"


    Zaria''s hand flew to her mouth as her eyes opened as wide as Jaime''s in the video.


    "What do you mean?" Jaime asked with a shaky voice.


    "Don''t you know why I hate you so much, why I wish you were dead? It''s all because of that witch. She whored around with who knows what piece of garbage and had the audacity to im that you were my son. But you know what? Blood tests ever lie. I took care of you for all these years yet she was still shameless enough to want to rob my legitimate son of his rights."


    "Shut up!" Jaime was on the verge of going crazy. "Shut your filthy fucking mouth!"


    "I should have done that as soon as you were born. I should have twisted your neck and nipped your stupid head off!" Marchal''s face was full of disgust, and when Jaime turned to leave, he tried to attack.


    ¡­


    "Oh my god." Zaria''s face was full of disbelief. Who would have thought that such a shocking secrety in the Fort Family? Jaime was not Marchal''s son?


    She jolted from her thoughts and dialled Desmond''s number. His phone was off, so she simply dashed out of her room and sped off to his house.


    "What''s with the rush?" He asked when her car parked at an insane speed and she bolted into the living room where he was watching the evening news broadcast.


    "Jaime is not your brother. He is¡­ wait. You''re not shocked?" She asked when he didn''t flinch.


    "I was not going to show him any ''brotherly'' affection so it doesn''t matter. The police are on their way to arrest him."


    She was not shocked about this, but, "Samantha. She will be murdered by him! He killed your dad because he knew the truth about his identity. Samantha has now been arrested and will probably be forced to tell the truth against him. He will definitely kill her!"


    "You think so too? I was hoping he would." Desmond''s tone was indifferent, and she had nothing more to say. She had hoped that Samantha would not die in the hands of an outsider who was only out to punish the world for a fact that no one had any control over. However, Samantha was not in the right either. Besides , she might know the truth about Jaime''s identity.


    Now that she thought about it, she finally understood why Jaime would want to use Alyssa of murdering Marchal. He was trying to get rid of everyone who knew the truth!


    ___


    [1]...BL, g.a.y movies, novels andics. I spaced it out in case the word is automatically censored. Literally boys love.


    Any BL lovers out there? I''m the biggest fan!!

 Chapter 107 - Lured (1)

    <h4>Chapter 107 - Lured (1)</h4>


    Seeing that his reaction was way more nonchnt than she would ever have guessed, she sighed in relief. "I was worried that you would be devastated if Jaime, who is an outsider, did anything to Samantha. Since you don''t care, I will be on my way back."


    "Stay." He turned to look at her. It was more of an order than a request, and she had no choice but to stop in her tracks.


    "Okay¡­ is there anything you need me to help you with?" She slowly made her way to him and sat down when he patted the space beside him.


    Pulling her closer to him, he cupped her face as he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.


    "These past few weeks have been quite troublesome. So troublesome that if I tried to do everything on my own, I''m sure I would have messed everything up. Thank you for helping me through it." He gazed into her hazel eyes deeply.


    His gaze made her disoriented, so she looked past him to the wall just to avoid his eyes. "It''s nothing. A happy boss makes a happy employee, right?"


    "True." He chuckled at her logic even though he knew that it was not the only reason why she had done her best to help him. It must also be because of the friendship blooming between them, as well as the feelings they had for each other. "Also, a happy boyfriend and a happy girlfriend." He added through a smallugh.


    Her eyes went wide in shock from what he had just said. She looked up at him and from the look in his eyes, she had not heard wrong. He had said the very words she thought she had heard. She took a breath to calm her racing heart. "Wait, when did I be your girlfriend?"


    Did she hit her head too hard and lose part of her memory? Or did Zeus hack into her brain and delete some information?


    She was still wondering when it happened when she heard his crazy answer amid his sillyugh. "Right now."


    "Wait, what?" Right now? Was this his way of asking her to be his girlfriend? Who the hell does that?


    He took in her eyes that were full of confusion but still red at him as though using him of being a jerk. He stopped joking around and took her hand, looking into her eyes seriously. "Zaria, we are already doing things that couples do."


    "What do you mean?" She didn''t understand what he was getting at.


    "We have been watching movies together, spending time, going on dates and kissing¡ªkissing a lot. Not to mention, making out and sleeping in the same bed once in a while. How can we deny that we are together?"


    She couldn''te up with a single word to rebut him. What could she even say? The man had just trapped her into a rtionship and there wasn''t anything she could do about it.


    "But Natalie¡­" She started. Wasn''t she the reason why they couldn''t be together no matter how obvious their feelings for each other were?


    He pulled her head to his chest, grinning happily since he knew that he had managed to aplish his goal. She couldn''t turn back now. "The Br Awards are only a week away. Natalie and Devonte will announce their rtionship soon after that. I don''t think they can hide it for any longer either."


    "I couldn''t agree more." She chuckled. They were bing more obvious by the day and if they were slightly more careless, the whole world would know about their rtionship.


    "What a bummer that I''ve already used up all my chances to vote." She sighed. Every new fan that registered to vote for the Br Awards was given two chances while VIP fans received five, and for every year a fan voted, they would be given an extra chance.


    Not only was Zaria a VIP fan, but she had also voted consecutively ever since she knew about the Br Awards, so she had sixteen chances when the event began. Wanting her idol to have a head start, she had voted all sixteen times in a row. How she wished she had saved some of the chances for emergencies like these.


    Her exnation sounded like gibberish when she told Desmond about it. He didn''tprehend a word, but he took out his phone anyway. "What should I do?"


    "Log into The Br Awards'' official website. Wait. Let me help you." She grabbed his phone before he could tap on a pirate site. Her fangirl mode was fully on, so she was done within a minute. "There you go. Vote for Jupiter¡ª001 on thest day."


    "Why not right away?" He asked, notprehending why he had to wait.


    "Of course, because some fans wait to vote on thest day. If all of Devonte''s fans vote too early, what will happen if someone overtakes him on thest day?" She rolled her eyes at his slow brain.


    He smiled as he watched her send the link to practically everyone on her contacts list with the same instructions she had given him.


    Opening her Creszone app, she texted Zeus and sent him the link after thinking about it.


    His reply came within seconds.


    [I didn''t know you were crazy about idols. If you want, I can make sure Jupiter doesn''t leave the top position.]


    [That''s not necessary!] She quickly replied before he could use his keyboard talent to rig the vote counter. Although that was an option and she was certain that it was the easiest and most tempting, she didn''t want Jupiter to hold a fake title and award.


    Zeus sent over aughing sticker.


    [You don''t want me to disy my skills but whatever. I will vote. I will have my son vote too. Do you need me to drag my husband to vote along?]


    Zaria chuckled and sent a voice message over. "Aren''t you divorced?"


    "As I said, I still love him. I can make it a way to bring us back together." He replied in a voice note, shocking the hell out of Desmond.


    He was pleasantly surprised despite his shock. It seemed like Zeus was not after his Zaria? What a relief! It was even much better to learn that he was in love with a man, which nullified the possibility of him ever falling for Zaria in future.


    But if he didn''t like Zaria, why did he care so much about her? Maybe he only genuinely wanted to be her friend?


    That better be the case. He thought and pulled the off-guard Zaria into his arms.


    Pulling the phone out of her hand, he ced it on the coffee table and took her lips in his. Her lips were soft and tasted like candies, luring him to kiss her more passionately and pry her lips open.


    She let him explore her tongue with passion, moaning slightly when she felt his fingers glide down her neck. He pressed his lips against her neck, before trailing down her body in soft kisses. She reached behind her back to find the zipper of her dress, and when she couldn''t, he helped her with it in an instant and pulled her dress down her shoulders, kissing her soft skin. Her hands clung onto his back, rubbing and fumbling with his clothes as he cupped her boobs in his hands. She felt the heat from his palms though her see-throughcy bra, driving her on edge. She buried her head in the crook of his neck as she wished for him to take off her bra. She knew that the man knew what she wanted, but he was just fond of making her ask for it. Biting her lips in pleasure from his touch, she lifted the hem of his t-shirt at the sides, and he paused to take it off in a swift move.


    He lowered his head to take her nipples in his mouth without taking the bra off, and the feeling of hot air on the aroused buds made her go crazy with the need to be touched. Satisfying her desire, he rubbed them in his hands before pulling down her bra to expose them. The right one was in his mouth before she could process it, and he flicked it with his tongue while soothing the other with his thumb and forefinger.


    Her pants and soft moans were like alluring music in his ears, making him so aroused that his pants felt ufortable. He pulled them down while keeping his boxers on, then gently pushed her to recline on the couch.


    "Zaria, can I?" He asked through his parched throat, while touching the sides of her dress.


    "Mmh." She nodded, and he lifted her dress. In the next second, he parted her legs and buried his head between them, which shocked her even though she still had her knickers on.


    "Wait, what are you doing?" She asked nervously, feeling a strange yet pleasant wave pooling into the pits of her stomach.

 Chapter 108 - Lured(2)

    <h4>Chapter 108 - Lured(2)</h4>


    She tried to press her thighs together but couldn''t because they were being held apart by him. She bit her tongue as he gazed down at her teasingly, enjoying the anticipation he knew she must be feeling. When she couldn''t take it anymore, he rubbed his fingers against her knickers, feeling the wetness at the centre.


    She wanted to disappear from embarrassment, knowing that there wasn''t anything she could hide from him. He stroked her core while looking up at her to meet her passionate eyes with his own lustful gaze.


    Holding the sides of her panties, he pulled them down in one swift move and held her thighs using both of his hands. His tongue was on her folds before she could process it, sending a sudden wave of pleasure up her spine.


    "Desmond¡­" She moaned out his name as her toes curled and her eyes shut tightly. He flicked his tongue up and down her core as his finger teased her, rendering her powerless.


    She stroked his hair as he moved up to kiss her neck, using his elbows to support himself. When he reached at his sides to take off his boxer briefs, she knew what was about to happen and didn''t dare look into his eyes.


    He paused to observe that her hands were clenched into fists. "You''re still scared."


    She looked up at him and immediately averted her gaze, shaking her head. "It''s alright."


    Although that was what she said, he knew better to believe her when he could feel it. It was still alright a heartbeat ago but now it wasn''t, he would be lying if he imed that he wasn''t confused.


    He didn''t want to make her ufortable so he slid off her.


    She sat up, trying to fight the urge to cover her chest but had to give in in the end. "I''m sorry."


    She waited for him to click his tongue and leave the room or worse, kick her out. However, he helped her put her dress back on and straightened it up while trying not to make her any more ufortable.


    "Honey, did something happen?" He asked in the gentlest tone. He didn''t want to sound intrusive, but it would be much better if he knew what was on her mind.


    She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Not exactly."


    He didn''t say a word, but she knew that she couldn''t hide it forever. They were already in a rtionship now, and it was unfair to keep hiding such things.


    "I mean, something almost happened when I was younger. It was scary, that''s all. I''m still getting over it." She braved it, but couldn''t bring herself to go through the entire thing.


    He didn''t dare to ask for details either, because he could make a guess and it wasn''t something easy to talk about. It must have been much scarier than it sounded, or it wouldn''t randomly cross her mind. He gathered her in his arms." Let''s get over it together. Don''t feel obliged to be in a rush."


    "But you are¡­" She pointed at his bulge. Wouldn''t that be too ufortable?


    "It''s alright."


    "Thank you for being understanding." She rested in his arms, relieved that he didn''t feel grossed out nor was he impatient.


    "You don''t need to thank me. I don''t want you to be ufortable." He softly kissed her forehead.


    "Hey, I didn''t tell you so you start treating me like a delicate doll." She jokinglyined. He sounded like he was about to start asking for permission to hold her hand or kiss her.


    He chuckled, since he was indeed wondering how he should treat her in future. "How about this? You set the pace. You can stop whenever you feel ufortable and when you are morefortable, you can proceed." He suggested.


    "Sounds great." She smiled and pulled away to prepare to leave.


    "Why don''t you stay the night?" He wrapped his arm around her waist to stop her from leaving his embrace, earning a frown.


    "We have to go to work tomorrow. How will everyone react when they see us entering the office building together?" She scolded him, wondering just who was the boss between the two of them. She had to do most of the thinking, while he proceeded to do whatever he wanted as though they were the only ones in the entire world.


    He smirked, notprehending what she was so scared of. "They already saw us kissing passionately in the elevator. This won''t be anything new."


    "Well, you win." She groaned. How dare he win an argument? Where was the justice in that?


    _


    The next morning.


    The duo met Mr. Bryce to finalize their deal and sign the contract.


    The man looked more jovial this time, unlike his moody self the first time and the awkwardness the second time. After exchanging emails with Zaria a few times, he was looking forward to coborating with Preston and Fort Group. He had even brought his wife along.


    "The two of you look exceptionally happy." The beautiful brte woman, Mrs. Bryce,mented.


    "Yes we are." Desmond could barely keep his mouth shut about their rtionship and Zaria had to secretly jab him with a smile.


    "Thepany won something we have been trying to get for a long time." She came up with a credible excuse on the spot, making a mental note to pinch himter.


    "Congrattions!" Mrs. Bryce smiled jovially.


    "With an assistant like her, it would be a surprise if you lost deals." Mr. Brycemented,plimenting Zaria. He had interacted with her a few times and he had to admit that if she ever resigned from Preston and Fort Group, he would do his best to employ her in hispany.


    Desmond knew that the Bryce couple was eyeing his assistant¡ªwhich wasn''t anything novel since even Natalie had tried to scout her. His face wasced with a content smile. "You are right. She is so good at her job that I scold myself for not finding her earlier. But then again, good things don''te by so easily, do they?"


    Zaria frowned slightly at the side. Why did his words sound like they had a double meaning? Seeing the look that the men exchanged, she was right.


    Mr. Bryce nced at his wife who was intrigued by Zaria. "You are right, they don''t. Which is why we should treat them right."


    "I couldn''t agree more." Desmond pulled Zaria to his side to hold her hand. She forced a smile to stop herself from giving him a good jab in his chest. As soon as the Bryce couple left, she used all her strength tond her elbow in his stomach.


    "Is that your way of expressing your love?" He winced.


    "What was that all about?" She pushed him to the wall to interrogate him. How dare he hold her hand in the presence of other people?


    He burst intoughter at her annoyed expression that was extremely cute. "My love, I can exin. They already know that we are in love. They are so deeply in love themselves, how can they not recognize another couple?"


    "Then we should perhaps¡­"


    "No!" He interrupted her before she coulde up with an insane suggestion. "I''ll be more careful." He promised.


    She chuckled after having sessfully bullied him. How satisfying. He deserved it for bullying her in the past.


    _


    That evening, she hummed and sang a romantic tune as she cooked dinner.


    "In my heart in my head it''s all clear now


    Hold my hand you''ve got nothing'' to fear now


    I was lost and you''ve rescued me somehow


    I''m alive I''m in love youplete me


    And I''ve never been here before


    Now I see


    What love means¡­" She sang with her eyes closed, holding a spat at her chest and pretending it was a microphone.


    "You are so happy." Theodore felt the romantic mood as soon as he entered the kitchen, and he couldn''t help smiling as he watched his love-struck daughter.


    "Yes. I have a boyfriend now." She announced with a cheer.


    "You do?" He was taken aback by the news even though he had guessed it as soon as he heard the song she was singing.


    She nodded and continued to cook. "Please don''t ask to meet him yet. We aren''t ready to announce our rtionship¡ªat least not yet." She added, knowing how impatient parents could often get.


    "Zaria¡­" He looked at her skeptically, making herugh.


    "Not that we have anything to hide!" She quickly defended herself, giggling. "Don''t worry, I''m neither doing anything wrong or that I will regret. Don''t give me that look. You will grow old if you don''t smile more!"


    He could onlyugh. "Good luck my dear. Just don''t stay quiet if he does anything to hurt you."


    "I won''t, I won''t!" She agreed with an excited nod, even though he was certain that she had not heard a single word. She was too excited.


    __


    Song rmendation: Unbelievable¡ªCraig David

 Chapter 109 - Date(1)

    <h4>Chapter 109 - Date(1)</h4>


    Theodore smiled as she continued singing, and he could only chuckle and leave the kitchen. It was impossible to talk to someone who was hopelessly in love. She was already good enough in the kitchen and often cooked food that made him wish he had an extra stomach.


    When he had a taste of the braised pork she had especially cooked for him tonight, he wondered whether love was a secret ingredient. It was so delicious!


    "Dad, you have been working very hard. Eat more meat." She served him with a happy smile and sat to eat too, only to receive a text message on her phone. She ignored it thinking the sender had to be Desmond, and only checked it out when she was done eating.


    [Congrattions on your new rtionship.] Out of all people, it had to be Zeus. It made her wonder whether the man had ced a bug on her. Otherwise, how was he able to know everything?


    She was yet to ask when yet another text message arrived. [Of course, I''m not saying that I approve of Desmond. I''m still against him, but if he is the only one that your heart wants, then I have no choice but to be happy for you.]


    The tone made her knit her brows. That sounded a lot like what Ximena would say. Why was it that everyone around her disliked Desmond so much? Luckily, they didn''t tantly tell her to ditch him since they cared for her happiness.


    [What will it take for you to stop stalking me?] She asked and shoved her phone into the pockets of her apron, then went to wash the dishes. When she was done, she took a bath and changed into a nightdress, then checked her phone for his reply as she prepared to go to bed.


    [Honestly? Nothing. I''ll stop when there''s nothing left for me to stalk.] She found his reply so annoying that he might as well shut up. What made him think that what had said qualified as an answer? He was insane!


    [Isn''t your son keeping you busy enough?] She typed furiously, hoping that he would ignore her and forever stay away from her. It wasn''t that she was ungrateful for all the times he had helped her out, but it was creepy to be stalked even if the stalker was helpful.


    To her disappointment, he replied within a few seconds. [He isn''t a naughty boy.]


    [How I wish he was.] She rolled her eyes. If only his son were naughty, he would have been too busy to care about her. She would have suggested for Zeus to teach his son to take after him, but it would be dangerous for other people to encounter yet another insanely genius hacker in future. Zeus was already enough of a headache, so she kept the idea to herself.


    [I''m sleepy. I''ll go to sleep now.] She sent a text message over, just before Desmond called.


    "It''s alreadyte. What are you doing awake?" She reprimanded him.


    He chuckled at her authoritative tone. "I''ll go to bed soon, ma''am."


    "Good. Once you get to bed, you know what to dream about. You better not dream about anyone or anything else." She joked.


    "Yes, ma''am. I will only dream of you." He yed along, then chuckled when he realized that he sounded like a hen pecked boyfriend following all of his girlfriend''s orders.


    "Honey, I want to ask you out." He finally got to the point. "Do you mind going on a date with me?"


    "I don''t mind." It still felt surreal that the man she had pped repeatedly not too long ago¡ªthe very one she had threatened to destroy and who became her boss¡ªwas now her boyfriend. What was more surprising, he had asked her out! This wasn''t a melodramatic dream, right?


    On the other end, Desmond let out a sigh of relief when she agreed to go out with him. He had been scared that she would be against it. Luckily, she wanted to go out with him too.


    "Tomorrow at 7pm? I will pick you up." He suggested.


    "Sure thing." She agreed, since she wouldn''t have anything to do the following day after work.


    "Guess what? I can''t wait to get back to work. You know why, right?" He rolled onto his back in bed, thinking about thest time they were together. They had slept in the same bed and although nothing happened between them, they had embraced each other all night which made him miss her now that she was away.


    "You''re azy bum. Why would you suddenly want to rush to work? It''s definitely not every day this happens." She found his suddenly invigorating attitude amusing.


    "I want to see you sooner, my love. I miss you so much." He confessed.


    "I miss you too, but I need to get some sleep now. See you tomorrow, Mmh?" She was too sleepy to chat with him. Not to mention, she knew that they could go on and on for hours and forget that they needed to get enough sleep.


    "Make sure you miss me." He urged.


    "I will. Make sure to miss me too." She hung up with a love-stricken smile, then flopped onto her pillow while giggling, hugging her phone. Desmond was just too cute.


    ¡­


    The following evening, Zaria left work as soon as she was done and talked Ximena into doing her makeup and helping her select a dress for the date.


    "I don''t think it''s going to be easy to convince me that Desmond Fort is the right guy for you, but whatever makes you happy." Ximena remarked honestly, and it was within Zaria''s expectations. She sighed in relief. As long as Ximena was not thinking of starting a fight with Desmond or threatening to beat thetter up, then it was all good.


    "You will be convinced soon. Trust me." She smiled through the mirror as thetter applied a protective serum on her skin.


    "Let it sit for a while before I do your makeup. It''s to ensure that your skin doesn''t get irritatedter." She exined, to which Zaria nodded her thanks. "What color do you want to wear? I will make sure to wreck your entire outfit." She joked, earning a re from her friend.


    "Don''t be mean." Zaria shot her a look. Even though she knew that Ximena would never do such a thing, she wanted to make sure that everything went perfect for her first date with Desmond.


    "I''m just kidding. Why would I do that? If anything, I want to make sure you look so beautiful that his gaze will be on you for years. He will not ever have the chance to fall for other women." Ximena started checking through thetter''s dresses and picked a pink one.


    "Red doesn''t really suit you for a first date. Go with pink instead. Innocent but provocative." She chuckled at what she had described the pink dress as, then waved her over. "Come here, let''s make you look beautiful."


    She let Ximena help her wear the pink dress, then sat down in front of the mirror. Ximena put a robe on her to prevent getting her dress dirty, then did her magic. When Zaria stood up, she almost couldn''t believe that the woman in the mirror was herself. Her hair had been styled in soft waves that fell down her back, highlighting her perfectly made up face. The pink lipstick on her lips was of the same shade as her dress and Ximena helped her find a pair of shoes that suited her purse and ne.


    "Thanks, Xim." She thanked her emotionally.


    "You don''t need to thank me. You have already thanked me enough and I owe you big time." Ximena circled her excitedly, taking pictures. If Desmond was a minutete, the men trying to snatch her away would form a queue all the way to the milky way.


    "What do you mean? When did you owe me?" Zaria was taken aback, not recalling when she did Ximena any favor.


    "I have so many pre orders for cosmetics that I''m overwhelmed. Thanks, Zaria."


    She finally understood what was going on, but it couldn''t possibly be due to her effort. All she had done was answer the female employees at Preston and Fort Group when they asked about the brand of her Lipstick, not wanting to be too obvious." It wasn''t me. It was Natalie. I will thank herter."


    "I will thank her too when I get the chance." Ximena had to admit that every woman would rush to buy whatever they heard Natalie had bought. It was like an indirect advertisement.


    "You are ready to make Mr. Fort''s pants tight all night." She checked Zaria to ensure she looked perfect.


    "You are so dirty minded." Zaria red at her as her face flushed in the slightest.


    "Isn''t that what is going to happen? Hurry." She pointed at Zaria''s ringing phone.

 Chapter 110 - Date(2)

    <h4>Chapter 110 - Date(2)</h4>


    Zaria quickly slid her high heels on and picked the call. As expected, Desmond had arrived to pick her up and was waiting in the parking lot.


    "I have to run. Please help me feed Dester." She kissed Ximena on the cheek.


    "Go, go. Leave the little darling to me." Ximena urged her, and Zaria grabbed her purse to leave.


    "You look so beautiful my love." Desmond couldn''t hold back his admiration when he finally saw the woman he had been anticipating to see for hours. She looked happy, which made her beauty stand out all the more.


    Her eyes brightened up as she closed in on him. "And don''t you look handsome? How many idents did you cause? The females on the road must have been charmed to death." She gushed, wanting to hide him so no one fell for him.


    He took her hand and kissed the back of it gently. "I don''t care how many women went crazy because I only want to charm you¡­ not to death but into my bed."


    "How naughty," Sheughed, though she had to admit that she didn''t mind being charmed into bed by him. On the contrary, she looked forward to it.


    He opened the car door for her and when she settled down, closed it.


    "This feels so wrong." Sheughed as he started driving.


    "What feels wrong?" He tilted his head to ask what she was talking about.


    "You opening the door for me and all." She chuckled slightly at the absurdity of it. "Since when has it ever been the boss''s turn to treat his employee as though she were his superior?"


    "That, I don''t know. But I''m not your boss tonight. I''m your boyfriend, and the primary role of a boyfriend is to pamper his girlfriend." He answered matter-of-factly, turning on the autonomous mode. In the next second, his hand slid down the cleavage of her dress to grab her boob.


    "What are you doing?" She was shocked by his sudden move and swatted his hand away, not because she was displeased. "We are in the middle of the road!"


    "I''m not driving." He shrugged.


    "There are other people on the road." She looked around hoping that no one had seen what he had done, and he shrugged to that too.


    "The windows are tinted. If they can see through the windscreen, they need to keep their eyes to themselves." After giving the indifferent answer, he moved closer to her and cupped her face to kiss her. He could barely keep his hands to himself and slid them down her body.


    As expected, they were stopped by a traffic police not too long after


    "Good day, officer." Desmond rolled down his window and waved at the older man in blue uniform as though he had done nothing wrong.


    The man frowned at him and didn''t bother to exchange words. He ced a ticket on Desmond''s arm. "This is for public indecency."


    The man took the ticket and smiled at it as though it was a reward, then looked back at the policeman. "Then, I may need more of these in advance. About five or six, thank you. My girlfriend and I can''t keep our hands to ourselves."


    Zaria was about to die in embarrassment. This shameless man!


    "Then get a motel or something!" The police officer so badly wanted to teach the man a lesson. "Where''s your driving license?"


    "Why do you need it? I''m not driving." Desmond waved his hands to signify that he wasn''t touching the steering wheel, and the officermented about how difficult it was to be a traffic police. He so badly wanted to teach the man a lesson but he looked too much like the famed Desmond Fort who had appeared in countless business magazines.


    It would not be funny if a tycoon went after him for merely doing his job. The only way to find out the man''s identity was using an identification document or a driving license, but the man had refused to submit his. Trying to keep out of trouble, he let Desmond leave with several warnings and a p on the wrist.


    "That for a first date was entertaining." Zaria shook her head as they drove off.


    The man nced at the ticket which now looked like it was for decoration. "Wasn''t it? We should do it again. I''m sure there are other traffic guys after the turn up ahead."


    "That''s not what I meant." She wondered what had gotten into his head. His idea of fun was twisted.


    She thought that they were going to his house when she saw the familiar routes but instead, he went to his private airstrip.


    "Ready to go on this trip with me?" He held out a hand to her, and she ced her palm on it to let him help her out of the car. The helicopter was already waiting, which they boarded and it made her wonder just what kind of date he had in mind. She couldn''t help looking forward to it.


    When theynded at the ce she found familiar, she finally realized where they were.


    "Luxenville Royal Hotel?" She was pleasantly surprised.


    "It''s so beautiful that I wouldn''t ignore it." He responded. Not to mention, he had noticed just how much she loved it, so he thought it would be the ideal ce for the date.


    It was such a good choice, she had to admit.


    The man had booked a table at the corner, and had it decorated in ck and red, in a simple yet beautiful theme.


    "What would you like to drink?" He asked when they sat down. There was a pair of stem sses on the table as well as three bottles of different wine to pick from and she noticed that they were her three most preferred wine brands.


    She smiled and was yet to give her choice when someone appeared at their table.


    "Mr. Su?" She was surprised to see the elderly patriarch of the Su family, Nathaniel Su.


    The elderly man grinned all his teeth out as he tried to contain his joy. "It''s nice to see you again. My dear, I already told you to just call me Nat."


    "Old man, what do you want?" Desmond was displeased by the old patriarch who appeared out of thin air to hog Zaria to himself.


    Nathaniel shot him a re. "Don''t be so unfriendly. I only want to catch up with little Zaria. It''s not every day I randomly decide to have dinner at my former resort, then end up bumping into someone I know." He ignored the grumpy Desmond to chat with Zaria. "Little Zaria, did you miss me?"


    "It''s hard not to miss you." Zariaughed, and still didn''tprehend why Nathaniel seemed eager to be so friendly to her. He certainly was unpredictable.


    "Don''t you have the sweetest tongue? This lucky punk." Hemented. "I should get going now. Enjoy your date."


    Desmond frowned when the man left to go to his own table. He knew that they were on a date but still rushed eagerly to cause disturbance? "He''s troublesome."


    Zariaughed at her jealous boyfriend. "It''s hard to understand him but I think he''s kinda cute."


    "We are not going to talk about other people during our date, are we?" Hemented jealously, making Zaria burst intoughter.


    _


    Theodore worked overtime today, and he was about to leave the office when his new assistant came rushing into his office.


    "What happened?" Theodore asked with a frown. He knew that his daughter was going on a date, so he had finished his work as fast as he could and was hurrying home to keep Despany.


    "Boss! It''s the biggest piece of news!" The slightly chubby young man with round framed spectacles announced. "It''s Samantha Fort!"


    "What about it?" He asked indifferently.


    "She is dead! She was found dead in jail and although the police are trying to cover up and im that she ate something she was allergic to, I followed up and found out that it was her brother, Jaime, who had the wadern feed her poisoned food." He exined in detail. "We have to publish it before the other agencies get wind of the truth!"


    "Kiki, stop." Theodore stopped the man who was about to run to the editorial department.


    "But why?" Kiki did not understand. Such explosive news, they should write it down in the shortest time possible.


    "F&P Media shall not report anything rted to the Fort Family or any of their allies. Haven''t you learnt a lesson from thest time it happened?" He reprimanded his assistant, who was one of the people who previously suffered from the wrath of Desmond.


    Although he was certain that Desmond would not sue him now that he was dating his daughter, upsetting that man was like poking a beehive. Not to mention, he was not about to start using his daughter to attract subscribers.

 Chapter 111 - Stay Away From Her

    <h4>Chapter 111 - Stay Away From Her</h4>


    Desmond poured wine into Zaria''s ss and then poured some in his own ss.


    "Don''t drink too much of it. It''s a hundred years old." He gave a gentle warning.


    She scoffed when she heard him. "Do you think I would get drunk from a few sips of wine?"


    "You wouldn''t?" He was amused.


    "Forget wine. I could drink a bottle of 50% content tequ and help you win a deal." She exaggerated, and they both burst intoughter.


    "Would you like someter?" He asked, referring to the tequ.


    "Not that I would mind." She smiled, looking forward to it.


    However, he changed his mind. "I don''t want to get you drunk tonight."


    "Why? Are you scared that you wouldn''t be able to stop yourself from taking advantage of me? Or are you afraid that I would take advantage of you? Not that I would mind either¡­" She teased with a sly wink.


    "I could take advantage of you if I want to, without needing to get you drunk as a prerequisite." He boldly stated, and she called him out for being narcissistic and having too much confidence in his charm.


    His phone rang, which he wanted to ignore but was afraid that she would misunderstand him if he did.


    He nced at it with a frown." It''s Liam. I don''t want to talk to him. I don''t know what to say to him anymore."


    Their rtionship had already gotten bad enough when he started acting strange and trying to pull him and Zaria apart. He still wondered whether Liam might have feelings for Zaria and the thought of it made their rtionship even more strained.


    Zaria didn''t know what to think of Liam either. After Samantha tried to make it seem like she was having an affair with him it had caused quite a misunderstanding and she had been avoiding him. However, she didn''t think it was a good idea for Desmond topletely ignore him. "It could be important. I mean, he hasn''t been seeking you either. The fact that he did could mean that it is something that he really has to contact you about."


    "You''re right." He reluctantly answered the call, which made his eyebrows furrow in a frown.


    "Did something happen?" She asked when she noticed his change in expression.


    He shook his head even though the frown still remained on his face. "Let''s not ruin our date because of it."


    "That makes me more curious about it." She continued staring at him, wondering what it was that made his indifferent expression shatter.


    "Trust me, I''m more worth your time than whatever it is." He insisted, and she could only shrug.


    "If you say so¡­ But if you want to talk about it, you know the drill."


    "Yes. I should talk about it. But I don''t think I will ever want to do that." He smiled and took a sip of his wine. "It''s awesome, don''t you think?"


    Seeing as he was eager to change the topic, she yed along and tasted her wine too. "A century indeed. This is priceless."


    ¡­


    By the time they were done eating and drinking wine, she was a little tipsy and extraordinarily jovial.


    "That was so much fun!" She chirped, and he held onto her in case she tripped, even though she was still walking steadily.


    "Is this how ''sober'' you will be after your bottle of 50% alcohol content tequ?" He taunted using her own words.


    She wrapped her arms around his neck while turning to hug him. "Come on, I''m sober. I can even drive." She insisted. "But if you insist that I''m drunk, then I really am drunk¡ªdrunk in love."


    She whispered thest words out, bringing a smile on his face.


    "I guess I should give you wine every day."


    She nodded in agreement. "You should. However, I don''t appreciate you giving me wine in a ss." Her words sounded like aint, as though she had been treated unfairly.


    "What do you prefer? An entire bottle of it?" He asked, opening the passenger door of his car for her to get in.


    She waited for him to enter and sit before she answered him. "No. I would very much prefer it if you drank it and fed me with your lips. The taste of your kiss is more intoxicating than the strongest wine." She licked her lips slightly before biting the lower one with her perfectly shaped front teeth.


    He swallowed from the sudden provocation. This was going to be a long drive.


    He was right¡ªit really did turn out to be a long drive. By the time they arrived at Phoenix Apartments, his clothes were disheveled and his body zing so hot that it started to hurt. What was worse, he wasn''t sure whether or not she was sober, so he couldn''t do anything and could only let her do as she pleased.


    When they arrived, he helped her get down from the car and hugged him. "Thank you. I had a lot of fun tonight."


    "So did I. Thank you my love." He kissed her forehead, his heart melting despite the torture.


    "I''ll go up now." She announced, then hurried away as though she was dreading for the clock to strike midnight¡ªso much that he was almost afraid she would leave her shoe behind. Chuckling at his fairy tale imagination, he returned to his car and went to his mansion.


    ¡­


    " Mother?" He was puzzled by the appearance of an uninvited guest. As soon as he saw Alyssa who looked upset and was waiting in the living room, he remembered what had slipped his mind all day.


    "Are you surprised to see me? You forgot that I was getting out of jail today." She crossed her arms while raising her eyebrow at her son.


    "I''m so sorry." He took a deep breath. It had totally slipped his mind and he only had a feeling at the back of his mind that there was something important he had forgotten to do.


    "What were you busy with?" She asked, not dwelling on the fact that she had to return on her own.


    "Don''t worry about it." He brushed it off. "Are you hungry? I''ll have the chefs make you something to eat."


    It was certain that he was avoiding the topic, and she was not about to let it slide. "It''s Zaria, right?"


    He frowned slightly. "Now that you bring it up, we do need to talk about her." He sat on the couch opposite her, knowing that her girlfriend and mother would forever hate each other for no specific reason if no one ever talked about it. "Mother, I used to think she was bad news. You know, a woman who only cares about money. But she is way different from that." He started, his lips slowly curling to a smile with each word he said. Love was written all over his eyes as he spoke of Zaria as the woman he was deeply in love with.


    "She is kind and intelligent and¡­ shepletes me, mother." He concluded.


    Alyssa frowned in displeasure and took deep breaths to stop herself from exploding in anger. More than anger, she was immensely disappointed in her son. "What about Natalie? Where did you ce your fianc¨¦, Desmond?" She asked, her tone full of disapproval.


    He knew that he couldn''t hide it for much longer. "You know that we don''t love each other. But Zaria, we¡­"


    "Do you know what happened to your sister?" Alyssa suddenly asked.


    The question was out of the blue, and he frowned. Liam had already told him about it earlier but that didn''t mean he would care. "That''s between her and Jaime."


    "How could you be so heartless? That''s your sister!" Alyssa raised her voice. "Don''t you have an ounce of care for her?! Is it because of Zaria?"


    He stood up in annoyance. "Don''t start ming everything on her, alright? This is a family matter. How the hell is she involved?"


    "She is clearly brainwashing you! I''m not about to sit back and watch my son go astray because of some woman! Do you forget how I ended up in jail?" Alyssa felt like she could explode from anger. Although Samantha had done something wrong, she was still her daughter and she still loved her. How could she tolerate the fact that her son was so indifferent about it?


    Hearing her reasoning, Desmond felt his lips twitch in ridicule. Just when he was starting to think that he could talk sense into his mother so she would stop unnecessarily hating Zaria, she proved to be impossible. "Did she ask Jaime to have the wadern poison Samantha? Did she help her hide the truth regarding father''s death by using you? You sound like the kind of mother who''s about to starting in between her son and his girlfriend. Thest thing I want is to have to choose sides. If you don''t like her, do me a favor and stay away from her."

 Chapter 112 - Since You Like Her, I Wont Try To Win Her Over

    <h4>Chapter 112 - Since You Like Her, I Won''t Try To Win Her Over</h4>


    "Stop right there! How could you say this to your mother?" Alyssa called after Desmond who was making his way towards the staircase.


    He turned with a slight frown on his face. "Let''s not argue about this¡ªor anything else for that matter. I''m in too good of a mood to ruin it over meaningless chatter. You can go to sleep in the guest room, mother."


    Alyssa gritted her teeth as he really walked out on her. Her hands clenched to fists, knowing that there wasn''t anything she could do to change his attitude.


    It irked her to the core. How could he not see that their troubles began the second Zaria started investigating their family? It was uncertain what exactly she wanted but she was making the Fort family fall apart with everything she did.


    Even though she had told the truth in court in the end, she was only doing so to gain Desmond''s trust.


    ¡­


    Although a few people knew that Jaime was behind Samantha''s murder, there wasn''t sufficient evidence so he was only arrested for his father''s murder.


    Samantha''s funeral was held a few dayster, and Alyssa didn''t want unnecessary people present. First, it was her husband and now her daughter. She didn''t want to let other people witness her family''s personal matters, so only close family and friends were present.


    Zaria felt awkward being present, she had onlye along because Desmond wanted her to. He stood by Samantha''s headstone, deep in thought while no word left his mouth.


    She walked over to him and ced a hand on his shoulder.


    Feeling the smallforting pat, he turned to her with a smile. "I''m not devastated. I''m just conflicted." He sighed.


    Samantha had turned out to be a selfish woman, one who cared about nothing but herself. She had made him and Liam go through so much pain in the past and even used their mother of murder. She had even turned out to be Jaime''s pawn. But before that, she was his beloved little sister. Sometimes he hoped she could revert back to her usual self. But what happened had already happened. It was in the past.


    "Desmond,e here." Alyssa called out of the blue.


    "I''ll be right back." Desmond patted Zaria''s head, then walked to Alyssa who had just stepped away from her friends.


    "Mother, do you have anything to say to me?" He asked.


    "What a question." She crossed her arms with a frown. "Why are you letting your fianc¨¦e get close to Liam?" She nodded at Natalie who was talking to Liam not too far away.


    "They are friends." He shrugged. Although Liam and Natalie weren''t very close, it wasn''t unusual for them to talk so it made no sense for Alyssa to speak of it insinuatingly.


    She was irritated by her son''s indifference, especially when she saw Natalieughing at something that Liam said. "You know what I mean. Don''t pretend to be dumb."


    "I''m not dumb nor am I pretending to be. I''m just not going to overthink matters when Natalie and Liam are friends. We have all been friends for years." He retorted. Even if him and Natalie were in an actual rtionship, he would never suspect her, nor to mention now that her real boyfriend was Devonte.


    Alyssa scoffed to his im." Huh, friends. Wait until you have to take care of a child who isn''t yours."


    "You mean like father did with Jaime?" He didn''t believe that she had the audacity to talk about unfaithfulness when he had recently found out that his brother wasn''t even his brother.


    "What nonsense are you talking about?" She lowered her voice and looked around, hoping that no one had heard him.


    He raised an eyebrow at her denial. "I know the truth. That Jaime wasn''t my brother. You don''t need to pretend ande up with excuses. He was the reason why you and father started fighting in the first ce, isn''t he?"


    "Son, how could you insinuate such nonsense?" She pulled him farther away from everyone else.


    However, he wasn''t intending to keep listening to her. "I trusted you. Don''t wreck whatever is left of that."


    Alyssa let out a breath, not intending to fight with her son anymore either. "What is that woman doing here anyway?"


    "She''s my executive assistant as well as my girlfriend. Why can''t she be here?" He answered matter-of-factly, rendering her speechless. Why did he sound like he was proud of cheating on his fianc¨¦e?


    She nced at the two of them who were now together, talking about heaven knows what. "Look at them. Natalie is more beautiful, has a better figure, smarter, not to mention, she is from a respectable family and¡­"


    "She'' s the perfect choice for you, mother. Go after her. Since you like her, I won''t try to win her over and besides, Zaria is more beautiful in my eyes." He walked away after saying his piece, rendering his mother speechless.


    __


    "Let''s go." Desmond took Zaria''s hand to lead her away when he returned to her.


    "People are watching!" She shrugged his hand away, reprimanding him for being too careless despite knowing that they were in public.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t think anyone here is bold enough to open their mouths." He grinned and led her back to his car.


    "I''m tired. Do you mind driving? Call my chauffeur if you are tired." He slumped into the passenger seat.


    "It''s okay, I''ll drive." She entered the car and was yet to fasten her seatbelt when her phone chimed. She had a bad premonition, especially with how often Zeus had been texting hertely.


    She checked and sure enough, it was him.


    [I heard Samantha is dead. Should I be happy for you?]


    "Uhm¡­" She felt awkward knowing that he could have identally seen the text message. Luckily, he had his eyes closed.


    She rolled her eyes before sending a random text over.


    ___


    In the outskirts of Imperium.


    Zeus nced at the text message that Zaria had sent andughed.


    [Get a brain and let it help you think better.] Read the text, with a sneer sticker at the end of it.


    "Of course I will get one, and I use it to find better ways to protect you. Everyone who hurt you will get their fair share. Liam Preston, take care or you might just be next."


    __


    "Is someone bothering you?" Desmond asked as he opened his eyes, realizing that she looked distressed for a moment.


    "It''s just Zeus." She massaged her temples. Why exactly did he keep hovering her life? Not to mention, he kept doing things that made her question everything she knew.


    "Are you certain that it was Jaime''s fault?" She wanted to ask whether Jaime really was behind Samantha''s murder but couldn''t entirely ask it in the end, thinking of what a sensitive topic it was at the moment.


    However, he already knew what she had in mind so he nodded. "Did you think that Zeus has a hand in it?"


    "I don''t know what to think." She started driving and tried not to let her mind run wild, but it did anyway. "What if it''s¡­him?"


    Desmond felt chills go down his body as he wondered about the unsaid name, then it dawned on him. "Is it¡­the person who tried to hurt you before?"


    She shook her head, jolting from the sudden thought she had just had. "He''s dead. I''m thinking too much."


    "Don''t give me that look. It will be alright. I just felt paranoid because he knows too much, that''s all." She smiled to stop him from worrying too much.


    He nodded, but as soon as they arrived at Preston and Fort Group, he gave Skeleton a call. "I want you to investigate someone."


    "Who is it? I will flip out all their details including all about their great grandparents." Skeleton exaggerated, d that he had finally been given something to y with.


    "Zeus." Desmond dropped the name, making thetter go silent for seconds.


    "Are you trying to get me killed?! I swear, I didn''t do anything wrong to deserve this kind of punishment!" He wailed on the other end.


    "Punishment or not, you have no choice. He is a human, and I''m giving you three days." He declined in his office chair with no intention to negotiate about it.


    "Then you should at least give me a lead." Skeleton demanded.


    "His past with Zaria, if there is any." Desmond hung up immediately, and he hoped that the result wouldn''t turn out to be some twist of melodrama. If Zeus turned out to be the man who hurt Zaria before, then they would have something difficult to deal with.


    ¡­


    Skeleton investigated Zaria instead of Zeus, and he was done within a day instead of the agreed three. He made his way to Desmond''s house soon after thetter arrived.


    "I found something. Instead of Zeus, the one you should be wary of is Zaria." He announced.


    "What do you mean?" Desmond was tired and wanted thetter to get to the point.


    "There are five whole years missing from her past. It''s as though she turned eighteen, then blinked and turned twenty-three. I couldn''t retrieve the missing information no matter what."


    "Forget about it." Desmond guessed that it might be rted to either Zeus or that man or both, but he was afraid of identally touching a scar she didn''t want to reveal.


    Skeleton slumped onto a couch. "More than that, she might be the daughter of Lucy Roatta."


    Desmond''s eyes flew open just as he was about to ignore Skeleton and take a nap. "What did you say?!"

 Chapter 113 - The Pride Of The Fort Family

    <h4>Chapter 113 - The Pride Of The Fort Family</h4>


    "What are you talking about? It''s impossible." Desmond sat up in shock. How could it happen? Zaria could never be rted to that woman.


    "Yes, it is possible." Skeleton spected. "Forget about the fact that she is mysterious with every turn. When she was a child, she lived in Luxenville with her parents and suddenly came to Imperium when she was eight.


    Do you know where Lucy Roatta was during this time? She had also been in luxenville for years, and she left just a few months before Zaria and her dad did. My guess is that she is her mother, and they were trying to follow her."


    "Stop." Desmond felt his head hurt when he remembered how mysterious Zaria''s mother seemed from the few times she had talked about her.


    "Lucy didn''t have a daughter. Unless she lied about having a son." He remembered a snippet of his memory from his past.


    ¡­.


    More than two decades ago, when Desmond was a child.


    The boy was ying with his friend, Liam.


    "Young Master, Sir asked for you to go back." His nanny, a middle-aged woman, reported just as he was about to throw the ball back to Liam.


    "I don''t want to!" He shook his head annoyedly and continued ying.


    The nanny was already used to taking care of this little tyrant, so he knew that pretending to be harsh didn''t work on him. He paid more attention to his own benefit, so she leaned to his level to reason with him. "Young master, you are being disrespectful. Do you want to waste both of our time arguing? How about you go back first? You can save more time to y againter."


    He contemted the option and when he felt that the nanny made sense, he reluctantly gave the ball back to his friend and ran all the way to the house without giving the nanny a chance to catch up and clean him up.


    He stormed into the living room panting, with mud all over his clothes and dirty hair sticking to his face.


    "Where were you? Look at yourself. And where the hell are your manners? Don''t you ever pay attention to your etiquette and manners sses?" Marchal scolded when he saw what had be of his son who had left the house looking like a prince just an hour ago. Was he rolling in the mud? "What an embarrassment. Don''t storm into rooms like that next time!"


    Little Desmond looked down, not because his father''s words made him feel bad about himself¡ªhe was already used to his¡ªbut because there was someone else in the room. It was a woman who he guessed to be his father''s friend, but it was still humiliating to be scolded in front of an outsider.


    "Don''t be too harsh with him, Marchal. Kids need to y." The woman spoke up, and her familiar voice made him look up to finally see her face. "Aunt Lucy!"


    It turned out to be Lucy, his parents'' close friend. He excitedly rushed up to her, forgetting all about his muddy clothes. She always gave him candy when she came over, which exined his excitement.


    However, she suddenly blocked his hug. He looked down, deted. Was it because he was too dirty? Did she also think that hecked etiquette because he did not knock and announce his presence?


    "Sorry. I''m¡­" She tried to pat his head in constion, which he evaded and wondered why she looked sad about his reaction.


    "Are you pregnant?" Marchal asked from the side.


    She nodded. "Now you know why I can''t join you and Alyssa on hikes anymore."


    So it was because she was pregnant and was worried that he might hurt the baby by energetically clinging onto her like he always did. Did that mean Aunt Lucy didn''t find him dirty?


    He was still wondering whether he should apologize for being rude earlier when he heard his fatherugh jovially and congratte her.


    "I hope it''s a girl. Desmond will be in good hands in future." He hinted at her stomach teasingly.


    In response, she burst intoughter. "I hate to be the one to announce the bummer. I already did a check a week ago and it''s a boy. Unless your son turns out to be bent, you may have to find a wife for himter." She joked and endlessly teased Marchal and Desmond.


    "Don''t joke around." He didn''t want to joke about such matters in the presence of Desmond, lest it came true.


    "Desmond,e here." Lucy called him over, and he happily closed in. She picked him up and carefully ced him on herp, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his face. "What kind of game were you ying? You even got mud on your cheeks."


    Sheughed and stuffed candy into his palms, making his eyes brighten.


    "You seem to love him so much." She said to Marchal and he could feel her gaze on him.


    "Of course I do. He is my beloved son, the pride of the Fort family." Marchal was indeed proud of his son. He even went ahead to unt about the achievements that Desmond had aplished despite being so young. He was already a genius and would grow up to be much better, which filled him with joy.


    "What about Jaime?" Lucy asked about Desmond''s elder brother, who must be the family''s treasure.


    "I love him too¡­" Marchal''s voice sounded strained, and it was evident who his favorite son was.


    "I see. That works perfectly." Lucy''s voice turned cold, and Desmond felt a violent tug in the next moment. "Little boy, I''m sorry."


    "What are you! Lucy!" Marchal yelled in surprise and he stood from his chair. Before he could get to them, Desmond felt a cold sensation on his neck. From the sharpness that stung him slightly and his father''s reaction, it had to be a knife.


    "Marchal Fort, let''s not waste each other''s time. You know what I want." She dered so coldly that he would never have thought that it was truly the kind Aunt Lucy who always had smiles on her beautiful face.


    Marchal was distressed, and he nced at the telephone.


    "Desmond, your dear dad wants you dead after all. I guess I should¡­"


    "I will not touch the telephone!" Marchal promised and looked at her. "Lucy, please. Put the child down and we can talk."


    "The time to talk is over. All I want now is the papers. Don''t feign ignorance." She sneered.


    "You could have asked nicely. Why are you getting my son in the mix?" Marchal pleaded, his voice still full of disbelief. "I thought we were friends."


    She burst intoughter as she stood, as though she had heard the most ridiculous joke. "Friends? Why would there be friendship between a Roatta and a Fort? Did you hit your head and lose your memory? Give me the papers. Right now. Of course, if you prefer your son''s body instead, I will give it to you in exchange for it."


    "Lucy, calm down. Let''s talk." He lowered his voice into a plea, afraid that Lucy might just slice his son''s neck as soon as he stepped out to get the papers.


    Marchal looked left and right and suddenly zeroed his gaze on Desmond. "Son, hit her in the stomach. Right now!"


    ¡­


    Desmond shuddered as soon as he thought about the order that his father had given him in the past.


    "What exactly is there between the Roattas and the Forts?" Skeleton asked in curiosity, having found nothing.


    "I have no freaking idea. I still find it unbelievable that Lucy would suddenly attack me. I was too shocked and obviously, I didn''t know what they were fighting about."


    What papers were so important that Lucy would take him hostage for them, and his father was so reluctant to give them even when his son was a millimeter away from having the sharp de of the knife sliced through his neck.


    Skeleton didn''t want to think of it either. From Desmond''s description, she appeared to be a calm and cheerful woman. Who would think that she would turn into a psycho killer within a second?


    "Did you hit her?" He asked with a start.


    How could Marchal be so heartless?


    Desmond frowned at such a question. "Are you kidding me? She had just announced that she was pregnant."


    At the moment, he had freaked out when his father suggested hurting Lucy''s baby. Although she was using his life to threaten Marchal, the baby did nothing wrong.


    "She let me go as soon as my father said that. I don''t think she was afraid that I could hurt her¡ªit must be a mother''s first instinct. She left and disappeared, and I was d that I didn''t hit her.


    Besides, if I hit her and the baby she was carrying happened to be Zaria, I would have killed my future wife before she was born."

 Chapter 114 - Nothing To Hide

    <h4>Chapter 114 - Nothing To Hide</h4>


    "Your analogy is awkward." Skeleton chuckled, but he had to admit that Desmond did make some sense. If he was destined to either be with Zaria or be alone forever, then he really would have killed his future wife by hitting Lucy''s stomach at the time.


    "Get lost." He frowned at Skeleton who was still sitting on the couch like he owned the ce.


    "Hey! Are you going to discard me right after having me help you out? How heartless!" The manined. He had not even been offered a ss of water to quench his thirst, forget a meal.


    "My mother has developed a habit of dropping by at the most random timings." He exined. He was not kicking Skeleton out, but he didn''t want Alyssa to know about his existence.


    How ironic, he thought to himself. In the past, he wouldn''t have minded it no matter what Alyssa found out about him. However, he was trusting her less every other day. At the moment, he couldn''t help but wonder what would happen if Alyssa knew that the video provided in court was fake. Would she rat him out, with the reason that Jaime was her son too and didn''t deserve to be punished for a crime he had notmitted? It wasn''t impossible, considering how she had med him for being insensitive about Samantha''s fate.


    __


    Later, that night, in Liam''s vi.


    "Sir, there''s a call for you." The housekeeper carried the telephone to the study, where Liam was finishing up on his work.


    "Who is it?" He asked irritably, wondering who would call his house sote at night. Were they tired of living?


    "It was a man but he did not introduce himself." The housekeeper reported and handed the telephone to Liam when he opened out his hand to receive it.


    "Who are you?" He asked in evident annoyance as soon as he answered the call.


    "I''m wondering the same thing." Came a masculine taunting voice, which made him frown. Who was so idle?


    "You better introduce yourself."


    "Or what, Mr. Preston? Will you investigate me?" The man taunted, then burst intoughter. "I forgot. You don''t have any such ability. You cannot even investigate a fly, let alone a human."


    Liam was about to hang up and call one of his experts to check whoever it was when the man spoke again, having had enough fun messing with him and wasting his time. "I called to tell you, don''t seek trouble. Stay away from people you shouldn''t mess with."


    He frowned when the call ended. When did he mess with anyone? No matter how hard he thought about it, he had always minded his business and there wasn''t any reason for there to be a fewd between him and any man. Unless¡­


    His eyebrows knitted at the thought. Desmond wouldn''t be that childish, right?


    ¡­


    The following morning, at Preston and Fort Group.


    "Do you think I would give you a call in the middle of the night to threaten you? How childish do you think I am?" Desmond burst intoughter when his friend confronted him about the mysterious call he had received the previous night, from a caller whose identity couldn''t be traced.


    Liam''s eyebrows furrowed. "I''m certain that it''s rted to Zaria. She is the only one I have tried to investigate in the past few months and ording to that man''s tone, I should keep my nose out of matters that are none of my business."


    Desmond had a sudden thought. "That could be Zeus."


    "Who is Zeus?" Liam wondered.


    "Forget it." It was merely a suspicion, based on the fact that the man''s identity couldn''t be traced. He was the only person around Zaria who couldn''t be investigated. "Now that we''re talking about it, why don''t you want me to be with Zaria?"


    Liam nced at the door that led to Zaria''s office and looked back at his friend. "Does it still matter? You are already together."


    "I''m d you know." Desmond nodded in approval, picking up a pen from the crystal holder on the desk. "However, I still want to know what you had in mind."


    Liam knew that this might be the only chance to mend his rtionship with his best friend. Even though he knew that Desmond might not believe him, he still exined it anyway. "There is something about her past¡­"


    "That sounds like what Skeleton said." Desmond chuckled lightly.


    "Maybe. Even if we ignore the fact that she has too much missing information, there is something peculiar. Take a look at these photos."


    He took out his phone and unlocked it. He then scrolled through his gallery and showed Desmond pictures of them. They had been retrieved from the city''s surveince system, considering that they had been captured from the windscreens of their cars.


    "I found these on Zaria''sputer." He stated sternly.


    "I''m yet to ask what the hell you were doing spying on herputer but what about it?" Desmond asked with a displeased frown.


    "These photos were taken long before the Fort family''s scandal erupted. She is investigating us. Don''t look so nonchnt." Liam was helpless when he saw that his friend had no reaction. "She is the daughter of our families'' enemy. At least that''s what I suspected after investigating her. Take a look at these."


    He showed a picture of Zaria, and it was her younger version. "This is seventeen-year-old Zaria." He then scrolled to another picture which looked almost identical, but the second one was much older and was not colored. "This is seventeen-year-old Lucy Roatta. Is it far-fetched to imagine that these two are mother and daughter?"


    Desmond sucked in a breath. It turned out, Skeleton wasn''t the only one who had found out that Zaria could be rted to Lucy.


    "I see." Was his response, and Liam could only shrug and leave. He hoped Desmond would not blindly fall into her trap, if she was trying to trap him.


    Zaria arrived to hand over files soon after, and Desmond stopped her from leaving.


    "When is your birthday?" He asked out of the blue.


    "Desmond, we are at work. Don''t ask such personal questions. Save them forter, not during working hours." She reprimanded.


    "It''s rted to work." He insisted so she would answer him, without making him wait for all those hours.


    "December 27th." She answered but was curious. "Why would you ask?"


    "I just want to know. How old will you be turning this year?" He once again asked.


    "28." She blinked in confusion. The point was, wasn''t this information in her employee profile? He didn''t need to ask and merely had to nce at her work ID, which she had with her. Perhaps he merely wanted to hear her talk? What a weird hobby.


    "I just wasn''t certain. It''s not umon for people to lie about their birthdays. If they have something to hide, that is." He exined, looking at her to see her reaction.


    "Well, I have nothing to hide." She shrugged at his dramatics.


    "Okay. Moving on to a different topic. I received an email this morning, from someone from the Roatta family." He stated, with his gaze still fixed on her to see her reaction.


    her heart skipped a beat when she heard the surname she had almost forgotten about. "Roatta?"


    "Yes. Is there a problem?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "No. I''m just shocked that they didn''t contact me." Her hands clenched to fists at the side. There weren''t many families with the Roatta surname in Imperium, and only one of them was capable of directly contacting Desmond. It had to be the very family where her mother belonged.


    "It puzzles me too. Especially since the sender seemed to know you." He nced at her clenched fists and pretended not to notice a thing.


    "Who was it?" She asked, as expected.


    "Lucy Roatta. Do you know her?" he feigned nonchnce, and noticed how she held back a gasp before her gaze turned stern.


    "No." She denied without flinching.


    If it wasn''t because she had mentioned her mother before, he would have thought that she had something to hide.


    However, her mother had left her. If he were in her shoes, he might also view her as a stranger the next time they met. Even so, he still found it unbelievable that a kind woman like Lucy could dump her own daughter. But then again, she had turned out to be a murderer in a sh, so the kindness might have been a facade.


    Zaria left, and his personal phone rang almost immediately.


    "Who is this?" He asked since it was an unknown contact.


    "Desmond, dearest, do you miss me that much? You even had me investigated." A woman''s voice cooed.


    Speak of the devil, he thought. The devil that no one had seen or heard of for years had suddenly given him a call. And how amazing it was that she even knew she was being investigated by him. Most importantly, where the hell did she get his personal cell phone number?


    ___


    AN

 Chapter 115 - The Return Of Lucy

    <h4>Chapter 115 - The Return Of Lucy</h4>


    "What do you want?" He asked the long-lost woman, who no longer had any business with him.


    Hearing his question, the woman on the other end burst intoughter, reprimanding him for asking the obvious. "To satisfy your curiosity, of course. Otherwise, you will keep investigating me which I don''t appreciate. Let''s meet up."


    He wanted to hang up but at the same time, he was indeed curious. The fact that she found out she was being investigated could mean that she would be more cautious the next time, and it might be impossible to find any more information.


    Hence, he reluctantly agreed. "Where and when?"


    "Right now. In yourpany." Came her cold answer. "I didn''t keep you waiting. How about that?"


    ¡­


    Zaria received a call from her intern assistant. "There''s a Miss Roatta here to see Mr. Fort."


    She froze when she heard the name. She was already expecting it, but it still took her a lot of effort to keep herself calm.


    "Let her in. Hold on. Lead her to the conference room on this floor." She corrected herself and gave the intern a series of instructions, before forwarding the message to Desmond.


    The man appeared beside her in an instant. He looked deted and at a loss, but she didn''tprehend it nor did she dare to ask. Perhaps he also had a painful past with Lucy Roatta, which she was not willing to bring up.


    "Zaria, I''m going to meet her." He reported, and they both knew who he was talking about. "Do you want toe along?"


    She thought about it briefly and shook her head. He must have found out the truth from his tone, and she was d that he didn''t force her to apany him. It would be alright if she happened to bump into Lucy while going about her own business, but she didn''t know how to face her if she sought her. What could they even talk about?


    "It''s totally fine if you don''t want to. I''ll go on my own, do your thing." He did not force her, knowing that it must be hard for her.


    "Thank you." She looked up with a smile, before proceeding with her work as he stepped out to meet the woman.


    ¡­


    Desmond arrived in the conference room to find a woman sitting on a high chair and awaiting his arrival. She had her hair in a neat bun and her face disyed the deceptive smile he had thought of as kind when he was a kid.


    It was as though they had seen each other twenty seven months ago instead of twenty seven years since she had not changed much. She was still beautiful, looked gentle and sat there sophisticated¡ªonly that this time he did not miss the sinister look in her eyes.


    "Miss Roatta." He called distantly, making his way to the head seat.


    "That''s not what you used to call me." She swung the chair so she would face him with a slight smile.


    "Not until you tried to murder me." He sat down and reminded her, almost scoffing at her ability to feign ignorance. Did she think that what happened twenty seven years ago could be forgotten in a sh merely because she was back?


    "What do you want?" He wanted her to go straight to the point. Logically, she wouldn''t be here just to benefit him and catch up. There had to be some other reason, just like there was a reason for her to befriend his parents in the past¡ªwhich reminded him of a possibility.


    "What? Could it be that you couldn''t find the papers anymore and are here to force me to give them to you?" He asked with a taunt.


    She shook her head at his imaginative thought. "Marchal is dead."


    "Maybe you think that he gave it to me. I assume that whatever it is, you have not stopped looking for it for all these years." He crossed his arms as his gaze focused on her, trying to guess why else she could be here.


    "He wouldn''t give it to you. I agree that I hit a dead end." She shrugged.


    "What papers are they anyway?" He attempted to ask, even while knowing that there was zero probability of getting an answer.


    As expected, she snapped. "That''s not your business."


    He smiled. "Right. My business is why you are here, and even that I do not know."


    "That is¡­" She was still speaking when her phone rang, and she had on an apologetic face after answering it. "I''ll send my assistant over to discuss something with you on my behalf. I have to go."


    "Thepany exit is to the left. Good luck." He did not offer to see her off, not that she minded. She left the conference room and was just rushing for the elevator when she heard a surprised yet excited voice behind her. "Mom?"


    ¡­


    Zaria tried to concentrate on her work but couldn''t no matter how hard she tried. In the end, she stood to go to the bathroom. She was just leaving her office when she caught sight of the woman exiting the conference room.


    There wasn''t much difference between her and the woman from her memory and her dreams¡ªher mother. She had always thought that she would be too angry if she ever met her again, or that she wouldn''t want to see her. But when she saw that familiar silhouette, her lips moved on their own. "Mom?"


    The woman slowly turned, seeming shocked but when their eyes met, she ignored her and hurried her steps towards the elevator.


    "Mom, wait!" She called after her, but she reacted toote and the elevator doors closed before she could catch up. She hurried using the employee elevator, which was slower because she was not the only one using it.


    She could only guess that Lucy headed for the exit, where she ran and hoped that she was yet to leave. Luckily, she caught up just as thetter was about to enter a white car.


    "Mom!" She desperately called, and Lucy turned to look at her.


    "Why are you getting away from me?" Zaria couldn''t believe just how helpless she sounded. She was out of breath and her eyes started to sting when her mother finally looked at her.


    However, all she received was a cold re. "Excuse me, are you mistaken? You have been following me around and it''s making me ufortable."


    What in the world? Zaria eximed in her heart. "No! You are my mother. Stop pretending because I would never forget you." She closed in to introduce herself and show her Identity Card, in case thetter had forgotten about her. It had been so long and she was a grown up now, after all. "I''m Zaria, your daughter. Dad and I miss you so much¡­"


    Lucy didn''t spare her identity card a nce, merely scoffing. "I''m not married, nor do I have a daughter. Stop embarrassing yourself and get out of my way!"


    She entered the car while Zaria was still staring in disbelief. Did she just get rejected? When she recovered from her shock, Lucy had already entered the car and the door was closed by a young man.


    "Wait, mother! Whatever it is, we can forget about it." She rubbed her nose when the only response she got was air as the car drove away.


    "Who is she?" The young man who was now sitting beside Lucy asked, referring to Zaria who was still standing outside the building dejectedly.


    Lucy shrugged. "Some random stray. She thinks I''m her mother."


    The young man scoffed. "Forget about her, master. It isn''t strange to meet a few stray animals once in a while."


    Lucy hummed and when the young man wasn''t looking, her gaze darkened.


    _


    When Zaria got home, she was still in disbelief from the events that transpired earlier. Was it possible for one to forget her daughter? Maybe she had amnesia?


    Or perhaps, she had decided to forget all about them since she left.


    "How could I be so stupid? She clearly didn''t want to have anything to do with us anymore, or she never would have left." She scolded herself mentally, as she entered the house.


    "What happened to you?" Theodore was startled when he saw his daughter who looked like she would start crying any second, and he helped her onto the couch.


    "I saw her. She denied me." She sighed against her father''s shoulder.


    It didn''t take long for Theodore to figure out who she was talking about, and his lips twitched. That heartless creature. He patted her head tofort her, while trying not to spew curses at Lucy''s name.


    "I know it''s hard to do but you should forget about her. It''s been so long, if she wanted you back, she would have said so ages ago. Since she doesn''t, it will not make a difference no matter how many times you try." He gently tousled his daughter''s hair. "The world is cruel, Zaria. But you have to face it nheless."

 Chapter 116 - Go To Hell

    <h4>Chapter 116 - Go To Hell</h4>


    The following evening.


    Desmond was about to leave his office after working overtime when Liam arrived.


    "I don''t know why Lucy is back." He stated straight to the point, knowing that thetter was tired. He had seen her leaving thepany building earlier. At the time, he merely suspected the identity of the woman but when he saw Zaria run after her and call the former her mother, he knew that his suspicion was right. The woman was Lucy Roatta, and Zaria really was her daughter.


    "Does it bother you?" Came Desmond''s indifferent question as though he could not be bothered with whatever was happening.


    "Of course it would. She is up to something, I just don''t know what it is." Liam didn''t think he was being paranoid over nothing. First, he found out that Zaria might be investigating him and Desmond, and now her mother returns?


    "You don''t have a past with her." Desmond packed up, not knowing why Liam would have anything against Lucy for any reason other than her being Zaria''s mother.


    "I don''t but you do. And that is something." He was referring to the fact that Lucy tried to hurt Desmond before. Not to mention, everything about her was strange.


    Desmond shrugged, not wanting to indulge in talk that he thought would do nothing to make the current situation easier. Lucy was back, and there was a high chance that what she was seeking this time was different from what had made her befriend Marchal and Alyssa in the past. Otherwise, she would have continued looking for it for all those years. Of course, there was a possibility that she was still looking for the papers from decades ago, but also had something else that she wanted from the Fort family.


    The only way to know how to deal with Lucy in case she wanted something impossible was to know what she wanted.


    ___


    When Zaria left work, she found that everything was ready for them to move to their new home. They had bought a vi in a regal district in the west part of the city, which was not too far from the Sparks'' residence. Of course, their vi was smaller since it was just the two of them and a few servants.


    She checked to ensure that nothing had been forgotten, before carrying Des. "Des, say goodbye to our old home. Will you miss it?"


    "Will you?" Came Theodore''s voice behind her.


    She had to admit, yes. She had grown up here after all. It was this very house where she, Ximena and Ryan had yed for the most part of her childhood. She still remembered her favorite hiding spots where thetter two would not catch her whenever they yed hide-and-seek. She had once hidden for so long that the duo forgot about the game and moved on to a different game before she eventually snuck out of her hiding spot.


    Not to mention, it was also the ce that had seen all their struggles. When they worked their butt off and burned the midnight oil night after night just to get F&P Media on track, they had unknowingly grown attached to it.


    She smiled as she thought about it. If it wasn''t for Jaime''s ambush, she would never have thought of moving out. However, it was unsafe for them now. Jaime might be in jail, but he was not the only one out for their blood.


    They entered the car when everything had been moved, and she drove while Theodore held Des who was too scared of his travelling seat.


    ¡­


    "Do you like our new house?" Theodore asked when they arrived in the unfamiliar vi that was now their home. The furniture was of the finest quality and Des couldn''t help jumping on the couches to y. He noted that everything must have cost a dime, and hoped that Zaria didn''t spend all her money on it.


    "I do." It was, after all, the first thing she had bought since she started working for Preston and Fort Group. Of course she would love it. Not to mention, she had always hoped for this.


    He sat on the couch beside her. "But you are restless, princess."


    "I''m alright." She insisted, even though she didn''t look alright in the slightest. "I just need some rest."


    He knew that it must be about Lucy but he remained silent, for her to calm down on her own. How he hoped that she would soon forget about that woman.


    ___


    When Desmond arrived home, he had mixed feelings when he saw his mother once again waiting for him in the living room like she owned the ce. She looked like the kind of mother who wanted to control her child and just wouldn''t let him rest. But then again, he wanted to talk to her so he didn''t call her out for stalking him.


    "Mother, I need to have a talk with you." He sat opposite her.


    "Hello to you too." She reprimanded him for not even offering a simple wee and instead mentioning that they had to talk. However, she also knew that her son might just give her an insane answer so she ignored it. "What is it?"


    He was d to drop the meaningless chatter. "Twenty seven years ago, Lucy wanted something from father. Do you know what it was?"


    "Desmond, that''s so long ago. Why would I remember?" He frowned deeply, wondering why her son would suddenly bring it up.


    "It was something important." Said Desmond, observing her face to detect any lie she might tell to try and hide the truth.


    She shook her head indifferently. "I don''t know. There are too many secrets that Marchal kept from me. You would get tired if you tried to count them, so forget about the document you are talking about which seems to be some top secret."


    He nodded in understanding. If you rememberter, it would be safe to tell me because she is back."


    "What did you say?" Alyssa was shocked, and Desmond smiled.


    "So you do know about her. Tell me about it."


    She frowned in disapproval at the audacity of her son. How dare he try to trick her? "Look, Lucy was not who she imed she was but I don''t know what she wanted, okay? End of story."


    He smiled even though he had not gotten hold of any information¡ªaside from the fact that whatever document his father had must have been of extreme privacy and importance. He had wanted to torture Jaime into telling him whether he had the papers but thinking about it, it was impossible.


    Even so, he did not give up. Lucy''s assistant would be sent over the following day. It was only a matter of knowing the truth now or knowing itter.


    ¡­


    Just as expected, a middle-aged woman with a bob haircut made her way to Preston and Fort Group the following day.


    "I am here on behalf of Miss Roatta." She announced to Zaria and Desmond who were sitting on the opposite side of the table. Desmond had just asked for her identity even though he already knew who she was.


    "I did expect such a thing." He smirked. "What does she want?"


    The woman, Elena, had her gaze focused on Zaria. Wasn''t this the woman who everyone was saying to be careful of¡ªthe one who dared to go against the Fort family?


    She merely nced at her once since she was here to pass a message. "Miss Roatta would like to make a deal with you. She will give you all the information you want but in exchange, she wants to buy your family business. That includes all thepanies."


    Demsond guffawed at the deal that had just been proposed as though there was anyone who would agree to such unfair terms." Isn''t she greedy?"


    What she wanted must have something to do with thepanies that were owned by the Fort family, but what exactly is it? Surely, one couldn''t buy out an entirepany just to look for something so little, right? They could hire someone from the inside to do it for them.


    But thinking about it, the former option wasn''t impossible if the person was Lucy Roatta, who had immeasurable wealth and nothing to spend it on.


    "Tell Miss Roatta that I''m not interested in her deal." He concluded.


    "Miss Roatta already anticipated that you would say that, so she told me to tell you this. She prefers buying the business out peacefully, especially because you were adorable as a child. Otherwise, if she snatches it using her own effort, she will snatch Preston and Fort Group while at it." Elena smiled through her words that could make anyone kick her out of theirpany without caring that she was merely a messenger.


    What the heck was wrong with her?


    "She can go ahead and try." Desmond challenged, and Zaria finally spoke up.


    "While at it, please tell her to go to hell. Make sure you say it to her without sugar-coating."

 Chapter 117 - Separate Lives

    <h4>Chapter 117 - Separate Lives</h4>


    That evening.


    Zaria red at the text message sent by Zeus on Creszone. That damned man must be looking for a fight, otherwise he would not be poking trouble at every turn.


    [Did you have a fight with anyone?] He asked.


    She gave him a call and so badly wanted to tear him into pieces. "You already know whether or not I had a fight. Why are you pretending to ask? Haven''t you been stalking me despite being told not to?"


    "Hey, calm down, will you? Are you¡­" Zeus tried to defend himself only to be interrupted by her yell.


    "Get a life and stay away from mine, do you understand? I''m sick and tired of your constant stalking." She hung up and threw her phone aside, her head hurting. Why was everything getting soplicated? It was already bad enough that Lucy was back and denying her. She was trying to ignore what had happened, and now Zeus was bugging her about it too?


    "Zaria,"


    "I said leave me alone!" Zaria yelled, and only then did she realize that the ier who had just called her name was Ximena. She forcefully calmed herself to see thetter into her room. "I''m sorry."


    "What happened? I almost thought you were going to bite me to death." Ximena nced at her worriedly. Who dared to mess with her friend this time? If it was that Fort guy, she was going to stab him to death.


    "I don''t need to think to know that you are thinking too much. It''s not because of Desmond." Zaria let out a sigh. "It''s Lucy¡ªmy mother."


    "What about her?" Ximena frowned slightly as she wondered why the woman was suddenlying up in a conversation after so many years.


    "She is back." Zaria blinked and tried not to go insane at the thought of it. "I don''t know what is wrong with her. She suddenly came to Preston and Fort Group to seek Desmond¡ªand I''m certain she knows that I work there. She did not seem shocked when I called out to her but she ignored me."


    Ximena found the behaviour repulsive but she didn''t want to think evil of the woman before giving her a chance." Maybe she didn''t hear you? Or she didn''t recognize you. It''s been so many years after all, and you are no longer the little Zaria she left behind."


    "I thought so too. Until I introduced myself only for her to say that she has never been married nor has she ever had a daughter." Zariaughed at the fact that she would even wait to hear such tant denial. She stood and walked to her closet to pick out nightwear to change into. "I wanted to think that she had amnesia¡ªthat she had forgotten all about us and that it was not her choice. However, she remembers what kind of person Desmond was as a child. I''ve never heard of anyone forgetting their own children and remembering other people''s sons instead."


    "Uncle Theo must have said this before, forget about her." Ximena pulled her friend into a hug.


    "I know. I''m trying." Zaria pressed her face against her friend''s shoulder, and thetter patted her back. She was here to state that she had received a call from someone she suspected to be Lucy, who wanted a set of cosmetics. However, her suspicion had already been confirmed when she heard what Zaria had said, so she didn''t mention it in the end.


    "Why don''t you stay over?" Zaria suggested.


    "I was hoping you would ask." Ximena grabbed the nightdress that Zaria threw at her, which she changed into immediately.


    The girls then dimmed the lights and climbed onto the bed, in their identical nightdresses, Zaria''s in purple and Ximena''s in blue.


    "It''s been ages since we did this." Ximena remarked, recalling their high school years when they would sleep over at each other''s home every weekend. Every time they would leave Ryan out for being a boy, and he wouldin about it all week.


    "Remember that time when you got stuck on the roof, trying to rescue an injured kitten?" Ximenaughed at her memory of Zaria.


    "Don''t even talk about it. It''s not half as thrilling as the time when youpeted with the boys regarding who can throw rocks the farthest, then ended up hitting a rich boy on the head."


    Ximena burst intoughter.


    The women chatted for a while, before falling asleep.


    ___


    Meanwhile, in Lucy''s House.


    The woman sipped on her coffee in the study as she worked. A young man, who was always stuck by her side, knocked and went in when he was allowed to.


    "Master, Elena is here." The young man reported and stepped aside to let Lucy''s assistant in.


    "How did it go with Preston and Fort Group?" Lucy asked about the first thing she wanted to know.


    "Mr. Fort did not agree to the deal." Elena reported.


    Lucy seemed to have expected it, her lips twitched and she stifled augh. "What exactly did they say?"


    Elena felt awkward rying the message from the duo, who were too arrogant for their own good. How could they think that they were able to defeat Lucy? "Mr. Fort said that you can try to snatch Preston and Fort Group."


    "What about Z¡­ Miss Williams?" She stopped herself from saying the woman''s name as though it was a jinx.


    "Miss Williams?" Elena found it hard to repeat the message and stuttered.


    "Zaria Williams. Desmond''s assistant. I''m certain she had something to say." If anything, she must have a lot to say. She didn''t seem to be the type of woman to keep her thoughts to herself¡ªbut the type to try and wreck whoever had hurt her even if it was a losing game.


    "She said "Go to hell." It''s what she said." Elena felt awkward, wondering whether Lucy would order her to go back and rip Zaria''s tongue out of her mouth so she would never say a single word to anyone in future.


    Contrary to her expectations, Lucy merely scoffed. "I see. Both of you may leave."


    When the duo left, Lucy stood and walked to the window that was a few steps behind the desk, looking out.


    It had started raining, and the droplets rolled through the vapour that had formed on the window, leaving behind crooked lines.


    She ran her finger down as she looked outside at the city that seemed calm. She saw a little girl leave the house, running in her cartoon pajamas. She jumped and danced only for a woman to leave the same house and grab her. Although they were too far for her to hear a word, she knew that the woman was scolding the child, who seemed to be her daughter, for ying in the rain on such a cold night.


    She reminded her of her own little princess.


    The girl loved ying in the rain so much that it seemed to be an addiction.


    A memory slowly formed in her mind.


    "Zaria, get back here!" She shouted to the toddler who was running away from her, to y outside where it had just begun drizzling.


    "Just a minute." She drawled at her childishly, in a voice that could melt hearts.


    However, Lucy was immune to it. "You don''t even know what that means. Get back here." She grabbed her tiny hand to lecture her. "Do you know what happens when you y in the cold? You could get a feverter and¡­"


    "You always say that." Little Zaria protested, blinking her hazel eyes as though she wanted to cry.


    "Lucy? What are the two of you doing outside?" Theodore asked from the door, then rushed into the rain to get them inside.


    "Daddy! Mommy won''t let me y in the rain for one minute." Sheined to Theodore like a little tattletale.


    "Just one minute? Come, let''s y." He held Zaria by her small arms and gave her a spin, then hugged her to his chest. "One minute has psed. Let''s go back?"


    "Yes!" The little girl was full of joy despite only ying for a few seconds.


    "You spoil her too much." Lucyughed as she followed the duo into the house.


    Theodore held her hand as he carried Zaria on his other arm. "I can''t help it. Girls are meant to be spoiled."


    ¡­


    Lucy came back to her senses when a sh of lighting struck, followed by the rumble of thunder. A smile was still stered on her face at the thought of her family. They were such a happy family¡­


    But not anymore.


    Her smile dropped as she went back to her desk, scolding herself for even thinking about them. They had their own lives now, which she was not part of and she had her own life too. They shouldn''t have ever crossed paths and if Zaria did not turn out to be Desmond''s assistant, they would never have met again.

 Chapter 118 - Cheating(1)

    <h4>Chapter 118 - Cheating(1)</h4>


    Natalie''s room, at dawn.


    Devonte stroked his fingers along Natalie''s skin as she rested her head on his chest. He had missed her much the previous night that he couldn''t help sneaking into her room.


    "Don''t attempt that again. It''s too dangerous." She warned as she pinched his chest, though she couldn''t deny that the risk of getting caught made it all the more thrilling.


    "Why not? It was fun." He chuckled, to which she red at him.


    "Where did you learn to do that anyway?" She asked, referring to how he had climbed up to the third floor using his bare hands. The thought of it made chills run down her spine. What would have happened if his hands slid or if he missed a step?


    He chuckled at her worried tone. "I''ve performed very many action scenes, my love. Besides, I''ve been doing such things since I was little." Heughed when he thought back to the time when he saved a girl who was stuck on the rooftop, trying to rescue an injured kitten.


    "Do you think you''re a superhero, huh?" She tried to pound her fist against his chest but as usual, he caught her hands effortlessly and pinned them at her side. It was impossible to attack him, and the thought of it always made her furious. Couldn''t he let her win even once?!


    As though he was reading her mind, heughed at her imagination. He could tell what she was thinking because she had beenining about it for years.


    She slid her fingers between his, resting her head against his chest. "Only a few days left. After that, you will no longer need to hide and climb walls to meet me."


    His heart must have skipped a few beats, and she felt it because of how close she was. She pulled away to sit up. "Is something wrong?"


    "Why would anything go wrong when you are here with me?" He smiled as though nothing was wrong, pulling her back into his arms. "Come here."


    "Something is happening. Your heart clearly skipped a beat when I talked about the Br Awards." She resisted his pull. She knew that he didn''t like telling her if anything was wrong, so she would not be worried about him. However, she didn''t want him to suffer silently if anything went wrong so she pressed for an answer.


    He was about to say that his heart always skipped beats in her proximity. While it was true, it was an excuse in this case, which would upset her so he decided to be honest. "It''s a small matter, actually. I had a fight with one of the judges."


    She was speechless for a moment before the words sunk in. "Devonte, why? Why did you even meet a judge when it''s forbidden?" To avoid any possibility of cheating, the judges were forbidden from meeting with any of the contestants or any of the people close to them. If the organizers found out that Devonte had met one of the judges, he would be banned and pulled down from the ranks. It was just four days away¡­


    Devonte was troubled too. "The woman sought me on her own."


    "It''s Raquelle, isn''t it?" She asked. It was obvious, because although there were three male judges and two female ones, the other female didn''t seem idle enough to seek contestants in private.


    He nodded, confirming her fear. That woman was moreplicated than the couples television show she used to host in the past.


    "What did she want?" She asked.


    He hesitated, but he knew that refusing to tell her would only make her think there was something to hide. "She said that her daughter had always been obsessed with me. She wanted me to date her daughter and in exchange, she would ensure all the judges would vote for me."


    "Damn it." She cursed. They had a fight, which meant that he had not agreed to the woman''s outrageous request. She didn''t know whether it was possible for one judge to sway the others'' opinions, but it would be tragic if she could.


    The judges'' votes amounted to 45% of the total score, which put Devonte at a hot spot if the judges voted against him. Besides, if most or all the judges were against him, it would question the credibility of his fans'' votes.


    She sighed as she grabbed her phone from the bedside table, and he grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?"


    "Making sure you don''t fail again, because of someone''s meddling." Her voice was full of hate. He had failed thest time because he had rejected a judge''s advances. How could she let him go through the same pain once again?


    He sat up and pulled her into his arms. "You need to clean up after me. Not to mention, there is nothing to clean up." He was no longer the naive young man he was, the one that was bullied repeatedly and snatched off his effort ten years ago. He knew how to handle such matters better now. Besides, "I had a word with Zaria''s dad. If her negative vote affects the end result, a journalist will ask about it and tell the truth to everyone."


    Natalie didn''t think it was impossible. The Br Awards only happened once in a year, so they allowed re-runs if there was evidence of anything being against the rules.


    "Where did shee to find you? If it''s a ce with surveince cameras, I can have Desmond''s hacker friend find solid evidence." She promised.


    "No need. I already recorded everything." He grinned and yed an audio file from his phone. "Nothing goodes out of a judge seeking a contestant in private."


    "Good job." She praised him with a peck.


    He chuckled. "Don''t you think I deserve more than that as praise?" He pinned her down under him, only for a knock to resound on the door.


    Natalie froze. "I know this sounds dumb but go behind the curtain."


    And he did. There wasn''t enough time to think of a better ce to hide so he could only dash behind the curtains, and Natalie hurriedly hid his clothes with theforter before sliding her nightgown on in a sh. She then got off the bed and yawned as she opened the door.


    As expected, it was Ava.


    "Mother, what do you need so early in the morning?" She yawned.


    Ava frowned slightly. There was a scent in her daughter''s room that wasn''t there every day-a man''s scent. That, and the scent of passion. She didn''t mean to pry too much but she looked around to see a pair of white knickers sprawled on the floor. It wasn''t hard to guess what was going on.


    "Whose phone is that?" She asked about the phone on the nightstand, which was certainly not Natalie''s.


    Natalie tried to block her view. "It''s a new phone I bought for a friend. I''m yet to give it to her. Mother, do you need something?" She couldn''t be here just to investigate her, right?


    "You need to get up soon. Have you forgotten that we are supposed to meet partners today? And who the hell was in your room? Have you forgotten that you are an engaged woman?" She reprimanded in one breath.


    Natalie was speechless. Did she seriously ask her that? "Yes, I''m an engaged woman and not a little girl that needs you to watch her every step. If my fianc¨¦ and I want to cheat on each other, what''s it to you?"


    She didn''t want to sound rude, she was just embarrassed.


    That, and the fact that if it wasn''t for her parents'' greed, she wouldn''t be engaged to Desmond. She wouldn''t need to hide behind her friend and hold the title of a cheating fianc¨¦e.


    Ava was annoyed. "Just get ready. And if I find out who that man is, I''ll kill him." She walked away, shaking her head. She no longer wanted to witness the obscenity in her daughter''s room.


    Natalie sighed tiredly and grabbed clothes to change into, then walked to the curtains. "You cane out now. I''m going to get ready for a meeting with a business partner."


    __


    "We have to get Natalie and Desmond married as soon as possible." Ava urgently said to her husband when she got downstairs.


    "Why would we do that? Aren''t they nning their wedding?" The man looked up from his coffee in irritation. Was getting a daughter married this difficult? She was already engaged, but her matters troubled them at every turn.


    Ava sat opposite him, her lips twitching as she tried to hold back her anger. "Desmond has been flirting with his damned assistant more openly. They even dared to make out in the elevator where the employees saw them." She huffed. "And Natalie¡­ I think she is seeing someone else. They have been lying to us. Their rtionship is fake."


    _______


    Author Ava: Then leave them alone for the love of God!!


    Have you checked out my new book yet?


    If you haven''t, you are missing out! Reborn As The Daemon''s Wife is my first fantasy book and may have many references to The Tyrant''s Wife.

 Chapter 119 - Cheating (2)

    <h4>Chapter 119 - Cheating (2)</h4>


    Owen didn''t seem fazed in the slightest, irking Ava so much that she wanted to yell at him. "Did you hear what I said?"


    "What right does Desmond have to say anything against my daughter? Does anyone know the number of mistresses he has been with while being engaged to her?" He growled.


    Ava understood what he was implying, and it made her smile. "I''m not talking about rushing them into marriage so he doesn''t find out about her affair. It''s just so they don''tpletely drift apart." She also didn''t think Desmond had the right toin¡ªnot when he had the audacity to unt that witch in her face.


    "The thing is, will the kids agree?" Owen was worried. Natalie might just disagree with the wedding.


    Ava grabbed a grape to put in her mouth. "Those two trust each other very much. Our daughter knows best that her marriage to a Desmond would be beneficial to both of them and us as well. If she still tries to resist despite all this, I will make them marry."


    Before her husband could scoff about how she would do that when Natalie was already slipping out of her control, she took out her phone and made a call.


    "Alyssa, would you like to drop by this evening? I have matters to talk to you about."


    While Ava spoke, she heard a soft nk of high heels and knew that her daughter was nearby. She hung up the call and brought up a random topic to chat with her husband.


    Natalie knew that something was wrong but whatever it was, she didn''t want it to bother her when she had more important things to think about.


    ___


    Ava was relieved that nothing went wrong during the day. Alyssa joined them for coffee in the evening, and she urgently brought up the topic.


    "You said that you have something to talk about?" Alyssa pried, since she had to go on with her businesster.


    "Yes." Ava ensured her daughter was not yet home.


    "What is it?" Asked Alyssa. If it was something that made Ava restless, it had to be of extreme urgence.


    "The kids. They have to be married as soon as possible. Of course, that''s unless you are ready to wee the mistress into your family." Ava said pointedly, and Alyssa immediately understood her. That damned man!


    "Of course not! Thank you for not being mad. I was scared you would me me for Desmond''s debauchery." She was in relief when Ava talked her into rushing their marriage instead of yelling at her and starting an unnecessary round of drama.


    Ava scoffed. "Don''t I know men well enough? They rarely stick to one woman." Although that was what she said, she still didn''t appreciate some annoying flu hovering over her son-inw. "I''ll need your help getting rid of that mistress."


    Alyssa sipped on her coffee with a smile. "I know just what to do to her. Leave it to me."


    While they chatted, Natalie arrived, a sweet smile stered on her face. There was even a hint of blush. Before, Ava would be excited and think that her rtionship with Desmond was progressing. However, she wasn''t sure anymore.


    " Miss Alyssa, you are here." She distantly greeted the woman who was opposite her mother, and she didn''t need to think to know why they were together.


    Alyssa shed a smile and jovially took her hand to pull her next to her. "Dear, you can call me mother-inw. I will be in a few days."


    "I''ll call you that when it happens. I''m sure that wouldn''t hurt." Natalie suddenly chuckled


    Ava red at her then switched her expression to a doting smile as she scolded her daughter. "Nat, why are you so rude? Is it because I woke you up early this morning?" She found an excuse for her daughter, so Alyssa would not be offended by her sudden rudeness.


    "It''s alright. Natalie is usually so busy, she must be tired. Dear, don''t exhaust yourself too much." Alyssa hid her displeasure behind a gentle gaze. She was just about topliment her makeup that looked unique and dashing when she noticed something on her neck. It looked like a faded bite mark, one that must have been on Natalie''s neck for a long time because it was starting to change its color.


    She narrowed her eyes in horror. Last night, he was unable to get through to Desmond and she was certain that he was with the mistress. If Desmond was with the mistress, who was Natalie with? Was it Liam?


    Her gaze narrowed in realization. No wonder Ava didn''t me her. It was because her own daughter was a cheating whore.


    "My dear, has Liam been contacting you often?" She gently asked to pry for information.


    "No, why?" Natalie didn''t realize that her hair had moved away and exposed her.


    "I think he has a falling out with Desmond." Alyssa made up a random excuse to ask about the young man who was not her son and who she had no business asking about.


    "He hasn''t told me a thing about it. We aren''t that close." She had finallyprehended why Alyssa was asking her random questions and didn''t like the sound of it. Why was she suddenly different from her usual self?


    Alyssa couldn''tprehend why Natalie was suddenly distant either, so she decided to leave.


    " I''ll have a word with Desmond." Natalie promised superficially when she felt her mother''s re on her.


    As expected, Alyssa nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you dear."


    "What was that?" Ava lost the temper she had been holding as soon as Alyssa was out.


    "How could you be so rude to your future mother-inw?" Ava huffed in anger.


    Natalie nced at the door to ensure Alyssa had left, then she raised an eyebrow. "If she is going to have a daughter-inw between the two of us, that would be me. Why do you seem more concerned about our interaction than I am?" A pnded on her left cheek while she still spoke, and she had the urge to say something that would break the rtionship between her and her mother forever. Holding back, she walked out.


    ____


    Alyssa followed Desmond around and when she saw him enter a restaurant, she frowned. He must be out for a date with the mistress, and she went over with the intention of wrecking it.


    "What are you doing here?" Desmond was displeased to see her. This was not the right time to argue about Zaria¡ªno time was the right time to argue about Zaria or anything for that matter.


    "We need to talk." Alyssa was more convinced that thetter was meeting up the mistress now that he was defensive.


    "Go straight to the point." He ordered impatiently.


    "Desmond, you have to get married as soon as possible. It''s okay to keep a mistress but you have to hide her. How could you show her off? What will you do if Natalie gets mad?" She nagged the man who was not listening to her and was checking the time on his watch instead. When her gaze fell on that watch, she almost exploded in anger. What cheap item was that?! No need to ask, it must have been given to him by the darned mistress.


    "Desmond! How could you let that woman influence you so much! What kind of rubbish are you wearing?" She eximed in disgust.


    "This? The most valuable watch I own." He said to irk her, and also because it was true.


    "Did you wait for too long? Oh, look who we have here." A female voice spoke from behind Alyssa, which was not Zaria''s but it made her tremble and look back.


    "Lucy!"


    "Alyssa, it''s you. What a coincidence." Lucy settled herself on Desmond''s right side, which was on Alyssa''s left. She ced her palms on the table as she nced at Alyssa. "I see that you have never changed. You still advocate for hiding lovers instead of being faithful."


    "What are you talking about?" Alyssa was enraged. Why did this woman appear from nowhere to meet her son, and why was she attacking her?


    Lucy nced at Desmond then back at her. "The fact that if Desmond was not so adorable as a kid, I would have thought he was not Marchal''s child."


    "You¡­"


    "Get that word out and I''ll ruin your perfect mother-son rtionship right now." Lucy leaned over to Alyssa''s ear to whisper her threat, knowing that Alyssa was about to call her a witch. "There are many things that Desmond would never imagine."


    "What is this woman doing here?" Alyssa asked her son, her face paling in horror.


    Desmond felt his temples start to throb. "Miss Roatta, if you please. I don''t appreciate you invading my space nor do I like it that you are suffocating my mother as well."


    "She''s the one suffocating me. And that''s not what I came to talk about." Lucy was here to talk about official matters, and didn''t expect to bump into a ton of trash. Her eyes darkened at Alyssa. How dare she! "You seem to forget, Alyssa, that what you think of others is probably what you are yourself."


    "How dare you!" Alyssa wanted to p Lucy, who grabbed her wrist and twisted it.


    "You dared to call my daughter a mistress. Are you saying that I cannot retaliate?"

 Chapter 120 - How Lucky

    <h4>Chapter 120 - How Lucky</h4>


    Desmond frowned at what he had just heard. Did Lucy just call Zaria her daughter? They all knew this, but he also knew that Lucy had tantly denied Zaria and even imed that she had never been married and didn''t have a daughter. Why was she suddenly reiming her and acting like she was defending her?


    Alyssa was even more shocked. She looked at the woman on her right with eyes full of disbelief, making Lucy roll her eyes at her.


    "Don''t pretend you don''t know who the mother of Theodore''s daughter is. Isn''t it because you knew she is my daughter that you urged your son to sue her?" She dropped a bombshell.


    "What did you say?" Desmond was yet to digest one piece of shock when the nextnded, and he was caught off guard.


    "Don''t make things up, Lucy!" Alyssa raised her voice at the other, who merelyughed like she was having the time of her life.


    "You don''t need to pretend to be shocked Alyssa. You know fully well what I''m talking about." It was because Alyssa investigated the journalist behind the article and found that it was Zaria Williams, who looked like the younger version of Lucy. Otherwise, it was almost certain that there wouldn''t have been such an unnecessary fuss.


    "What is she talking about?" Desmond finally asked when he processed it. His eyes narrowed in realization. No wonder Alyssa hated Zaria so much. So it wasn''t entirely about the article which had long been deleted and which had nothing to do with Alyssa being arrested¡ªat least not entirely. He had been wondering why she was still against their rtionship even when he assured her that Zaria was a kind woman and requested her to try and get along with Zaria and give her a chance. So there was more to it all along.


    "Don''t listen to her, son. She is fond of creating trouble wherever she goes." Alyssa tried to defend herself, not wanting to have a falling out with her son. It was slightly better if they argued because of Zaria, since she was still a fool. But Lucy was a different story altogether. She was maniptive and deceptive and was fond of destroying rtionships wherever she went. She was a walking nightmare.


    As expected, she didn''t let Desmond side with his mother before focusing on him.


    "You initially decided to brush it off. But after she cried about how the world would no longer ept her, you decided to teach Zaria a lesson. Am I wrong?" She interrogated him, sounding pained.


    "How would you know that?" Desmond reacted to yet another bomb thrown his way.


    "You went after my daughter and are now in love with her.. Of course I would investigate you. Who knows, you might just be my future son-inw like Marchal predicted."


    Desmond did not wish to talk about the past; it kept reminding him of the shell of kindness that was this woman in front of him, the very woman who was now trying to snatch hispany and wreck his family while at it.


    His lips twitched at her protective demeanor. "The daughter you ditched, or the one you rejected just recently?"


    "My daughter nheless." She shrugged indifferently. "And she''s not the reason why I came here. This is." She opened her handbag and took out a file to drop on the table, giving the duo chills. What was this document about?


    Alyssa wanted to walk out akd give her son privacy as she guessed that it must be a work-rted matter, but this was Lucy. There was no telling what she might want to do to her son, so she decided to stay back and watch over them.


    Desmond nced at the woman who was smiling smugly then at the file on the desk. With uncertainty in his eyes, he picked the file up and slowly opened it. Then his eyes narrowed and he red at Lucy. "This is fake!"


    "Is it? Prove it." Lucy smiled gently.


    She had just shown Desmond the ownership documents of the Fort family''s mansion, and she was the new owner.


    Alyssa curiously leaned over and her son passed the papers to her, which made her shake her head.


    "This cannot be."


    "Well, it can. Since you were stupid enough to give the ownership of your family mansion to Jaime, I was clever enough to snatch it from him." Her lips curled upwards when she recalled just how she had fooled the man. She had yed the idiot like a monkey, and he had fallen for her traps one after another.


    After making Jaime owe her too many unpaid favors, she had asked for the Fort Family mansion. In exchange, she would bail him out and he would no longer owe her anything.


    Of course, she was not stupid enough to bail out the man who would immediately go after Theodore and Zaria.


    Alyssa sighed tiredly. The Fort Family house was the only ce she could call a home. She did have properties on the outside, but some of them had been rendered unusable by the court since they were evidence of Jaime''s crimes, while she had sold others to raise enough money to sue Marchal¡ªwhich had failed miserably.


    She couldn''t find an apartment to temporarily live in, could she? She wouldn''t be able to handle the humiliation.


    "What do you want? I will give it to you if you give the house back." She tried to plead with the devil at the table.


    "What I want, it''s simple. I only want Preston and Fort Group."


    "You''re crazy." Desmond dismissed her and was about to make a call to end this insanity when thetter threw him yet another file. He had a bad premonition as he picked it up.


    She stood up when she was sure that Desmond had read the contents. "Alyssa, I''ll give you two days to move out of my house. And you, three hours to get lost from mine." Thest part of her statement was directed at Desmond, who was still in disbelief. Lucy had just bought his mansion.


    "How dare you!" Desmond erupted.


    "I can, so I dare. Don''t embarrass yourself." Lucy smiled at the two of them before leaving the restaurant.


    She blinked as her smile faded. It was fake to begin with, so she didn''t need to keep it up for too long.


    "Master, are you done?" Her young bodyguard asked when she returned to her car.


    She didn''t answer him, keeping to herself instead.


    The young man looked at her and carefully chose his words. "Master, the ones who hurt you are long dead. Substituting the victims to torture their family will not give you any satisfaction. Instead, it will only make you feel empty."


    Lucy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Who said I was seeking revenge? I''m only paying them back for what they did to¡­"


    Her statement trailed off, making the young man curious. "To whom, master?"


    "Aren''t you curious?" Sheughed, and the young man quickly shut his mouth to drive.


    ¡­.


    "Why would she do that?" Zaria asked in disbelief, when Desmond informed her that Lucy had just bought his mansion as well as the Fort Family''s residence.


    "I don''t understand." Desmond was not too upset about his mansion, since it was not difficult for him to get another. What bothered him was Lucy''s behaviour. It was as though she was trying to achieve something, which she was crawling towards.


    "I don''t understand her either. I''m sorry I can''t tell you what she''s thinking." She ced a hand on his shoulder, which he took and hugged.


    "Don''t worry about it." He didn''t expect her to know. He only wanted to let her know what kind of lunatic her mother was. For some reason, he also wanted her to know that she didn''t seem topletely reject her. Lucy''s rejection had broken her heart so much. However, that woman was unpredictable. What if he got Zaria''s hope high, only for it to be shattered by a word from Lucy? There was no guessing what would happen next when it came to that woman.


    "So, are you going to pack?" She asked, and he shook his head.


    "Why the hell would I do that? I will wait for her to attempt and kick me out, and we will end up in court if we have to." He stood to look outside as though anticipating her arrival. He was not going to allow himself to be humiliated, and Lucy could buy the unupied mansion on his right if she so badly liked this part of the city.


    "If she troubles you too much, I will have a word with her." She promised, making him chuckle. Who would have thought that he would one day be under someone''s protection? Thetter was even protecting her from her own mother and tousling his hair as a way to soothe him for everything he had been through. How lucky he was.

 Chapter 121 - I Hope You Like It

    <h4>Chapter 121 - I Hope You Like It</h4>


    Just as they thoughtt, Lucy did make her way to Desmond''s mansion which she had just bought. Desmond had already informed the guards to let her in, so she sauntered into the living room to ask for Desmond.


    "Where is that man?" She asked impatiently.


    "Why are you looking for him?" Zaria stood up from the couch whose back was facing Lucy, making her unable to notice that there was someone on the couch.


    "Is there anything you would like, Ms. Roatta?" She asked as she made her way to the older woman.


    Lucy was taken off guard, seeing her daughter suddenly in front of her. She so badly wanted to hug her but she couldn''t. She could only maintain her indifferent demeanor. "This is my new residence and his things are in the way."


    "Not only do you want hispany, but you want his house too? Just what exactly do you want from Desmond, Ms. Roatta?"


    "That''s none of your business." She looked around and wondered why she couldn''t see Desmond. Was he packing? He better be.


    Zaria knew what she was wondering, and it made her chuckle. "Ms. Roatta, this mansion was either sold to you by fraud, or you got it through uwful means. Surely, you don''t think we should argue about it in court, do you?"


    Knowing that her daughter was trying to negotiate, Lucy weed herself onto the couch and crossed her legs. "What do you suggest, Miss Wiims?"


    Zaria ignored the name she had been called. "How about I help you get your money back? It''s the same thing the court will do¡ªonly in a moreplicated way that will consume more time." She reasoned. "We could lend you some money if you do not have enough to purchase a different mansion. There is a vacant one nearby and although it is a little different from this, we could restyle it. It''s our new hobby and we will be done in a few hours."


    A smile escaped Lucy''s lips. What a sly negotiator. She had taken after her, but still had an extremely long way to go to get to her level." What if I said no? " She challenged.


    "Then I would give you a ticket to hell." Zaria threatened.


    Lucy chuckled, not expecting to hear that from Zaria. How cute. She had thought that Theodore would spoil her too much, that he would be scared of letting her learn anything. On the contrary, she was brave enough to threaten someone she knew could retaliate against her.


    "Let''s check out the mansion." She stood up to head out, and Zaria was puzzled. Desmond had been right. It was him who had suggested for her to annoy Lucy into agreeing to purchase the vacant mansion nearby. She just had to be as annoying as possible, but she was yet to pull out one percent of her stunts when Lucy agreed. Was she that annoying?


    They went to check the ce out, and Lucy had tens ofints about the color and decor.


    "What a dull color for living room curtains. I want these taken off." She pointed at the living room curtains as though they were blinding her.


    She noted it down on her tablet. "What color would you like?"


    "Whatever. As long as it''s not blue." Came her general response, making thetter frown. She was probably trying to create trouble for her. She didn''t need to think to know that once she changed the curtains, Lucy would detest the next color as well.


    She ignored the thought nheless, hoping that Lucy wouldn''t be that childish. "Is there anything else you dislike?"


    Lucy frowned at the couches and shrugged, then made her way upstairs.


    "The staircase carpet." She made her way up the stairs.


    "What is it?" Zaria asked, onty to receive two words.


    "It''s ugly."


    Zaria noted down and knew better than to ask about Lucy''s preference, since she would receive yet another general answer. She went on to note down everything that Lucy disliked in all the rooms¡ªwhich was practically everything in the master bedroom and study, and a bunch of things in the other rooms. Lucy gave her two days which was not enough.


    "She definitely wants you dead." Desmond tried calling all the interior designers he knew but they were busy and could only go over in at least three days.


    "I can handle it." Zaria determinedly dered as she selected a bed on her tablet, then selected its color, rotated and dragged it into the master bedroom''s model.


    Desmond looked down at what she was doing and sat next to her.


    "This would go well with the bed you chose." He helped her select a color for the walk-in closet. They had no choice but to do it themselves.


    "Let''s order the items to arrive the day after tomorrow." He suggested.


    "No way. I don''t want to bete for the Br Awards." She had to see Jupiter win his 8th Br Award, which she was confident that he would win. Since she couldn''t miss the ceremony, she had to do everything in the shortest time possible.


    He understood how much power an idol could have over their fans, so he didn''t want to talk about it. He might just receive a p for it. "Then let''s split up. I''ll do the rooms on the first and second floors while you deal with the rooms downstairs." He grabbed his tablet to install the interior design application she was using.


    "Thank you." She smiled gently, making him tap her nose.


    "What are you thanking me for? This is not part of your work at Preston and Fort Group. You are the one helping me."


    "Even though you''re paying me such a hefty bonus?" She teased.


    He started working on the rooms he chose while they chatted once in a while, then they ordered everything. Because some of the stores were super fast, some of the items arrived within the next few hours and by the afternoon of the following day, they were done.


    "I now remember why I didn''t choose interior design as my career." She slumped onto Desmond''s couch tiredly and kicked off her shoes. They had to physically go to some of the stores, which didn''t deliver goods to the buyers. Her feet hurt from all the walking. She hoped Lucy would not dislike the house after all the effort they had spent.


    "She will love it." He took her hand and patted it, knowing that she was worried about Lucy''s reaction.


    "She better like it." Zaria massaged her temples.


    The man pulled her to rest her head on hisp, petting her head. "I''m sure she will."


    His hand trailed down her body, earning a questioning hum from her.


    "I''m rewarding you for working so hard." He pulled her hair away from her face and pressed a kiss against her ear.


    She snuggled to himfortably and let him kiss and stroke her. Unfortunately, she was sofortable that she fell asleep before she could receive her reward.


    ___


    Lucy was given a call to check out the mansion that had been redecorated. She had deliberately given the duo two days and did not expect them to be done within half the time so she was pleasantly surprised.


    This time, Zaria did not show her around the ce since she was asleep¡ªmuch to her disappointment. However, Desmond was there so it was good too.


    She first checked the master bedroom. She would be spending her time there to rest after a long day, it had to be perfect andfortable.


    Desmond was almost nonexistent in her eyes as she looked around without giving a word ofment about anything.


    This meant that she was satisfied with the new arrangement so Desmond didn''t mind her silence.


    She noticed a card on the bedside table and was about to ask about it when she realized that it was Zaria''s handwriting. She picked it up curiously, and her eyes narrowed at the content which rendered her immobile for a while.


    [Cream is your favorite color. I hope you like it.] There was even a clumsily drawn heart after thest word, making her sink into her memory.


    ___


    "Mommy, mommy! Happy birthday." The girl had just learned how to make cards, and she made one for her mother on her birthday. She gave it to her as soon as Lucy walked in through the front door. There was only a few clumsily drawn hearts on the card but it melted her heart. "Thank you, princess."


    Theodore emerged from the kitchen with a cream-colored cake that had dark-red roses decorating it, and it was only then that she noticed their clothes.


    Zaria was wearing a cream princess dress with a burgundy bow on the side of its waist and a simr one in her hair, while Theodore wore a burgundy tuxedo with a cream shirt.


    "You dressed up for me? You even redecorated the house and baked a cake?" She was pleasantly surprised as she picked Zaria up to hug her, then kissed Theodore."


    "Cream is your favorite color. I hope you like it." Theodore pecked her cheek and pulled her in to celebrate.


    ____


    Lucy nced at the words on the paper once again, withplicated feelings. How strange that she remembered something Theodore said so long ago, and how strange that Zaria remembered it too.

 Chapter 122 - Offer

    <h4>Chapter 122 - Offer</h4>


    "I''ll take it." Said Lucy as she snapped out of her thoughts.


    Desmond''s eyes narrowed. "If all you wanted was to have Zaria and I help you find a ce to live, you could have simply said so."


    She smiled gently as she turned to look at him. "Would you? I mean, you find me to be a nuisance."


    He paused slightly. Why did her tone sound a little hurt?


    "Besides, it''s not the process but the result that matters." She spoke again, yet another of her annoying statements. "You can leave, son-inw. I canplete the purchase on my own." She shooed him off, even though she had alreadypleted all the formalities.


    Her words made him change his mind about finding her pitiful. So what if she felt hurt that Zaria was indifferent? Served her right for humiliating his Zaria. He was yet to start ming her for not being a mother when she was needed most, she should be thankful for that.


    "If you need anything else, feel free to speak up now. I need to drop my girlfriend home." He nced at his watch for the time. He didn''t truly need to drop Zaria off. On the contrary, he was thinking of ways to convince her to stay over. However, this house viewing business was mentally draining.


    He thought he saw something sh in Lucy''s eyes...Surprise?


    "You can do as you please." She dismissed him.


    "I take it as my house is still mine?" He probed, just to be certain that he was supposed to stop hiswyer from suing her for fraud and attempting theft.


    "When did I im it?" She pretended to be shocked, and he left. He wasn''t so masochistic as to want to argue with her. She was crazy, and she had aplished whatever it was that she had wanted so he no longer had any business in her house.


    Zaria was still asleep, but she woke up with a yawn when she heard his footsteps.


    "You''re back. How did it go?" She asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes with her fists. He didn''t answer her, so she properly opened her eyes, only to find him smiling down at her.


    "You looked so cute doing that. Like afortable kitten." He exined amid a smallugh, earning a re for calling her a cat.


    "That gives me an idea. I should adopt a kitten. A cute, white one. I should name her Zaria. When she is bored, she will y with Des all over the ce." He rambled as he sat down to seriously exin his idea. The thought of the little puppy chasing the kitten while thetter scurried for her life was just so cute that his smile couldn''t help deepening.


    Zaria was at a loss. "I thought Miss Roatta was merely trying to steal your mansion andpany. Turns out she didn''t spare your brain either."


    He grabbed her, his gaze turning stern in an instant. "Are you saying that I''m crazy?"


    "Aren''t you?" She responded, only for him to grab her foot and tickle it for revenge.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, not too far away from them.


    Lucy sighed when Desmond left. The phone rang in her hand, and she answered the call impatiently. "What''s wrong?"


    "I was unable to contact Mr. Preston." Elena reported.


    Lucy threw over her address for her assistant toe. Thetter arrived within a few minutes because she was nearby.


    "Ms¡­"


    "Stay here." Lucy interrupted her before she could speak.


    "What do you mean?" Elena was baffled.


    "I mean, this is your new house if you want it. If you don''t, cancel the purchase or something." Lucy instructed as she hugged her arms.


    "Are you alright?" Elena was her assistant as well as her friend, so she gently asked.


    Lucy blinked and shed a smile. "I''m alright. I just don''t like it anymore."


    Elena knew there was more to it, but she didn''t ask for more information.


    Lucy grabbed a fruit on the table before she put it back without taking a single bite. "Desmond and his assistant¡­ Are they living together?" She asked. She had been certain before, but after what Desmond said earlier, she was not so sure anymore.


    "That''s the information I got from Mr. Fin, who is a close friend of Miss Wiims." Elena answered, exining Ryan''s answer in detail. ording to Ryan, Zaria had moved out of her apartment to live with Desmond, and had taken her father and pet along with her.


    Lucy pped her forehead. How could she not confirm the information before she reacted to it? She must be letting her distress get into her brain.


    "Are you trying to pull Desmond down using his reputation? There are other ways to do that." Elena suggested.


    Lucy walked to the window and tried to look outside, but the long fence did not let her see anything outside herpound. "That''s not what I''m after."


    Elena shut her mouth to wait for the next instruction, knowing that Lucy was now lost in thought and would not hear a word, much less satisfy her curiosity.


    She was right, Lucy was lost in thought. If Zaria didn''t live with Desmond, where was her new residence?


    Now that she thought about it, she didn''t think Theodore would agree to his daughter living with a man she was yet to be married to, let alone move in together with them. She must have been too excited to think it through.


    "Who the hell is this Mr. Fin?" She sneered.


    "Her childhood friend." Elena repeated the information she had found.


    "Just a friend?" Lucy asked insistently, letting Elena know just what she was really asking about.


    "He has one sided feelings for Miss Williams. Do you think we should make use of him?" She asked, since she had thought of the idea but was afraid of suggesting it to Lucy.


    "What do you have in mind?" She turned around to ask.


    Elena smiled at the thought of it. "Mr. Fin will definitely be willing to get rid of Desmond if he were assured to have a chance with his dear Zaria. We can just make up some wild story about having Miss Williams under our control and being able to create a chance for them."


    Lucy frowned at every word and by the time Elena was done speaking, she was on the verge of exploding. "How dare you think of using¡­" She stopped herself before she could get the word ''daughter'' out of her mouth. "Elena, women shouldn''t use fellow women as bait. Besides, who the hell said I wanted to hurt Desmond?"


    "Then what?" The woman would soon die from frustration. Why was it more difficult to work for Lucy than if it was to watch over a toddler? She was so unpredictable! She kept twisting up her ns and not exining them fully, let alone what she was trying to achieve. She would ask for her opinion yet reject every idea she was given.


    "Then, try to contact Mr. Preston again. While you''re at it, contact the Morels and ask for a meeting tomorrow.


    Elena nodded and called Liam again. This time the call went through, and she was able to set up a meeting with the man in the evening.


    __


    Lucy met up with Liam over dinner. However, the man must be wary of her because he didn''t touch any of the food.


    "Are you scared that I will have them poison you? We can exchange our food for credibility." She offered with augh at his childishness.


    Liam was still skeptical. "What if the poisoned food is on your te? Perhaps you are ready to use switching as a way to prove that it''s alright, and that is how you will give the poisoned food to me."


    Lucyughed gently and started eating. "Eat if you''d like."


    "Why don''t you save us both the time and go straight to the point?" He demanded. He would never have agreed to meet up with her but her assistant was too annoying to be ignored.


    Lucy chewed a piece of lobster and almost wanted to close her eyes to savor it. She would definitelye back to this restaurant. Liam''s words were a bummer that interrupted her as she savored her food.


    "So impatient¡­ Sell me your shares from Preston and Fort Group." She straightforwardly demanded since he asked for it.


    The man paused for a while beforeughing. "Why would I do that?"


    She paused eating to focus on him. "You should be asking what I can offer in exchange for it."


    "Let''s hear it." He listened, even though he didn''t need to. He was not intending to sell any of his shares after all. Preston and Fort Group was his and Desmond''s blood and sweat. Lucy must have known this, which made him curious why she still sought him nheless.


    "Sometimes you want to do things on your own but you can''t because of him." She hypothesised like a psychic, making him wonder what it had to do with anything. "Especially now. You cannot seek your happiness because it is tied to him. A woman¡ªZaria Wiims?"


    ___


    Song rmendation: I''ll make a man out of you¡ªDonny Osmond

 Chapter 123 - The Bolar Awards (1)

    <h4>Chapter 123 - The Br Awards (1)</h4>


    "What''s it to you?" Liam asked dismissively.


    Lucy found him funny. Did he think he had hidden it well enough? She had encountered so many people in their lives that she could tell many things about them at a nce.


    She had merely guessed that Liam had feelings for Zaria based on the fact that he had tried to create bad blood between them before. She tried poking fun at him but his reaction gave him away. He really had feelings for her! Who would have thought that these two friends who had trusted each other from their mothers'' wombs, would end up falling in love with the same woman? This was going to be thrilling.


    "What if¡­ I could help you out?" She gave a sly smirk.


    "I don''t trust you." Liam frowned, wondering why he had even considered it for a second. This woman was the most deceptive creature in the universe, she was the devil herself. It was insane to sit near her because she had a billion tricks to deceive people, yet here he was.


    "One way to find out. Why don''t you try me?" She rested her chin against the back of her hand as she looked at him. "Not only will I help you out, but I will also ensure that Desmond does not seed in retaliationg against you if he decides to." She promised, making him burst outughing. She was totally insane.


    "Lucy, I will not sell my shares to you." He dismissed monotonously.


    "Not even if failure to do so would cause you trouble?" She threatened, making his lips twitch. She shrugged one shoulder. "Does your beloved brother know how Samantha became pregnant¡­ with your baby?"


    "Enough!" He could not believe that she could turn every stone just to find dirt on him. She had just brought up the worst mistake of his life, one he could kill to erase but unfortunately, it was irreversible. He had thought that all be well now that Samantha was no longer alive but who would have thought that the matter regarding that woman would haunt him even when she had almost been forgotten?


    "I poked a painful wound, didn''t I?" She looked proud of herself. To his relief, she grabbed her purse and stood up but before he could finishh sighing, she leaned over to him. "Liam, there are many things I have against you. I even have trouble just what to use to force you."


    Even she couldn''tprehend why she was being so gentle with everyone when she had made ns to swiftly eradicate them since years ago.


    "Thank Desmond, I guess." She stated when she finally realized it. Being close to Desmond in the past had affected him much more than she had expected. She couldn''t bring herself to hurt him now, especially since he was Zaria''s boyfriend.


    She shrugged the thought off her mind. "Wait until you''re desperate."


    Liam watched her leave the restaurant before reclining in his chair. "I will never be desperate enough to take your insane offer."


    __


    Meanwhile, Devonte paced in the suite where he and Natalie were spending the night.


    "You will do well, my love. Don''t be nervous anymore. " Natalie teased andughed at him, knowing what had gotten him so tense. He looked nothing like the actor who had already won seven br awards in a row.


    He stopped to sit beside her. "I know. It''s just that this time winning means something totally different."


    He was already one of the most popr artists in Olphire and if he won the best actor category for the eighth time, he would have set a new record. He would doubtlessly be the most famous actor, not to mention his worth would increase tremendously. However, it was not the award or the worth that made him nervous.


    Well, it was about that, but only because it would help him gain the approval of Owen and Ava Sparks as the right match for their daughter.


    Natalie pulled closer to him and held his head to ce it on her shoulder while caressing it. "You have already worked hard, my love. If this doesn''t guarantee you the award, the worst that could happen is that we will have to be together regardless of what my parents think of us."


    He chuckled at her words. "Don''t make it sound like we have not been together for years already. Honey, do you remember what day it is today?"


    "Oh my God! Is it your birthday? I''m so sorry I forgot." She exaggeratively covered her mouth.


    "Don''t be silly." He yfully pinched her nose. He was certain that she would never forget his birthday, nor would she forget what day it was. Or else she wouldn''t have asked him out and decorated the room the way she had.


    "Would you like to do something fun with me?" He asked as he turned to peek at her.


    "What kind of fun?" She asked, already looking forward to whatever he had nned.


    He took her hand to interlock their fingers. "Netflix, perhaps? Cake, Netflix and chill?" As he spoke, he stood up to lead her out of the room.


    "Dev¡­"


    "There''s no one on this part of the hotel." He had made sure, and he knew that it was what she was worried about. Hearing his assurance, she walked down the corridor with him and took the elevator to the rooftop.


    She looked around in awe at the beautifully decorated rooftop restaurant, where there was no one else in sight. The first thing that caught her eye was the cake on the corner table, with two burning candles on top of it-a one and a two.


    Her eyes stung slightly. "Has it really been twelve years?"


    He nodded as he walked to the table with her. Today marked the twelfth year since they met, and two weekster would mark twelve years since their rtionship began.


    She was in her final year of high school when they first met, and at the time, they had thought that their rtionship was too rushed. Who would have thought that it wouldst so long? However, their rtionship had to remain a secret for all these years because unlike her, the daughter of a wealthy family, he was just a simple young man trying to ce bread on his table.


    "I should ditch you already. What am I still doing with a man I''ve been with for twelve years?" She joked, making him grab her hand.


    "Don''t even think about it. I''m yours for at least a century more." He dered in all seriousness.


    ___


    Desmond nced at his invitation for The Br Awards and cursed at what he had forgotten. As a businessman and the owner of a conglomerate, it was not umon for him to be invited to such ceremonies, but he had forgotten that he wanted to bring Zaria with him this time.


    Luckily, he had managed to convince her to stay over so he sought her in the kitchen and asked, "Would you like to be mypanion tomorrow?"


    "Tomorrow? For the Br Awards?" She asked as her tone pitched slightly. There wasn''t any other ce he had to go ording to his schedule, so she knew that her guess was urate. When he nodded, she jumped into his arms and kissed his face in a flurry. "Of course! Thank you boss."


    He chuckled as he held her to kiss her. It sounded so wrong of her to call him boss while kissing him, in his kitchen. Didn''t she know this?


    ___


    The following evening.


    The Br Awards cereemony this year was the grandest of all time, and guests flooded the venue. The fans who managed to get seats in the venue were in the thousands, but that was a drop in the oceanpared to those who were watching the live event on their televisions and the livestream on the website.


    When Jupiter¡ªthe actor most of the fans were anticipating¡ªwalked down the red carpet, the livestream chat was full of red hearts while the fans inside almost detonated the venue in their excitement.


    When he greeted the fans and made his way into the hall, the situation was almost out of control.


    Aside from many who passed out after seeing their idol so close, there were even several undergarments flying in the air.


    "These girls!" Devonte heard a low curse beside him as he sat in his VVIP seat.


    He almost tripped when he saw her. "N¡­ Miss Sparks?" He almost called her name out in shock. What was she doing here, and in the seat next to his?


    "Hello, Jupiter." She smiled cunningly. Of course she would attend the event to support her boyfriend.


    Although that was the case, she said something different when she spoke up. "I''m apanying Desmond and Zaria."


    He nodded and sat down so he wouldn''t lose his cool. She looked so beautiful that he wanted nothing more than to kiss the breath out of her.


    ¡­


    Amid the anticipation from the directors, producers and artists, the ceremony finally rolled off.


    With every announcement, Devonte''s heart sank. He had been nominated for the award thanks to histest movie, A Thousand Dragons, but among all the eleven categories that had been revealed, it had only won the best Screeny.


    The next category was Most Popr Actor, and when the screen disyed the current votes of the fans, he wanted to close his eyes.


    Natalie looked on, since there was still five minutes before the votes for this category would finalize. However, she gritted her teeth when she recalled the fans'' votes only amounted to sixty percent¡ªand the actor in second ce was only five hundred votes away from catching up with Jupiter.

 Chapter 124 - The Bolar Awards(2)

    <h4>Chapter 124 - The Br Awards(2)</h4>


    Five minutes felt like forever. The votes would fluctuate almost every second, and it was uncertain who would win at first. Natalie crossed her fingers and so did Zaria who had exchanged seats with Desmond.


    The poll closed as soon as the counter hit zero, and it revealed that Jupiter had taken the lead with a margin of about two hundred thousand votes between him and the second ce. The venue was enveloped in cheer as Desmond frowned in confusion.


    "What just happened?" It wasn''t normal for such a whirlwind to happen at the end, was it?


    "Last minute votes." She chuckled. Though it didn''t make sense to her either. Until the event started, Jupiter''s votes had doubled the second ce''s votes. Someone had tried to rig the poll. Luckily, his fans had rescued the day using all the votes they had been saving in case of such a twist.


    "Amazing! Unbelievable!" The hostess must be a fan of Jupiter too because she was almost bouncing in joy. "The most popr actor for the eighth year in a row is Jupiter!"


    "I knew you would win." Natalie whispered emotionally beside him. How unfortunate that he could not hug her despite how badly he wanted to. He could only contain himself and formally thank her before going to receive his award.


    As he gave his speech, a smile bloomed on her lips. She felt happier than she would if she were to win an award herself.


    Not only did Devonte receive the most popr actor award, he had also snagged the award of best actor of the year, for the seventh time in a row and the ninth time cumtively. The fans of the other actors would have kicked a fuss out of jealousy, but Devonte looked so handsome that they jumped ship instead.


    ¡­


    For the rest of the evening, Devonte''s Creszone ount almost exploded with congrattory messages, love messages which were nothing new, and a ton of job offers. He was waiting for Natalie who had asked him to wait before deciding anything on his own so he put the job offers on hold.


    He could only respond to a few messages because they were too many, so he picked what most fans asked about. They were surprised that he didn''t have any special person to thank for his achievements like other idols did, which made him chuckle as he made a new post with his response.


    [Of course I have someone special to thank for every step I made. She patted my shoulder every time I did well and when I wanted to give up because the pressure was too much, she would embrace me and help me recharge my mental energy¡ªmy girlfriend.]


    For a while, fans were touched by his words before they suddenly realized what he had just said.


    [Takemetomars:__Jupiter has a girlfriend? I''m so heartbroken!!] A fan cried.


    [BTS_Army:__Now that I recall. In all his interviews when he was asked about his love life, he said that his greatest fan is his girlfriend. All along I thought he was talking about me. T_T]


    [Me too.] Clumsy_N1njamented with a teary eyed emoji.


    [I''ve had a girlfriend for all these years.] He added. What he secretly meant was, ''I have a girlfriend and she is the jealous type. Could you all please stop throwing panties at me? I get punished every time you do that.''


    Just as he thought about it, Natalie arrived and crawled into his arms as she arrived. He ced his phone beside him on the couch as he kissed her face. "Should I reveal your identity?"


    She shook her head. "Build the suspense first and maybe drop some hints. We can tell my parents about it before we slowly let the rest of the world know." She kissed his neck and hooked her finger at the cor of his shirt to unbutton it, then wrapped her arms around him. "You did well. Let me reward you."


    "Are you the reward? You are worth all the hard work." He smiled as her lips met his.


    __


    "Thank you for dropping me home." Zaria said cheerfully when Desmond helped her out of the car. "And for taking me with you." She added. All the other years she would watch the livestream, but it didn''t feel nearly as great as being in the venue, in a VVIP seat. What was more, the idol she was rooting for was sitting right beside her the whole evening, and it would be no exaggeration to say that she was the first fan to see his reaction to winning the long-anticipated award.


    She thanked him so much that she became conscious for talking too fast, but all he did was hum in response. She nced up at him. "You don''t seem happy?"


    He didn''t know where to start. "Female fans are crazy."


    She chuckled when sheprehended what he was upset about. "Is it your first time witnessing it?" She realized that it was probably not, and it dawned on her why he was upset. "I''m not that crazy. I already told you. Devonte is just someone I look up to. Not an idol I want to sleep with."


    It was baffling the number of women and teenage girls who kept screaming about wanting to have kids with Jupiter, it made one wonder what their husbands and boyfriends thought of it. The paperne love lettersnding on the stage when Devonte went up to receive his award was even more baffling¡ªhe almost had nowhere to step. The floor had turned into a sea of letters and the livestream was drowned in red hearts andments one wouldn''t imagine being posted publicly.


    Desmond no longer wanted to think about another man''s crazy fans. He focused his gaze on Zaria. "I want you to look up to me. Literally."


    "Desmond!" Blood rushed up her face when sheprehended his meaning.


    heughed. "What were you thinking? I didn''t say anything about¡­"


    "Just shut up. I''ll be on my way now." It was uncertain what else she would get to hear if she stayed near him, so she decided to flee.


    She was yet to make her third step when he grabbed her fair wrist. When she turned to probe, he gently demanded, "Aren''t you going to give me a proper goodnight kiss?"


    He pulled her into his arms and she stopped speaking. Her palm pressed against his chest as his left arm gently held her waist. His right hand caressed the side of her face, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. Her face felt slightly cold to the touch, because of the low temperature. He cupped her cheek to warm it, and she held his hand to press it against the side of her face as she looked up to meet his intense gaze.


    His deep gaze made her want to avert hers and look down but she chose to sink into the passion in his eyes, which reflected what she was feeling in the pit of her stomach.


    His fingers caressed her face and settled below her chin, which he raised and slowly lowered his head. She unknowingly closed her eyes as her lips slightly parted. Her breathing became morebored as she felt his face nearing hers inch by inch.


    A soft gasp escaped her mouth as their lips connected. Her lips tasted like candies and he took his time to savor them, tasting them like the most precious delicacy. Her hands that were at his chest wrapped around his neck for support as his arms tightened around her waist.


    The butterflies in her stomach intensified their fluttering as his soft lips gently kissed her in ways she didn''t know she could be kissed. He slowly pulled away and her eyes half opened, gazing at him with love written all over them. He pecked her face and pulled her into a tight hug, wishing this moment couldst forever.


    However, he didn''t want her to feel too cold so he pulled away. "Goodnight."


    She stood in the same spot, still disoriented from the kiss.


    "See you at work tomorrow." He added and turned to leave. His legs moved as though he had tons of weight attached to them. He didn''t want to leave but he had to. He so badly wanted to turn back and hug her-kiss her again. But he knew that if he did that, it would be multiple times harder for him to leave after.


    He had never felt this empty before. He was missing her so badly when she was just a few steps behind him.


    She gazed at him as she hugged her arms. Because he could walk too far, she hurried to catch up and grabbed his arm.


    He started out of his thoughts to look at her. "Is there anything wrong?" He gently asked.


    She let go of his sleeve and didn''t know what to say. What did she want to say to him? She didn''t know. All she knew was that she felt iplete without him.


    "I don''t want you to leave." She finally whispered.


    _


    Music rmendation: Ne pars pas¡ªShy''m

 Chapter 125 - Stay Over(1)

    <h4>Chapter 125 - Stay Over(1)</h4>


    "Can you stay over?" She pleaded when he looked at her questioningly.


    He gazed down at her and tried to calm his racing thoughts. He didn''t mind staying over, but wouldn''t he be asking for a beating from Theodore? He knew that her father didn''t fully approve of him yet, and he might just decide to kill him if he thought that he was trying to take advantage of Zaria. Not to mention, there was the puppy that didn''t seem fond of him either.


    "Let''s go to my ce instead, if you don''t mind." He suggested.


    "Okay." She ced her hand in his, ready to go to his mansion. They got back to his car and drove to his home. They had already had their dinner at the celebratory banquet so neither of them was hungry. They freshened up and Desmond changed into cotton pajamas, while Zaria wore the nightdress that they had bought on their way.


    She climbed onto hisrge bed that was covered with white sheets. His room was quite simr to his office and his resting chamberrge and white themed with a few touches of ck. She covered herself with the sheets that had his scent on them and peeked at him as he finished up what he was doing before walking towards the bed.


    It was not her first time sleeping in his bed but it was the first time she did so with him present, so her heart raced at the thought of it. Would he kiss her again? Would he want something more?


    "Are you nervous?" He asked as hey on the bed, under the same covers as her.


    She shook her head. "No." She denied, even though her eyes stated otherwise. Her fingers were curled around the sheets, letting him know that several thoughts were running through her mind. He smiled and turned off the lights, so it was not too bright to sleep but not dark enough to feel spooky.


    She looked up at him using the dim lights. They were facing each other, and she was able to see his sculpted face from a closer angle. Her eyes slowly trailed down his neck, just in time to catch his Adam''s apple bob as he swallowed.


    "What are you trying to portray by looking at me like that?" He teased. "That you want a kiss, or that you want to see a clearer view? Don''t be shy, tell me if you want to see more than just my face."


    She shook her head and averted her gaze with a flush. She was a grown up woman. How was he still able to ignite such intense feelings in her, that she couldn''t help blushing?


    She was still wondering about this when his lips connected with hers, iming her. He held the back of her head and kissed her as he pushed her onto her back.


    "You''re the most important woman in my life, Zaria. Which is why I want to treasure you." He said as he softly kissed her jaw.


    She met his intense gaze that made her feel heat creep up under her skin. How she wished they could stay like this forever¡­ but there was still something between them. She averted her gaze at the thought of it.


    "It was my first boyfriend." She spoke out of the blue, of something that was not part of what he was talking about.


    "Mmh?" He looked at her questioningly, before he slowly understood that she was talking about the man who had tried to hurt her before, the one who had made her afraid of doing the intimate.


    "I was only seventeen then and ready to explore everything I was curious about. Of course I hid it from my dad who would never allow me to date until I was eighteen. But it was only a year so it was alright, right?" She sighed and he pulled away to lie beside her, as a frown settled on his face.


    "Parents have a reason for not wanting their kids to date at a young age. It''s because they want the kids to be old enough to understand people and not easily fall into traps." Sheughed as she said the words she would never imagine herself saying in the past, when she believed that her father was being overly protective of her and that he should calm down a little.


    "Zaria, you don''t have to talk about it." He took her hand. He knew that it was probably not something easy to talk about, so he wanted her to be ready to open up before she did.


    "I know. I want to get it off between us." She exined and continued talking about it.


    "I met Gabe. I found his looks pleasing at the time but he was a yboy. I hate to admit that I had a thing for men with rumors circting them about being yboys. I used to believe they would know how to treat a woman right¡ªhaving been with many of them. Stupid logic, I know. " She pped her forehead just thinking that she could ever believe such nonsense.


    Desmond didn''t say a word but she knew that he was probably giving a round of internal lecture to her younger self.


    "It''s part of growing up." He finally remarked, making herugh.


    "Gabe was the son of dad''s friend. He treated me like a little sister when we met but it slowly turned into things you don''t want to imagine doing with your sister." She frowned.


    She sunk into the memories she had forced herself to expel from her mind before. The man had treated her like a treasure before, which is why she didn''t mind it when he started to be too close. However, with time, she began to find his actions ufortable.


    She frowned at the thought of what a scumbag she had gotten together with. "He would spy on me and pay my friends to report my every move. It was almost as though he was stalking me. When I confronted him about it, he said that I was so pretty that he was afraid someone else would chase me." She exined, making Desmond frown and want to punch the teeth out of the man''s mouth.


    She chuckled and decided to skip the obscene facts, like how he kept trying to kiss her and asked why she wouldn''t let him have his way with her. As a convenient excuse, she said that she was not legal yet. He insisted that it was alright as long as she wanted to, and she started avoiding him. The truth was, she was starting to be scared of him and was finding a way to break up, which she did.


    Realizing that he wouldn''t have his way, he became apletely different person.


    "I didn''t notice the red gs until it was toote. He would do something wrong and apologize. But it worsened each time. It took me an ocean of tears to realize that he was a sadist with the weirdest fetishes, which he expected me to embrace and when I didn''t, he threatened to defile me." Just the thought of it nauseated her all over again.


    "What in the world?" Desmond was furious.


    "He actually tried to." Sheughed it off, but he knew that it was not something so easy to talk about. It must have been awful, considering she still felt the aftermath of the trauma almost a decadeter. She smiled as she concluded it as thought it was nothing. "Luckily, someone found out what was happening and saved me."


    His fists were tightly clenched as he infinitely cursed the scumbag who had the audacity to try and force himself on a minor. He hoped the scumbag was in prison but when he realized that she had not named her saviour, he was curious. "An unknown person?"


    "I didn''t see them clearly. I was too shocked. All I remember is my father''s embrace when he found me." She responded.


    Theodore had been so shocked that the scolding she expected did not arrive. Instead, he showered her with more love and spent more time exining to her the dangers of keeping it a secret when she was being harassed. Of course, he sued the scumbag.


    Seeing his gaze that was begging for the idiot''s location so he would teach him a lesson, she had to break the news. "He was found dead a day after. His entire family and everyone else who knew about our rtionship is dead."


    He was startled. "Was it your dad''s revenge?"


    She shook her head. "I don''t know either. I used to think it was him too but he denied it when I asked. I''m d I hadn''t told Xim about it at the time." Otherwise, perhaps she would be dead too.


    "I''m sorry you went through all of that." He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.


    She ced a hand on his shoulder with a gentle smile. "I''ve long moved on. It''s just hard to control my defensive instincts when someone tries to touch me."

 Chapter 126 - I Will Not Force You

    <h4>Chapter 126 - I Will Not Force You</h4>


    "I will not force you." He promised as he looked into her eyes and moved closer to her.


    "I know." She met his gaze with a smile. She already knew that he would never force himself on her, which was why she Trusted him so much. She could even lie down on his bed, under the same covers and still be fearless about it. Besides, he paid so much attention to her feelings that he let her decide what she wanted to do, and when she wanted to do it, and when she wanted to stop. It was as though her feelings andfort mattered to him more than his own needs did.


    She had never received such respect from a man before. After what happened with Gabe, she had believed that men only cared about themselves and would never consider what women felt, until she got to know Desmond.


    He pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I will not force you to do anything else either."


    She nodded to his promise, which meant the world to her.


    "You didn''t tell me about yourself." She looked at him curiously as their fingers interlocked.


    "What do you want to know? You already know about my family." He raised an eyebrow, wondering if she had something specific to ask about.


    "How did you meet Natalie?" She asked, making him chuckle.


    "That''s not what I expected you to ask." He confessed. He had thought that she would ask about his love life, since she had just talked about hers. If not, he thought she would ask about confusing facts like how his grandmother was not part of his sister''s farewell service and neither was his grandmother. He thought she would ask about his family or personal life, but Natalie was not one of his guesses. Was she perhaps jealous of her? He stifled a chuckle when he remembered how she snapped at him after Natalie''s visit to Preston and Fort Group.


    "Well?" She probed to get his mind away from what he was thinking. She was curious about his love life too, but although he had told her the truth behind the rumor about him switching girlfriends more frequently than he changed his clothes, she didn''t think she was ready to hear it. What if she heard something that broke her heart?


    He smiled at her attempt to run away from his past, and he didn''t me her. "Natalie and I were both in Annoix Academy."


    "You were in Annoix Academy?" She was baffled. She had heard about the school before, which was famed to be a school for the wealthy. It was only natural that only the insanely rich could afford the astronomical tuition fees. However, it wasn''t only wealth that mattered. The student had to be smart as well, which made it more difficult for anyone to secure a position.


    Desmond nodded. He didn''t want to go to Annoix Academy and wanted to go to a regr school instead, but he had to because his father wanted to hold onto his pride, rejoicing in the fact that his son had secured the highly sought position. Now that he thought about it, Marchal didn''t love him¡ªat least not in the ways that other men loved their sons. All he loved was the looks of envy he received from his friends for having a man as smart as him, and he had to keep entertaining those friends so he would not let his father down. Just the thought of it made him baffled at the fact that he never retaliated.


    "I cried about it but eventually had to go to Annoix, where my father imed was the best ce for. I was the new student and had trouble getting along with the others. Natalie was my first friend in school."


    She listened to him and was puzzled. "Then you two were really destined to be friends."


    Otherwise, they would have long fallen in love with each other especially since they had such a beautiful past. "If I see Natalie, I will thank her again."


    "Why?" Heughed, notprehending her words.


    "She didn''t fall in love with a perfect man like you and let me have the golden chance." She smiled, and he tapped her nose.


    "She thinks the only handsome man in the world is Devonte." She jokingly scorned Natalie''s taste. "That, and the fact that we were destined. My father joked about betrothing me to Aunt Lucy''s child if it turned out to be a girl, and you did."


    She listened to him and frowned as she shifted her position to look at him clearly. "You knew my mum that closely?"


    He nodded, making her understand why Lucy sounded like he knew Desmond in the past.


    He teased her with augh. "What a coincidence that even though they didn''t introduce us to each other as kids, we grew up and met under different circumstances which led to us falling in love."


    "It''s a beautiful coincidence." She had to admit. Though she wondered what their rtionship would be like if they met in the past. Would they still be the same?


    She couldn''t help wondering how they would treat each other. She no longer believed in non-rtives treating each other as siblings so she would probably only see him as a friend, the same way she saw Ryan. And if they fell in love with each other or if it turned out to be one-sided, their friendship might just be destroyed like what happened with Ryan.


    She closed her eyes for a second. Why did she suddenly think about Ryan at such a time? She was just starting to forget about him. Her eyes drooped. How could she easily forget about the man she had once treasured? He was once her best friend and it wasn''t that she no longer treasured him, she was just unable to reciprocate his amorous feelings. She couldn''t be with him against her will just to protect their friendship as it would be unfair to both of them. Not to mention, she had a boyfriend now.


    "Did I say something wrong?" He carefully asked, noticing that she suddenly looked sad.


    She shook her head. "No, it''s just¡­" She didn''t want to talk about another man right now so she shook her head. "I just thought about what would happen if I were to lose you."


    "You will always have me." He promised and kissed her knuckles, pulling her closer to himself so he would hug her.


    _


    Meanwhile, Ryan was spending yet another night at Grand View Hospital.


    Nina was having trouble falling asleep and it had something to do with how sad she felttely. The doctors did not rmend giving her sleeping pills and neither did he want to ask for it, because it would gradually weaken her health if she were to take too many pills.


    He stayed by her bedside and read her different stories which she barely listened to, and he couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Are you sad because of Zaria?" He eventually asked the question he had been avoiding.


    She looked sadder even though she didn''t say a word, and he took it for a yes. The girl thought of Zaria as the closest thing to a sister she could ever have, having known her for the better part of her fragile life.


    Ryan took her small hands in his to soothe her. "But you have to know that everyone has their life. Eventually, they have to leave and live their lives which we are not part of." He didn''t know whether the words were for his sister or himself, but they saddened him as much as they saddened Nina. He had been losing sleep too.


    Only he knew how much he loved Zaria, how much he had been longing to have her beside him. He knew that she had suffered a trauma before so he remained her friend and waited for the right time to confess his feelings.


    Who would have thought that while he waited, a self-centred, arrogant CEO would swoop in and steal her heart in one fell swoop?


    While he, the man who had loved her for much longer than she could imagine, got shoved to the sidelines like he didn''t matter.


    He looked down at his sister who looked even sadder after what he had said, and patted her head.


    "I told you, Nina. Only I am permanent. And that''s only because I''m your brother. Other people have no obligation to be your friends¡ªit is totally up to them whether they want to stay or leave. Do you understand?"


    She nodded.


    He hated to tell her the harsh truth so bluntly but it was the only way to extinguish her hope that Zaria would return. At least knowing that Zaria owed her nothing made the girl sleep, but he was restless.


    Was it toote for him and Zaria? Was there really nothing he could do to win her back?


    ___


    AN


    Which team are you? Team Desmond or Team Ryan?

 Chapter 127 - Being This Beautiful Is Illegal

    <h4>Chapter 127 - Being This Beautiful Is Illegal</h4>


    "Ma''am, the Morels have agreed to a meeting." Elena reported to Lucy on the same night. "They already know that you want to buy the shares of Preston and Fort Group from them, and they have agreed to it under a few conditions."


    "What do they want?" Lucy turned away from herptop to ask as she looked at Elena in front of her.


    "They want your help pulling down a beauty brand." Elena exined, making Lucy frown. What did any beauty brand have to do with her?


    Before she could be asked, Elena began to exin in detail. "Morel Beauty. It''s the makeup brand created by their daughter Ximena, who they want to force back home so she can take over the family business." Lucy hummed, and Elena continued. "They would like you to buy a product from Morel Beauty and shame it online."


    "I see." Lucy raised an eyebrow, and a frown settled on her face. "When will these idiotic aristocratic families ever understand that making their children sad solves nothing? Snatching a dream from their own daughter, are they dumb?"


    "Ma''am?" Elena did not understand why Lucy seemed to be mad at the Morels for bringing up their daughter the way they wanted to. Of course, she would never understand.


    After keeping an eye on Zaria for a while, Lucy knew that Ximena Morel was her daughter''s best friend, a kind and determined young woman. However, it was not only about the friendship. It broke her heart that there were parents who did not give a hoot about what their child wanted, especially because three decades ago, she was that child.


    Her parents detested every choice she made and she lived like a robot all her life until she found Theodore and had Zaria. It was also their fault that she had to leave her husband and her little princess, and that they couldn''t even reunite. She would not be going through any of these struggles if only they had let her live the life she wanted, so she did not want to be part of what the Morels wanted to do to Ximena.


    They must have chosen her because she was one of the wealthiest women in Olphire, and the words of the wealthy were often more fatal than the truth.


    "Help me order a full makeup set that includes all the brushes." She instructed.


    Elena paused for a moment. "Ma''am, you don''t need to spend so much money just to give a negative rating. I heard they were expensive products."


    Lucy frowned. She had heard about the brand too, which was endorsed by the newly awarded most popr actor on a business magazine. The young woman had put in all her effort to research about ingredients that caused allergic reactions on sensitive skins and made sure to cater for all skin types. Of course, the final product had to be costly. "Just do as I say."


    Ximena was so fast and efficient, the makeup set arrived within a day and was even discounted. She had also added in an elegant bracelet as a bonus and written her a thank you card. After checking through the products, Lucy created an ount that revealed her full name as though she couldn''t wait for everyone to find out who she was, and she used it to leave a review.


    _


    "What on earth is wrong with her? Didn''t she understand what we wanted?" Ximena''s mother facepalmed when she saw the review that Lucy had left on Ximena''s website.


    "It must have been her assistant who passed the wrong message." She med what she thought of as a mistake on Elena, who had actually passed the message they wanted.


    "Just give Ms. Roatta a call and have her edit her rating. She could im to have had an allergic reaction, which will be more tragic. She can exin that she thought the product was of excellent quality, only for her skin to break out tragically within a day." Suggested Reginald, Ximena''s father.


    His wife was helpless. "The thing is, contacting people like her is not a piece of cake." As a woman of her level of greed, she would be d to make friends with the most respected women like Ava Sparks and Lucy Roatta, but they were way beyond her reach especially thetter. It was just by heavenly luck that they ended up negotiating a deal.


    "Tell her about it when shees to receive the share transfer document from us." Suggested Reginald, hoping that Lucy would not decide to send her assistant instead.


    They never would have expected that when they actually met Lucy, it would be a nightmare they would never have hoped for.


    Thetter invited them to a grand hotel, which was rumored to be one of her innumerable properties.


    "Order whatever you want, It''s on the house." Lucy smiled meekly. She was neither too friendly nor too polite, but something in her eyes warned them of oing doom. Women like her were probably arrogant as hell, so Melinda thought nothing of it as she and her husband sat opposite Lucy.


    "Ms. Roatta, we sent a message through your assistant¡­"


    "To ruin the reputation of your daughter, I know." She interrupted.


    Reginald, who had tried to remind her of it, frowned in confusion. If she knew, then why did she do the opposite of what they had requested?


    "Did you bring the share transfer document?" Lucy asked impatiently, and Reginald pulled out a file to ce before her.


    "Thank you." Lucy read through it and since she was satisfied with the price, she took out a pen to sign off a cheque.


    "Our deal isplete, I presume." She took her handbag from behind her, and Reginald quickly shook his head.


    "I hope you can edit your review to tally with our agreement." He requested.


    "What agreement?" Lucy smiled in amusement. "I did not agree with you on that, did I?"


    Reginald and Melinda were shocked. Didn''t her presence mean she had agreed?


    These two were fools, Lucy mentally concluded. There was no better word to describe them and she no longer wanted to waste her time with them. "I will not use my reputation to destroy the hard work of a woman who only wants to put food on her table." She walked out, leaving the duo baffled.


    They would have had it much worse if she had time to deal with them so they should be grateful for the mild treatment.


    As expected, several other aristocratic women rushed to buy makeup from Morel Beauty after learning that Lucy liked them, and it made the brand burst into poprity.


    _


    Zaria was the most confused when she read the review that her mother had left for Ximena.


    "I definitely do notprehend her. Is she on our side or not, is she here to support us or destroy us?" She sighed as she read through the thousands of replies that had been made to Lucy''s review in thest twenty hours.


    "Who are you talking about?" Desmond asked as he stepped into her office, standing behind her.


    She quickly exited the window and smiled over her shoulder. "It''s nothing."


    He stalked to her side with a grin on his face. "You are distracted, checking out matters that are not rted to work during working hours. You may have to be fined for that, my love."


    She tried not to look at him. Why did his words sound so illegal? "You cannot call me that during working hours. " She scolded him as she stood. "What''s the fine, boss?"


    "That sounds more illegal than me calling you the way I want to, my love." He chuckled, closing in the distance between them. "It''s even more illegal to be this beautiful at work. I will charge you for that too." She was wearing a dark blue suit, whose skirt was short with a white shirt. Her hair was in a wavy ponytail and her face was fair and wless which made her pink lipsticked lips stand out. She looked so beautiful that he could barely keep his eyes off her, and he kept constantly thinking about her when she was out of his sight. He wanted to pull her out of her office and into his bed instead.


    "Are you going to deduct my bonus?" She teased, sensing his fiery gaze on her.


    "The only thing I want to take away from you is your breath." He took her lips in his as soon as he finished speaking.


    We''re still in the office! She screamed inwardly, but she had no chance to voice it out as the pleasure took over her. He pushed her against the wall as he grabbed her waist.


    The telephone on her desk rang, forcefully interrupting them.


    "Sorry! You have to wait for me." She pointed at the area below his belly, as though that was where her words were directed. Heughed as he leaned against the wall, waiting for her to answer the call.

 Chapter 128 - Why Do You Care About Me?

    <h4>Chapter 128 - Why Do You Care About Me?</h4>


    "Is everything alright?" He asked, noticing that she looked disturbed after answering the call.


    "Your mum is here to see you." She answered.


    "And why does that make you displeased?" He did not understand.


    "She doesn''t like me. I''m afraid she might kick a fuss."


    He pulled her into his arms. "That''s possible, but so what if she kicks a fuss? Just ignore her." It didn''t matter what everyone else thought of her, as long as he loved her.


    "Let''s go and meet her." He took her hand and walked back to his office, before letting the intern assistant show Alyssa in.


    As expected, Alyssa frowned as soon as she saw Zaria behind her son. "What is she doing here?" She asked in displeasure, referring to Zaria who was behind Desmond''s desk after tantly refusing the idea of sitting on hisp.


    "She works here and she''s my girlfriend. She has every right to be here." Desmond gave an indifferent response. "Why are you here, mother?"


    Alyssa was so angry that she would have exploded if she wasn''t good at keeping her feelings to herself. Desmond must be trying to anger her on purpose. "It''s personal." She looked at Zaria meaningfully, signifying that thetter should get the hell out.


    "We do not keep secrets from each other." He retorted. Although it was true, Alyssa hated Zaria even more.


    "Whatever. That snake is trying to buy shares from everyone. Yourpany shares." She announced.


    "What snake?" He feigned ignorance.


    "That woman! Lucy Roatta. Heaven knows why she is¡­"


    "Who gave you the right to call her that?" Zaria interrupted her, making Alyssa gap in disbelief at the fact that Zaria dared to be so rude to her.


    Even she didn''tprehend why she was so angry. Lucy had already rejected her after leaving for all these years, so they should each pretend that the other did not exist. Why did she feel a burning rage when she heard Alyssa''s words? She turned to Desmond with a small smile. "I''m sorry. May I say a few words to your mum? Thank you."


    Desmond was amused. What a strange thing to ask permission for. Besides, who gave her any permission? She thanked him before he actually did, not that he minded seeing his mother being put in her ce if she dared to speak ill of people she shouldn''t.


    "My mother is not a snake. She is a human." Zaria tried not to be overly rude. "It is her choice to purchase whateverpany shares she wants, and if the shareholders sell them to her, it is their choice too, since they own the shares."


    "You have no right¡­"


    "Neither do you." Zaria interrupted her before she could yell about her not having any right to meddle in the matters of Preston and Fort Group. If there was anyone with zero rights, it was in fact Alyssa who was neither an employee nor a shareholder.


    "That''s enough." Desmond stopped the third world war that was rapidly building up. "She does have a point, mother. Miss Roatta has every right to do as she pleases with her money."


    Alyssa could not take it anymore. How could he be so indifferent about the possibility of being kicked out of his ownpany? That was probably what Lucy was after, and she was only taking slow steps so no one could guess what she was after. She pointed a shaky finger at Zaria. "Did that woman send you to blind my son so the two of you can steal thepany from him?"


    Zaria burst intoughter at the insane logic. "If stealing apany were that easy, wouldn''t it mean that the CEO is too brainless?"


    A frown settled on Desmond''s face. "Why am I being attacked when I''m doing nothing but minding my own business?"


    Zaria let out a sigh. Even though she didn''t understand what Lucy was trying to do either, no one wasfortable listening to people badmouth their parents.


    "I''ll take my leave." Alyssa huffed and took her purse.


    No one offered to send her out, so she looked at Desmond in displeasure. "Aren''t you going to ask your assistant to see me out?"


    "She''s not¡­"


    "Of course I would love to." Zaria interrupted before Desmond could reject his mother. He could only let her see the angry woman off.


    Zaria knew that Alyssa had something to tell her, probably not anything good, and she was right.


    "Don''t even get your hopes high. The Fort family would never ept a lowly woman of your ss no matter how many short skirts you wear to seduce my son." She sneered as soon as they were alone.


    Zaria maintained a sweet smile. "What a bummer. Fortunately, I don''t need your family to ept me. I only need Desmond to ept me."


    Alyssa gritted her teeth, which thetter found amusing. "You can let go of your anger, Alyssa. If you are afraid that I will tell Desmond the things I identally found out about you, you can be rest assured that your secret is safe with me and my dad."


    Alyssa was even angrier. What made her think that she had the power to bargain with her? And what did she mean her secret was safe with her and her dad?


    Zaria pressed the elevator button for her, and when it arrived, she waved at her with the most innocent smile, so meek that one might mistake her for an angel. "See youter, Ms. Alyssa. Enjoy your ride back."


    If they had not left Desmond''s office at the same time, Alyssa would have suspected that there was something wrong with the elevator based on Zaria''s evil smile. She had no choice but to hold back her anger and leave. She would find ways to get rid of the little bitch.


    _


    As soon as she got home, she took out her phone and made a secret call. "Let''s meet up."


    She hung up as soon as the other party agreed to meet. They already had a secret meeting ce and didn''t need much detail, so she got changed and left the house, driving on her own even though the chauffeur was closeby.


    She drove to a mall and parked her car in front of the mall, creating an alibi for herself before going for a walk. She pulled a scarf over her face to cover herself before she entered a restaurant.


    "Why did you look for me? You know that we are still under suspicion." Whispered a middle-aged man, the man she had called earlier. He was in disguise too, which she had only found out after knowing him for years. His face wasn''t really his face, it was a skin mask that only looked very realistic.


    "You''ve got to do me a favor." She whispered.


    "Let''s talk somewhere else." He suggested, and they left the restaurant to go to his penthouse instead. She sipped on a cup of tea as she finally rxed after such a hectic day.


    "What''s going on?" He asked.


    "Mark," She called with a heavy sigh. "My son is going to get killed by that bitch." She exined all the reasons why she hated Zaria and why she wanted her dead.


    In response, the man''s lips twitched in augh. "Why should I save your son from anyone, when you let mine be jailed?"


    She frowned. "How can you say that? Jaime''s my son too." She was helpless. "I know there are things he did that aren''t very pleasant but he indirectly helped me get rid of that bastard."


    "Yet you did nothing when the little brat you just mentioned schemed to get him in jail." He was full of displeasure when he realized that the woman he had been thinking of teaching a lesson was also the same woman that Alyssa detested.


    "It''s not easy to bail him out." She said in her defense. "I''m finding ways. As for that little brat, aren''t I here now? I came to seek you so you would do something about her."


    "I will take good care of her." Markughed heavily and lit a cigar to take a long drag before slowly letting out a puff of smoke.


    He then leaned over to her. "My dear Alyssa¡­"


    "Not now, Mark." She pushed him away with a frown.


    __


    Zeus grinned at the content ying on theptop on the desk, and shut it with a sneer. Someone was so badly seeking their death.


    ¡­


    Zaria received yet another creepy message on her Creszone.


    [Alyssa asked someone to take care of you.]


    The sender was none other than Zeus, who had been silent since she shut him up and warned him to stay out of her life.


    She frowned at the content and was wondering how he knew when the answer arrived.


    [I bugged her. Take a different route to and from work. If you think you are being followed, tell me about it.]


    [Never mind. I''ll keep watch over you instead.]


    She was even more confused after hisst text message. She was about to apologize for being rude before but it morphed into a question. [Why do you care about me so much?]

 Chapter 129 - My Life

    <h4>Chapter 129 - My Life</h4>


    [That''s because you are so careless. You cannot me me for taking care of you, can you?] Zeusughed, making fun of Zaria even though the situation was serious and his joke was not funny.


    "Stop joking around and be serious." She bit out, resisting the urge to once again scold him. Why was he always so inappropriate when it was least needed? It wasn''t like she ever needed him to fool around, she felt mentally drained every time he did that.


    "I am serious too." He insisted, and he would be long dead if he were close to her right now.


    She took a deep breath and swallowed. "Zeus, I want to meet you. I want to know who you are."


    "Do you have to?" He suddenly sounded worried, and it intensified her urge to know who he was. Why did he always spend so much effort just to protect her? There had to be a reason, and she was starting to be certain that it had something to do with his identity. She was not certain what to expect, all she knew was that she could no longer stand living under such suspicion.


    [It makes me ufortable to be under the watch of someone I don''t even know.] She responded after thinking about it.


    [I sent you my pictures.] He retorted. [Weren''t those enough for you to know what I look like?]


    [Those could be fake.] the mention of pictures made her frown. Innumerable girls had been cheated into online rtionships that often ended up as scams, crimes and in the worst case scenarios, they ended up being friends with their murderers.


    Zeus was silent for a while as though he was contemting what to tell her, before he finay gave her a call. "Okay, see you tomorrow after work."


    "Where?" She asked, but she was yet to receive a response when she heard the hang up tone on the other end. "Zeus? Are you there?" She pulled her phone from her ear and nced at it with a sigh. He had hung up on her. Was he upset? Why would anyone be upset about such a thing? Unless he didn''t want her to know who he was¡­


    "That bastard." She cursed. He was always making her worry. As long as she knew who he was, he could think as he wanted for all she cared.


    ¡­


    The next day at work, she seemed distracted. Even though she still did her work with the same efficiency as usual, Desmond realized that her mind was not in the right ce.


    "Are you okay?" He asked when she brought a contract for him to sign.


    She nodded even though she didn''t look alright in the slightest. "I''m going to meet up with Zeus."


    "Where? When? Why didn''t you tell me?" A myraid of questions left his mouth as soon as he took in what she had just said.


    "Rx, okay?" Sheughed, feeling slightly better that she was not the most affected by the news. "I talked to him about it yesterday, he didn''t tell me where and when to meet up and might just pop up from thin air."


    He thought about it and he would never trust any man around Zaria. Not even if it was the hacker friend she had kept for ages. One could hide their true intention for decades and suddenly let it show when least expected. "Let''s meet up with him together." He looked at her seriously.


    "Are you paranoid?" Sheughed. Not that she wasn''t in the least bit scared, but she found it funny that he was even more scared of Zeus than she was of the slim possibility that he could be someone she least expected.


    "This is about my life, okay?" He frowned at her indifference.


    Zaria blinked and looked at him. "Okay¡­" Was that a way of calling her his life?


    "There''s a meeting in twenty minutes. Yet another one with Ms. Roatta." She reported. The more she mentioned that woman''s name, the more it drained her. Was she a ghost?


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Lucy sought Liam in his office. "Liam, we had a talk. What''s your decision?"


    The man nced at the woman sitting opposite him and acting as though the entire world belonged to him, and was baffled.


    "Don''t think that if you send me those threatening messages, I will change my mind." He was rendered speechless by her shamelessness. She must be the devil''s incarnate if she wasn''t the devil in disguise.


    Hearing his usation, she acted as though she was shocked and had been used falsely." When did I ever do that?"


    "The Oscars owe you an award." He shook her head at her acting skills. Howe she wasn''t nominated for the Br Awards that had recently ended? She would have ended up as the best actress, he was certain.


    "Liam, you have to think about this from every perspective. How long are you going to be stubborn?" She reverted back to her serious nature.


    "For as long as I live. How long are you going to cling to me?" He retorted.


    She looked at him and smiled, then looked down as her expression changed. He could have sworn that she looked sad, but then she smiled and looked up at him. "I''m going to tell you something. If after that you still don''t want to sell your shares, I will not bother you anymore."


    "I will not change my mind." He said, but he still listened to her¡ªhe shouldn''t have.


    ¡­.


    Zaria and Desmond arrived in the small conference room twenty minutester. Lucy arrived within five minutes after them, and Zaria was the first to notice her. "Ms. Lucy."


    The woman walked in confidently, sitting down in all elegance and grace like a queen. Her gaze focused on Zaria. "I''m your new boss, Zaria. I mean, boss to be. You should start learning to address me as your boss." She then waved at Desmond who was frowning at her after hearing her dere herself as someone of a high position at Preston And Fort Group. The only people above Zaria were him and Liam. Was she insinuating that she would be the new CEO of Preston and Fort Group soon?


    "It''s alright to have big dreams, Ms. Roatta, but please don''te to mypany and start ordering my assistant around."


    She chuckled at hismanding tone. "Dear Desmond, I am taking over fast. I''m currently the secondrgest shareholder."


    "What will it take for you to stop this?" He asked with a frown.


    "Don''t worry, I''m done. I only need one more thing." She knew that he disliked war, and she didn''t like having to use war to solve matters either. It would be much better if they came to an agreement without having to fight, even if it was not a physical fight.


    "What do you want?" He asked, wondering whether she was going to try and swindle him.


    "Make me the COO of Preston and Fort Group. Aside from that, I would like to select my own executive assistant¡ªZaria." She demanded like the ce belonged to her.


    "She''s mine." He frowned.


    She was mine before she became yours. Lucy wanted tough out loud at his deration, but she merely smiled. Her future son-inw was so cute.


    "It''s just a temporary assistant. You can take her back once I have one I am satisfied with." Sheughed as she tried to convince him, even while knowing that he would never say yes to that.


    "Zaria, do you want to be my assistant for a while?" She tried to ask Zaria instead.


    "No." thetter rejected the idea without flinching.


    "She said no. What will you do?" Desmond gloated proudly.


    "I see." Lucy could only resign to her fate. As long as she had the shares, she would be close to Zaria without needing to have her as her assistant. After all, the office of the COO was close to both Desmond''s and Zaria''s.


    "See me off." She demanded, looking at Zaria meaningfully.


    Zaria knew that thetter was acting childish and would not take no for an answer, so she could only agree to walk her out.


    "See you soon, princess." Lucy waved as she walked towards her car, making Zaria stop in her tracks. Seeing the younger woman stare at her in disbelief, she looked amused. "Sorry, I thought that was what your name meant."


    Zaria''s expression fell. Was Lucy having so much fun ying with her feelings? She has just called her what she used to call her in the past, then came up with such a sick excuse.


    After watching the young bodyguard open the door and seeing Lucy leave, she took out her phone to talk to Zeus to get her mind off the bizzare woman.


    "When are we meeting?"


    "We just did. Didn''t you see me?" Came Zeus'' chuckle.


    "What in the world?" Zaria eximed. What was that idiot up to this time? She was about to curse when she recalled the nce from Lucy''s bodyguard before he closed the door. He had looked at her mischievously, which was odd now that she thought about it. What if Zeus was Lucy''s bodyguard?

 Chapter 130 - I Want Him Dead

    <h4>Chapter 130 - I Want Him Dead</h4>


    The thought ran through Zaria''s mind wildly, but when she registered it, a frown settled on her face. "You tried to trick me. I did not get to see you and know who you are so it doesn''t count as having met up."


    "Whatever helps you sleep at night." Zeusughed, as though stating that there was nothing she could do about it.


    She pped her forehead when he hung up. What did he mean, ''whatever helped her sleep at night?'' She was having sleepless nights because of him when he was not even her family or boyfriend.


    "Is she gone?" Desmond asked when he ran into Zaria who was returning to the building. She looked at him suspiciously and tilted her head to the side. "What''s going on?" He questioned.


    Her response was to hold out her palm. "May I have your phone for a moment?" She asked politely, but from the look in her eyes, it wasn''t that he had much choice or any choice to begin with. He did not understand what was happening but he gave his phone to her.


    She didn''t look through it and instead, made a call on her own phone. She then shook her head and returned his phone, relieved yet disturbed.


    "Babe, is something wrong?" He asked and followed her down the corridor.


    "Where is Mr. Preston?" She asked about thest person she had met before Desmond.


    "In his office, why?" He was starting to understand what she was up to, but he didn''t know where her suspicion had suddenly emanated from.


    "I''ll exinter." She continued into the elevator with quick steps and would have left him behind if he didn''t catch up. He didn''t ask any more questions and she was d that he didn''t; all she wanted was to get to Liam''s office.


    She didn''t need to, because the man was on his way out when the elevator arrived and she stood in his way.


    "This surely doesn''t happen every day." He grinned and would have teased her if Desmond wasn''t in the vicinity. For a while, he wondered what Desmond had to do with anything. Why had everything changed so much? He wasn''t sure what the woman before him was doing but she tapped her phone for a while before asking for his. Was she taking his contact number?


    He gave it to her, but she did nothing and returned it, and he was disappointed to find that she had not done anything. On the bright side, he already had her contact number. The only bummer was that he had long been blocked by her.


    ¡­


    "Are you finally ready to tell me what''s going on?" Desmond asked when they were on their own.


    "Zeus imed that I had met him. The only men I met in the past few minutes are you, Liam and Ms. Roatta''s bodyguard. I''m trying not to believe that the bodyguard is Zeus before checking around me." She paced the room and stopped in front of me. "I had to confirm. I hope you didn''t find it offensive."


    "No, I didn''t." He smiled. "On the contrary, I discovered something interesting thanks to what you did."


    Her eyes darted before her eyebrow raised. What had he found out? He didn''t seem to have any intention to tell her about it so she didn''t ask.


    "Why are you certain that Zeus is a man?" He asked out of the blue.


    "I''m not." She shook her head. "I used to think that he could be a woman in disguise¡ªa close friend or something. In my wildest imagination, I thought he was Ms. Roatta in disguise." Sheughed at her own wild imagination. "But then, time has proven that he is indeed a man."


    He nodded. For a while, he had also started having thoughts that could be considered crazy.


    She sat behind her desk. "I''m yet to start scolding Liam for selling his shares. How dare he betray thepany?" Recalling Lucy''s words, there was only one way through which she could qualify to be the new COO¡ªkicking out the current one and employing a ton of other underhanded means.


    When she checked through the updated list of current shareholders, she found that Liam''s shares had dropped by ten percent, while Lucy now had a terrifying 24% which made her the secondrgest shareholder. The most baffling fact was that Ximena''s parents as well as two others had disappeared from the list of shareholders, which meant that they had sold all their shares to Lucy. She wanted to beat them all up so badly.


    Desmond closed in to massage her shoulders. "No one betrayed thepany. It was their choice to do what they wanted."


    "Do you want me to try and stop her?" She offered.


    He shook his head. "She is difficult to understand let alone deal with, you will merely tire yourself out."


    She sighed. She hated that she couldn''t be useful, and she wanted to try her best even though he had stated that she shouldn''t bother to do anything.


    "I asked you to write a proposal, is it done?" He switched back to boss mode.


    "A few minutes ago." She swiftly opened a document and printed it, then checked through it and arranged it in a leather folder to give to him. Everything was done in less than two minutes and he was amazed.


    Was she a superhuman? Everything was ready when it was needed, and it didn''t matter what she had to deal with. Such a capable assistant, no wonder Lucy wanted to steal her.


    "Wait. Lucy¡­" He started and stopped.


    "What about her?" The telephone rang before she could get an answer.


    He signalled that he had to leave and she nodded as she answered the call.


    "Don''t start with the formalities. It''s me." Zeus spoke before she could introduce herself as she always had in every official call.


    "What do you want?" Hadn''t they talked just a few minutes ago?


    "I don''t work for Preston and Fort Group, nor do I work for Lucy. Before you ask, I''m not a stalker either." He reported. "Something more important than my identity happened." His voice sounded shaky. "You may want to be more careful around thepany."


    A chill ran down her spine as soon as she heard his words, but he did not exin and let her figure it out on her own. Her stomach knotted and she sat on needles for the rest of the afternoon, but nothing happened. She cursed Zeus on her mind. Did he warn her to distract her from his trick?


    At the same time, she couldn''t assume that she waspletely safe. As soon as she arrived home, she sent a text message to Theodore so he would be careful too, knowing that danger often sought them at the same time. He was busy, so he sent a quick reply, that he received her message and had more work than usual today.


    She sighed in relief. He would probably work overtime, so she prepared to start cooking.


    _


    "Master, calm down." Lucy''s young bodyguard tried to persuade for the umpteenth time, and he almost earned a p.


    "How the hell can I calm down?! Jaime Fort is out of jail." She almost pulled her hair off in frustration.


    The young man nervously suggested, "How about we find ways to put him back in jail?"


    Lucy red at him. She had thought of this too. But it just wasn''t as easy as it sounded. She would have to bend thew in order to have him locked up again, but Mark had already used that method to get him out.


    The young man understood and thought about it before making a different suggestion. "How about we appeal against his bail? As long as we can prove that he is dangerous."


    Lucy''s eyes narrowed. The only problem with that was it would take some time, and every second at this moment was too valuable. Every second meant more time for Jaime to scheme. A gentle gaze slowly filled her face. "Kill him. Just create an ident or something. I want him dead in two hours."


    "Master, we promised that there will be no more bloodshed." He audaciously reminded her, who now had her back facing him.


    She didn''t spare him a nce. "Just do it."


    He wasn''t doing this for the first time, so he left the room.


    Lucy turned back to nce at the closed door. She had an ominous feeling, and hoped he would be able to do it before Jaime got to Zaria.


    _


    Zaria''s phone rang just as she finished preparing dessert, and it was her dad. She picked it up joyously. "Are you finally on your way, dad? I have¡­"


    Her statement was interrupted by a female one. "Hello, this is Grand View Hospital. Are you rted to Mr. Theodore Wiims?"


    Her heart dropped even before she knew why a woman was answering her dad''s phone. Her eyes were already starting to sting.


    "Pleasee to Grand View Hospital as soon as you can. Mr. Williams was involved in a traffic ident."

 Chapter 131 - 131

    <h4>Chapter 131 - 131</h4>


    Zaria froze in her tracks. She felt faint and ced a hand on her forehead. "How could this be happening? You are mistaken, right?" She asked, in denial. She had exchanged messages with her father just a while ago. There was definitely no way that he was suddenly in an ident. There had to be a mistake somewhere.


    "The patient''s name is Theodore Wiims, ording to the Identity Card that was found on him. Pleasee to the hospital. The address is¡­"


    Zaria didn''t hear any of the words that the woman had said after confirming that her dad was really in hospital. Tears flooded her face in an instant, and she didn''t know how she made her way to Grand View Hospital. She was weak and pale but rushed to the reception.


    "Where''s my dad? What happened to him?"


    It took a while for her to receive any useful information and by the time she did, she rushed to the eight floor, taking the flight of stairs two steps at a time while forgetting all about the elevators.


    She almost charged into room 808, only to be stopped by a nurse.


    "He is not there. The emergency operation is still ongoing. You have to wait." The nurse pointed at a series of waiting chairs at the side of the wall, which she slumped into as a fresh bout of tears gushed out of her eyes.


    Dad, please be okay. She begged in her mind. She didn''t know the severity of the situation and it made her even more frightened, considering that they were performing an emergency operation.


    She hugged her arms while looking unflinchingly at the red light above the door. Countless thoughts ran through her mind. If only she had urged him to go back home as soon as he talked about being busier. If she had convinced him to go home, he would have arrived safely. She had been too engrossed in her own personal matters and forgot to care for the person who mattered the most.


    "Zaria?" A surprised voice called, and she only heard it from a distance as though it was a dream. Her eyes were unfocused and she failed to notice that there was someone standing in front of her until he tapped her.


    Ryan was on his way home when he saw a familiar silhouette. He was certain that it was Zaria and wondered why she was running in such a panic in the hospital, so he followed her.


    It was indeed her. She was still wearing home wear and still had a kitchen apron around her waist, and the kind of pain he saw in her empty eyes made his heart shatter. Her shoulders trembled as tears washed her face. She didn''t even notice his presence, so he closed in and finally saw her try to focus. Upon seeing him, her tears fell faster as she choked on her sobs.


    He sat down beside her and rubbed her shoulders, pulling her into a hug.


    "Dad¡­" She choked.


    "It will be okay." He consoled her.


    Hearing his voice, she finally recognized the man beside her, who she had not managed to recognize thanks to her state of mind. "Ryan?"


    "I''m sorry about what happened." He said in a low tone. He was unsure about what happened but based on the fact that she was on this side of the hospital and her reaction, Theodore must have been in an ident.


    She nodded. Even she hoped so too. The surgery was making her more scared by the second. The door finally opened, and she rushed to the doctor as soon as the first one exited the theater.


    "Are you the family of Mr. Theodore Williams?" The doctor asked.


    Zaria blinked, releasing several more drops of tears in that one flip of her eyelids. Why did the doctor sound like he was going to ask for her signature for a risky operation? She nodded even though she didn''t want to. All she wanted was to hear that he was out of danger and that he would recover soon.


    "The operation was sessful and Mr. WIlliams will be transferred to his ward to recover." He announced, making her sigh in relief.


    "Let''s talk in my office." He added, making her body go limp. She could only follow him while wondering what the situation was.


    "It will be alright." Ryan whispered to her before she disappeared into the doctor''s office. She nodded and focused on the doctor when they entered his office.


    "You said that the operation was sessful." She reminded him. She hoped he had called her to give her discharge documents, even while knowing that it was impossible.


    "Yes it was." He sat behind his desk and showed her the seat opposite him, which she immediately slumped into.


    "However, that was the first operation. There has to be a second." He exined.


    Zaria''s heart sank with every word, and it was surprising that she did not faint when she heard it all. Theodore had a blood clot near his brain, which would have to be removed as soon as possible. She was about to ask for whatever documents she needed to sign when she heard him continue.


    "None of the surgeons at this hospital are willing to perform this surgery, because the risk is very high and they are not qualified enough for it." He dropped the bummer which hit her like a bomb.


    "What should I do?" She asked.


    "Transfer him to a different hospital." He suggested.


    She blinked and sighed painfully. "Is there really no other way?" Grand View Hospital was one of the best hospitals in the country and although there were better ones, she knew that changing hospitals might be distressing to the patient.


    "The only other way is to wait for Dr. Williams. She is in Japan." He exined, and she was not relieved in the slightest. How long would it take for her to arrive if she was busy in Japan?


    The doctor let her leave to think about it, letting her know that she had to make arrangements within twenty four hours.


    She entered his ward and broke down all over again when she saw him. He was covered in gauze and was unrecognizable. His smile was long gone, reced with an oxygen mask and in ce of his caring words, the beeping of monitors.


    She stalked to the bed and ced her hand on his, as she unknowingly fell onto her knees.


    "Dad, why?" She questioned, although she knew that it was not his fault. He would never choose to make her go through so much pain.


    Her eyes were swollen from all the crying, and her gaze was unfocused. The door opened and in walked Ryan, who she had almost forgotten about.


    "I brought you dinner." He exined and helped her take off the apron she still had draped on.


    She shook her head. She wasn''t in the mood to eat anything. "I have to convince Dr. Williams to return from Japan within twenty four hours. If not, I should have dad transferred to another hospital for the second surgery." She exined listlessly, and took out her phone to do a search.


    "I will help you check out the best hospital." He offered, and she nodded her thanks. Her brain was already too slow and she was not going to let her dad die just because she didn''t want to ept help from a man who was not Desmond.


    She frowned at a recollection. Right, Desmond.


    She quickly looked up at Dr. Williams and felt her heart race. It was indeed Kara Wiims!


    The name hade up in a conversation where Desmond wasughing at his former ssmate for having dreams so big that he thought he could win the heart of Kara Williams. At the time, she didn''t realize what was so great about the woman until he looked her up, and found that her past achievements were probably every doctor''s unreachable dreams.


    She knew that she was hoping for too much but she gave Desmond a call.


    "Hello," She croaked, and Desmond was baffled.


    "Honey, did something happen?" He asked when he caught the grief in her voice.


    She felt her eyes sting but didn'' t let herself cry anymore. "Are you still in contact with your friend, the one who was pursuing Kara Wiims?" She asked.


    He wondered why she would ask. "Do you mean Carlos? Yes. Why would you ask? Are you unwell?"


    "It''s¡­ my dad." She blinked rapidly and promised to exinter. "Can you contact him?"


    "If it''s an emergency, I will seek him right away." He suggested, knowing that it had to be a serious matter if Zaria could suddenly call to ask him about a doctor sounding the way she did. "Does it have to be Kara? Carlos is much more qualified than her."


    ___


    Any Viiness 101 fans? Everyone''s favorite knucklehead doctors are back! Who do you hope to see more? Kara or Carlos?

 Chapter 132 - Family(1)

    <h4>Chapter 132 - Family(1)</h4>


    "Whoever can perform the operation." She answered. It didn''t matter whether it was Carlos or Kara, or any other qualified surgeon. All that mattered was the operation happened and was sessful.


    "I will contact him ASAP." he promised and hung up, then immediately contacted Carlos.


    Thetter was not too busy, so he agreed to meet up with his old schoolmate when he heard that a life depended on it. The two met at a restaurant, and Carlos looked surprised. "Are you really Desmond? You have changed so much." He looked more authoritative than ever and definitely more powerful.


    "How about we skip this part for now?" Desmond showed him to their table where he sat down like his butt was on fire.


    "What''s the emergency?" Carlos asked, switching to his doctor mode.


    "It''s my girlfriend''s father. I don''t know what the exact situation is but an emergency operation is needed to remove a clot near his brain." He answered in one breath. He had asked about the situation on his way to meeting Carlos. "If you can, please save him. He means the world to my girlfriend and she means the world to me." He pleaded.


    "Are you jabbing me for the fact that I still can''t get the woman I love?" Carlos joked, even though the time was the least appropriate.


    "How can I do that?" All the arrogance and pride was gone as Desmond pleaded-something he would have found beneath himself in the past.


    "I will check on him." Carlos promised, because he could not bring himself to turn down a patient who needed him.


    "Thank you." Desmond sighed in relief, before contacting Grand View Hospital to prepare Theodore for Carlos'' pre-surgery tests.


    ___


    Lucy was beside herself in anger as she stared at the young man before her. If she didn''t have such strong self control, she would have torn him into pieces. "How could you?!"


    "Master, did I do something wrong?" The young man did not understand what he had done for her to re at him as though she was about to kill him. Didn''t heplete his mission? Jaime was now in aa, and he was finding ways to end the man. Could it be that Lucy was mad at him for not managing to murder the man in one fell swoop? "Master, I will make arrangements to end Jaime in hospital." He promised.


    A pnded on his cheek. "I said that you should murder Jaime Fort. When did I ever mention that you should hurt innocent people while at it? Do you know what you''ve done?" Lucy yelled.


    The young man rubbed the side of his cheek as he apologized. "The truck driver lost control of the steering wheel and ended up running over other cars too."


    Lucy sighed and held her forehead. She was on the verge of exploding. Was a traffic ident the only way to murder someone? Even if it was, how could he arrange it to be done on a busy road? Were they crazy?


    They would never know the consequences of their actions. How was she supposed to face her daughter now?


    Using the footage from the surveince cameras, she followed Theodore to the hospital he had been taken, which was Grand View Hospital.


    "My friend was brought to this hospital. I would like to know how he is." She exined to the receptionist when she arrived.


    "What''s your friend''s name?" The youngdy asked, and Lucy gave Theodore''s name, age and details to prove that they knew each other. "He is in room 808. You can go and see him or speak to his attending physician tomorrow."


    She nodded and went ahead to the eight floor.


    "What in the world are you doing, Lucy?" She scolded herself. Going to the hospital in the middle of the night to visit the family she had long left, was she crazy? She had not even been sure that she would be allowed to see him and only wanted to know his exact situation.


    Although she scolded herself, her legs moved on her own and she was in front of ward 808 before she knew it.


    She gently pushed the door open. She knew that Zaria would probably notprehend why she was here, when she had denied being her mother. Would she kick her out?


    Zaria was exhausted after having cried so much, her hand holding her father''s as she slept while kneeling beside his bed. She stirred in her sleep when she felt someone''s presence, but she was too tired to open her eyes. Whoever it was stalked towards the bed. It must be a nurse changing Theodore''s IV drip, so she continued sleeping.


    However, the ier patted her head and tousled her hair instead. She hummed in satisfaction as she felt herself being pulled into a tight hug, which felt warm andfortable and made her want to burst into tears andin about all the grief she had suffered.


    How could she feel touched about a stranger''s hug? She frowned and forced her eyes open. By the time she managed to take in what was happening around her and checked that Theodore was alright, she turned just in time to see the silhouette of a woman disappearing out the door.


    She shot to her feet and followed her. "Mother?"


    She wasn''t sure why she was so sure that the woman was her mother, despite not seeing her clearly. She rushed out the corridor hoping to stop her.


    ¡­


    When Lucy opened the door to the ward, the first thing she saw was Zaria sleeping by Theodore''s side, holding his hand. Her heart broke into pieces. What she needed right now was a hug, but there was no one tofort her. She walked towards her and tousled her hair. Thetter stirred, so she stiffened and stopped her movements.


    When Zaria went back to sleep, she walked to Theodore''s side and looked at him. She knew that it was not only guilt she was feeling for having made the order that identally hurt him, she was also sad. Theodore was such a kind man and a loving father, he did not deserve this.


    Before her thoughts could run any more wild, she pulled away to leave. She wanted to go, but her legs did not allow her. Instead, she looked at Zaria who still had small drops of tears seeping from her eyes even while she slept. Before she could stop herself, she pulled her daughter into a hug and embraced her tightly, the way she had always wished to.


    She had always wanted to take away her daughter''s pain andfort her but couldn''t, and had to stay away from her.


    Zaria shot her eyes open and Lucy had to let go and slip away.


    "Mother?" She heard Zaria''s call just as she rushed away.


    "Mother, please wait." Zaria pleaded, her voice so raspy that it broke Lucy''s heart. She knew she shouldn''t, but she stopped and turned around.


    Zaria was surprised. She thought Lucy would continue to ignore her. She suddenly didn''t know what to tell her, and remained silent as she observed the woman and wondered why she was here.


    "Mother, how have you been?" She gently asked, hoping she would not be shut down.


    "How have you been?" Lucy asked before she could stop herself.


    Zaria wanted to say that she was fine even though she wasn''t, but her mouth said the opposite. Her eyes stung as her lips trembled. "I''ve not been well."


    Lucy stepped forward and pulled Zaria into a tight hug, blinking to stop her own tears as she felt her dress start to soak with Zaria''s tears.


    "Why don''t you want to acknowledge me?" Zaria plucked the courage to ask when she pulled away.


    "I can''t." Lucy responded in a small voice, making Zaria tilt her head with a small frown.


    She had said that she couldn''t, not that she didn''t want to. This meant that there was something stopping her from being with her family.


    "Whatever it is, I can handle it, mother." She took the liberty to call her that again, indicating that she would not mind whatever it was that was keeping her away.


    Lucy shook her head and stepped away, only for Zaria to grab her hand. She threw herself into her mother''s arms once again, and Lucy didn''t know what to do with her. "You can''t tell anyone about our rtionship."


    Zaria nodded and promised to keep silent about it. It was already good enough that she had had such a conversation with her mother, she didn''t ask for too much.


    When she returned to Theodore''s ward, she kissed his hand as tears once again left her eyes, tears of joy. "Dad, she did not reject us. She had to leave, but she didn''t hate us." She said, as though he could hear her. "Dad, you have to wake up. Maybe she doesn''t want to tell me what happened because she thinks I will not understand her. Perhaps¡­ Perhaps you can convince her toe back."

 Chapter 133 - Family(2)

    <h4>Chapter 133 - Family(2)</h4>


    The door opened once again and Zaria darted her eyes over.


    "Desmond?" She blinked when the man walked in.


    He closed in on her. "Is that disappointment I hear in your voice? Were you hoping for someone else?"


    She nodded in agreement, then realized just how wrong it sounded. "I don''t mean it''s disappointing that it''s you. It''s just¡­ she was here."


    "Your mother?" He sighed in relief. His overthinking brain had just imagined that she hoped for Ryan to be the oneing over to stay with her. He knew that thetter''s sister was receiving treatment in this hospital and her brother often stayed with her. Luckily the loser didn''t take the opportunity toe over and bother his Zaria.


    Zaria nodded to his question. "She said she couldn''t be with us, but I still hope she can drop by again." She knew she was asking for too much, but she couldn''t help being selfish when it came to this.


    Desmond hugged her tofort her. "As long as she wants to, she wille back."


    She nodded and unknowingly fell asleep against his chest. He would have teased her about falling asleep while standing, but he knew she was under so much distress that she was tired. He carried her to the resting area meant for the patients'' rtives or friends and eased her onto the small bed.


    __


    Lucy asked about the details regarding Theodore the next day, so she found out that his surgery could be scheduled as soon as Dr. Williams returned.


    She sighed in relief when she remembered that the hospital was owned by Mrs. Qin, which made Dr. Williams her subordinate. She would definitely have a way to contact Dr. Williams and the right to call her back.


    They had met on business before so she still had the contact number of Shera Qin, who she directly called.


    "I would like to talk to you about something. Help me get in contact with someone." She requested over the phone.


    "Who is the unlucky person to have Ms. Roatta directly as for them?" Shera asked humoredly, as though it was funny for Lucy to look for anyone. It was somewhat true. It was always other people looking for Lucy and not the other way round.


    "Your subordinate, Kara Wiims, is the lucky person." Lucy emphasised on the word lucky, then wondered why she was ying along with Mrs. Qin''s antics. The woman was unpredictable, and starting an argument with her was not sane no matter how tiny the argument was. She quickly switched back to talking about the doctor. "Call her back to Olphire." She briefly exined the situation.


    "What do I get from that?" A taunt came from Mrs. Qin.


    "0.5 percent of my shares from Twilight." Lucy offered without flinching.


    "How funny." Thetter burst intoughter, as though she had heard the craziest joke.


    "One percent?" Lucy doubled her offer. Shera Qin was a shrewd businesswoman and an expert swindler despite her young age. Although she was only a few years older than Zaria, one could easily end up with nothing after dealing with her, so one had to use their brains to evade her traps.


    She seemed to have realized that Lucy was more cunning than she was, so she changed her tactics.


    "How about you owe me a favor? I will take the one percent too, if you multiply by ten."


    "Just give her a call." Lucy pped her forehead. Theodore could not wait much!


    "Miss Roatta, I do not like to be owed. You didn''t promise me anything." Shera reminded her.


    "I did promise you one percent. I can send you some freebies too." Lucy did not agree to the other''s suggestion.


    "I guess that will have to do." Shera had to agree to one percent and freebies.


    "It will. You aren''t the one performing the operation anyway." She hung up then shook her head. Were young women so greedy for wealth these days? Herpany, Twilight was the most frequented shopping website worldwide. Its mobile application was also the most popr. A single percentage of its shares could buy out the whole of Imperium, yet Mrs. Qin wanted ten percent? She was definitely crazy.


    Luckily, Shera called Dr. Williams over, and thetter arrived in the evening after taking an emergency flight. She went to meet her in Grand View Hospital in secret.


    "Dr. Williams." She greeted the young woman who had just arrived.


    The woman, Kara Williams, returned the greeting and looked at Lucy in surprise. "Why do you give me that look?"


    Lucy stopped scrutinizing her. "Nothing. Please run the required tests. Tell Miss Wiims everything that''s needed. I mean Zaria Williams." She added when she realized that Kara and Zaria had the same surname. "You will find her in the ward of Theodore Wiims." She exined and had to rush away before she was seen here.


    Kara didn''t mind and proceeded to ward 808 after receiving all the required details.


    _


    Zaria was relieved when Desmond''s friend finally arrived to check on Theodore. They took him away and returned when they were done, and the red-haired doctor finally exined the situation to her. The situation was moreplicated than he thought but he would try his best, much to her relief.


    As they talked about it, the door opened and in walked a woman who Zaria recognized from the pictures online.


    She was about to greet her when the woman furrowed her eyebrows and looked like she wanted to die.


    "Dr. Williams, is there something wrong?" Zaria was concerned.


    "You mean aside from the presence of this man? No, no thing''s wrong." Snarled Kara.


    Uhm¡­


    Zaria was speechless. What was this suddenly about?


    Carlos pped his forehead. "Why don''t we save our fight for when the operation is done? I have already scheduled it for three hourster." Carlos said, attempting to break the ice.


    "It seems like there is a mistake. I was called to perform this surgery." Kara was confused about what was unfolding in front of her.


    Carlos looked at her to exin. "There is no mistake. We were both called so we will both do it. I can be your assistant for this surgery or you can be mine...My assistant." He emphasized on thest two words when Kara red at him.


    "I''ll do it. I promised Shera." Kara insisted.


    "And I promised Desmond." Carlos didn''t back down either.


    At the side, Zaria wondered whether there was enmity between these two. No matter what, she hoped that the two overlords would not end up fighting in the middle of the surgery. That would be tragic.


    ¡­


    Two and a half hourster, Theodore was wheeled into the operating theatre and Zaria had to once again wait for the agonizingly long surgery to end.


    Although Desmond wanted to stay with her, she insistently sent him away to deal with his work. But as she watched the hours tick by, she wondered whether she should have let him stay. She felt so anxious that her body froze even though it was warm inside the hospital building.


    Her mind ran all sorts of wild and she could only cross her fingers and try not to look up the risks of invasive surgery until she finally saw Kara leaving the theatre.


    "What happened? How was it?" She jumped over to ask while trying to read Kara''s mood for the answer.


    "The operation was sessful." Kara announced. "Don''t worry, Mr. Wiims will wake up in a day and will be discharged in a week. Make sure he doesn''t overwork himself even after he gets better. The rest of the details will be discussed by the attending physician." She gave a myriad of instructions, all of which Zaria jotted down in her notebook to pay attention toter.


    "Dr. Williams, thank you." She looked up at the woman before her, who had just saved the life of the person who mattered most to her. "I don''t know how to thank you. I¡­"


    "You don''t need to. It''s my duty." Kara interrupted by patting Zaria''s shoulders.


    "I still want to thank you." Zaria insisted. She was out of words to express her gratitude, because no amount of gratitude was enough for her father''s life.


    Kara smiled. "You''re wee." She was used to hearing patients thank her, some even emotionally begged to throw her parties for saving the lives of their loved ones. She couldn''t rudely turn them down because she knew how it felt to get a loved one back from the brink of death.


    After exchanging a few more words with the doctor, Zaria returned to Theodore''s ward.


    She was relieved now after learning that he would be alright, and she hovered by his bedside for hours.


    Desmond had given her a few days off, so she rarely left Theodore''s sight and was the first to notice when the man stirred in his bed a dayter.


    "Dad?" She looked over full of curiosity and joy.


    He opened his eyes, making her cover her mouth with her hand to stop an overjoyed scream. His eyes were unfocused and he said something, which she didn''t hear clearly. She leaned over to hear him whisper a name.


    Lucy.


    ____________


    *Fun fact


    Zaria''s birthday is 27th of December, which is the same as my mum''s because she''s my favorite FL, while Lucy''s birthday is 5th September which is my birthday because she''s my favorite mother.

 Chapter 134 - Can I Hug You?

    <h4>Chapter 134 - Can I Hug You?</h4>


    Lucy?


    Zaria was puzzled at the mention of the name. Had he been dreaming about Lucy? Before she could ask, she wondered whether he had felt Lucy''s presence when he was still ina. She had heard of patients hearing things around them while unconscious, so she suspected that Theodore had heard Lucy''s voice and felt her presence. This made her amused and awed.


    Just how much did he love her, that he would still recognize her even when unconscious? She should have guessed it earlier. Theodore was even willing to give up their dreams in Luxenville just to follow Lucy to Imperium. How could that love have faded?


    Besides, she was certain that Lucy cared about Theodore. If not, she would not have risked whatever it was that was holding her back just to catch a glimpse of him in hospital.


    She didn''t want to meddle too much in her parents'' love matters, but when she saw his eyes clear and look at her, she smiled and asked about it. "Are you asking for mother? She was here before but she left."


    "What are you talking about?" He asked in a raspy voice that was unclear from having just woken up. He cleared his throat and felt better when Zaria held his head up slightly to help him drink a few sips of warm water.


    She ced the ss back beside the jug on the table. "You called out mother''s name."


    Theodore frowned and for a while, he couldn''tprehend how in the world such a name could leave his lips. "Don''t mention it. That woman is a bad omen." A few secondster, he took in what she had said with shock in his eyes. "Did you just say that she left? She was here?!"


    Zaria nodded, making him sigh. "What was that woman doing here? She better note here to bother my daughter again!"


    Zaria chuckled at his ability to look angry when he was the one who had called her name out of his own will. Besides, she didn''t think his tone sounded upset in the slightest. It was as though he was feigning anger so she wouldn''t be mad at him for being surprised at the thought that Lucy had dropped by.


    She so badly wanted to tell him that she didn''t mind. It was up to him who he chose to love and it didn''t matter who she was. Besides, they had misunderstood Lucy in the past. However, it would be too much if she talked about it now so she saved it forter.


    "What are youughing at?" He asked tiredly.


    "I''m happy because you woke up." She smiled as she stated the first excuse she coulde up with. "I''ll ask your attending physician what to feed you."


    Just as she turned to leave, he took her hand.


    "What is it dad?" She turned to ask.


    "I''m sorry that I worried you." He whispered apologetically, to which she shook her head.


    "It was not your choice. You cannot apologize for what fate does. No one can control it, after all." Although she had been sad for all this time, she didn''t once me him.


    Although that was what she said, he raised his free hand and tousled her hair. "I''ll bake your favorite blueberry muffins once I leave the hospital." he promised.


    "Then you have to eat some food and get better first." She rushed out to find the attending physician, only to bump into Ximena at the door.


    "Xim, you''re here." She was pleasantly surprised. Her friend had been dropping by to take turns with Desmond, watching over Theodore to give her time to rest. They knew that she would only be at ease if he was in the care of someone she trusted, even though there were nurses and doctors.


    "Hey, darling. Did you eat?" Xiemena asked as she hugged her on one side, since she was carrying a food sk. She checked her friend over, observing that she still looked a little pale. "I hope you are not trying to starve yourself so Uncle Theo wakes up to a bag of skin and bones."


    "Is that what you say to your friend?" Zaria shook her head,ughing at Ximena''s taunt.


    Thetter looked smug. "If she is refusing to eat, yes. And I have a bunch of morements. Wanna hear them?"


    "No, thanks." Zariaughed. No one liked to be scolded, and she knew that Ximena could do that for an entire day if given the chance.


    "Then you better eat." XImena held out the food sk that had several tiers. "I brought you some food. I cooked it myself, no need to thank me." She flipped her hair, yfully feigning smugness. "In case Uncle Theo wakes up today, I made him congee and brought fruits too."


    "Thank you Xim." Zaria received the food sk gratefully. She would no longer have to buy food from the restaurant, and Ximena was good in the kitchen so they were in luck. "Actually, dad woke up and I was about to ask his attending physician what to feed him."


    "He woke up? That''s the best news!" Ximena cheered. She rushed to open the door to Theodore''s ward and turned to wave Zaria away.


    "Go on and ask. I will say hello to Uncle Theo and help you feed him." She then rushed in while trying not to startle him.


    "Uncle Theo!" She greeted, unable to restrain her cheerful tone.


    "Ximena." Theodore slid his hand off the bed to pat Ximena''s.


    "Don''t get too excited." She restrained him, or else he would shoot up just to hug her.


    ¡­


    Zaria asked about Theodore''s diet and got approval from his attending physician. She was in such a hurry on her way back that she bumped into someone.


    "I''m so sorry, sir. Are you alright? Ryan?" She frowned in surprise when she clearly saw who she had bumped into.


    "I was about to check on you." Ryan smiled when she saw her. "Why are you in such a hurry? Are you alright?"


    She nodded. "I''m fine, thanks. I was just rushing back to be with my dad. How is Nina?"


    He was overjoyed that she asked and it had been quite long since hest heard any word of concern from her. It was as though he was no longer part of her life, and he had thought that she forgot all about him.


    "Same as usual. She still remains unfocused." He answered awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.


    "Oh¡­" Zaria''s response was listless as well. Distance emanated from her, the very distance created between them by those two bosses of Preston and Fort Group¡ªespecially Desmond Fort. How he wished he could turn back time and not let her ever meet Desmond Fort.


    However, it was in the past and he could only try to change the present.


    "Zaria, could you go to see her? She likes you so much and she could use a friend."


    Her eyes drooped as she thought about the teenager. She had to agree that the girl neededpany from the few people she recognized and cared about, and she was one of those few. The girl had after all forgotten her friends due to her post traumatic disorder.


    She would have agreed in the past but she had to shake her head. "I''m sorry."


    His heart shattered. He had thought that she would definitely agree for the sake of Nina, but she didn''t. It took away the only ray of hope he had at bringing a smile to his sister''s face, as well as getting to spend some time with her and mend their rtionship. "Why?" He couldn''t help asking.


    She sighed and raised her head to look at him. "I wouldn''t like you to think that I''m selfish but I can''t promise that I will be able to keep up with the kind of hope I give her. I think I would rather not show up altogether than promise to do it and break her heart again." She still couldn''t get over the time she kept failing the little girl, which led to them drifting apart so badly that they were almost irreconcble.


    She saw the hurt in his eyes and took a deep breath. "I''m so sorry."


    "You don''t need to apologize. I understand." He swallowed a bitter gulp. Knowing Zaria, it would be impossible to convince her and the existence of Desmond Fort only made it more difficult. Did some men exist merely to make the lives of other men difficult? He couldn''t help wondering.


    "I will get going now." She bid him and turned to leave, only for him to grab her wrist as she made her way past him.


    "Zaria, can I ask for ast favor? I promise, it will not be something difficult to do." he pleaded when she looked at him questioningly.


    "Okay." She pulled her wrist out of his grip gently.


    He looked at her for a while and wanted to give up but forced himself to go through with it. "Can I hug you?"


    ____


    Can he?

 Chapter 135 - The CEOs Sex Toy

    <h4>Chapter 135 - The CEO''s Sex Toy</h4>


    Zaria was taken aback by his tant request. A frown settled on her face as she took a step back to get farther away from him. "No."


    He was expecting such an answer from her facial expression and pretty much everything else including the fact that she now had Desmond in her life and was ignoring him. Most importantly, he had confessed his feelings to her, and like a loser, he had broken the innocent friendship they had between them all these years.


    Despite all of this, he still tried to push his luck. "Just a few seconds. A friendly hug?" He pleaded firmly yet not trying to force her. He reached out to hold her arm, but she swatted his hand away.


    "Ryan, don''t push it." She snarled. What friendly hug could there be between a woman with a boyfriend and a man who had feelings for her? Heaven knew he could pretty much use the so-called friendly hug to create uncalled for trouble between her and Desmond.


    "Zaria¡­" He stood in her way before she could leave.


    "Desmond?" She suddenly looked behind him with a gasp of surprise.


    "Huh? Is he the reason why you forgot all about our friendship?" He asked bitterly, knowing that he was right. She had be distant ever since she met him.


    "No he isn''t." She shook her head at his silly question. "I have to go."


    She pushed past him and when he turned, he realized that Desmond had arrived at some point and was standing behind him.


    "D...Desmond?" She called his name out nervously. The man didn''t look happy in the slightest, which made her certain that he had witnessed what had happened with Ryan just now. Who knows, he might have even misunderstood it. She suddenly didn''t know what to say.


    "My love." He smiled as he averted his gaze from Ryan who was ring fireballs at him. Aren''t you happy to see me?"


    "Of course, I am!" She had thought that he would misunderstand her and was ready to exin. His enthusiasm caught her off guard but she was in relief as she threw her arms around him in a hug.


    "Dad woke up." She dropped the good news, using it to divert Desmond''s attention and hoping Ryan would get the hell away.


    Desmond held her waist and patted her before he pulled away. "He finally woke up. You should stay with him more to keep himpany. The hospital can get lonely at times."


    She nodded and grabbed his hand. "Let''s go."


    He shook his head. "I guess I''ll leave."


    "Aren''t youing with me?" She was confused by his behavior. Didn''t he want to visit her dad anymore?


    "I don''t think I''m one of the people he wants to see especially after waking up from aa." He reminded her that he had never been one of the people that Theodore would tolerate breathing the same air with. One of them might just end up dead, and it was uncertain who it would be.


    Zaria finally realized what she had overlooked. Desmond had been helping her watch over Theodore while he was unconscious, it made her forget that the situation would not be the same if thetter was awake all that while.


    "I''ll see you at work then?" She smiled to bid him goodbye.


    "Aren''t you going to console me? My feelings are hurt." He pressed a hand against his chest. Even though he imed that his feelings were hurt, he smiled as he licked his lips slightly in anticipation for a goodbye kiss.


    She rolled her eyes at his childishness and tiptoed to hold his neck as she pecked the corner of his lips. "Does that soothe you?"


    "A little." He said as his eyes begged for more kisses.


    She pecked his lips for a few seconds then pulled away. "How about that?"


    He thought about it for a while and then nodded. "A little more."


    She chuckled and patted his head as though cating a child. "This is a hospital. I''ll soothe you moreter."


    "I''ll take that as a promise." He grinned happily after finally getting a sweet promise that made his heart race.


    "Alright. I''ll go feed my dad." She flew away to Theodore''s room, leaving him in the corridor.


    Just as he left, he caught sight of the nauseated Ryan who looked like he wanted to puke his guts out after witnessing his interaction with Zaria. Didn''t he leave? Perhaps he was looking for tips to win Zaria''s heart?


    Heughed internally and looked at the fuming man, grinning as he mouthed the words "she is mine".


    ¡­.


    Zaria returned to work a dayter, and Desmond was waiting for her near the executive elevator.


    "Wee back." He handed her four stalks of red roses. "For every day you were away. The oldest one is four days old, I kept one each day hoping I would not end up with a gigantic bouquet."


    "You sound as though you had missed me." She took the roses and naturally took in their scent, amazed that he had taken good care of them. They were all fresh.


    "Of course, I have. I have always missed you." He resisted the urge to grab her hand and let her enter the elevator before he did. To his actions, sheughed slightly when she noticed his hands that were clearly holding back. ording to him, it was perfectly alright to give her flowers in public but holding her hand in the presence of the same people was wrong?


    The elevator was yet to close when they overheard the chatter of the employees. "Oh, Miss Williams is back. I thought she had been fired."


    "Fired? She was on a break." The receptionist corrected the long-haired young woman who had hypothesized about Zaria being fired.


    "The rest of us will never get a break." Another hummed sadly.


    "That''s one of the perks of being the CEO''s sex toy." The long-haired young woman rolled her eyes with a sneer.


    Desmond pressed the button to keep the elevator open.


    "Des, don''t. Leave them alone." Zaria whispered beside him. It was not worth it to argue with them. Besides, they didn''t exactly lie. Although she was not Desmond''s sex toy, she was his girlfriend and was certain that their rtionship had something to do with her recent break.


    "No I won''t." He exited the elevator with a frown that most of the employees had forgotten about.


    Anger emanated from his eyes and Zaria had to follow him lest he destroy someone.


    "Who is your manager?" He solemnly asked the long-haired woman.


    She trembled in fear. She had thought that Desmond and Zaria were too far to listen in on her, and her anger towards Zaria had clouded her judgement.


    "Sir¡­"


    "Who is your manager?" His tone turned colder as he interrupted her and she could only stammer.


    "It''s¡­ Mr. Eric, sir." She was on the verge of tears.


    "Call Eric here right now." Hemanded the current receptionist who called the man immediately.


    As soon as he arrived, Desmond looked at him gravely.


    "Your subordinate will never get a day off from work." He announced strictly.


    "But sir, the employees are rewarded with days off if they work hard or in case of emergencies." Mr. Eric tried to remind him but gave up and shut his mouth when he received a deadly re.


    "Did you hear what I said?" Desmond was fuming in anger, and Mr. Eric nodded. "I don''t care who is dying, don''t give her a day off. She has to work overtime everyday too. She can only leave the office at 8pm."


    The long-haired woman felt like she would die when she heard the second part of the punishment. She almost fell on her knees. "Sir, please. I''m sorry."


    "Am I the one you should apologize to?" He red at her, making her shudder.


    She pressed her palms together in front of her face as she pleadingly turned to Zaria. "I''m sorry Miss Williams. Please forgive me."


    "It''s great that you realize your mistake. But the punishment is not up to me." Zaria responded. She knew that if she said it was alright, the punishment would no longer make sense. The woman had not just offended her but Desmond too, which was bing more of a trend. The employees would no longer respect their CEO if they could get away with saying such rude things about him.


    "Sir, please don''t do this to me, I beg you." She cried, knowing that she would not get forgiveness through Zaria.


    The man red down at him. "You are wee to resign if you want to." He then led the way to the elevator.


    "That kind of punishment is too much, don''t you think?" Zaria reasoned out when they were alone. "The working overtime part¡­that wasn''t really necessary, was it?"


    He turned to face her, wondering why she was still speaking up for the women who often defamed her out of jealousy and hate. "No it wasn''t. But it wasn''t necessary to call my woman names either."


    ___


    AN:


    I have been giving coin vouchers randomly on a firste first serve basis but to be more fair, I will dm the codes to the most activementers instead. Check out the next chapter''s Author''s notes for more details.

 Chapter 136 - The COOs Assistant (1)

    <h4>Chapter 136 - The COO''s Assistant (1)</h4>


    "Let''s get to work." She said, speechless after hearing what he had just said. It would be impossible to argue with him so she let him be.


    "Can I ask you for a favor?" She asked when they reached her office.


    "No." He rejected firmly.


    "Oh¡­" She was slightly disappointed, but she knew that he had already done her so many favors, so she didn''t try to push it.


    "Don''t be silly." He grabbed her to push her against the wall while closing the door of her office. "What I mean is, my love, you can ask for anything whenever you want. You don''t need to term it as a favor."


    She looked up at him with a smile and closed her eyes when his lips brushed against the side of her neck.


    "I¡­I hope Lucy can ept¡­" She gasped as he sucked on her skin.


    "Mmh?" He probed and held her thigh to ce on his waist.


    "Uhm¡­ your COO proposal." She bit out.


    He chuckled against her neck. "What COO proposal did I make to Lucy?"


    "I don''t know what I''m saying either." She was disoriented. It was impossible for her to think straight in their current position and he knew this, which was why he was making it even harder.


    "We''re at work, boss." She gave a gentle reminder.


    "And you don''t want to do this?" His hand snaked around her waist, earning a gasp from her but they were interrupted by a knock on the door.


    What a bummer. He cursed whoever it was but had to quickly straighten up his and her clothes before she let the intruder in. If it wasn''t bad enough for there to be an intruder, it just had to be Liam.


    "What is it?" He asked him before Zaria could.


    "I would like to speak to you." Liam''s words were directed at him, which infuriated him all the more.


    "And why couldn''t you have waited in my office?" Desmond wanted to throw a punch.


    "It''s urgent." Liam''s gaze uncontrobly fell on Zaria, who looked up just in time to catch him staring at her. He could only smile, and she gave a meek smile in return.


    "Boss, you should speak to Mr. Preston first. You have a meeting with Miss Roatta in thirty minutes, I will report the rest of your scheduleter." She got to work to evade the awkwardness brought in by Liam.


    ¡­


    Desmond led the way and Liam looked at Zaria before leaving. As soon as Desmond sat behind his desk, he gave his friend a stern look. "You have ten minutes. I will use the remaining twenty to make up for the time I didn''t spend with my girlfriend."


    Liam shrugged. He had expected it. Besides, he knew that Desmond was rubbing in the fact that he and Zaria were together, that it was toote for anyone else to be with her. Liam found it awkward and funny because he wasn''t nning to snatch Zaria to begin with.


    He would have done so ages ago if he really wanted to, but he had learnt that not every feeling should be talked about and one didn''t always have to be with the person they liked.


    "Desmond, I want you to know that whether or not I have any shares in thepany, I will still help out as much as I can." He dered.


    Desmond waved his statement off. "Don''t I know that already? Let me guess. You want to give up your position to Ms. Roatta as well?"


    Liam nodded.


    Desmond didn''t mind, as long as Lucy qualified for the position. However, he still needed to know what she was up to. "Why is she here, exactly?"


    Although he had a guess, he was still uncertain. It would be tragic if she was here for revenge.


    "I''m sorry, I promised her that I''ll keep it a secret." Liam apologized, almost scolding himself for being Lucy''s die hard supporter when he had been so unswayed before.


    Desmond nodded. That did sound like something Liam would say. He would die before breaking a promise, which was what made him confused when Liam started acting strange and creating trouble before.


    "Is she the reason why you didn''t want me to be close to Zaria?" He asked to be certain, to which Liam hummed.


    "I didn''t know that she was her daughter. I thought she would target her just because she hates you. Well, she''s one of the major reasons. The other is your mother."


    "Urgh women." Desmond groaned. Aside from Zaria and Natalie, all the women in the world were proving to be more troublesome by the day.


    "You can say that again." Liam agreed.


    _


    Lucy arrived half an hourter and her bodyguard followed her to the conference room and continued standing behind her.


    Zaria narrowed her eyes at him. She had long forgotten about that Zeus guy and felt strange when she saw him. The man had ck sunsses on, and with his head lowered, it was impossible for Zaria to see his face clearly.


    "Is there something wrong with my bodyguard, Miss Williams?" Lucy''s question pulled her out of her thoughts.


    "Huh? No, there isn''t." She shook her head.


    "If you do not like him, I can fire him." Lucy suggested jokingly, to which Zaria shook her head. "Since there is nothing wrong with my bodyguard, let''s get down to business."


    "I agree." Desmond ced his elbows on the ss table in front of him with a smile. "Miss Roatta, I have read your proposal. I don''t know why you would want to be COO of mypany for any reason other than it being a waste of your time, but I will give you a chance."


    He wrote a digit on the stack of paper in front of him. "Three months. If you can help thepany achieve 10% more profit than thest quarter within this period, you can continue."


    "No problem." Lucy smiled. It would not be a piece of cake because Preston And Fort Group was already almost at its peak. However, she will do her best.


    "Then you can go ahead and read the contract." Desmond signalled for Zaria to give her the thick stack of paper that she had printed out twenty minutes ago.


    "Do we need a contract?" Lucy was amused.


    "Who knows whether you are trying to pull us down?" Desmond smiled. "I heard you are nning to provide a tform for people to be able to directly book hotel rooms online."


    "News does travel fast." Lucy nced at Zaria, who was probably the one who found that out. It was suddenly uncertain whether or not she should be proud of her daughter. "But so what? Don''t such tforms exist already? Just because one person lives in a mansion doesn''t mean no one else can build it, right?"


    She had a point, but Desmond still found her dangerous. "You will provide the tform but you are not a hotel owner. You will have to purchase or construct one, or make coborations with existing ones. What does that make you, a potential partner orpetitor?"


    Lucy listened to him with a smile. How cautious. It seemed like she wasn''t one of the most trusted people around here. "Whatever it makes me, I will not be able to do anything once I sign this contract, I presume?"


    "It is why contracts exist." Desmond responded.


    Lucy read through a few lines of the contract that was supposed to be a rip off and flipped onto thest page, then signed it. Before she gave it back, she scribbled another term at the end of the list of terms. "Party B reserves the right to choose their own subordinates."


    Desmond facepalmed at the term. "Is this necessary?" He knew that she was asking for Zaria.


    "Just three months." Lucy raised three fingers and looked at Zaria pleadingly which made thetter''s heart fill with joy.


    She had merely suspected it earlier but she was certain of it now. Lucy wanted to be close to her, which is why she had gone through all the trouble to buy shares and take the position of the COO from Liam. It was because they couldn''t be together as mother and daughter, so she had decided to make them a boss and her subordinate.


    She suddenly looked forward to it.


    Desmond saw Zaria''s unrestrained smile and gave up. "I guess I''ll have to get a temporary executive assistant."


    After agreeing on the terms, Lucy decided to start working in the afternoon, since she had to attend a meeting with Twilight''s board of directors.


    "Zaria, see me to the parking lot." She stood up as she beckoned at her.


    "Yes ma''am." Zaria followed her out, ncing at the bodyguard as they left.


    Lucy noticed her gaze and chuckled. "He is not a threat to you, if that''s what you are afraid of."


    "Who?" Zaria feigned innocence.


    The bodyguard had gone to start the car, so Lucy took the chance to hug her daughter briefly while making sure no one noticed it. "My bodyguard. He is someone I am very close to. He would never hurt you."


    Zaria nodded and randomly asked, "Mother, do you know the creator of Creszone?"

 Chapter 137 - The COOs Assistant (2)

    <h4>Chapter 137 - The COO''s Assistant (2)</h4>


    "Who?" Lucy blinked in surprise at the name she had just heard.


    Zaria watched for her reaction carefully. She hoped that if Lucy''s bodyguard was Zeus, thetter would know and might identally reveal something from her facial expression or tone.


    "The creator of Creszone. His name is Zeus." She added, describing the man she was asking about.


    Lucy looked confused as she frowned. "Zaria, you know that the creator of Creszone is not a man. It''s a woman¡ªa woman whose identity I presume you know. You must have investigated it?"


    Zaria nodded, slightly disappointed that Lucy didn''t seem to know the man.


    "Yes, I know the creator of Creszone. But there''s this man¡­he has been stalking me."


    "A stalker?" Lucy tilted her head to look at Zaria more clearly, concern clear in her voice.


    Zaria nodded. "I think I should call him that. He sent me a private message on Creszone and imed to be its creator. He is a hacker and knows things about me that I told no one." She sighed, seeing Lucy''s frown. That was her reaction to the situation too, alright! "He creeps me out. However, he has been helping me which makes me so confused."


    "What did he help you with?" Lucy asked, and when she realized that her bodyguard was ready, she signalled for him to wait.


    "Many things. He helped me get the evidence to put Jaime in jail." She now trusted her mother a little more so she told her about it, but made sure to not say too much. "Things have been happening around me for inexplicable reasons and it''s almost as though someone has been protecting me from the shadows. I''m starting to think that it was Zeus all along."


    "I will look him up." Lucy promised after listening to the baffling things that her daughter was saying.


    Zaria nodded and thanked her.


    "Mother," She called out when thetter stepped forward to leave. Lucy turned and nced at her curiously, d that no one was around to hear what Zaria had called her. It was alright if only the people who already knew their rtionship heard her, but there were people who could never find out that she had a daughter. Zaria was oblivious to it but her life would be in much more danger than she thought.


    "Do you need something else?" She probed.


    Zaria hesitated for a while and just when Lucy was about to probe again, she spoke it out. "Are you Zeus?"


    Lucy raised her eyebrows before she burst intoughter. "Last I checked, I was a woman, Zaria."


    Zaria was embarrassed for asking.


    Lucy patted her gently before adding, "Don''t call me mother. Ever."


    Zaria''s heart dropped. Did she do something to upset her? "But why?"


    "Call me mum. That''s easy to bluff if someone identally overheard it." She exined, much to Zaria''s relief. Ma''am or mum, it sounded almost the same and she could always y with the sounds. It was much more convenient.


    She nodded joyously. "Goodbye mum."


    Lucy nodded with a smile and went to the car, as Zaria watched until the car disappeared.


    _


    "Master, is she really your daughter?" The bodyguard asked about the young woman who was now Lucy''s assistant. It was inexplicable for Lucy to suddenly lower her ranks by bing the COO of apany smaller than her own business, and the fact that she employed the woman who was clinging onto her before was even more confusing. Wasn''t she the woman who randomly called Lucy her mother not too long ago?


    To his question, Lucy scoffed as she grabbed a magazine to read the news. "Why would she be?"


    "She called you her mother before and well, she resembles you." The young man stated honestly, earning a hum from Lucy.


    "What''s the current world''s poption?" Lucy asked out of the blue.


    "Thest time I checked, there were 7.9 billion people, master." The young man responded, even though he did not understand the sudden question from his master. Was she thinking of a new project to cater for the whole world?


    "How about Olphire''s current poption?" Lucy asked.


    "39.1 Million people." The bodyguard once again answered.


    Lucy closed the magazine with a hum and a frown at her bodyguard. "All these people, and you think everyone should have their own unique face without a single lookalike?"


    That was all she said, and the young man had to understand what she was implying. Did she mean that she was possibly the lookalike of Zaria''s mother, so thetter was mistaking Lucy for her mother?


    He didn''t think he could ever mistake anyone else for his mother but whatever sailed their boats.


    _


    Natalie received a call from Devonte in the evening, just as she finished dressing up to go out.


    "Is our date still on?" He asked gently when she answered the call.


    "Why would you think that it''s not?" Sheughed as she untied the ribbons in her hair, which she had tied to heatlessly curl her hair. "You better be ready. If you stand me up, I will bring an army of friends and one star the hell out of all your movies."


    "You don''t need to do that. I''m already at our meeting spot." His voice was full of cheer.


    "So that was Mr. Romeo''s way of finding out whether I left the house." She teased before seeing the time as she took her watch from the bed. "Wait. You are thirty minutes early."


    "In case of traffic. I would not want to keep my girlfriend waiting." He exined, making her heart melt.


    "Can you not say such sweet things all the time? I will die from melting too much." She joked. "Wait for me. I will be there in a heartbeat."


    "Mother, I''m going out." She said to Ava who was in the living room, before immediately realizing that she would probably have to break her promise to Devonte. Her parents were sitting together, which they never did in the evenings unless there was something terribly wrong.

 Chapter 138 - Something Terribly Wrong (1)

    <h4>Chapter 138 - Something Terribly Wrong (1)</h4>


    "Natalie,e here my dear." Ava called her over, just as she dreaded.


    She walked over in her high heels and sat impatiently. "What is it mother? I have to go out."


    "You look beautiful. Who are you going out with?" She asked curiously, even though she could already guess that thetter was going out on a date.


    "Who else will I go out with if not my man?" She shrugged at the silly question, to which Ava raised her eyebrows. That was a lie, she was certain of it.


    She did not expose her daughter and looked overjoyed instead. "It''s awesome that the two of you are not nning to let your spark fade." You and Desmond¡­ what are you nning exactly?"


    "Why do our ns concern you so much?" Natalie asked indifferently. She knew what her mother was driving at but tried not to think about it. A small part of her hoped that she was wrong, but she quickly realized that the situation was just as she thought.


    "I want the two of you married soon." Ava dropped the bomb.


    "You want us married soon?" Natalie was amused.


    "Are you a parrot?" Ava was annoyed.


    "Your mother and I want you to get married soon. Our business is in trouble." Owen finally spoke his first statement, which was just as terrible as Ava''s.


    It took a while for her to take in what her father had just said and when she did, she wanted to burst outughing." What trouble is this that I have never heard of?"


    "Are you doubting us?" the impatient Ava was on the verge of detonating.


    Natalie shook her head with a shrug. "Of course not. That''s not what I said. You insinuated it yourself."


    However, that did not mean that she trusted what they were saying. Why did it seem to have happened too suddenly? She stared at her mother as though trying to read right through her heart. "I am involved in every matter involving thepany business. Howe I didn''t know about it when something arose? Have you been hiding things from me?"


    "No." Ava frowned at the direct usation.


    "Then why are we suddenly in trouble? I have every right to know what happens in the business that I''m part of. Don''t I, mother?" She insisted in annoyance. She couldn''t believe that while trying to use other people to achieve their goals, her parents were trying to use her as well!


    Seeing that her daughter was starting to misunderstand, Ava was nervous. "Let''s exin it slowly. Do you know Lucy Roatta? Have you heard of her?"


    "I have. Why?" She asked listlessly. Was she the next person they wanted to use?


    "She is the owner of Twilight." Ava exined.


    "And?" Natalie probed.


    Ava was irritated by her nonchnce. "I heard about her new project and it is going to cause us a lot of trouble."


    "And what''s that got to do with me?" She still didn''t understand. "Are you nning to marry me off to her son so she gives up on her project?"


    "She doesn''t have a son." Ava facepalmed, and Natalie frowned when she caught onto the main point. Did this mean that if Lucy Roatta had a son, they would not hesitate to sell her off to the tycoon''s son just to Curry favor?


    "Look, the point is, for some reason, she is on good terms with Desmond. She even became the COO of Preston and Fort Group." Ava continued to exin, wondering why her husband was leaving it entirely to her to exin the matter to their daughter. It was almost as though he didn''t care.


    "That''s up to them." Came yet another infuriating response from Natalie which Ava had to tolerate. If she knew that raising a daughter would be this difficult, she would not have given birth to one. She would have simply adopted a little girl and brought her up as a ve.


    At least an adopted child would not question everything she was told to do. Natalie, on the other hand, was getting more difficult to deal with by the day.


    Her head hurt just from trying to exin why Desmond could control Lucy now and how well it would work out for them, but she had to because she had no other choice." Desmond is her superior no matter the reason." She exined.


    "And what makes you think Desmond will force Lucy to do his bidding just because of our marriage?" She asked to know what exactly her parents were thinking. They must have discussed it, and her father probably echoed her mother''s thoughts which was why he was watching silently.


    Ava leaned over to her to whisper. "That is why there is such a thing as convincing. As a woman, how can you not get your husband to do your bidding?"


    Natalie was bewildered. "Are you asking me to seduce Desmond?"


    "Don''t put it that way." Ava rolled her eyes. "There is no such thing as seducing your own husband. It''s only right for him to do as you ask." She red at her daughter who seemed too innocent despite her age. No wonder the mistress became Desmond''s in the first ce.


    "Of course, if you have to use such ''extra-special'' tactics, it''s alright too." She added.


    Natalie narrowed her eyes, disgust building up in the pit of her stomach. She was not disgusted by Desmond, but the thought of seducing a man just to help her parents was too unsettling. The fact that the said man was another woman''s boyfriend made the thought even more ufortable.


    She was baffled by her mother''s train of thought. "ording to your logic, Zaria can order around everyone at Preston and Fort Group. Including the Board of Directors, right? She is Desmond''s girlfriend after all."


    ___


    AN


    I will mass release the chapters for the mass release event at different times throughout the day. Please be patient if I have to update thest chapter(s) after reset. I''ve been so busy T_T


    2/5

 Chapter 139 - Something Terribly Wrong (2)

    <h4>Chapter 139 - Something Terribly Wrong (2)</h4>


    "What nonsense are you saying?" Ava was baffled by her daughter''s insanity. She was gettting out of control and at this rate, they would no longer be able to make her do anything. She was even able to get such nonsense out of her mouth! They had spoiled her too much. Now that she thought about it, they shouldn''t have rushed to give her any shares in the family business before her marriage. "Don''t you feel entitled. Thinking up such nonsense could make you lose everything overnight."


    Natalieughed at her mother''s overreaction. "I have worked hard enough. There is no way I could lose everything overnight unless someone tries to meddle. Someone like you, mother." She exposed her mother''s thought mercilessly, making thetter shift ufortably in guilt. "Besides, I''m only trying to understand you. You think Zaria cannotmand thepany but I can?" She shook her head. "That''s not how it works, mother. If there is any woman with the ability to control a man, it is the woman he loves and for Desmond, that would be Zaria."


    Her words were like a p in Ava''s face. She was indirectly reminding her motther that the man who she was forcing her to marry belonged to another woman already. However, Ava''s shame knew no bounds and she med Natalie for it. "Why do you let her control him? He is your man!"


    "If he is my man then he is cheating on me! He is doing it in the presence of everyone too, as though he can''t wait for the whole world to find out. Why do you want to force me into marriage with a man who is cheating on me? I have always heard of infidelity causing divorce but for the first time I''m hearing of infidelity causing marriage." She knew that she should reveal the truth, but this was his agreement with Desmond and it was up to him when he wanted to end it. Otherwise, the repercussions might just make the situation much worse for her.


    Her parents might force her to marry someone else, which was worse than death. If worst came to worst, she would rather be forced to be with Desmond who would respect her despite not loving each other than end up with one of those insanely arrogant billionaires. However, he had a soulmate now so she hoped that it wouldn''t boil down to that. She didn''t wish to be the reason for Zaria''s heartbreak.


    Owen had enough of his daughter''s argument. He banged the table and red at her. "This discussion is over. You have to get married tonight."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Desmond made his way into the living room with his mother behind him. "Why did you call me?" He asked impatiently, as though he couldn''t wait for them to say whatever they wanted to say and let him go.


    Ava was relieved, as she had thought that Desmond would refuse toe which would make the matter more distressing for her and Owen.


    " For the only reason you can imagine." She smiled at Alyssa to thank her for bringing her son-inw.


    "My marriage with Natalie?" Desmond nced at his friend who was on the verge of crying and would have spewed insults at them if she didn''t shake her head.


    "Yes." Ava was overjoyed thatt Desmond knew why he was here. This would make it easier for them, since his arrival despite knowing the reason for the summon must mean that he was ready to go through with the marriage.


    "It is not happening." The man deadpanneed.


    "What are you talking about?" Owen and Ava were furious and so was Alyssa.


    "I came here to cancel my engagement to Natalie." He dered. "I am not willing to be her husband. Not now, not ever. And the fact that you are trying to force us is only making matters worse."


    Owen would have punched Desmond across the face if they didn''t need him. He fumed as he stood to face the shameless scumbag. "What''s wrong with my daughter? Why don''t you want to marry her after tainting her?"


    Desmond burst intoughter. "I tainted Natalie?" What nonsense have this couple been imagining?


    Natalie facepalmed as her mother raged in fury while continuing to advocate for her.


    "No one will want to marry a woman who was ditched by her fianc¨¦. Have you no heart?" She was hurt on behalf of her daughter.


    On the other hand, Alyssa sighed in relief. Although she liked Natalie and would have loved for a coboration to happen between the Fort and Sparks families, she wouldn''t want her son to marry a woman who was cheating on him. Who knew what she would doter?


    To Ava''s rant, Desmond could only scoff in ridicule. "Who needs a heart when they can gain more benefits by being heartless?"


    Ava was about to p him when she heard her statement which made her stop in shock. "What do you mean?"


    Desmond nced at Natalie who was hiding her joy, then at his mother and the Sparks couple. A smirk settled on his lips. "A tycoon promised me innumerable benefits." He crossed his legs on the couch as he tapped the coffee table, as though trying hard not to break into a dance. "I cannot exin the details but I will basically be the wealthiest man in Europe in the blink of an eye if I marry her daughter."


    "What?" Owen was the first to react in shock.


    ____


    Which Tycoon do you think promised Desmond such benefits just for him to marry their daughter? They are not necessarily within this book, as long as they are in Olphire.


    Henry nc for his foster daughter Katy?


    The President for his spoiled daughter?


    Lnd Santino for his Doll Ludovica?


    Amanda Caron for her younger daughter Miranda?


    Any other guess?


    Give the wildest guesses, let''s make this fun XD


    My first wild ''guess'' : Liam has a sister and his parents are finding her a potential partner.

 Chapter 140 - The Tycoons Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 140 - The Tycoon''s Daughter</h4>


    "If you were me, would you still want Natalie?" Desmond added with a grin as he gave Natalie a side nce.


    Natalie frowned slightly in confusion. Was he serious? If he had really epted an offer from a tycoon to marry their daughter, what would happen to Zaria? If he was telling the truth, she would give him a piece of her mindter.


    Desmond didn''tprehend why Natalie looked upset out of the blue. If she was acting devastated, then she was such a good actress. He cleared his throat to get Ava''s and Owen''s attention. "If there is nothing else¡­"


    "What do you want? We can give you any benefits you would like." Ava emotionally promised.


    "Ava." Owen scolded her for begging the bastard.


    "Desmond, you and Natalie have known each other for ages. You know better than everyone that she is the perfect match for you. You are wasting your precious time by ying around and¡­" Ava pped her forehead in disbelief. Did she even need to say any of these things? Her husband was right. Desmond already knew everything. Once he made his decision, it was impossible to sway him.


    "You would never beat what this tycoon is offering me." He gave his reason.


    "Who is it? The mayor''s rumored girlfriend?" Alyssa asked in a low voice, which was not low enough to keep the discussion between her and her son. Ava overheard her question and was speechless at how ungrateful Alyssa could be.


    "Her daughter is married." Desmond answered his mother''s question without bothering to whisper.


    "Then who is it?" Owen asked. He wanted to know just who was wealthy enough to steal his son-inw.


    "Lucy Roatta." Desmond dropped a name with a straight face, shocking the hell out of everyone.


    "Lucy Roatta has a daughter?" Ava asked then cursed.


    "Damn it!"


    On the other hand, Alyssa looked down and swallowed a bitter gulp. Even if Lucy had another daughter, it wouldn''t be any better than Desmond ending up with Zaria. The problem right now was not the daughter but the mother, who was a harbinger of trouble. Just what was her son getting himself into?


    "Since I no longer have anything to do here, I''ll be on my way." Desmond stood to leave and the Sparks no longer had anything to say to him.


    "Ava¡­" Alyssa started when Desmond left the room. Everyone held their breath as Natalie ran out to follow him.


    "I thought it was only a coincidence that she wouldnd in the same line of business as us. I even thought there was a way to make her our partner instead of ourpetitor but¡­" Ava was devastated. "It seems like she has something against us, Alyssa. It''s almost as though it''s personal. Did we do something to upset her?" She didn''t think there was any reason for there to be trouble between them and Lucy unless it was business-rted. Maybe thetter was trying to eliminate herpetitors? Was she targeting Natalie to get rid of one of the pirs of the Sparks business so she would send the entire business crumbling down?


    Alyssa patted her friend''s back. "There is, in fact, something she holds against you."


    "What?" Ava didn''t think it was possible.


    "Her daughter is in love with my son but Natalie was in the way so¡­" She paused when she realized that she was revealing too much. She would never forget the stern warning from Lucy, who had held a gun against her head to make her promise that she would not spill her rtionship with Zaria. It had happened a few hours ago and she still felt the chills from it. That psycho.


    "I''m just guessing." She exined to Ava. "It always turns out to be that kind of thing."


    "You don''t seem happy about it?" Ava asked about her friend''s reaction after learning who the tycoon was.


    Alyssa shook her head and when Owen left the women to speak on their own, she continued, "She has something against my family too. I''m afraid she is using Desmond to execute her vengeance."


    Ava let out a sigh. "I''ll go speak to Owen." She was done with this Fort Family drama and hoped she would get a man with less trouble around him for her daughter.


    ¡­


    Natalie ran out after Desmond and caught up to him as he reached his car.


    "Desmond!" She ran up to him and hugged him when he turned.


    "How could you ditch me?" She asked jokingly, feigning heartbreak.


    "Because I never loved you, Natalie. You are such a kind woman. I''m sorry but my heart belongs to someone else." He yed along, earning a smack on his chest.


    "Don''t say it like mine is not taken. I''mte for my date, you know." Sheined.


    "You and Devonte can now fall in love. He canfort you after this heartbreak, and your rtionship will blossom normally." He said teasingly, as though giving her permission to move on with his life. He was giving her the perfect tale to feign, which made her eyes droop sadly.


    "You ruined your own reputation for me."


    "Would I still be your friend if I didn''t make a few sacrifices here and there?" He joked, even though it was not entirely a joke. Natalie had helped him out a lot too, and he could pretty much im that he owed a third of his sess to Natalie. "Besides,"


    "Mmh?" She probed for whatever he was going to say, hoping he was not going to get into any trouble.


    "Wait. What if Zaria misunderstands you? Oh Desmond, I have caused you so much trouble." She was now on the verge of crying.


    He chuckled at her helpless worried tone. "If you think so, you know the kind of favor I would want from you." He demanded.


    "You got it." She guessed what he might need her help with and was ready to arrange it. "Tell me when you want to arrange your date and I will ensure Zaria falls in love with you all over again."


    He knew that she was not exaggerating, but heughed and pushed her towards his car. "I will drop you off. Otherwise, your boyfriend will kill me the next time he sees me."


    The car drove off, and Alyssa''s mouth remained gaped as she stepped out from behind the pir where she had been hiding.


    "That bitch!" She cursed. She would not let her son be with that snake.


    4/5. Next chapter will be updated soon

 Chapter 141 - Territory

    <h4>Chapter 141 - Territory</h4>


    After dropping Natalie off, Desmond went back to thepany where Zaria had to work overtime because Natalie''s family called him. He felt awful for having left her to handle all his matters on her own while still tending to Lucy, so he started looking for ways to make up to her. Hence, he bought a bouquet and ordered muffins from ckout on his way back.


    "How did it go?" She asked when she felt his presence behind her. She turned when she was done printing out a document, to see him buried behind a bouquet of orchids.


    "Are those for me?" She was pleasantly surprised.


    He smiled as he handed them over to her. "You have worked so hard."


    She noticed a box of chocte amid the flowers, which she took with a brilliant smile. "They are lovely. Thank you."


    Just as she spoke, her assistant entered the office with a small box in her hand, which she gave to Desmond.


    "This is for you." He gave the box to her which she opened curiously.


    "Norman''s blueberry muffins? Thank you!" She threw herself into his arms joyously. It had been long since shest went to ck light since she had been so busy. Norman''s muffins were just what she needed on a tired day.


    "Oops¡­" She pulled away when she realized that she had hugged Desmond in the presence of the assistant and almost squished her muffins while at it.


    "She will not breathe a word." He assured her, and she nodded in relief.


    "Are you going home? I''m done already." She asked, taking a bite of the delicious muffin.


    "I still have work to do but before that, I need to rest." He took her hand and went back to his office. As soon as she finished reporting everything he needed to know, he stood up and directly went to his resting chamber.


    "Zaria?" He called from the room. "Come here."


    She went over hesitantly and tried not to watch him rip off his tie and shrug off his shirt. "I thought you wanted to rest."


    "Not on my own." He pulled her to bed with him. "Together with you."


    "But the time¡­" She reminded him that it was time to leave work already and she would bete if she didn''t leave soon.


    "Let''s lie down for a few minutes." He wrapped his arms around her, securing her tightly so she wouldn''t move as he rested his head on the fluffy pillow.


    "Okay." He must be tired, so she would spoil him just this once.


    "Aren''t you going to close your eyes?" She peeked up at him after a while, realizing that he didn''t seem to be asleep.


    "I don''t need to. As long as I have you in my arms. I only need to recharge a little."


    She frowned at the sound of his response. "Did something go wrong when you went to see the Sparks?" She asked. Did they cause him trouble? He sounded as though he had to deal with a lot of troublesome twists.


    "That''s what they''re good at." His lips twitched. "But not anymore."


    "Howe they gave up? That''s so unlike them unless¡­ Natalie told them the truth about her rtionship with Devonte?" She guessed. After meeting Natalie Sparks, she was certain that the woman could do anything to ensure her daughter married Desmond, and that did not exclude killing off any potential threat. How could she give up so suddenly?


    "I gave them a reason to stay away from me." Heughed at his own perfect excuse. "I said that I had received an offer from a tycoon to marry their daughter in exchange for limitless benefits. They think it is the mayor''s rumored wife-to-be."


    "Who is the mayor''s rumored wife-to-be?" Zaria asked, baffled that the mayor was going to get married. Since it was revealed to the public that he and his wife were long divorced, she had barely heard any news of him and didn''t know that he had a new girlfriend.


    "I''m certain that you know her. Her name is Amanda ck." He exined.


    "Shera ck''s mother?" She had heard of the woman before, but she was a simple woman who kept to herself and wouldn''t be known by the public if she wasn''t the mother and mother-inw of Olphire''s current most popr power couple. In fact, it was only on her daughter''s wedding day that her existence came to light.


    "Then they really did keep it a secret." She would never have guessed that a rtionship existed between the mayor and Amanda ck.


    Speaking of secrets, he thought about their rtionship and asked, "Do you still want us to be a secret?"


    "I don''t know. Are we a secret to begin with?" She blinked. Almost everyone in thepany knew about their rtionship and those who were not certain suspected them. How were they still a secret?


    "That''s a good point." He smiled.


    "Let things flow naturally." She suggested as she looked up at him, entangling her fingers with his.


    "I agree." He didn''t want to continue keeping the truth either. Being secretive was making other men think they had a chance with his Zaria, which made him wish to clear out the entire male poption from the world.


    "Are you thinking up nonsense that''s making you jealous again?" She chuckled, noticing the sudden frown on his face.


    "What am I to think when everyone wants to snatch my woman?" He lowered his head and kissed her lips to mark his territory.


    ____


    AN


    For those who don''t know about the cameo characters, they are characters of Viiness 101: The President''s Wife is a Vengeful Devil. If you haven''t read the book, don''t worry. The cameos don''t change this book''s major plot and are only here for a short while, I only added them because they are in the same city and I miss them so much T_T


    If you would like to read Viiness 101, check my profile and add the book to your library or look it up on the search engine.

 Chapter 142 - Deserving You

    <h4>Chapter 142 - Deserving You</h4>


    Natalie arrived at the hotel where Devonte was waiting, and he stood to embrace her. "You don''t look happy."


    She kissed his cheek before sitting down when he pulled a chair for her. "I''m sorry I''mte." She apologized.


    "My love, why would such a silly thing make you sad? Do you think I would be mad at you for just this?" He took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles gently.


    "I know you wouldn''t." A frown was still settled on her face.


    "What''s wrong?" He gently asked.


    She shook her head. "Let''s not talk about it right now. It might ruin our date." If she knew that she would still be in a bad mood after meeting him, she would have opted to cancel the date. However, that would have disappointed him so it was much better to pull herself together.


    "No it won''t. What''s wrong?" He pried. He didn''t want her to be sad about anything and if they could solve whatever it was, it would be for the best.


    Thinking about it, she decided that trying to hide it would ruin their date faster than the actual problem would. "Desmond finally told my parents about us. I mean me and him. He cancelled our engagement."


    He frowned. "And?"


    He knew that there was more to it. Why would she be sad about such good news?


    "I''m afraid they will try to match me up with someone else." She spected. Knowing her parents, the possibility of that happening was pretty high.


    "I''m not going to let that happen." He dered and shot out of his seat.


    "Dev¡­" She pulled his hand so he wouldn''t storm out and go find them. Luckily, they had booked a private room so there was no one else in their vicinity.


    He clenched his fist in anger. "We have to tell them the truth, Nat. I can''t bear it anymore."


    He was not angry with her, but with her parents who just wouldn''t let their daughter do what she wanted.


    She understood this, and it irked her too. "Let me find a good opportunity and talk to them about it, okay?"


    "Okay." He sat back down.


    "I knew it would ruin our date." She didn''t know how she was supposed to soothe him and it made her sigh sadly.


    "It didn''t." He cupped her face and gently caressed her cheek. "We still have a whole night ahead of us. Are you ready to explore with me?"


    "I''ve always been ready for that." A low chuckle escaped her lips. She loved adventure and he was always ready to take her out on several of them.


    Before he could tell her the next part of his n, his phone that was on his side of the table rang. He was about to turn it off when she ced a hand on his to stop him. "It might be an important call." She didn''t mind it if he received a call or two during their date, especially if it could be important.


    He thanked her and answered it, and whatever the other party said made his brows furrow.


    "Do you have to go?" She asked when the call ended.


    He turned his phone off and shoved it into his pocket. "No. It was just my manager telling me about the selected female lead for my next movie."


    "Oh." So it was about work.


    "It''s a fantasy romance movie. From the script, the romance part is more dominant and some scenes are rated 25."


    "Okay." She hummed, notprehending why he was exining.


    "The thing is, this female lead and I will be very close in the movie." It seemed as though she didn''t understand him so he continued to exin. "There may be scenes that will not be veryfortable for you to watch. And the thing is, the female lead they chose is one I''ve acted with before. She''s insane and clingy." By the time he finished speaking, his voice had lowered almost into a murmur, and nervousness was written all over his face.


    "Alright. And why exactly are you telling me all these?" She still couldn''t get it.


    Her question caught him off guard. "Aren''t you jealous?"


    She chuckled at his question that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere. "Why should I be jealous? I know that all those scenes which would make me ufortable were not done by you." She knew that some actors lied to their partners about using body doubles for overly intimate scenes, but she also trusted Devonte and knew that he would rather paypensation for breaching a contract than betray her.


    "That''s true, but it''s me appearing on the screen. I was afraid you would be offended." He stammered out thest part. If she didn''t like it, he would choose a different movie.


    "So, do you want me to be jealous or not?" Sheughed. He truly was impossible.


    He was relieved that she was not jealous. "Why are you so understanding?" Sometimes he felt he didn''t deserve her.


    "I''ve known you for years, Dev. I would never date an actor if it wasn''t you." She confessed. "I mean, what are the odds of dating a man who is handsome, loyal, good in bed, and at the same time, hardworking?


    "You are the reason why I work hard." He would have called his girlfriend out for exaggerating her praise but after all the sleepless nights he had just so he could finish filming, he knew that everything she said was what she had been observing for all these years.


    "Me?" She was puzzled.


    He nodded. "I''ve only ever had one driving force except my passion for acting¡ªdeserving you. I don''t want anyone spewing nonsense about you marrying a man who is below your status. I want to be able to stand beside my wife proudly." He confessed. He had heard of gossip about artists who made it great in the industry by relying on wealthy partners. He didn''t care about anyone soiling his reputation, but he didn''t want Natalie to ever endure such a thing.


    "But you know that I don''t care about such things as status. And wife?" The word he had called her surprised her.


    "You will be soon." He took her hand and kissed it. "So, my love, are you ready for the adventure yet? We can take off as soon as we have our dinner."


    They had just ced their orders.


    "Sure thing. Will I need a pair of t sandals?" She asked, in case they would walk a lot.


    "No, you don''t. If you tire out from walking, I will carry you." He promised.


    Hence, the duo ate and went out for fun. If it wasn''t because Natalie needed to go back home, she would have stayed the night at his vi where they had gone to watch a movie.


    "Dev," She called his name out seductively as she reclined in his arms.


    "Mmh?"


    "Can I borrow something from you? I''ll return it." She peeked up to ask.


    "A kiss?" He asked while looking over to meet her gaze.


    "That, and something else." She pecked his lips and slid off the bed, going over to his dressing table.


    "This." She raised a crystal bottle to show him. It was his cologne and when he nodded, she sprayed it on her chest and neck.


    "What''s all that for?" He didn''t understand. Could it be that she liked his scent and wanted it on her? But he could hug her for as long as she wanted, it was more natural that way.


    "Slowly announcing our rtionship." She chuckled. Since she had to leave, she bid him with a kiss and rushed home.


    It was already 1am when she finally got home and just as she imagined, Ava was waiting for her in the living room.


    "Where have you been?" Thetter asked, since she was good at poking her nose into other people''s business.


    "Out, having fun? Is there any problem, mother?" Natalie listlessly walked past her towards the staircase.


    She didn''t need to be near Ava for thetter to feel Devonte''s scent. She had sprayed just enough of it to be felt as soon as she was within a few steps of her mother.


    Ava was horrified when she felt the masculine scent on her daughter. "Are you seeing someone? A man?"


    Although it was what she wanted, Natalie was pissed off. "Do I have to answer to you no matter what I do, including who I go out with? How old am I, mother?"


    "I only asked if you have been with someone." Ava insisted.


    "Even if I hired a male escort, what is it to you?" Natalie snapped.


    "Honey, I know rejection hurts but please don''t ruin your life." Ava advised, thinking that her daughter was getting back at society because her fianc¨¦ had ditched her.


    "You already ruined it. What''s there for me to destroy?" Natalie walked off, loving the effect of her reaction.


    In these slow steps, she would let her parents know that there was a man in her heart.

 Chapter 143 - Work Is A Hundred Times Harder Without You

    <h4>Chapter 143 - Work Is A Hundred Times Harder Without You</h4>


    The following day.


    Zaria kept her office since it was a waste of time to move to a different office when it was only a temporary arrangement. Besides, Lucy''s new office was near Desmond''s so it was still easy for her to move about.


    In the morning when Lucy arrived, she stood before her nervously. She had worked for her father before. Why was she so tense working for her mother?


    "I believe you have something to tell me." Lucy looked up and asked, totally in her official mode. She seemed to be treating her like she would treat any other assistant which made things easier and less awkward.


    Zaria nodded. "Mum, there''s someone who needs your audience. Natalie Sparks."


    Lucy raised an eyebrow at Zaria''s way of reporting it. "And there is a reason why you hope for me to reject her?"


    She was embarrassed after being exposed but kept her stance. "I have no right to decide whether or not you should meet anyone. Shall I let her in?"


    Lucy nodded. "Let me see why people call her the third smartest businesswoman in Imperium. Honestly, I wouldn''t rank her in the top ten."


    Zaria was taken aback by the sudden outburst. Did Lucy have something against Natalie?


    Maybe not. Perhaps it was merely her opinion? "Who would be the smartest businesswomen in your opinion?" She asked curiously.


    "Avery Vaint." Lucy seemed to have the list ready. "Shera Qin, if one were to ignore her treachery. Tiana Su, the daughter of Nathaniel Su, and Ximena Morel. These are the only smart women I know of."


    "Ximena?" Zaria was surprised that her mother had such a high evaluation of Ximena. She had never doubted her friend but the fact that a tycoon thought she was smart meant her potential was limitless. Ximena would be overjoyed to hear of it!


    "She tore away from her major source of discouragement and picked herself up piece by piece. Each of her steps is carefully calcted with such exact details that she thought far into the future. Although she did not explode into fame as soon as she hoped, her brand will soon take over the beauty products market." Lucy briefly analyzed some of the reasons why she thought Ximena was smart. She then looked at Zaria. "You, on the other hand, have a long way to go. You still have too many weaknesses."


    Zaria had not asked to be analyzed but she was bbergasted.


    "I believe Miss Sparks is still waiting?" Lucy called her back from her trance.


    "Yes." She hurried to call Natalie in.


    ¡­


    Natalie was dressed in a cream business dress and had a bright smile on her face as she walked in. "Hello, Miss Roatta."


    Lucy nodded in greeting, not as enthusiastic as thetter. "Have a seat."


    "May I know why you decided to waste your time?" She asked as soon as thetter sat, and she observed the younger woman''s expressions closely.


    Natalie was taken aback. Was she implying that no matter why she was here, she would not get what she wanted? She didn''t reveal her thoughts as she smiled. "A single second spent with you is precious, Miss Roatta. None of it is a waste of my time."


    "The Sparks sure have their way with words." Lucyughed, making thetter wonder whether she was pleased or displeased. Was she happy or not? Would it hurt to show a little emotion?


    Nheless, Natalie had interacted with many people of Lucy''s type¡ªwhose every word was sarcastic and who did not show an ounce of emotion on their poker faces¡ªso she cut the chase. "I have heard a lot about your uing project. It is wonderful that you are nning to venture into the hotel and resort business, so I hope we can be partners." She stated.


    "Is this your way of eliminating threats and possiblepetitors? By turning them into your partners?" Lucyughed.


    "Yes." Natalie was honest. "However, we are not the only ones who need you. You need us just as much."


    Lucy smiled, a confusing smile. "Why do I need you?"


    "For a sessful project, you need the right resources and they should be of the best quality. In this case, it''s essential for you to coborate with the best hotel chains in Europe, which is Sparks.


    Our profit has been constantly on the rise in the past five years and we are always making improvements to ensure that we maintain our position as the most popr hotel chain owners." She exined and provided documents for proof, which Lucy spared a nce.


    " I know."


    Natalie didn''t know whether to be happy or sad about the response. What did she mean she knew? Had she looked up the Sparks? Why would she? Did she want to coborate with them already? However, if she wanted a coboration, howe she never spoke of it? Perhaps she had changed her mind for some reason, which made Natalie doubt the probability of her sess.


    "Miss Roatta, we can discuss how to share our profit when you are ready." She politely probed, pushing for an answer.


    Lucy looked amused and from her angle, Natalie blinked to try and see it clearly. Were her eyes failing her or did this woman look a little like Zaria?


    "I have not decided whether or not I want to coborate with the Sparks family yet." Lucy stated in all honesty. To be fair, the Sparks had done quite well in the past few years. However, who was to say that the trend would remain unchanged? Besides, although there was nothing wrong with Natalie, there was a high possibility that the young woman would tear away from her family and ditch the business. It would definitely cause a huge fluctuation in share value and thest thing she wanted was to incur losses due to domestic conflicts.


    Natalie wasn''t sure whether or not to be hopeful as she left Lucy''s office. She would do her best to win Lucy over. While she made her way down the corridor, she ran into Zaria again.


    "How is your dad? I''m so sorry that I did not visit him." She apologized after pulling thetter aside for a small chat.


    "Please don''t worry about the trivial matters. He is doing great, he will be discharged in a few days." Her voice was full of cheer as she announced.


    "That''s the best news! I will bring him fruitster." Natalie promised.


    "Thank you. Nat, I need to get back to work or I risk getting fired." She joked exaggeratedly, and Natalie teased her about the impossibility of her being fired before they parted ways.


    "Ma''am, when would you like your coffee?" She asked when she arrived at Lucy''s office.


    "Right away. How many minutes do I have before the board meeting?" She asked as she sat back down from the window outside which she was facing.


    "Fifty minutes." Zaria reported and went to get her a cup of coffee, which she brewed in Desmond''s office.


    "Is Natalie Sparks your friend?" She asked out of the blue.


    "She is. She is a kind woman." Zaria answered truthfully.


    "If you think so, then I guess it all depends onmercial potential." Lucy rolled a pen, and Zaria couldn''t make head or tail of what she was saying.


    "Get me another cup of coffee." Lucy ordered when she finished the current one, rendering Zaria speechless. Why did these CEOs like dumping tons of caffeine into their systems?


    Lucy looked up with a raised eyebrow to probe why thetter was still standing before her.


    "It''s unhealthy." Zaria spoke.


    Lucy heard her and burst intoughter, making thetter wonder what was so funny.


    "Theodore always had something to say about my coffee intake. He said I drank too much coffee¡ªhe was so cute." She smiled.


    Zaria blinked and observed her closely. Did she really find it funny? For some strange reason, Zaria found Lucy''s voice pained as though speaking of it brought back a painful memory.


    "Do you¡­do you miss him?" She asked hesitantly.


    Lucy snapped out of her thoughts. "Does it matter, Zaria? The only thing that matters right now is the pros and cons of coborating with Sparks Hotel chains on my project. Help mepile them." She changed the topic in a sh, and Zaria had to adapt to it and follow the instructions that she had been given.


    "By the way, I still need my coffee." Lucy added as Zaria left the office.


    Looking up the Sparks was not a piece of cake and by the time she was done, she yawned in hunger.


    She went to get some snacks and ran into Desmond on her way back. He seemed to be having trouble with his temporary assistant¡ªwho he was scolding mercilessly as they walked down the corridor.


    When he saw her, he instantly looked happier and waved the assistant away before pulling his girlfriend into a hug. "Work is a hundred times harder without you."

 Chapter 144 - Assistant (1)

    <h4>Chapter 144 - Assistant (1)</h4>


    Long chapter iing


    _________


    "Would you like me to arrange another assistant for you?" Zariaughed at her boyfriend''s antics, who was acting as though he had been bullied and was reporting the incident to his mother.


    "How about you arrange yourself?" He pulled her closer into his arms.


    "I''ll speak to Miss Roatta about it. I can find her another assistant ande back to you." She was not certain whether it would be easy but she knew that her mother would not force her into doing anything she didn''t want to.


    "Forget about me. I''m just kidding." He pecked her neck. It was already good enough that she was willing to go back just to make himfortable, and that was enough to make him feel much better. "It''s just that no matter who my assistant is, I will still prefer you."


    "What a coincidence. I only prefer you as my boss." She admitted.


    "Is it because you will have your boyfriend close to you the whole day?" He asked teasingly.


    She shook her head and pushed him against the wall to whisper in his ear, "It''s because your way of punishing me if I make mistakes¡­ is quite unique."


    He swallowed and pulled her against him, spanking her backside. "And you''re doing something against work ethics right now. Are you asking to be punished?"


    "Desmond, we''re still in thepany hallway." She gently reminded him.


    "This is an executive floor." He reminded her that no one would idly roam around here if they didn''t work here, and everyone who worked here was certain of their rtionship.


    He was right, except, he was unaware that his temporary assistant was peeking at the corner, ring at Zaria with jealousy and hate.


    "I need to go." She kissed he corner of his lips. "If Jessica doesn''t do her job well enough, tell me about it.


    "I will do so even before you ask." He exaggerated.


    "You look like a child right now." Sheughed, ruffling his hair.


    He smiled and let her dote on him. "That''s what happens when you''re away from your girlfriend."


    She knew that she would never be able to leave if she continued making fun of him, so she pushed him to his office and went on to grab a snack before getting back to work.


    Soon after he settled down in his office, Jessica entered while shing a bright smile.


    "Sir, do you need a drink?" She asked jovially.


    "I only drink coffee and I have a coffee machine for that?" He ignored her, going on with his work.


    She was embarrassed, but she continued smiling and even mimicked Zaria''s smile, as she closed in on him. "Then, shall I bring you some food?"


    He continued to ignore her. He had female asisstants before, who he fired for the same reason that was now giving him the urge to kick Jessica out.


    The woman had undone four buttons of her blouse, and she sauntered around while trying to be in front of him the whole time so he would see a glimpse of her boobs.


    "Sir¡­sir?" She tapped the desk to get his attention.


    "Get out." He ordered, and she could only disappear.


    He must be in a bad mood. It must be because of what Zaria said about her. She gritted her teeth hatefully and cursed Zaria in her heart.


    She left the office reluctantly and had to returnter, to deliver a file.


    "Sir, Mr. Preston asked me to give you this." She held onto the file even though she had said that it was for him.


    "Give it to me." He demanded, ring at her for wasting his time.


    She ignored his re and stalked towards his desk slowly, leaning over to him. "Sir, I¡­" She spoke gently, blushing when he looked up.


    "Get the fuck out!" He roared out of the blue, making the young woman tremble. She picked up the file she had dropped out of shock and recoil to the side. When she looked up, she saw that Desmond''s face was full of rage, so she didn''t dare to say a word more and slipped away in shame.


    How could he embarrass her so much? And what the hell was wrong with him? Wasn''t he supposed to be a womanizer who fell for any woman as long as she was beautiful? She was more beautiful than that damned Zaria! How could he not see her?


    It seemed as though she was out of luck, because she bumped into Zaria on her way out. The bitch looked like she was in a hurry which infuriated Jessica. Who was she acting so serious for? She brushed past Zaria, knocking her files out of her hand.


    Zaria was caught offguard by the young woman who had suddenly bumped into her. She was quick to catch the smugness in her eyes before thetter could prentiously apologize.


    "I''m so sorry!" She gasped exaggeratively.


    Zaria chuckled gently and pulled her back as thetter tried to leave. "Pick them up." She ordered.


    Jessica was in disbelief, not having expected that Zaria would be this petty.


    "What are you waiting for?" Zaria probed with a raised eyebrow, threatening to let the matter spiral out of hand if Jessica did not do as she was told.


    She could only crouch and gather the papers, which she ced in Zaria''s palm.


    "Apologize." Zaria demanded. "What you said just now was a fake way to get away with what you have done deliberately."


    "I''m sorry." Jessica was embarrassed after being caught in the act, but Zaria was not done with her just yet.


    She checked through the papers in her hands and gave a few of them to the woman before her. "Retype these. They are needed for a meeting in ten minutes." She ordered.


    "That''s enough! Are you trying to bully me just because you think you have the CEO on your side?" Jessicaughed. She would not allow anyone to trample on her, the CEO''s assistant, even if that person was Zaria.


    Zaria had heard these words so many times that she was amused. Did all the women in thepany have to tie everything she did to Desmond?


    "Do you think you''re the most beautiful woman in thepany?" Jessica snarled.


    "If by "thepany" you mean one man¡ªthe one you just tried to seduce, then yes." Zaria shrugged matter-of-factly. There was only one reason why a woman would hate her so much, and that had to be because Desmond had rejected her despite being intimate with another assistant. She was trying to provoke her, and Zaria would simply use the same tactic against her. "He is blind to whores who throw themselves at him. How about you try a smarter move next time?"


    She ignored the young woman and proceeded to the COO''s office. She knew that her response was childish but she was not going to let another woman treat her spitefully after trying to seduce her boyfriend. Where did she get such guts?


    As soon as she arrived in her office, she received an email from the CEO''s office.


    As expected, Desmond wanted another assistant after his encounter with Jessica. He prefered a man this time, and it would be best if he had a girlfiend or was married.


    She gloated in his misfortune before she started looking through the details of the young men in thepany. After thinking about it, she decided to hire one permanently and after three months, she would exchange positions with them. Thinking about it, she called his office telephone and the man sounded like he was on the verge of erupting.


    "My love, can you bear with it a little? I will announce a vacancy in a few minutes." She exined her n to him.


    He thought it was brilliant, as long as she exined the matter beforehand. Besides, he didn''t want her to be troubled so he agreed to it.


    Soon after Zaria announced the vacancy on the website of Preston and Fory Group, the inbox of her email was flooding with applications. She felt dizzy after looking through a few of them, so she filtered them using all the required qualifications and sent a mass reply to the few young men that qualified, calling them for an interview the following day. The sooner she got rid of Jessica, the better it would be for Desmond so she did not hesitate.


    ¡­


    The following day.


    At 9am, Zaria went to the conference room where she would hold the interview. She didn''t need anyone to help her but she hoped she would not meet too many lunatics.


    Her prayer went unanswered because the first candidate was a crazy idiot who had written all the answers on his palm, which he read out in order whether or not it was in line with the context. She dismissed the fool who imed to have worked for a nonexistentpany that went bankrupt, before letting in the next candidate.


    The man walked in confidently, his posemanding respect as he sat down opposite her. There was something strange about him but Zaria couldn''t exactly point it out.


    "Good Morning, Miss Williams." He greeted her with a smile, and she had to admit that he had a soothing voice to match his handsome face. It reminded her of someone who she couldn''t immediately recall.


    "What''s your name?" She asked.


    "I''m sorry. My name was snatched from me." He sounded as though he wasining.


    She pped her forehead. It had to be another lunatic. What a waste of handsomeness


    "What''s the name that was stolen from you?" She tried to assume that he was making sense so she wouldn''t kick him out.


    "Zeus." He spoke. "Zeus Williams or Zeus Roatta. It''s up to you what you think should be my surname.

 Chapter 145 - Assistant (2)

    <h4>Chapter 145 - Assistant (2)</h4>


    "Zeus?" She was shocked stiff by the name she had just heard. "I don''t understand. Why would you show up here and in such a manner?"


    "For an interview." He shrugged. "Isn''t that why we are all here? You posted an announcement online and stated that there was a vacancy. What''s the point of all this?"


    "I see." Zaria calmed herself. Why did she suddenly have the weird feeling that this man before her was the same man who had been protecting her behind the scenes?


    Lucy had promised to investigate him, but she was yet to hear a word from her, then this oddball came rolling in.


    "Have we met before?" She asked, trying to keep herself sane. "And have wemunicated before?"


    "Yes. A few hours ago when I submitted my application." He answered.


    So that was a no. She was troubled. "Then why did you im my surname?" Did he know how terrifying that was? She had almost thought that he was her brother!


    "About that." He cleared his throat. "As I said, my name was stolen from me. I thought I could borrow yours."


    "Okay." She felt drained after just a few minutes of conversing with him. He was definitely not the best candidate to be Desmond''s assistant¡ªthest thing she wanted was to have to dispose of a corpse because Desmond couldn''t take it anymore and had to tear his head from his neck.


    "Are you disqualifying me?" He guessed from her attitude.


    "What would you expect?" She held back the urge to throw him out. This interview was taking a toll on her. "Please leave."


    "If you insist." He smiled. "Talk to you on Creszone, then." He stood to leave.


    "Wait!" She stood to quickly stop him before he could leave.


    "Why do you keep messing with me?"


    "It''s what I''m good at." He grinned. "If you really want an assistant for your boyfriend, no one qualifies for that role more than I do."


    "Big words, huh." She frowned at him. The interview was already over.


    He silently opened his file which she hadn''t really gone through because she had given up on him.


    "How could this be?" She was shocked when she looked through it.


    "Are you impressed by my qualifications? I''m even much better in person. By the way, I''m only a weirdo with you. I get along perfectly with everyone else." He puffed his chest out in pride.


    "No, not that." She gasped in disbelief at his national identity card. "Your name. You really are Zeus. Your surname is Roatta?"


    "That''s my mother''s surname." He confessed, making her frown deepen.


    "And who the heck is Zeus Williams?" Why did this sound so confusing?


    "Williams¡­ is my father''s surname¡ªat least that''s what my mother says." He answered her, but instead of clearing her confusion, she was even more shocked.


    "What''s your mother''s full name?" She probed.


    "I don''t think she is part of my job description but her name is Lucy Roatta."


    Zaria almost fainted from shock. So, not only was this man Zeus, but he was her brother too?!


    She didn''t know that her mother had a son!


    She grabbed his identity card and checked his birth details. He was born when she was five years old? This didn''t make sense.


    "Are you done contemting? If you are, assess my qualifications." He reminded her.


    Zaria blinked. There was no way this idiot could be Zeus. Although he gave her a slightly simr feeling, there was something oddly different. Besides, wasn''t Zeus supposed to be an older man with a son? He even talked about a husband! Something felt wrong.


    ¡­


    The interview ended with Zaria''s mind almost blowing into smithereens. She picked out three candidates to look upter. One of them was Zeus, but her major reason was so she would keep a close eye on him. He was Zeus alright, but he didn''t give her the same feeling he did when they conversed on Creszone. His voice was different too. She would have thought of them as two different people but it would be too much of a coincidence. If he didn''t have a split personality, she would have to find out everything about him.


    Luckily he was fit for the job¡ªhe was a genius, to be fair¡ªso he would not be a waste of time.


    "Get your head out of the clouds." Lucy scolded Zaria strictlyter in the afternoon when thetter spaced out while giving a report.


    "I''m so sorry." She apologized and gave the rest of the report like a robot who merely had to do it.


    "What''s going on?" Lucy didn''t want this to carry on for long so she asked.


    "I met Zeus. The guy I told you about, the stalker who has been helping me." She blurted.


    This time she saw it even though her mother tried to mask it. Lucy was shocked. It was as though she didn''t expect them to meet.


    "Why would you do that? You think he is dangerous so¡­ don''t you think it was risky to meet him on your own?" She scolded her.


    "I didn''t look for him. He found me." She tapped the edge of Lucy''s desk gently. "And mum, he is crazy, I swear. He even said such nonsense about someone robbing him of his name or something, so he borrowed mine and named himself Zeus Wiims."


    Lucy facepalmed. That damned idiot.


    "You have been spacing out a lot today. I hope you''re in better shape tomorrow. Do you need to cool it off with some drinks?" She offered, and Zaria shook her head.


    "I''ll rush home. Dad is still recovering." She smiled, thinking about thetter''s rapid improvement. Lucy nodded and she saw her off before rushing home herself.


    _


    "Dad, how are you feeling?" Zaria asked Theodore who was now out of hospital, and was recuperating at home.


    "I feel like a vegetable." He jokinglyined. His daughter had hired nurses to watch over him even though he was at home, and he would think he was still in hospital if Des wasn''t there to y with him.


    Zaria kissed his cheek with augh and sat opposite him.


    "What''s going on?" He knew that she had something to talk to him about. He was right and she didn''t think she could wait any longer to know the truth.


    "Dad, when¡­"


    "Mmh?" He probed when she hesitated.


    "When mother left, how old was I exactly? It''s just that¡­ I''m quite forgetful and¡­ something important happened around that time¡­" She stammered, hoping she made some sense.


    "You were six. You wouldn''t recall it since you were so young." He answered, looking at her suspiciously. He was taken aback when she frowned and looked confused. "Is everything alright?"


    "Yes, yes. It is." She smiled and kept her thoughts to herself. Not only did her mother have a son, but she also faked his age? Why would she do that?


    ¡­


    In the outskirts of Imperium stood a grand vi nicknamed The Web by its owner. Lucy made her way to the vi and as soon as the door opened, she stormed in,nding a p on the cheek of the man sitting on the living room couch.


    "That''s an interesting greeting." Zeus smiled as he rubbed his cheek.


    Lucyunched another p. "You only had one task. Just one task¡ªto protect her. Couldn''t you have done it well?" If the man before her was not her son, he would be long dead from how angry she was.


    He pulled away from her. "And what does protection mean to you? Hiding the truth from her? Keeping her from the world, huh? Faking her death?"


    "Shut up!" It was a punch this time, and Zeus wiped a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth.


    He red at her. "I have lived under you all these years, mother. I have followed your every instruction." Heughed bitterly. "Even if you pointed at the moon and called it a mango, I would dly wish to take a bite. But not anymore."


    She could understand him, he was not as patient as she was.


    "You can rebel if you want but do not put your sister''s life in danger!" She gritted her teeth. How could he be so insensitive?


    "Of course, I won''t." He smiled. "I will protect her. Also, can I get my Creszone ount back?"


    She red at him, and he had to rify. "The point is not the ount, mother. Stop hiding behind my shadow and let her know who has really been her friend for all these years."


    She smiled and averted her gaze from her son. "I was scared that Zaria would hate me if she found out who she was speaking to, but not anymore."


    "Then tell her!" He urged. In actual sense, he wasn''t mad at his mother. He just found it unfair that he was not allowed to be close to his sister in the name of protection. "What''s all this anyway? If Olphire is not safe for our family, then we can take Zaria and father away to some other ce that''s safer. Doesn''t that go without saying?


    "Zeus, if only you knew." She sighed. If it was that easy, she would have done so two decades ago.

 Chapter 146 - Childish

    <h4>Chapter 146 - Childish</h4>


    Zaria had just taken a shower and was about to start preparing dinner when her phone rang. It was Desmond, and he sounded wronged like he had been bullied.


    "You left without me." Heined.


    "Are you ming me?" Sheughed as she ced her phone on the vanity so she would dry her hair.


    "What would you do if I said that I was?" He challenged.


    "How would you want me to repay you?" She asked as she tied her hair in a bun.


    "Can I ask you out for dinner?" He took advantage of the chance to ask her out. It would be much better if she agreed to dine together at his mansion. That way, there would be no one in their way and they could enjoy their meal much more.


    She sighed at his suggestion." Desmond, it''s not a bad idea but I would like to prepare dinner for my dad."


    He felt bummed. "Don''t you have a chef now?" He was surprised that she still had to cook and do chores despite having servants to do it. He had even rmended the Fort family''s former chef, who was excellent in his job and only got fired thanks to Samantha''s insanity.


    "Yes, we do. It''s just that I would like to do it myself. I like to cook for my loved ones myself once in a while." She exined, making him jealous of Theodore. How lucky he was to get to eat her specially made dinner every time she was in the mood to cook.


    "Then ask me over for dinner." He said decisively. It was not a request but a statement. He was merely informing her of his presence which she should anticipate.


    "Desmond.." She pped her forehead and didn''t know how to politely turn him down.


    "Okay. I''ll be right there." He quickly cut her off before she could say no to him. How clever.


    It was pointless for her to call him back since he would not answer it. She could only finish dressing up and go to find Theodore.


    "Dad, dinner will be ready soon." She announced when she found him ying with Des on the balcony. Thetter yfully jumped onto her, making her smile as she patted him.


    "Are you sure I can''t even wash the vegetables?" He asked pleadingly. He was bored, having been denied ess to work. Surely he could at least help out at home, right?


    "You''re a vegetable yourself. Sit back and behave like one." She jokingly scolded him with a serious expression. "I''ll have Des watch over you and bite you when you don''t behave yourself."


    "Yes ma''am." He smiled. His smile slowly morphed into a frown. Why did it feel like Zaria was acting a little more like Lucytely? Her statement just now¡­ sounded like Lucy''s statement years ago when he cut his finger while chopping vegetables. She had given him an earful of scolding and ordered him to stay away from the kitchen and y with Zaria who was a baby at the time. She had even called him a vegetable¡ªjust like Zaria did a moment ago.


    Why was he suddenly thinking about her? He sighed at his folly. That woman hates you, Theodore. You don''t even exist in her life anymore. You''re dead. He reminded himself to keep the insane memories that no longer meant nothing out of his mind.


    "The thing is, Desmond would like to join us." Zaria informed him, unaware of the wild thoughts that had crossed his mind in a split second.


    He was already back to reality and was focusing on her, so he clearly heard what she had said. An amused smile crossed his lips. "It was about time he did."


    Zaria was shocked. Why did that sound like a deration of war?


    She looked at him intensely. "Promise me you will not fight?"


    "What are you talking about? Do you think I can do that in my current state?" Heughed and pointed at himself. He still had bandages on his legs and gauze around his head. He could only do activities that didn''t require him to use a lot of strength. Which part of him could fight?


    Zaria looked him over but was not entirely convinced. "There''s nothing impossible with you."


    Theodore had to admit that he would have loved to beat the man up for the sake of old grudges but his wounds didn''t allow him. He could only be obedient as Zaria made dinner.


    Desmond arrived just when she was done setting the table with the help of the maids. As soon as he walked in, Des greeted him with a fierce growl.


    "I forgot about the puppy." He chuckled helplessly. Why did the little thing still dislike him? It seemed to hate him even more.


    "Ignore him." Zaria rushed over to him and kissed his cheek to wee him.


    Although he had been instructed to ignore the puppy, he waved it over. "Come here, we can negotiate."


    Des didn''t know what he was being told but he didn''t like the tone of it, so he hid behind Zaria as he whined.


    "She''s not just yours. She''s mine. I introduced you to her so she was mine before you came into the picture." Desmond warned after getting the upper hand.


    Zarria shook her head and pinched her nose bridge tiredly. "Can you not be so childish? Why are you arguing with a puppy?"


    "Why is he fighting me for you?" Desmond countered, justifying his childish actions.


    "Des,e here." She picked the puppy up, rubbing his ears to soothe him after he had to deal with the ''big child'' he was named after.


    "You never coax me like that." Heined, rendering her speechless.


    "Dad," She smiled when she heard Theodore make his way over to them, and Desmond stiffened.


    "Mr. Theo." He greeted the older man respectfully, his mood different from when he had fought with the puppy just now.


    Theodore harrumphed, looking like he would never have weed the man into his home if he didn''t have a choice. "Don''t you think I have forgotten about what you did to my daughter before."


    He was aware of this too. He wouldn''t forgive anyone for acting like a jerk around the person he treasured that easily either. "I''m sorry for how I acted in the past."


    "I do not forgive you." He tantly said, making Zaria cross her fingers and hope a fight was not going to break out. This ''child'' who would not let a puppy off was not going to say something rude to her dad, right?


    "I don''t expect you to forgive me that easily." He admitted. "But I promise that I will never hurt Zaria."


    "Big words." Theodore huffed. "If you ever do a single thing to make my daughter sad, I will send you to your grave." He warned.


    "I will give you permission for that." Desmond seemed confident, which made Theodore''s suspicion of him intensify. Was he trying to promise that he would never make the slightest mistake, including ncing at another woman and making Zaria jealous? It would be great if he didn''t but if he did, Theodore internally swore that he would kill him.


    "Can we have dinner now?" Zariaughed awkwardly. It felt as though she was caught in between two rivals.


    ___


    Lucy ced her chin on her hands, with her fingers intertwined to support it.


    "Master, you called for me." The young bodyguard announced his presence.


    She turned to face him. "How is Twilight?"


    "Everything is alright, master. The new project is ready tounch." He reported, and Lucy nodded slightly.


    "What about the Sparks?" She asked.


    "They are running around and trying to find another match for their daughter after Desmond Fort rejected her. They are also trying to create a project simr to Twilight''s."


    Lucy burst intoughter. Ava was indeed a fool. Wealth must have ruined her brain, making her more stupid than the intelligent woman she was in the past. "Don''t be in a rush. Let them fight around like wild dogs and only then shall we wipe them out in one fell swoop."


    "Do you have something against the Sparks, master?" The young bodyguard was confused.


    "You ask too many questions." Lucy ignored his question. She didn''t have anything against the Sparks. On the contrary, she in fact wanted to offer them a deal, which was why she had asked Natalie out.


    They met for dinner, and the young woman was happy to see her even though she acted nonchnt.


    "What do you like to eat? Order anything you want." Lucy urged.


    "I''ll just have a sd." Natalie smiled after ordering a vegetable sd.


    "I see." Lucy raised an eyebrow. "It''s not easy dating an actor, is it? You would always be insecure, especially when you start thinking that he could fall for someone in his own profession. Most actresses are so attractive, after all."


    Natalie was shocked. How did she know? "Why would you say that?" She pretended that it had nothing to do with her.


    Lucy smiled gently as she observed the young woman, who didn''t know that as long as she wanted to investigate someone, she could know their ancestors'' darkest secrets. "I''m not saying Devonte can cheat on you." She chuckled. "After all, you''re so beautiful and besides, he would have cheated on you ten years ago if he were that kind of jerk."

 Chapter 147 - Challenge

    <h4>Chapter 147 - Challenge</h4>


    "You know Devonte?" She was puzzled. Did this woman know everyone? First, she was close enough to Desmond to make a deal with him and be his COO, and now she was awfully familiar with her family too? She even investigated her and knew all about her rtionship with Devonte?


    Lucy was amused at her usatory re. "I do not know your boyfriend personally. I just know him from hismercials in Twilight." She picked up her ss gently. "It''s not easy to forget the most hardworking model in a production, is it?"


    Natalie didn''t know whether or not to believe her. Devonte did have a contract with Twilight, he had been their model before. However, this was Lucy Roatta¡ªthe woman everyone was warning everyone else about.


    "Why did you call me here?" She asked, not willing to stall anymore. She had to get this done with.


    "I would like to work with you." Lucy finally said the statement she was waiting for. However, why was she confused instead of overjoyed? She had dealt with many people under different circumstances and knew that nothing came by this easily.


    Thest time she went to Preston and Fort Group, she could swear that Lucy had made up her mind not to consider the Sparks family as her partners. There had to be a good reason for her to suddenly change her mind.


    "Not your whole family, Miss Sparks. Just you." Lucy rified, realizing that the young woman had a misunderstanding about her previous statement.


    "What?" Natalieughed in confusion.


    "Your family conflict is troublesome but you are smart." Lucy exined.


    "So you are ready to take advantage of me." Natalie took a sip from her ss of wine.


    Lucy was impressed by this young woman who was quite bold and straightforward. It was pleasantly surprising that something good came out of the Sparks. "I didn''t say I wouldn''t try to take advantage of you. But it would be a win-win for both of us."


    "You don''t expect me to trust you, do you?" Natalie found it ridiculous.


    "Nope."


    "Yet you still¡­" Natalie found her impossible. Why was she fighting a losing battle?


    Lucy studied the younger woman with a grin. "Think about it, Natalie. Do you really want to live under your parents'' shadows? They don''t deserve you."


    Natalie was startled that thetter would suddenly bring her family up. Her expression darkened. "It''s none of your business. I''ll be on my way." She stood and grabbed her bag.


    "That''s okay. I''m waiting for someone here. Do think about my offer." Lucy sounded confident, certain that Natalie would join her in the end.


    Natalie offered her a nk smile and left.


    ¡­


    "Dev, where are you right now?" She asked over the phone when she got in her car. She had driven out on her own today so she didn''t have to worry about anyone snitching on her.


    "I''m having dinner at my house, my love. Would you like to join me?" He readily invited her.


    "I''ll be there soon." It was much better to talk to him in person so she went over.


    He was already waiting for her, and he pressed his lips against hers as soon as she walked in through the door.


    "That''s a warm wee." She smiled as soon as he pulled away.


    "You don''t look so warm." He held her cheek in concern. "Honey, you haven''t been happytely. What''s wrong? Did something happen?"


    "I''m not unhappy." She held his hand. "There''s just so much going on right now. I''m sorry if I get grumpy at times."


    "You do have a lot to be sorry for." He teased her, pecking her lips before he led her to the dining room. "Do you want to talk about it over dinner?"


    She sat down opposite him. "I''ll only keep youpany. I already had dinner with Miss Roatta just now."


    "Miss Roatta? You mean Lucy Roatta?" He paused just as he was about to serve her some food.


    "She''s popr." Sheughed. "And not in a good way, considering your reaction."


    "I think she''s¡­ alright. Just unpredictable." Heughed.


    "Tell me about it." She urged.


    He didn''t know why she was so eager but he was ready to satisfy her curiosity. "We didn''t encounter each other many times. Just when I was shooting amercial for Twilight." He looked creeped out.


    "Was she mean?" She guessed.


    "No, just strange." Heughed it out. "I don''t know why she got close to me out of everyone she was working with. She said that something about my determination made her see¡­"


    "Made her see what?" She probed.


    "She saw her child in me." Devonte concluded, making Natalie burst intoughter.


    "Thest thing I wanted was for someone to dere that they wanted to adopt me. I swear, she creeped me out." He massaged his temples. "But do you know what I found even more weird?"


    "What?" She paused from herughter to listen.


    "She doesn''t have a family. And she''s calctive. It''s almost as though she''s hiding from the world while plotting something. She even wanted to coborate with me on something but changed her mind." He exined.


    "That''s right! Family." It finally dawned on her.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked.


    "She proposed a deal to me too. However, the prerequisite is for me to be away from my family. And you''re right, my love. She is strange in so many ways." She ran a hand through her hair.


    She hade here seeking answers and reasons for Lucy''s offer but so far, all she had gotten was more questions.


    "Perhaps I should ask Desmond."


    "Desmond knows about her?" He was puzzled.


    "Yes. From the past." She didn''t know too much and only knew of what Lucy had told her while trying to cunningly win her trust. "In the present, she is the current COO of Preston and Fort Group."


    "That''s messed up." Heughed.


    She made the call immediately, but Desmond''s phone was off. She shrugged. "He must be with Zaria."


    "How would you know?" He raised an eyebrow.


    "He only turns his phone off when he''s with her so there''s no distraction." She shoved her phone back into her purse, making him frown. She met his gaze with curiosity. "Don''t tell me you''re jealous of this too."


    "I know, I know. I''m the only man you love while he''s like the brother you never got to have." Heughed, having memorized the words she had reassured him with every time he got jealous of Desmond. "I''m not jealous of him as a man. Just of the time you spent together. You even know when he''s with his girlfriend." He admitted. He wanted to be the man his girlfriend knew the most and at the same time the man who knew her best. He had no choice but to agree that he would never beat Desmond at it.


    "You''re unbelievable." She couldn''t helpughing.


    ¡­


    Just as Natalie guessed, Desmond was with Zaria at the moment¡ªonly that there was someone else at the table. Theodore. And he didn''t look happy to see Desmond in his house and on the same table as him.


    When they were done having the most awkward dinner, Theodore was the first to stand and wave Desmond over. "Let''s y a game."


    "I''d like to ept the challenge but¡­" Desmond looked the older man over, signalling at his injured limbs.


    Zaria massaged her nose bridge. She so badly wanted to exclude herself from this.


    "We cannot y golf with me in this state but I''m sure we can y chess." Theodore challenged.


    "Yep. I''m sure of that too."


    "Or maybe, you can y some other time. Dad, you need to rest." She interrupted them, not trusting either of them to keep their fists to themselves when they were ring fireballs at each other in the dining room a moment ago.


    "There''s still a few minutes before I should rest. I can''tze about immediately after eating, can I?" He was not ready to let go of this opportunity.


    "He has a point." Desmond agreed.


    "No he doesn''t." Zaria shut them both sternly. "Dad, you go to y with Des. Desmond, I''ll see you out."


    "Is it just me or did you speak to him more soothingly?" Theodore observed.


    "You too dad?" Zaria was bbergasted.


    Theodoreughed at his own childishness. He hugged Zaria who was about to lose her temper. "Princess, don''t be mad at me. It''s hard for me, you know. When your little girl suddenly grows up and you''re not the only man she looks up to anymore¡ªwhen her good morning and goodbye hugs aren''t for you anymore. I¡­"


    "Dad," She hugged him, stopping him from saying anything more. She would cry if she started thinking about that. "You know that no matter how old your little girl grows, she will forever be your daughter. That will never change, okay dad?"


    Theodore hugged her tightly but when he remembered that Desmond was still in the room, he pulled away. "I can''t lie about liking him but if he really makes you happy, I''ll try not to get in your way. The challenge is still on, by the way."

 Chapter 148 - Late Night Date(1)

    <h4>Chapter 148 - Late Night Date(1)</h4>


    "I think I''ll watch over this challenge you mentioned." Zaria crossed her arms as she dered. There was no way she would trust these two with each other.


    "That''s alright. We will not fight." Desmond promised. While it would be fun for his girlfriend to watch him take a challenge against her father, he didn''t want to bother her. Besides, who was to say that Theodore wasn''t horrible at the game? If he was, he would have to give in and let his future father-inw win, which mighte off as offensive to Zaria.


    Theodore didn''t want Zaria to watch either. He might end up kicking Desmond''s butt and that would make his daughter think that he was trying to bully her boyfriend. "At least I''ll try not to kill him." He promised.


    Zaria was amazed that they finally said something unanimously for the first time. "That''s great. But there''s nothing better than watching a good challenge after dinner, is there?"


    "No, there isn''t." The menughed.


    She followed them to the living room and a servant brought the chessboard. She sat down and hugged Des, rubbing his coat rhythmically as the man sat opposite each other and tried to capture each other''s pieces. It only took a few minutes to realize that they were both insanely good at it, and they had good strategies.


    She had expected to see Desmond''s pieces all captured within two minutes since she knew how good her dad was at indoor games. Surprisingly, Desmond was a pro too!


    "Des, are you bored?" She gently asked when the puppy wiggled in her arms. He whined, making her chuckle. "I agree. I find them childish too."


    "Hey!" Desmondined. All he had done was y a game of chess. Could she exin which part of that was childish?


    "Aren''t you?" She crossed her arms and looked at him threateningly.


    "Yes I am." He admitted when he thought about it. What point was he and Theodore trying to prove? They were both going all out just to make Zaria see that they were smarter than the other.


    While he spoke, he finally managed to capture Theodore''s pawn.


    "Smartd." Theodore cursed at his own mistake, but he had to agree that Desmond was indeed good at the game. "Forget the game. I''m not giving in." He corrected them before they coulde into a conclusion about him conceding defeat. "What I mean is, let''s talk about more important things. We all know what kind of family you are from. How am I to be certain that my princess will not be bullied by those aristocratic men and women?" he asked suspiciously. He had been with a woman who was not of the same social status as him before, and he knew how frustrating it could get when families came into the mix.


    "I will protect Zaria with my life and ensure no one bullies her." He promised, and he meant it.


    Theodore scrutinized his expression and ensured that he was not trying to make a fool out of Zaria.


    "You love my daughter so much, right?" He asked.


    "I do." He answered confidently.


    "Then I want the two of you to get married. Tomorrow." He ordered.


    "Dad!" Zaria was in shock.


    "What is it, my dear? Could it be that he is not the man you want to marry?" Theodore asked. "If you do not want to be his wife, then why are you with him?"


    "It''s just too soon." Zaria exined. She had never even thought about marriage. How could she suddenly get married in a few hours? It was too much to take in even if the man was the love of her life.


    "Is that so?" Theodore sounded disappointed and looked at Desmond. "Do you agree with her? Do you think it''s too soon for the two of you to get married?"


    Desmond thought about it and shook his head. "I would make Zaria my wife even right this moment. However, I cannot force her into something she is not ready for. I''m sorry Mr. Williams." He sincerely apologized.


    Zaria let out a sigh. "Dad, why would you be in such a hurry to get us married anyway? Is everything alright?"


    "Yes. I just wanted to know where he''s heading with this rtionship." He confessed.


    Zaria pped her forehead. "Dad¡­"


    He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I know, princess. I''m sorry." His apology was directed at Desmond, who he had just tested out of the blue.


    "I totally understand, Mr. Williams." Desmond nodded. He knew that Zaria was Theodore''s life, so he couldn''t me him for his irrational actions.


    "I guess I''ll see Desmond out." Zaria stood and headed towards the door.


    "Goodbye, Mr. Williams. I''ll see you again soon." Desmond promised. It was impossible not to meet when they treasured the same woman, they may as well be friends.


    Zaria led the way and just as they neared Desmond''s car, she noticed someone walking in from the main gate.


    "Ryan?" She was puzzled when she saw the ier clearly.


    "Hey Zaria." Ryan tried to hug her and was ignored. He red at Desmond before ignoring him to focus on Zaria. "I came to check on Uncle Theo." He exined his unexined arrival.


    "What is he doing here?" Desmond asked in displeasure.


    "He came to check on my dad." She repeated Ryan''s words as she looked at him. "Go on, he''s in the living room."


    "And you let him in?" Desmondined when Ryan entered the house.


    "Do I have a choice?" Zaria frowned. Ryan already knew that it was impossible between them and that they couldn''t be friends either. However, he was also Theodore''s friend. She couldn''t stop him from paying thetter a visit just because she was no longer his friend.


    "Yes you do. I''ll help you kick him out." He offered and made a step towards the house, just for her to grab his hand and drag him back.


    "Don''t be mean." She reprimanded him.


    "Zaria¡­" He looked at her pleadingly.


    "Desmond. Just leave, okay? I¡­" She sighed and stopped speaking when she realized just how mean her words sounded. He was looking at her in shock, not believing that she just kicked him out.


    "I don''t mean to sound rude, I''m sorry." She raised a hand and caressed the side of his face.


    "You just have so much going on." He pulled her into a hug, understanding that she was overwhelmed. She was yet to solve the mystery of Zeus and still had to do her work, which had multiplied. On top of that, she was torn in the midst of many distressing matters, including the friction between her former best friend and her boyfriend.


    "I know just what you need." He caressed her hair and kissed the top of her head.


    "And what''s that?" She looked up at him.


    "Ate night date." He smiled. "That''s one of the most effective ways to cure a bad mood."


    "What are the other ways?" She asked with a smile.


    "Making out." He grinned. "Do you want to try?"


    Her face flushed. "Count me in. For thete night date, I mean. I''ll get changed really quick."


    Heughed at her retreating back as she rushed back into the house, then came back wearing a pair of denim shorts and a blue t-shirt.


    "Aren''t you going to feel cold in that?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. That was not the kind of outfit he would expect anyone to wear in November, especially at night when the temperatures dropped a lot more.


    "If I dress warmly, why would I need you?" She looked up at him with mischief in her eyes.


    "Good point." He chuckled and took her hand. He noticed that she was wearing sneakers, which was the perfect choice since he was nning on going for ate night stroll.


    "Do you think this is alright?" She asked as they walked through the park a few minutester. "It''s sote at night. Is it safe?" She asked. There was no one strolling around aside from them, which sounded like the perfect recipe for disaster.


    "Don''t worry, this part of the city is safe. Besides, my bodyguards are around." He reassured her as he led her to a bench.


    She breathed in the cool air and eased herself into his arms. "I''ve never seen the city this peaceful. It''s magical."


    ___


    *Fun fact;


    This is probably not ''fun'' but it''s a fact. Many authors'' moods reflect the mood in the book. Not all authors, but it''s the case for me. Unless you want the male lead to cheat or the viin to kill the female lead, please don''t send hatements. Lol kidding XD. I wouldn''t ruin my book because of the negatives. However, the positives influence me a lot, which is why I appreciate yourments and reviews! Feel free to send as many of them as you would like and express your views on the book. <3

 Chapter 149 - Late Night Date(2)

    <h4>Chapter 149 - Late Night Date(2)</h4>


    "Yes it is." He had to admit. "Speaking of magical, have you heard of the well of love in this park? It is said to be magical." He asked.


    "No¡­ there''s such a thing as magical wells? I mean, I didn''t know people actually believed in them." She was surprised that a man like him would even think about it.


    "There''s nothing real or fake in this world, my love. It all depends on whether or not one has seen it." He challenged.


    "Fair enough. Tell me about it." She looked up at him, interested to hear about the said magical well.


    "It is said that when a couple makes a wish and drops a coin in the well together, their wish wille true." He exined the belief he had passed off as nonsense in the past. "It is also said that if you make a wish about the person you love, it wille true as long as you have an honest heart, the wish wille true."


    She frowned. "What if your heart is honest and you wished that I died?" She pointed out the loophole.


    He burst intoughter at her imagination. "I guess it woulde true. But I don''t think there is anyone who would wish death upon the love of their life." Unless the person they loved was under so much suffering that death would be a relief to them, he thought.


    "Do you want to try it out?" He asked excitedly.


    "Is there something you would like to wish for?" She was curious, and she would probably do it merely to satisfy her curiosity.


    "Of course!" He stood up and pulled her hand, running through the park.


    "It should be here." He searched around, but all she could see was a tall hedge.


    "The wishing well isn''t big?" She asked curiously. Otherwise, why was he looking for it through a hedge?


    "Not the well. The gate leading to it. Right here." He found what looked like a metallic pole covered in overgrown weeds. She was only able to realize that it was a gate when he pushed some of the weeds to one side.


    "Careful. You sure don''t want to wake the inhabitants of such thick bushes." She warned and grabbed her hand to pull him away from the gate.


    "I guess you''re right. That would be rude of us." He carefully pulled the gate open and pulled her behind him, then looked around.


    "It''s safe. Let''s go." He led the way.


    She looked around in awe. Although the gate looked like it was built half a millennium ago, the garden was colorful and beautiful.


    "Not many peoplee here. No one ever believes in such things as wishing wells anyways." He chuckled.


    "That exins why it is so beautiful." The flowers were in full bloom and even the weeds looked beautiful with the fireflies buzzing around them. It was more dim inside the hidden part of the garden because the only source of light was the city lights, but that was enough for them to spot the well.


    There were flowers and weeds grown around it as well, and it looked ancient.


    "How did you find out about the well?" She was curious.


    "Natalie told me about it." He smiled. "She said that her grandfather wished that the woman he married be the love of his life, and he fell in love with her grandmother even though they met through an arranged marriage."


    "That''s so sweet." Zaria admitted. It was not easy to fall in love with one''s arranged marriage partner, as they may resent each other thanks to the nature of their rtionship.


    "They are the cutest." Desmond smiled. "Ten years ago, Natalie and Devonte wished to stick together forever." He added.


    "Ten years?!" Zaria was shocked. Those two had been together for that long?!


    "They have been together for twelve years, actually." He corrected her, knowing what she was thinking. "It''s awesome, isn''t it? They have fought every battle together and didn''t quit no matter how insane their circumstances were."


    She blinked in surprise. She had to admit that it was indeed remarkable for them to still be so madly in love after more than a decade.


    "It could be a coincidence but I still want to try." He pulled her to the well.


    "Whether it''s a coincidence, fate or the well actually works, there''s nothing to lose, right?" She smiled, feeling the thrill of doing something that had never crossed her mind.


    "Do you have a coin?" She asked, recalling that she had not carried any money out.


    "I guess so." He took out his wallet and to her shock, he took out one dor.


    "What would you do with that anyway?" Sheughed, since it was the most shocking thing she would ever expect him to possess.


    "You gave this to me. Don''t you remember?" He asked with a tease.


    "Remind me." Sheughed. There was no way she would forget giving him such a thing.


    Heughed at the fact that she had really forgotten about it. "It was the first time we met. You hated me so much for suing Preston and Fort Group that you threwpensation fee at my feet. This was thepensation fee." Heughed.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." She gave an embarrassed chuckle. Who would have thought that he would remember her silly actions even monthster?


    He pulled her into his arms. "Don''t worry. I don''t hold it against you. It was just entertaining that the feisty woman who wanted to bite my head off is the same one who faked an identity to get close to me¡ªand the very one I fell in love with."


    "Why did you keep the coin anyway?" She was surprised that he even picked it up, expecting him to step on it on his way back to his car.


    "It''s not every day someone estimates my value and thinks my mental damage is worth one dor. What a valuable amount." Heughed.


    "It''s indeed valuable." She smiled seriously. It was valuable, considering that he had kept it all this time.


    "Let''s make a wish, okay? I''m wishing of us to be together forever. What would you like to wish?" She asked as he ced one side of the coin between her thumb and forefinger as he held the other side.


    "Wait. This is a valuable coin." She grabbed it and kissed it, leaving behind a pink lipstick stain before giving it back. He held his side carefully not to erase the ''love mark''.


    "I wish for you to love me more." She whispered.


    "I''d have to disappoint you on behalf of the well. I already love you with my entire life. What more could there be?" He gazed at her seriously, not knowing that her wish would actuallye true. Yearster, he would realize that what he thought was loving her enough was actually the tip of the iceberg.


    "I wish that no amount of trouble and temptations can break us apart. Or anything for that matter." He added seriously, making her look up at him in surprise.


    "You didn''t strike me as the type to be so seriously in love." She remarked.


    "I didn''t know either, until I met you." He confessed.


    "Then I wish for it to remain this way forever." She whispered.


    "Wait." She paused before they threw the coin into the well. "I wish for my parents to reconcile. Does this count?"


    She dropped in the coin, only to feel him pull her into a hug.


    "Are you trying to console me?" Sheughed through the sadness she was feeling deep down.


    He nodded. He knew what she felt. She knew what it was like to have a loving father, and her mother was getting close to her too. However, having both parents dote on her was something she had never felt her entire life, and she must desire to know what it felt like.


    "Zaria, if we ever have kids and you decide to leave, I will not let you go." He promised seriously.


    "If I''m going to abandon my kids in future, I would rather not have any." She meant it. It was usually the kids who suffered thanks to their parents'' decisions, and the parents weren''t to me for the fact that they fell out of love either.


    "Let''s not talk about such sad things. We have made our wish and I hope the well actually works." He patted her head. "Even if it doesn''t work, I will not let you go no matter what." He kissed her lips, pulling her into his embrace.


    "I will not let you go either, Desmond." She leaned against his chest.


    ___


    Music rmendation: Stuck with you¡ªJustin Bieber, Ariana Grande


    AN


    Does anyone believe in magic and wishing wells?


    I wish there was one near me so I try to make a wish and see if it actually works T_T

 Chapter 150 - Under The Moonlight(1)

    <h4>Chapter 150 - Under The Moonlight(1)</h4>


    Their hands remained entangled as they walked out through the gate.


    "I would love to see what the well looks like during the day. The well and everything else in here." She took ast nce at the wishing well.


    "We can alwayse back. Or we could stay here for the rest of the night." He suggested.


    "Let''se back some other day." She didn''t think she was able to stay up the whole night, especially not after the turmoil she had been through earlier.


    "When you are ready toe back, just say the word and I''ll be there." He kissed her cheek before pulling her to a wooden bench in the park. "Maybe I should get a nket? It might get colder."


    She snuggled into his chest and pulled his arms around her, hugging them to her chest. She inhaled his scent that made her feel safe, instantly feeling warmer. "I feel better now."


    He smiled at her words, his heart melting into a puddle. Not too long ago they hated each other so much that they couldn''t stand the thought of working in the same building. Who would have thought that the situation would turn around so quickly?


    She could even climb onto hisp and snuggle onto him for warmth and security. He took her hand and tangled their fingers, pulling her closer to his chest. "You look so lovely right now."


    "Tell me about it." She hummed in satisfaction. She wondered whether he was a natural sleeping pill-she would feel drowsy as soon as he hugged her. Or perhaps, being in his arms was just toofortable.


    "You look like a kitten-a cute, fluffy one that''s in herfort zone." He plucked her ears teasingly.


    "You didn''t strike me as a cat person." Sheughed in disbelief. What was up with the catpliments?


    "I am now." He smiled down at her. "I can''t help it when so many of your actions remind me of one. Do you think we should adopt one?"


    She raised her head to nce at him, making him change his mind immediately.


    "You know what? I prefer you to an actual kitten." Heughed. "It would be fun to adopt a rival for Des, though. The little thing has been trying to hog you to himself."


    She was amused by hisint. "Nope. No one''s going to create a rival for my Des."


    "I knew I should have taken you out for dinner." he hummed in reluctance.


    "Oh, Desmond." She burst intoughter. He was talking about the day he asked her how to make amends with the woman he had offended, when she had advised him to either ask her out for dinner or get her a pet. It was his decision to go for the pet and now he seemed to be regretting it?


    "You know that I love you both, Desmond." She tilted her head and kissed the corner of his lips. "I love him because aside from being insanely adorable, he''s also the first sincere gift I received from you. Of course I would treasure him."


    "I never thought of him that way." He admitted, realizing that she was right.


    She pinched his cheek. "That''s because you were too busy ying the childish card and fighting with a puppy. My hair almost flew off!"


    Heughed, pulling her into a tighter hug. "I love you so much, Zaria. I still can''t believe you''re mine. I mean, why would I ever deserve a woman as great and lovely as you? Sometimes I think this is all a dream, that I''ll wake up and it will all be gone."


    She looked at him, surprised. She never would have expected that he thought that way. She caressed the side of his face with her fingers. "I''m all yours, Desmond. And you wished for it to remain so forever so it will."


    They couldn''t sit on the bench for too long since it became ufortable, so he asked a bodyguard to arrange for nkets and pillows.


    "Do you n for us to spend the night here?" She asked as she watched him spread a nket on the grass and ce the pillows on one end.


    "If you would like." Hey on the soft cotton nket, resting his head against the fluffy pillow and beckoned her over. "Come on, don''t be shy."


    "You don''t think we''re going to identally awaken any inhabitants of the grass, right?" She chuckled as she sat on the nket.


    He pulled her toy on his chest and pulled another nket over them. "I don''t think our luck is that bad. Are you scared of little creatures?" He couldn''t help but realize that this was the second time she seemed concerned about them.


    "Like butterflies and fireflies? Of course not." She smiled and tried not to think about what she dreaded.


    "Don''t worry. I''m right here to protect you." He kissed her forehead, resting her head on his chest.


    She rolled onto her backfortably, ncing at the sky. "What a pity, there are no stars tonight. They''re all covered by the clouds. But at least we can gaze at the moon." She wasn''t too much into stargazing but it wouldn''t be a bad idea to do it with Desmond. Unfortunately, there wasn''t much to gaze at now.


    He nodded in agreement. "I guess the moon is an option too. But I''m lucky because I can gaze at your eyes. They''re more beautiful than the moon and the stars."


    "Did you just throw a pick-up line at me?"


    "Did it work?" He asked in response, only to realize that she was staring at him. More specifically, at his lips.


    "I want to kiss you so badly right now." Her voice lowered as she unconsciously bit her own lips.


    "I don''t know what you are waiting for." He swallowed, feeling his body start to heat up merely from hearing her words.


    She supported her body on her elbow and smiled down at him, looking into his eyes before her head lowered to press her lips against his. His eyes reflexively shut as his senses flooded with the feel of her sweet, soft lips. He held the back of her head, caressing her neck as his other hand snaked its way around her waist. He pulled her onto him, gently sliding her hair away from her face as he pressed kisses on the corners of her lips.


    His lips traced her jaw, kissing a trail down her neck. She nted her hands on his shoulders and lost herself in the passion of his kisses.


    She grabbed the front part of his shirt and clumsily unbuttoned it as kisses rained down her neck and the top of her chest.


    "Do you mind if I steal this away?" He gently asked, referring to her t-shirt which he was tugging.


    "I''d rather have your hands all over me." She hummed and stretched her hands for him to take her t-shirt off with ease. His hands were all over her in an instant, igniting heat under her skin with kisses and caresses.


    He grabbed the sides of his shirt and pulled it off his body, sending a few buttons flying as he threw it aside and wrapped his arms around her body.


    She traced her palms down his body in awe. Even though the moon wasn''t bright enough to see it very clearly, his chiseled body looked even more alluring under the dim light. "I''m sure international models would kill for your abs."


    "Says the woman whose waist can make all men and women green with envy." He caressed her waist as his fingers moved upwards to her back.


    "Men?" She chuckled, puzzled.


    "They will be envious of me for having you." He held the back of her neck and kissed her lips again, as her hands trailed down his abdomen.


    She rubbed her knee against him, sucking in a breath when he fondled her breasts through her bra. He looked at her to seek permission and when she nodded, he unhooked the back of her bra and cupped her boobs. He fondled her nipples, earning a gasp as her body went limp.


    Gently flipping her onto her back, he held the sides of her shorts. "May I?"


    "Just stop it." She chuckled and he froze, making her quickly realize the misunderstanding. "I mean, you don''t need to ask. Are you also going to ask whether to slow down or quicken your paceter?"


    "Does that mean¡­ you''re ready?" He confirmed, his pants feeling tighter by the second. She nodded with a flush of her cheeks. He unbuckled his belt, pulling his pants off along with his boxer briefs. He kissed her chest, sucking her soft skin as he unbuttoned her shorts and gently pulled them down her waist.


    "Des¡­" She nervously tried to avert her gaze from his body.


    He looked into her eyes and kissed her lips softly. "Trust me, my love."

 Chapter 151 - Under The Moonlight(2)

    <h4>Chapter 151 - Under The Moonlight(2)</h4>


    She nodded slowly, willingly losing herself in the passion of his kisses. He trailed his warm fingers down her waist and along her legs. She bit her lip when he parted her legs and caressed her inner thighs.


    The pits of her stomach flooded with desire as his bare skin brushed against hers. He took her hand and slid it down his chest, guiding it down his waist.


    Her hand froze as he pressed it against his hard manhood, earning a chuckle from him.


    "You don''t need to be embarrassed." He urged, guiding her hand to rub him the way he had so badly longed for her to rub.


    "Why do you drive me so crazy?" His breath hitched as his hand snaked in between her thighs to find her core. He rubbed her core through her panties that were already wet at the centre. She threw her head back, a gasp escaping her lips as he gently caressed her folds.


    "I''m not any less¡­ crazier." Herst words came off as a moan as his finger snaked into her panties and slid into her.


    He kissed her neck as he gently thrust his finger in and out of her body while he caressed her clit with his thumb.


    "Des." She moaned out his name as she tried to sit up, her breath disoriented. She looked up at him with dazed eyes full of desire, which made him lose the remaining stand of his patience.


    He wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed her lips, gently making her his. It was a much better feeling than he had ever thought of, and he couldn''t help losing himself to the heated passion.


    The sound of his name amid her moans drove him crazy, making him hug her waist and love her deeper.


    Her nails slightly dug into his skin as he quickened his strokes.


    "I love you so much, Zaria." He kissed her cheek.


    "I love you, Desmond." Her toes curled behind him as her legs shook from the feeling pooling at the bottom of her stomach.


    "Let it out, my love." He whispered against her neck, sending her into a climax.


    He reached his own climax a heartbeatter, holding her in his arms.


    He hugged her and caressed her back, his heart still racing as he pressed kisses on her body. She had never felt so treasured before. She felt even closer to him now, after breaking what she had always thought of as the barrier between them. Shefortably rested her head on his chest to doodle on his firm abs, but the beautiful moment was ruined by the ringing of his phone.


    "That must be my mother. She''s the only one insane enough to give me a call sote at night." He frowned in displeasure. Why didn''t he realize that his mother was such a drama queen? It had taken him ages. And she had to ruin such a perfect moment.


    "It could be urgent." She urged him to answer the call, and he did. As expected, the caller was Alyssa and all she wanted was to know why Desmond was not at his mansion.


    "I''m not a little kid." He expressed his annoyance to his mother, whoined about not having any right to say a word to her own son anymore. Of course, she med it on his rtionship with Zaria. He couldn''t tolerate it anymore. "I would appreciate it if you stopped ming everything on Zaria. If you stop barging into my house like you own the ce, it will be for the best."


    "You ungrateful child!" She screamed into the phone, and Desmond hung up to stop her.


    "I''m sorry, she deserves more than that." He apologized to Zaria, who must have had a fair share of trouble from Alyssa.


    She shook her head. "It''s alright, my love. I don''t expect you to hurl insults at her and destroy your mother-son rtionship for good all because of me. I hope we can tolerate each other at some point¡­ it will be for the best."


    "I wish she thought that way too." He found it a pity that a woman in her forties could be so childish. "Let''s stop talking about her already. I''ll drop you off."


    She blinked and looked up at him in surprise, her eyebrows furrowed.


    "Did I¡­say something wrong?" He asked and tried to think back on every word he had said, whether he had uttered any offensive word.


    "No, you didn''t." She shook her head with a smile and sat up. "Let''s go after dressing up."


    He grabbed her hand, looking deeply into her eyes which made her ufortable.


    "It sounded almost as though you don''t want to be with me anymore." She confessed with a slightugh. "Don''t give me that frown. I know, it sounds ridiculous. That was just me overthinking."


    He pulled her into his arms. "I don''t want you to ever feel that way again. I''m sorry I made you think so." He had finally figured out what made her overthink. He still sounded annoyed when he said that he would drop her off, which made it seem almost as though he had lost interest in her. He couldn''t me her thoughts from running miles wild. He plucked her ear as he tightly wrapped his arms around her. "What I meant was, you mentioned wanting to go back home and catch some sleep. It''s gettingte."


    She didn''t know what to say and merely smiled, embarrassed by her own overthinking.


    "If you still love the grass¡ªand your little creatures that inhabit it¡ª"


    "No, no! Let''s get out of here." She stood as soon as he mentioned the insects and whatever else could be found in grass.


    He burst intoughter while holding onto her bra so she wouldn''t get dressed. "Are you going to do a naked run out of here?"


    "Give that back, naughty!" She grabbed thecy bra out of his hand, her cheeks flushing at the thought of him holding her intimate clothes without feeling strange about it.


    "You look so adorable when you blush." He chuckled.


    "Just get dressed, okay?" She threw his clothes onto his chest, to which he humoredly smiled at her.


    She finished dressing up and took a step only to feel sore between her thighs. She sat back down in embarrassment.


    "There''s nothing to be shy about." He caressed the side of her face. "I can just carry you everywhere until you feel better."


    "I can walk." Just with a little extra effort.


    He didn''t listen to her and carried her off the ground instead, heading for the gate of the park. "I''m sorry. For¡­"


    "Stop talking about it." She buried her head in his neck. "What will happen to the nkets and pillows anyway?"


    "What pillows?" He asked teasingly.


    "Those¡­" She pointed at the spot they were lying a moment ago, only to catch sight of his bodyguard leaving the ce with a fluffy white bundle in his hand, which must be the nkets.


    She gasped. "Don''t tell me he has been there for all this while."


    "I''m sure he wouldn''t want to torture his eyes with such an erotic live show." He let out a smug smile, not letting her in on the fact that he had sent them a signal while they dressed up.


    She ignored his antics. "You don''t n to carry me all the way home, do you?" She caressed his neck. She didn''t mind it but it was a long way and he would definitely be tired.


    "Just to my car." He stopped soon after speaking.


    She had not noticed it before but when she turned to look, she realized that his car was parked near the park. His bodyguards sure worked like fairy godmothers¡ªor ghosts. It would be creepy for everything to appear at such convenient times if no one asked for them.


    He gently ced her in the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt before settling in the driver''s seat to start driving, while she enjoyed the servicefortably.


    "The boss drives while the assistantzily curls in the passenger seat. How rare." She smiled as she watched his side profile. He looked serious while driving, which gave her the chance to lose herself in admiring his handsomeness.


    "Are you going to take advantage of the chance?" He peeked at her from the corner of his eye.


    "And kiss you? Count me in." She leaned over and pecked the corner of his lips. "Any more and I''ll make you cause an ident."


    "You will be the death of me." Heughed and continued driving.


    "My love, you took a wrong turn." She tapped his arm when she saw him take a left turn instead of going right.


    "Don''t you want to spend the night in my bed instead? It''s warm and cozy." He invited her seductively.


    "I¡­don''t mind." She swallowed when she remembered what had just transpired between them a moment ago. If they spent the rest of the night together, would it happen again?

 Chapter 152 - Were You The Idle Person?

    <h4>Chapter 152 - Were You The Idle Person?</h4>


    "Do you think Zaria ising back?" Ryan asked when the match he and Theodore were watching ended. It was alreadyte at night and the match was his way of stalking for time so Zaria would return. However, she seemed to be taking much longer than one would when seeing people off. It was almost as though she had followed Desmond to his house!


    Damned Desmond. He cursed when he thought about it. That man must have lured her to his mansion.


    Theodore''s words merely confirmed his fear. "If you ask me, no she isn''t."


    His heart sank. That fool really did lure her away. "Uncle,"


    Theodore knew what he was going to say, and he patted the young man''s shoulder. "Ryan, if I were to choose a match for my daughter, it would have been you in the past."


    Ryan smiled when he heard the words that sounded like apliment, only to hear thest part of his words. "In the past? You mean your opinion of me changed?"


    "Yes." Theodore honestly answered, making Ryan immensely disappointed.


    Ryan let out a sigh, understanding why Theodore would no longer think of him as the best kind of man for his daughter. He rubbed his palms together. "Uncle, I''m sorry. I may have pushed her too hard thanks to my selfishness but I love her."


    "It''s not about that." Theodore frowned slightly. "The fact that she didn''t notice you says it all."


    It was a fair point, he had to admit. "I understand."


    "That doesn''t mean I regard you any less than I did before. I still see you as a son." He patted Ryan''s shoulder like he would if he had a son. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like if Zaria had a brother. Would she still be independent, or would she be spoiled rotten by having two men who cared for her around her? Or perhaps, her brother would have turned out to be so naughty that he would prank the hell out of her. He chuckled just thinking about it. In reality, he and Lucy had already discussed having a second child¡ªbut things didn''t work out between them.


    Ryan sighed in defeat when he saw Theodore''s expression change faster than the flip of a page. He must have thought about Desmond, and he must have a better impression of him.


    "At least you think of me as a son. That makes me feel better, I guess?" though thest thing he wanted was to think of Zaria as his sister.


    "How is Nina?" Theodore asked.


    He dly changed the topic. "She''s been having better responses to her medication. The doctor says she will be better soon."


    "Send my love to her." Theodore could only send his greetings, since the girl''s emotions might be triggered by the sight of people she was not close to.


    ¡­


    Zaria curled in Desmond''s bed as soon as they arrived, and wanted to fall asleep even though Desmond had other ns in mind.


    "Des, I feel sleepy." She hugged the duvet to her chest while trying to keep her eyes awake.


    He kissed the top of her head. "Go ahead, honey. I''ll hold you and keep the ghosts away." He held her head against hisp as he covered her, patting her back.


    "Can you not act like I''m a little girl?" She pinched him.


    "You can be one if you want to. Don''t be shy." He rubbed her back soothingly.


    Sheughed and punched him, though she had to admit that he made her wish to be a little girl again.


    When she fell asleep, he tucked her in and continued gazing down at her. She looked so adorable while sleeping that he couldn''t help caressing her face a little longer.


    His phone rang, making him frown. It was an unknown number. Why would anyone call him sote at night?


    "Who are you?" He asked in a low tone so he wouldn''t wake Zaria.


    "Hello?" He probed when thetter didn''t say a word. "It must be a lunatic." He hung up with a frown. Perhaps that was one of his mother''s antics, in her attempt to ruin his night with Zaria.


    He was wondering whether to get the contact number checked the following day when Zaria stirred in bed. She looked restless with beads of sweat forming on her forehead.


    "No¡­" She whined.


    "Zaria?" He shook her awake.


    She woke up in a daze and threw herself into his arms. "Desmond."


    "Nightmare?" He patted her back as he asked.


    "No...Not really." She pulled away so she wouldn''t make him worried. "I was just a little restless."


    He took her hand and caressed the back of it lovingly. "Are you having trouble with anything, my love?"


    She shook her head. "No. It''s just¡­ I''m a little worried about my mother." She rubbed the back of her neck. "She must have a lot going on. Running apany like Twilight as well as Preston and Fort Group doesn''t seem easy."


    He pulled her into a hug. "She must have done that to be with you. I''m sure she has it all figured out. Even if it''s going to be difficult, she will feel the joy more than the tiredness."


    "You''re actually right." She thought about his words. While it was true, it wasn''t the only reason why she was restlesstely. She was thinking about Zeus¡ªwho she had recently found out to be her brother.


    She had tried to find out why Lucy hid him away and the only reasonable exnation she could think of was that she was trying to protect Zeus. Perhaps it was the same reason as whatever it was that was keeping her away from her family?


    She had millions of questions, none of which she could share with Desmond because it was not her story to tell.


    It was only troublesome that it was starting to creep into her brain more often, so much that she was starting to have nightmares about her mother''s and brother''s lives being in danger.


    "Go back to sleep." He hugged herfortingly, and she hummed as she rested her head against his chest.


    _


    The following day, Preston and Fort Group.


    Lucy arrived a few minutes after Zaria, and she was surprised to see her daughter who looked anxious.


    She ensured no one was around and locked the door. "What happened to you?"


    "Mother!" Zaria threw herself into her arms emotionally.


    "Did anyone bully you? Is it the Sparks?" She sounded like she wouldmit murder, making Zaria smile as she pulled away.


    "No, it''s no one. I just missed you." She confessed. "But, do you have something against the Sparks? You only think the worst of them."


    Lucy shook her head indifferently. "Let''s just say I have something against all the aristocratic families in Imperium. They''re mypetitors after all."


    It did make sense, so Zaria nodded. "It must be hard, isn''t it? Not having any real friends because they could as well be faking it to take advantage of you or find loopholes to use to take you down."


    "Friends, Zaria?" Lucy seemed amused by her analogy. "You are your own friend. No one else is worthy of your trust¡ªnot even your parents."


    "Okay¡­" It did sound like something Lucy would say. Since she was a strong believer of fighting solo.


    "I don''t have much to do this evening. Would you like to apany me somewhere?" She asked.


    "It''s my duty, ma''am." Zaria jokingly switched to her working mode.


    "Then meet me in the parking lot at five." Lucy exited her office only to bump into Desmond.


    "Good Morning, Miss Roatta." He greeted her teasingly. "You don''t seem to have had enough rest. Did you stay uptest night?"


    "Don''t get me wrong." He pinched his nose bridge when he realized the misunderstanding his question could cause. "Someone was idle enough to give me a nk callst night. I have a feeling it was not a mistake. Was the idle person perhaps¡­ you?"


    "No." She huffed. Was he insane?


    He believed her, because she was always smug about causing trouble and had no reason to lie about it. "Hey, can I borrow Zaria for the day? I''m yet to meet my new assistant." He tried to ask nicely, only to be met with a wave of her forefinger.


    "Your new assistant should be here soon. Zaria and I have things to do."


    ___


    The mall was not one of the things in Zaria''s mind when her mother talked about going somewhere, so she was taken aback.


    "Try this on." Lucy handed her the umpteenth gown, and Zaria was officially confused.


    "Why do I need to try on so many clothes anyway?"


    "I would like you to apany me to an event." Lucy held an emerald dress to her chest before setting it aside with a frown. "I forgot to tell you about it. Will you be my plus one?"


    "Yes, but what kind of event?" She was curious.


    "The mayor''s wedding banquet."

 Chapter 153 - The Mayors Wedding Banquet(1)

    <h4>Chapter 153 - The Mayor''s Wedding Banquet(1)</h4>


    "I didn''t know the mayor was getting married. And soon at that. " Zaria was surprised to hear about it. Such news usually threatened to blow up the tabloids because it was often what remained on people''s tongues for weeks, but she had not heard a word of it. All she had ever heard was that the mayor had a secret girlfriend who he nned to get married to, and that she was Shera Qin''s mother.


    "He didn''t tell the public about it and only invited his close family and friends." Lucy exined theck of news.


    "That makes sense." Zaria nodded. Louis Fort was indeed the kind of man to keep his personal matters secret, and they would never be revealed to the public unless a paparazzi identally uncovered it. "But he invited you. You and him and friends?"


    Lucy smiled at the term which was alien to her. There was no such thing as friends in this world. "Just long term acquaintances."


    "I see. Is Desmond going too?" She asked curiously, recalling that Desmond was supposed to be a nemesis of the mayor''s son, considering that thetter was interested in Natalie. Perhaps he would invite Desmond as a way to see his crush? She frowned at the thought.


    "That depends on whether he is close to Louis or Amanda. Is something wrong?" Lucy noticed her daughter''s expression.


    "No, it''s nothing." Zaria smiled the thought away. If Desmond were to be invited to the banquet, his date would automatically be Natalie. It was uncertain how Devonte had been able to keep himself together because she was about to shatter from jealousy. However, she knew that Desmond and Natalie had zero interest in each other so she brushed it off with a random question. "The bride''s name is Amanda?"


    "Yes." Lucy checked through the gowns and didn''t see any other dress that interested her. "Come on, if you don''t like the dresses in this store, we can go to another one. It''s toote to order custom-made ones."


    "It''s alright. I like this one." She touched a peach gown and felt its texture. "Wait. Do you know what color Mrs. Fort will be wearing?"


    "Are you worried that you will identally steal her limelight?" Lucyughed humoredly and tousled her daughter''s hair. "Don''t worry, you will do so no matter what you wear. You are, after all, so beautiful."


    "Thank you very much. I feel better." Zaria jokingly huffed, then disappeared into the dressing cubicle with the peach gown.


    "Tell me if you need help." Lucy said through herughter. Had her daughter always been this cute?


    "I can do it just fine." Zaria responded from the dressing chamber as she slid into the gown. It was not aplex gown so she could wear it on her own, and she soon exited the dressing cubicle.


    Lucy was waiting for the door to open and when it did, she looked up. Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise when she saw Zaria who was standing before her. "You look so beautiful, honey."


    "But you look sad." Zaria closed in on her. Lucy looked like she was about to cry.


    The older woman shook her head. "It''s just¡­ unbelievable. When you were a little girl, I liked dressing you up and styling your hair. You would always brag about it to your friends."


    Zaria felt her eyes sting. She had previously thought that Lucy had forgotten all about her childhood. "I can''t brag about it anymore but you can style my hair whenever you want."


    Lucy pulled her into a hug and quickly pulled away when she remembered that they were still at a store. It might be normal to briefly hug her assistant but an emotional hug was suspicious.


    "The banquet is tomorrow in the evening. Is that too short of a notice?" She asked.


    "It''s alright. I can prepare for it." At least she had been told about it a day before. The banquet was probably not supposed to be a secret, since the public would find out about the mayor''s marriage sooner orter.


    "Mother, can you do me a favor?" She asked before she could stop herself.


    "What is it?" Lucy looked at her curiously.


    Zaria realized that it would not be a good idea so she shook her head. "It''s nothing."


    Lucy nodded and patted her shoulder. "Zaria, you have to know that you can tell me anything. You don''t need to be scared of me."


    "Yes, I know." Zaria averted her gaze. If it was about her, she might have gone ahead and asked for the favor. However, she had wanted to ask for Lucy to help Theodore attend the banquet as a reporter. It would boost the reputation of F&P Media. However, her father might not like it if he found out that he had been given a hand by his ex wife.


    She looked at her mother and wondered whether it was toote to change her mind. What if it created an opportunity for sparks to fly between them?


    In the end, she dropped the thought with a smile. Lucy would probably kill her if she knew what her daughter was thinking. "I should rush home."


    Lucy checked the time and found that it was gettingte.


    "I''ll drop you off." She offered.


    "Thanks but I need to get my car from thepany." Zaria wanted to bite her tongue immediately after rejecting the ride. That would have been yet another chance for the two to naturally meet! Was it toote to change her mind?


    "I''ll drop you off at thepany." Lucy led the way. She had driven on her own because she didn''t want her bodyguard to ask millions of questions about her closeness to Zaria.


    The ride was shorter than Lucy hoped for it to be. She wanted to spend more time with Zaria. What a bummer that thetter had to rush home. On the bright side, they would be at the banquet together the following day.


    "I will have the shoes and essories sent over to your houseter." She promised as they approached Preston and Fort Group.


    "Thank you." Zaria said in a low tone.


    "Goodbye mum." She bit out when they arrived at thepany parking lot. She would have loved to hug her but someone might see them, so she left the car and went up to check on Desmond.


    "Did Desmond leave already?" She asked Jessica, who she bumped into in the hallway.


    "The CEO does not belong to you, Miss Williams." Jessica huffed, making Zaria face-palm.


    "Is there something wrong with yournguageprehension skills? I''m pretty sure I asked whether Desmond left, not whether or not the CEO belongs to me." She wondered whether Jessica was crazy.


    What happened to Zeus anyway? She had instructed him to report to work today. They would have gotten rid of Jessica already. If that man did not want toe to work, he should simply say so.


    ¡­


    "Master, there is a problem." The young bodyguard reported to Lucy soon after Zaria left.


    "What is it?" Lucy felt her head hurt. What was up this time?


    "Alyssa''s lover is nning something. I was unable to get hold of his exact n but he will execute it tomorrow." The young man reported.


    It must have something to do with Zaria, Lucy guessed. She dismissed her bodyguard, took her phone and made a call. "Lock The Web. Make sure Zeus is home when you do it and he must not suspect a thing until you lock him in his room."


    Lucy hung up and held her phone to her chest. Zeus would probably hate her this time, but it was for his own good. She knew that he would probably go crazy if he found out that Zaria might be in danger, and whatever he would do in his craze might put him in danger too. He was too irrational.


    ¡­


    Zaria arrived home to find Theodore ying around, probably teaching Des how to dance. It was quite adorable but didn''t he know that he couldn''t strain himself? She gave her handbag to a maid before scolding him. "Dad, you are supposed to rest more."


    "I''m alright now." He ran to hug her, as a way to prove that he no longer needed to stay in bed and on the couch like azy potato.


    "Of course you are." She gave up talking sense into him. As long as he didn''t do anything overboard. She hugged him before picking up Des.


    "You¡­" Theodore looked confused as he stared at her in disbelief.


    "What is it dad?" She chuckled as she patted the puppy. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.


    "I missed you." He came up with some random excuse and hugged her again. He shook the insane thought out of his mind. How could he even think that he felt Lucy''s scent on Zaria a moment ago?

 Chapter 154 - The Mayors Wedding Banquet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 154 - The Mayor''s Wedding Banquet (2)</h4>


    "Dad, I will be homete tomorrow." Zaria announced as she rested on the couch.


    "Does your boss need you to work overtime?" Theodore frowned at the thought that Desmond might be taking advantage of their rtionship to make Zaria overwork.


    "We will go to a banquet in the evening." She exined, and Theodore''s frown eased.


    "Just take care of yourself, okay?" He urged.


    She nodded. "I''ll go and check what''s for dinner."


    ___


    "Everything is set. That brat will disappear from Imperium tomorrow." Mark raised a ss to Alyssa in his cer.


    She looked at him skeptically. "Just from Imperium?"


    "She can disappear from the world too, if you want." He sat opposite her to hold her hand. "You just need to say the word."


    Alyssa tilted her head in thought. She so badly wanted Zaria dead. However, "What if Desmond were to trace it back to us? My son will hate me."


    "Then leave her alone!" Jaime snickered from the staircase. He made his way down to them and took a seat. "I told you, I can deal with Zaria. I only need time."


    "Enough time to send your brother to his death." Alyssa frowned at her son in disapproval.


    "Half brother." Jaime corrected and shot a re at Mark. He was yet to ept the loser before him as his father, but he didn''t have much choice-especially not now when the police were after him. "I only need to get Zaria away from Desmond. He will no longer care about her and will not bother to look into her death when I rip her head off her neck."


    "If you think Desmond is the only one protecting her then you have another thinging for you." Alyssa shook her head at her son''s oblivion.


    "Do you think your ident was really an ident?" Mark scorned Jaime. "That was someone''s handiwork."


    "And that person is Zaria''s mother. That''s the only person who hates our family so much." Alyssa added.


    "I get it. You don''t need to echo each other." Hies ears were hurting just listening to them. "Wait, did you say it was Zaria''s mother?" He sat up with a jolt when the words sunk in.


    "What about it?" Alyssa shrugged.


    "Last I checked, she was motherless." Jaime raised an eyebrow. "That doesn''t matter. What matters is, Zaria likes a fair game. Does she know that her mother ys dirty?"


    Alyssa caught the hint with a dropped jaw. "That''s right. That woman couldn''t have gotten where she is by smiling and making friends. I''m sure there is a lot of dirt to dig. There is always tons of dirt to dig in multi billionpanies like Twilight."


    Mark caught up and was shocked. That brat''s mother must be someone exciting to mess with. "I will do the digging." He offered.


    "Do so before tomorrow. We could hit multiple birds with one stone." Alyssa urged. "It will be fun to ruin that witch''s family before she can reunie with them."


    "She is nning to reunite with her husband?" Mark asked in surprise.


    "Why else would she be back?"


    The manughed humoredly. "Tomorrow''s banquet will be quite busy and entertaining.


    Meanwhile, Jaime looked Lucy up so he would get to know her better.


    ___


    The next evening, at Devonte''s vi.


    "Why do you have to attend the banquet anyway? Desmond annulled your engagement." Devonte did not understand when Natalie said that she was going to attend the mayor''s wedding banquet with Desmond.


    "I''m not going as his fianc¨¦e. I''m his friend tonight." She exined. "Zaria is attending as Miss Roatta''s plus one, which leaves him with no date. He isn''t going to bring his male assistant as his date, is he?"


    "That kind of makes sense." Devonte admitted. Was it toote to take his excuse back? He had been invited but he didn''t want to go, so he gave an excuse about having too much work to do. Was it toote to change his mind and apany his girlfriend?


    "Don''t worry, you can stay home." She kissed his cheek to soothe him. "I will enjoy the banquet on your behalf and if I meet a handsome man, I''m definitely bringing him home for the night."


    "Hey!" He red at her.


    "Just kidding." She burst intoughter after sessfully teasing her jealous boyfriend.


    He grabbed her onto hisp and kissed her deeply.


    "Babe, I''m going to keep Desmond waiting if we take it too far." She slipped out of his arms.


    ¡­


    The mayor''s wedding banquet was held at Pearl Hotel. When Lucy and Zaria arrived, the hall was already filled with guests-all of whom were people who frequented the business or political forums on magazines. It almost looked like a gathering for the city''s aristocrats.


    If only Theodore had a chance to give a live footage of the event or interview a few of the guests, it would boost the reputation of F&P Media tremendously. Zaria thought.


    "Is something on your mind?" Lucy asked as she got down from the car, realizing that Zaria was in a daze.


    Thetter shook her head with a smile. She then ced her hand in Lucy''s for her mother to help her down.


    "You look so beautiful. I''m starting to change my mind." Lucy held her daughter''s hand and gave her a once-over yet again. The off the shoulder peach gown hugged her body, ascentuating her curves. Her hair was in an elegant updo, making her beautiful face stand out and everyone-especially the men- turned to stare at her as soon as they saw her. It gave Lucy the urge to protect her daughter from their preying eyes.


    "You''re just like dad." Sheughed. "He always wants to hide me away so men don''t see me and try to lure me away from him."


    Lucy gave a gentleugh.


    "You look so beautiful tonight, mum. He would have bugged you to be wary of other men too." She joked, then suddenly realized what she had just said. She peeked at Lucy nervously. Would she be offended?


    "Zaria, do you know why you are here?" Lucy changed the topic.


    "For Preston and Fort Group." She took a deep breath. This was a great chance to help Desmond snag a few deals and make new connections.


    "That''s where you are wrong, my dear." He tapped her shoulder. "You are here for yourself. Make your own connections."


    "Uhm¡­" Zaria was confused for a second.


    "Do you n to be his assistant forever?" Lucy raised an eyebrow with a tease.


    "Just for ten years. I don''t know what I''ll do after that." She answered as they approached the entrance of the hall.


    "You should. Don''t ignore your potential in fear of overpowering your man, okay?" She reprimanded, making Zaria puzzled. Where was this heading?


    Luckily, they arrived at the hall and someone rushed over to see them in, which cut off the possibiliy of Lucy saying anything about men being trash.


    "Lucy. I didn''t expect you to make it." A middle-aged woman received them. She must be the bride because she was wearing a red wedding gown, and was in thepany of Louis Fort.


    "I couldn''t miss it for the world. You look beautiful, Amanda." Lucy hugged her. "And Louis, don''t you look breathtaking?"


    "Did I take your breath away?" Louis joked.


    "If you say such things, Amanda will literally take my breath away." Lucy responded, making all of them burst intoughter.


    "Is this your daughter? I think I''ve seen her before." Louis looked at Zaria skeptically.


    "Zaria Williams. I interviewed you before, when I was a reporter for F&P Media." Zaria presented her hand for a shake, distracting Luois so Lucy would not have to answer his question. Her quick response earned her a smile from Lucy.


    "No wonder you look so familiar." Louis shook her hand. "Come on, would the two of you like to meet my stepdaughter?"


    Lucy and Zaria followed them towards the drinks zone.


    "Why do you have to be my sister? I still hate you, just so you know."


    "Who wants you as a brother anyway? Get a wife to keep you busy."


    This was the conversation that Zaria and Lucy overheard from the man and woman arguing near the drinks zone.


    "Those two are always arguing about the same thing. Ignore them." Amanda chuckled and beckoned her daughter over.


    "Ms. Roatta. What a surprise." The woman called Shera looked puzzled to see Lucy. "By the way, I haven''t forgotten about the ten percent of shares that you owe me."


    "One percent, Shera." Lucy face-palmed. "Besides, couldn''t we talk about itter?"


    "You know each other?" Louis was surprised.


    "She is a talented swindler." Lucy joked.


    "My daughter is great, I told you." Amanda bragged to Louis.


    _____


    Hello Darlings!


    I realized that some chapterments have been disappearing soon after you posted them. If you found out that yourment disappeared, please don''t get mad T_T It''s a glitch. I have already reported the bug but it might take some time to be corrected.

 Chapter 155 - The Mayors Wedding Banquet (3)

    <h4>Chapter 155 - The Mayor''s Wedding Banquet (3)</h4>


    Louis dragged the young man who was fighting with Shera earlier to introduce him to Lucy and Zaria. "This is my son, Dn. Dn, this is Lucy Roatta, the CEO of Twilight. This is her assistant, Zaria."


    "They are beautiful." Dn greeted the women while looking into Zaria''s eyes, making everyone else speechless. Was he saying that the women were beautiful, orplementing Zaria''s eyes?


    "Hello, Zaria. Would you like me to introduce you to some of my friends?" He winked at Zaria.


    "No, you can''t. She is taken." Lucy responded before anyone else could say a word.


    "Aren''t you protective of your assistant?" Shera smiled as though she had just uncovered a huge secret.


    Lucy ignored her tone. "It''s not every day that I get a capable assistant. I wouldn''t want her ditching her career because she was lured away by a womanizer."


    "Did you just call me that in the presence of Beautiful Zaria? My feelings are hurt." Dnughed humorously. He looked nothing like a heartbroken man.


    "Don''t worry, my opinion of you didn''t change." Zaria smiled.


    "It didn''t?" His eyes lit up in relief.


    "No. I didn''t consider you before, and neither do I consider you now." Zaria shattered his heart, making the whole groupugh at his expense.


    She peeked at Lucy and wondered whether she had been too childish. Was that too rude?


    In response, Lucy smiled to signify that it was alright. If she didn''t do that, Dn might have continued bugging her, thinking that he would have a chance if he was more persistent.


    "Ms. Roatta, someone would like to see you." A bartender whispered to Lucy.


    "Zaria, I''ll be back soon. Have fun while you wait for me." Lucy instructed. "Shera, could I trouble you to show my assistant around?" She added as she followed the bartender.


    "I will take good care of her." A sinister smile graced Shera''s lips, making Zaria uncertain. She was no longer sure whether she wanted to be taken care of.


    "Mother, Louis, you can tend to the other guests. I''ll take care of Miss Roatta." The woman waved at her mother and stepfather before leading Zaria away.


    "My surname is Williams." She corrected Shera as they walked away.


    "Oh. I thought you used your mother''s surname." Shera smiled.


    "She''s my boss." She wondered whether Shera had super eyes that enabled her to know that she was Lucy''s daughter without being told about it.


    "I once hired my sister as my assistant." She countered, as though that could prove a point.


    "I don''t think it''s part of your business, is it?" Zaria felt herself start to lose her temper from Shera''s taunts. She was nothing like the tabloids portrayed her.


    "No, it''s not." Shera took a step onto another hallway, making Zaria realize that they were quite some distance away from the banquet hall.


    She turned to leave, only for her path to be blocked by Shera.


    "What do you want?" She asked, wondering whether anyone would notice their absence.


    "I have a bad feeling about you, Miss Roatta." She scrutinized her.


    "Miss Williams." She corrected, not intending to let the other woman intimidate her.


    "Yeah, that too." Shera crossed her arms. "I don''t know why your family is here but if you prove me right, you will not get away."


    She left after threatening her, making Zaria frown. Why would Shera threaten her? They didn''t even know each other on personal terms!


    She turned around to walk back to the banquet hall and bumped into someone¡ªthe mayor''s son.


    "Don''t mind my step sister. She knows nothing about making friends the normal way." He exined, making it apparent that he had overheard her conversation with Shera.


    She nodded and brushed past him to leave.


    "Zaria," He called after her.


    She turned to face him, only because it would be rude to ignore him.


    "Don''t believe anyone''s words. I''m not really a womanizer." He exined.


    "Of course, you''re not." She smiled.


    He was uncertain whether she really believed him or she was being sarcastic. It was more usible to think that she was being sarcastic.


    "I really mean it." He quit trying to exin himself when she looked like she was about to leave.


    "Would you like to take a walk? You may need it after encountering her." He offered.


    "No, thank you." She smiled. "Why don''t you offer Natalie instead? She will be here soon." She directly let him know that she knew his intentions, as well as his interest in Natalie.


    As expected, he was shocked. She walked away before he could gather himself ande up with a new lie.


    ¡­


    "Who wants to see me?" Lucy asked the bartender who had reported it to her.


    "It''s a young man. I do not know his name." The bartender responded. "He is over there, near the giant bouquet of lilies."


    Lucy nodded and walked over, wondering who it was. She had a bad feeling about this.


    "Hi, Lucy." A young man emerged from behind the lilies just as she neared it.


    Jaime Fort.


    Of course, it had to be someone of this sort. No wonder she had a bad feeling. She darted her eyes towards the drinks zone.


    "Looking for Zaria? Don''t worry. I haven''tid my hands on her¡ªyet." Jaimeughed smugly.


    Lucy was amused by his audacity. "What makes you think there is a chance for you to do that?"


    "The fact that you are here." Jaime closed in on her. "How do you think Zaria would feel if I revealed to her who you really are?"


    "Ecstatic, of course." Lucy crossed her arms. "I don''t know what kind of drugs you are on but don''t you dare cross my path." She warned and turned to leave. How annoying. She must be too lenienttely-so much that losers were starting to think they could threaten her. Someone had to die. Tonight. He was digging his own grave anyway.


    She went to the restroom, and after ensuring that there was no one else around, sheposed a text message.


    [Jaime Fort is here. He cannot leave the banquet hall alive.]


    She sent over a picture and waited until she received a [Yes, ma''am] As usual, she erased the chat records by hacking into the other party''s phone. After cleaning all traces of herself, she left thedies room nonchntly while trying to hide her turmoil.


    Between Zaria and Jaime, one person had to die tonight. It all depended on whose side was more efficient. She had to protect her daughter, but sticking by her side would only make thetter suspicious.


    ¡­


    The banquet proceeded in full swing and soon, Louis pulled his bride onto the dance floor.


    "Would you like to dance with me?" A familiar voice spoke beside her.


    She frowned. It was Dn. She thought he had given up his antics and if she was not dreaming, she had seen Natalie a while ago. Wasn''t he afraid of being rejected by her for his yfulness? Of course, he didn''t have half a chance with Devonte in the picture but he should at least create a good impression of himself.


    "It''s just a dance." He held his hand out to her.


    She realized that people were starting to dart their eyes over at them. Would it really be alright to ignore the mayor''s son in such a public setting? The mayor wouldn''t be mad at her, would he? She took a deep breath and ced her palm in his.


    Before he could pull her onto the dance floor, someone grabbed her away in a sh.


    "Hey!" Dn exploded and was about to yell at the other party when he saw him clearly. It was Desmond Fort.


    "Sorry, I didn''t see you there." Desmond pulled Zaria onto the dance floor, ignoring Dn.


    "Did you dump your date?" Zaria asked him with a chuckle.


    "She dumped me first. I thought you would be happy to see me." He pretended to be hurt.


    "Of course I am." She was trying her best to remain sane, okay? He looked insanely handsome tonight, wearing a ck tux with a white shirt. One would think he had dressed up for her instead of the mayor''s banquet. He even had a new haircut! She was using her all to stop herself from kissing the breath out of him right away.


    "Damned that Dn." He cursed after giving thetter a smug smile. "He was head over heels for Natalie when she was my fianc¨¦e. Now that we are no longer engaged, he goes after my girlfriend instead?"


    Zariaughed at the thought of it. It was as though Dn was specifically attracted to the woman beside Desmond no matter who she was.


    ¡­.


    Lucy rejected everyone who asked her for a dance¡ªwhich was practically half of the male poption at the banquet. They couldn''t help it when she looked so ravishing and elegant, and had no man beside her.


    She sighed in relief when she saw Desmond take Zaria''s hand and lead her to the dance floor.


    "Would you like to¡­"


    "No." She rejected the potential dance partner before he couldplete his request, then felt a chill down her stomach when she recognized his voice.


    "Theodore?"

 Chapter 156 - The Mayors Wedding Banquet (4)

    <h4>Chapter 156 - The Mayor''s Wedding Banquet (4)</h4>


    "What are you doing here?" Lucy was surprised to see Theodore. He was thest person she expected to bump into in such a setting.


    He was shocked too. He had attended the banquet as the founder of a media agency and had expected to meet innumerable aristocrats. However, thest person he expected to see was Lucy, who he had not met for years. "I didn''t know you were the bride, Lucy." He smirked in response to her reaction upon seeing him.


    She frowned in displeasure. "What''s wrong with you?"


    He huffed. It turned out that the rumors were true. Rumor had it that Lucy Roatta was back and was now the COO of Preston and Fort Group. He had thought it was all nonsense¡ªwhy would she lower her status so much? But now that he saw her at the same banquet that Zaria was attending, he joined the dots. It turned out, she was merely trying to follow Zaria.


    "Stay away from my daughter." He red at her.


    She crossed her arms with augh and lowered her voice. "She is my daughter too, in case you didn''t know."


    "Yes I know that. But in case you didn''t know, I have full custody of her." He countered. Luckily, everyone was dancing and no one was paying attention to them. It would be embarrassing to be caught having such an argument with a woman like her.


    Lucy found his words ridiculous." She''s an adult now, Theodore. She can do whatever she pleases and you have no right to stop her."


    "I have every right to protect her from people who will harm her¡ªpeople like you." He frowned, feeling his fury start to surge. "You are emotionally ckmailing her and she has no idea what she''s getting herself into. She doesn''t know who you truly are."


    "Yes, you''re right." She shrugged. "She doesn''t know who I really am. But what about you?"


    "Dad? Uhm¡­" Zaria paused when she saw the bizarre situation. She had seen her dad while dancing with Desmond and made her way to him, only to see him locked in an argument with Lucy. What kind of situation was this?


    "I understand, Theo. I''ll stay far away from her if that''s what you want." Lucy walked away from them after speaking.


    Theodore facepalmed as he watched her leave. "I can''t believe her. I was blind before."


    Just like before, she was so beautiful that it was impossible to resist her. However, behind that beauty was a cunning, maniptive soul.


    As expected, Zaria was puzzled after hearing the words she said before she left. She pulled Theodore to the balcony and ensured no one was watching before she asked, "Did you ask her to stay away from me?"


    "Yes." It was useless to deny it anyway, so he admitted it.


    "Why would you do that?" She asked in confusion.


    "She''s manipting you, Zaria." He pped his forehead, picking the subtle anger in her voice. She was mad at him for trying to keep her away from her mother.


    "All she wants is to be close to her daughter. I think she has that right, doesn''t she?" She scolded.


    "You don''t know what she is capable of." Was all Theodore could say. It was a long story and he didn''t want anyone else overhearing it. "I''m mad at you. Why didn''t you tell me that she is stalking you?"


    "Because she isn''t." Zaria shrugged, frowning at his choice of words. Lucy had not stalked her, and neither had she forced her into anything. She had been close to her out of her own will.


    Although Lucy agreed to stay away from Zaria, she was not going to do so just because her ex-husband demanded it. She found Zaria soon after Theodore left. "Zaria,e on. I''ll introduce you to some of my business partners."


    "Okay." Zaria was d that she didn''t stay away, and followed her back into the banquet hall where the dance had ended.


    She led her to the other end where a middle-aged woman was drinking champagne.


    "Ms. Roatta, you are here too." The woman beamed when she saw Lucy.


    Lucy offered her a smile and pulled Zaria over to introduce them. "This is Martina Scott. We were going to meet her tomorrow but it''s great that we met beforehand."


    "It''s nice to meet you, Mrs. Scott." Zaria shook her hand.


    "The pleasure is mine." Martina beamed before her eyes shifted back to Lucy. "Have you met the bride''s family yet?"


    "I did."


    "You have? Have you met Guiume ck? I wanted to discuss business with him but he is too scarce." Martinained.


    "Is he? I don''t think so." Lucyughed while darting her eyes at Amanda who was a few steps away from them. Guiume was beside her and looked like he was going to bite everyone who looked at his beautiful sister¡ªincluding the groom.


    Martina grabbed the chance to go over and say hello.


    "Is that Dr. Williams?" Zaria asked about a young woman nearby, who turned when she heard her name. It really was her. She was Kara Williams, the doctor who saved her father''s life not too long ago. She walked over with a teenage boy in tow.


    "Miss Wiims, Ms. Roatta, we meet again." She greeted them with a smile.


    "It''s nice to see you again, Dr. Williams. Who is the handsome youngd?" Lucy changed the topic lest Kara say something that might cause her trouble.


    "Ashton Qin. Leo''s son and the precious gem of the Qin family." Kara introduced the young man proudly. It was more urate to say that he was her precious gem than that of the Qin family.


    The youngd blushed at her words. "Kara exaggerates it. Hello."


    "Mother!" A woman''s scream resounded from nearby, making everyone look over.


    "Amanda!" The mayor rushed over to his wife.


    Ashton looked over in horror. "Grandma!"


    "Someone shot the bride!" Someone eximed as amotion filled the ce. Amanda, who was smiling cheerfully a moment ago, was now in her brother''s arms with blood oozing from the left side of her chest. Her family was in panic.


    Kara had already rushed over and was taking her pulse.


    "Call an ambnce." She instructed, intensifying the panic on everyone''s face.


    The guests were starting to dart for the exit, only to be stopped by amand. "Everyone stay right where you are! Seal all the exits! No one leaves until the police arrive."


    It was Leo Qin, and no one dared to disobey him. It must be because they believed that the culprit was still within the building. He ordered a group of his bodyguards to search the entire building, including the banquet hall.


    "Ma''am, are you alright?" Zaria asked Lucy who was beside her. Everyone was in panic, which was understandable after such a thing happened out of the blue. The culprit''s gun must have been silenced, which made it even more nerve-wracking. It was impossible when the next bullet would be fired and who it would be for.


    "I''m alright." Lucy quickly sent a message for her team to secretly find out who shot Amanda. It seemed like there were more than two missions tonight, it was surprising that they didn''t bump into each other. She kept her phone away when she realized that Guiume was looking at everyone skeptically. They had already taken Amanda away but no one was allowed to move an inch yet.


    Zaria craned her neck to look for her father. She hoped he was alright, since she was certain that he was still in the hall somewhere.


    She noticed a gaze on her and looked beside her, only to see the youngd who was with Kara a moment ago scrutinizing her.


    All the guests were under suspicion but why did it seem like Ashton Qin suspected her too much? He was only a teenager but she was starting to get ufortable under his gaze.


    "Search her!" He suddenly instructed a female bodyguard while pointing at her.


    "What?" Zaria was taken aback.


    "Are you out of your mind?" Lucy asked him, equally puzzled by his order.


    "He definitely is." Desmond appeared out of the blue and shielded Zaria behind him.


    "Why are you all sticking for her? Are you protecting her because you''re part of her plot?" The teenager asked Lucy and Desmond usingly.


    "You have to give an exnation before you do such a thing." Desmond demanded. How rude of a teenager to hurl such instructions out of the blue!


    "Ashton, step aside. I will exin." A man pulled Ashton aside¡ªLeo Qin.


    "You better have a good exnation for your son''s behaviour." Desmond was on the verge of exploding in anger. He couldn''t stand anyone humiliating Zaria in such a manner.


    "I do." Leo frowned at Zaria who was behind Desmond. "Aside from the detectors at the door, there are more detectors ced randomly inside the hall and three of them¡ªincluding the one on my son''s watch¡ªdetected a microbomb on her."

 Chapter 157 - Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 157 - Suspect</h4>


    "What?" Zaria''s eyes widened in horror. She had a bomb on her?


    Lucy''s face paled. It seemed like Jaime was faster than her this time. When did he even nt the bomb on Zaria?


    Zaria tried not to freak out. "I''m certain that I am not armed."


    "Why don''t you prove that with your actions?" Leo crossed his arms, signalling for her to let the guards search her.


    "She is innocent. Will you take my word for it?" Desmond shielded her behind him. Although his words were a request to Leo, his tone was anything but. No one could feelfortable about being confronted in a room full of people, and after such amotion. It would be surprising if the next day''s headlines did not paint Zaria as the assassin who was brave enough to attempt to murder the mayor''s wife.


    Leo scrutinized Desmond and Lucy and shrugged. "Fine. But I still want to have a word with the three of you."


    ¡­


    The four of them went to another room and as soon as they arrived, Lucy checked Zaria all over.


    "What are you doing?" She was taken aback. Did her mother suspect her too?


    "Right here." Lucy shrunk in shock when she found what looked like a small bug stuck in Zaria''s hair. It was small and brown, which made it hard to spot unless one carefully looked for it.


    "What?" Desmond was bbergasted. He knew that Zaria would never carry a microbomb with her, much less ce it in her own hair.


    "It was nted on her. She''s the victim here." Lucy exined to Leo under Zaria''s shocked gaze.


    Zaria couldn''t think of anyone she had offendedtely, who would do such a thing to her. Could it be Shera? Thetter had threatened her and seemed to dislike her since they met. Could she have done this to humiliate her?


    "The truth is, for the sake of Lucy and Desmond, we were going to secretly send you away without creating a fuss. But then this happened." Leo exined. He clearly didn''tpletely trust them.


    "You do realize that you implicate them, don''t you?" He asked Zaria.


    "Let''s be practical Leo. It''s a micro bomb." Lucy interrupted before the me could be pushed to her daughter. "It was only small enough to hurt her. She''s the victim here and I think I know who the culprit is."


    "I think I know him too. I will drag him out for you to punish him." Desmond promised, having caught on Lucy''s hint. It had to be that idiot, Jaime. He had just shot himself in the foot.


    "I''m sorry that my son disrespected you. He is in shock since his grandmother was shot, after all." Leo apologized on behalf of Ashton, who had ordered for Zaria to be searched.


    "No one is ming you." Lucy smiled.


    "I see." Leo didn''t say anything else. He knew that hispany could no longer be a partner of Twilight and Preston and Fort Group as they had discussed in the banquet. They could no longer trust each other after the me game that had just transpired.


    "I mean it. It''s a personal matter. Zaria and I will solve it on our own." Lucy added, unwilling to let go of a potential business partner because of a little misunderstanding. Well, it was not little considering it was rted to her daughter''s life, but it was not worth throwing daggers over.


    She let Desmond speak to Leo and pulled Zaria out.


    "Why did you say that it was a personal matter?" Zaria asked as they left the hall.


    "Did I say personal? I mean it is a family matter." Lucy pulled her to the balcony after ensuring that there was no one else.


    Zaria was confused. "Family matter?"


    Lucy massaged her nose bridge in irritation. "It was Jaime. He threatened to hurt you."


    "I''m sorry this happened to you. I was too slow to protect you." She pulled her into a tight hug, relieved that Zaria was not hurt in the end. They discovered the microbomb in time. If it exploded¡­


    She hugged Zaria tighter when she thought about it.


    "Don''t me yourself. Nothing happened, after all." Zaria wrapped her arms around her.


    "dly." Lucy pulled away with relief written all over her face. However, what was going on now? Was Jaime still alive?


    "I have a feeling it''s not over." She grabbed Zaria''s hand in her own trembling hands.


    "What do you mean?" Zaria asked in shock.


    "Amanda doesn''t have enemies but she was shot. It was either to get back at Louis for something¡­ or to cause amotion and cover up for something else." Lucy dreaded the possibilities.


    She pulled Zaria into the banquet hall, where the guests had been allowed to leave since the police had arrived and were investigating the crime scene.


    "Where were you standing?" Lucy asked anxiously.


    "I don''t remember. Why?" Zaria didn''t understand why they were here, since the crime scene had already been sealed and they couldn''t go in.


    "Nothing." Lucy''s voice lowered. She tried to remember where Zaria was and where Amanda was. Was it possible that the bullet was meant for Zaria and Amanda identally took it? What were the odds?


    She shook her head when she thought about it. If the person managed to enter the hall with a gun despite all the security measures, they must be too experienced to miss a shot.


    "I feel like we''re missing something. The gun shot¡­ could it have been meant to create amotion and cover up for something else?" Lucy mumbled.


    "Something rted to us?" Zaria asked, making thetter jolt.


    If her men did this, she was going to murder them.


    "No. I don''t think so. It''s probably a matter rted to the Qin family. Let''s go." She frantically answered Zaria and pulled her to the elevator.


    "Did they allow us to leave?" Zaria looked back and hoped no one would follow them out of suspicion.


    "They no longer suspect us and the police are here so why else would we stay?" Lucy pressed the button to close the elevator.


    "Okay¡­" Zaria was confused. Why did it seem like Lucy was trying to hide something?


    When they reached the parking lot, Lucy pushed her into the car and before she realized it, it drove off.


    "I''ll catch up with you in a few minutes." Lucy promised and let her chauffeur drop Zaria off. She had things to take care of.


    She made a call as soon as she was far enough from Pearl Hotel. "Where is Jaime?"


    "I''m sorry, Master. We lost him." The young man on the other end apologized.


    "Useless!" She cursed. "Where are you?"


    She didn''t hear what the other party said, because her attention was caught by someone else.


    Theodore.


    He was having a conversation with a man wearing a baseball hat at the end of the alley. The duo exchanged envelopes before the man with a hat left by climbing over a wall.


    Theodore checked the contents of the envelope he had received but Lucy could not see what it was because she was too far away. She sauntered over and crossed her arms.


    Theodore turned when he felt someone''s presence behind him. "You again."


    "You have not changed a single bit. You''re still doing the dirty jobs." She scorned him.


    "I didn''t know gathering news was a dirty job. And what is it to you?" He countered, keeping the envelope away.


    She studied him and harrumphed. "Someone tried to harm Zaria tonight. A micro bomb was ced in her hair. Are you aware?"


    Theodore was shocked, making her snicker. "If you cannot do the primary duty of a father and take care of my daughter, leave her to me. I will protect her."


    "How will you protect her? By pulling her to your dark world where one is not allowed to have a family, or by abandoning her again?" He red at her. He would have pped the hell out of her if she was not Zaria''s mother.


    "At least I will not use her for my personal gain like you did!" She snapped back at him.


    "You are out of your mind." He brushed past her. This woman was crazy.


    "I know where the microbomb appeared from." She said after him, making him stop. "Now that I think about it, you are the most suspicious person who attended that banquet."


    "What are you saying?" He turned, wondering what the woman was getting at this time.


    She closed in on him, not daring to believe the realization that had just dawned on her. "No one could have gotten close to Zaria when she was under my watch. However, you hugged her and a bomb magically appeared in her hair. Tell me, did you nt it on her? Besides, why did you disappear as soon as you hugged her?


    _____


    AN


    What do you think? Could Theodore nt a bomb on Zaria?


    A. Possible¡­ No one is to be trusted


    B. No f-ing way! Zaria is his life.

 Chapter 158 - Loser

    <h4>Chapter 158 - Loser</h4>


    "How dare you use me of trying to hurt my own daughter? She is my own flesh and blood!" Theodore frowned at her in disbelief. How could she even get such a thing out of her mouth?


    She crossed her arms with a slight shrug. "You are a man who would do anything to get what you want. Who knows whether or not greed got the better of you?"


    "You brainless..!" He swung his hand, only for his wrist to be grabbed by her before he could p her.


    Her eyes were full of fury as she twisted his wrist. "I will never let you p me. Not in this lifetime, not in the next, Theodore Williams."


    Her eyes shot daggers at him as her lips pulled into a smirk. If he thought that she was still the naive, stupid and weak woman that he bullied in the past, eventually fell in love with, married and divorced, then he was awfully mistaken.


    "I will destroy you, Theo." She tossed his hand away.


    "Lucy," He grabbed her elbow as she brushed past him. He shouldn''t have tried to p her. What had gotten into him? He had always been calm and did not often lose his temper. However, he couldn''t stand being used of trying to harm the person he treasured the most.


    She pushed him away with a re. How dare he touch her! "I will kill you if I find out that you did anything to put my daughter''s life in danger."


    "Your existence is already putting her life in danger. What more danger can she be in?" Heughed after her.


    She ignored him and walked on.


    He watched her walk away as his frown deepened. She looked beautiful under the moonlight. She was still wearing her long gown which entuated her beauty and elegance. She was breathtaking even though he could only see her back. She was still¡­


    "Damn it Theodore what are you thinking?" He ran a hand through his hair. How could heplement the enemy? Was he crazy? He was insane to call her brainless¡ªbetween the two of them, he was the brainless one.


    ¡­


    Lucy furiously sauntered out of the alley. She turned to nce at Theodore who now had his back to her. Her anger faded in an instant. Why was she allowing herself to be angry because of the meaningless words of a loser?


    It was time to get back to what she should do. She took out her phone, wondering if it was toote to catch up with Jaime. That man should not be able to see the sun again.


    She rushed to her house to get changed and was just about to leave when she caught sight of a young man twirling a gun in the living room. She shook her head. She should have known that dealing with him was not that easy.


    "I thought I locked you up." She walked up to her son, whose appearance was more sudden than all the events that had happened tonight.


    "Of course you did." Zeus ced the gun on the table and stood to meet her halfway. "Do you think locking me up in The Web is enough to keep me away?" He scoffed at her failed attempt. "It was wrong of you to do that, mother. Zaria could have died. All because you didn''t want to put me in danger, you got rid of someone who could have prevented all of this from happening¡ªI''m talking about the micro bomb."


    "You found out." It was amazing how fast news travelled. Or maybe, she had just underestimated her son.


    "I was angry when I found out." He confessed as he took a step forward. "But I''m not mad at you anymore. You''ve been through a lot."


    "Zeus¡­"


    "Mom, it''s okay to feel sad. That doesn''t make you weak. It only makes you human." He pulled her into a hug. Everyone thought of the CEO of Twilight as a super strong woman with no weakness. Only he knew how much trouble she actually had to deal with every day. She had turned into a perfectionist and didn''t let herself make mistakes, which made her only me herself too much if anything went wrong.


    "Don''t be silly." Sheughed at her son''s attempt tofort her. Though she had to admit that she felt much better after hugging him.


    "For the record, I still don''t want you working at Preston and Fort Group." She announced as she pulled away.


    "Zaria will kill me if I don''t. I promised her that I will be careful not to expose anything." He scratched his head. It was already bad enough that he had been unable to go to work ever since the interview.


    "This conversation is not over, Zeus. I still have to take care of something." She grabbed the gun that Zeus was ying with a moment ago and tucked it to the side of her belt.


    "That is my baby! You can''t just take it away without a warning." Heined when his gun got snatched away.


    "Thay makes it my grandchild." She ignored his whinyint and slid a jacket on.


    "It''s already sote. Where are you going? What do you need?" He asked, giving up the gun.


    "Jamie''s life. The team lost him." She prepared to leave, only for him to run past her.


    "You got it. Just take care of yourself and get some rest, I will deal with the bad guys¡ªwhich is dad''s role and he should take it back, by the way." He ran out after teasing her.


    "What will I do with him?" Sheughed. He was quite a handful, but he was helpful. She could use the time to investigate other matters.


    _


    The chauffeur dropped Zaria home, and all she got from Lucy was a text message reassuring that everything was alright, and that she should get to work earlier the following day.


    "Why would she disappear on me? What does she have to do?" She asked no one in particr.


    "I don''t know." The chauffeur was just as confused, but Lucy was often unpredictable so it was nothing new to him.


    "Thank you for the ride." She sighed as she got off the car. "Please make sure that Ms. Roatta is alright."


    She entered the vi after leaving the car, and Des ran to her as soon as she walked in through the door. "I feel so depressed. Des, give me a hug." She hugged the puppy, earning pats on her forehead from thetter''s paws. Her heart melted.


    "My Des is so adorable. I really want a hug from the human Des right now." She sighed as she thought about him.


    "You got it." She heard his voice from behind her, making her turn in surprise.


    "Desmond!" She put the puppy down and jumped into his arms.


    He rubbed her back as he held her to his chest. "I''m sorry my love. It''s all my fault that someone could pull off such a move on you."


    She knew he was talking about the bomb. It had shocked everyone and she was yet to get over it herself. She caressed his face. "Love, it''s not your fault. I was careless and dumb enough to not realize that I have a new hair essory."


    He couldn''t believe that she was joking about it already. "I¡­"


    "Let''s talk about it in my room."


    ¡­


    "Honey, I''m sorry but I need to ask you this." He caressed her back gently. "Do you remember the people you met at the banquet? At least the ones you spent a lot of time with alone."


    She thought back to all the people she met at the banquet. She only briefly spoke to most of them. "Aside from Dn Fort and my parents? No one else that I remember. Wait. Does Shera count? We only spoke briefly."


    Desmond shook his head at everyone she had mentioned. She had met Dn and Shera for the first time, they shouldn''t have anything against her. It had to be someone else.


    "You didn''t meet Jaime?" He asked, remembering that Lucy mentioned him.


    "Not personally." She answered even though she didn''t know why he was asking so much. "Mother said she met him and he threatened her."


    "Do you remember everything that happened throughout the banquet?" He probed.


    "Most of it, yes." She narrated the details starting from the moment she and Lucy left the car to when the Qins suspected her of being armed and found the bomb on her.


    "I see." Desmond looked deep in thought. She supported herself on her elbow and scrutinised his expression. He looked troubled.


    "Did you think of something?" She asked.


    He wanted to brush it off as nothing but he couldn''t. It would make her feel scared. Besides, he was not trying to investigate the incident in secret so he asked, "Do you¡­Do you know who invited your dad to the banquet?"

 Chapter 159 - Jaime Is Dead

    <h4>Chapter 159 - Jaime Is Dead</h4>


    "No, I don''t." She shook her head at his question, deep in thought. "He is a reporter though. It wouldn''t be difficult for him to get an invitation to such events."


    He nodded, making her find his question strange. "Wait. Why did you mention him?"


    "It''s not that I''m suspecting him." He held her chin and rubbed his thumb against her lips. "It''s just that no one can be trustedpletely. The only person who could do this to you is someone who is close to you and knew that you were attending the banquet."


    "I see." His exnation made sense, but she trusted Theodore. "My dad would never do anything to hurt me."


    "I know. He cares about you more than his own life." He pecked her lips as he caressed her cheek. "I''m only afraid that you are being trapped and perhaps it''s not just you."


    It had not crossed her mind but he was right. It was just as Lucy guessed. It was possible that someone wanted to hurt her, but it was also possible for it to be a distraction. That, and the fact that it was also likely for the culprit to want to hurt her as well as Theodore.


    "I will warn him to be careful."


    "We should be careful too. I will get more bodyguards." He promised.


    "Are we seriously still talking about that?" She no longer desired to discuss such a negative topic. She was restless being with him in her bed. She missed his body ever since the night they made love under the moonlight and her face flushed just by thinking about it.


    "You are right. We should do something more exciting." He pressed his lips against hers as soon as his words were out.


    _


    Zeus returned to Lucy''s mansion when he was done. He had been away for two hours and it was alreadyte when he returned, so he was surprised when he saw Lucy in the living room. "Are you having a sleepless night?" He asked her as he went over to sit across the coffee table.


    She stared at him nkly and ignored him. She must be lost in her own world so he didn''t take it to heart.


    "Jaime is dead. Don''t worry about the body, no one will ever uncover it." He reported.


    "What about the evidence?" She finally had a reaction when she heard the news she had been waiting for.


    Heughed at her question. "Don''t underestimate me, mother. I never leave any evidence behind. And I''m certain that there will never be any melodrama about him appearing out of nowhere and revealing that he survived."


    "Good job, son." She took a deep sigh and stood, finally deciding to take a rest. However, she changed her mind as soon as she took the first step, turning back to her son. "Call for a meeting."


    "Right now?" He was taken aback by the sudden instruction.


    "Yes." She said resolutely. "No matter which city they are in and what they are doing, as long as they are in Olphire, let them gather at the arsenal within an hour."


    Zeus quickly sent the message. "Message sent."


    ¡­


    Lucy wasn''t the only one having a sleepless night.


    In Mark''s manor, Alyssa couldn''t sit still for a second either.


    "Why isn''t Jaime back? Is he alright?" She asked for the umpteenth time.


    "I''m sure he is." Markforted her even though he felt uneasy himself. It was not easy for Jaime to do anything in such a setting as the mayor''s banquet. However, it was the only chance he could get without Desmond''s insane security around her so he didn''t miss it.


    He had already received news about what happened to the mayor''s wife, which should have made things easier for him thanks to themotion.


    "I have a bad feeling about this." Alyssa frowned. "What about that slut?" She asked, referring to Zaria.


    "Hold on. I''ll find out what happened to her." He took out his phone to call a friend of Jaime''s who was with him on the mission, but he didn''t have to. The door opened and the young man walked in looking dejected.


    "Did you do it?" Mark asked.


    "No." The young man gritted his teeth and slumped onto the couch, holding his head between his hands.


    "What happened?" Alyssa felt her heart elerate when she saw his reaction. When he didn''t answer her, she shook his shoulder. "Did something go wrong?"


    "Jaime is dead." He finally opened his mouth and mumbled, not believing the words he was saying either.


    "How did this happen?" Mark asked in disbelief, holding Alyssa who almost fainted from shock.


    The young man lifted his head and looked at them as he mumbled.


    "He was following the car that he believed Zaria was in. Soon after he caught up, he gave us instructions. He sounded panicked."


    Ayssa wiped her tears. She wanted to scream and yell and die too, but she could only weakly lean against Mark.


    "What did he tell you?" Mark asked.


    The young man took a deep breath. "Toplete the second task which is rted to Zaria Williams. My phone automatically records calls. Let me find the recording." He took out his phone. He had always recorded calls for convenience and ckmail material in case he needed it, which he usually needed often. He never would have thought that he would use it in such a manner. He searched for the folder and yed the recording.


    The duo conversed as Jaime informed him of his location. However, he became silent for a whole minute so his friend was worried. "Jaime? Are you there?"


    "I followed someone I shouldn''t. It was a trap all along and I fell for it." Jaime breathed, sounding as though he was in disbelief.


    "Jaime, where are you? I will get back up right away." He urged. "Share your location with me."


    "It''s useless. The whole team will be wiped out if you try to save me." Jaimeughed bitterly. "Make sure toplete the second task and¡­" A bang followed and Jaime went dead silent.


    "I looked for him anyway. It wasn''t difficult to track him since he had told me his previous location but by the time I arrived, his car was up in mes." The young man swallowed a bitter gulp. "Whoever did this to him, I will make them pay." He still couldn''t get the image of Jaime''s body out of his head.


    "I will not let them off either." Mark vowed. Whether or not it was someone they should not mess with, he would avenge his son''s death.


    The young man was rejuvenated. "I willplete the second task."


    _


    The following morning.


    Zaria felt as though her bones had been crushed when she woke up after such an eventful night. Desmond had left earlier since he had a lot of work to take care of, leaving her to catch a little more sleep.


    She couldn''tze around when she had to be at work earlier so she took a shower and dressed up.


    "Good Morning, Dad." She smiled at Theodore who was drinking coffee in the living room. "I didn''t see youst night. Did you returnte?"


    "Not veryte, but I guessed that you were asleep so I didn''t wake you." He stood to hug her.


    "I have to rush. I''ll speak to you this evening." She kissed his cheek. "I''ll pick you up at work."


    Grabbing her breakfast to eatter, she hurried out only to meet a young man outside the door.


    "Miss Williams?" He probed to confirm her identity.


    "Yes, that''s me." He looked like a delivery man so she was confused. She didn''t order anything.


    "There is an anonymous parcel for you. The sender didn''t want her identity revealed but she said to open it as soon as you can." He gave a white envelope to her.


    "Okay." She was confused but she signed and opened the envelope.


    The content was only one statement. [Not all idents are idents.]


    What was the meaning of this? Was it an idle idiot who wanted to mess with her? And to think she had imagined that the sender was Desmond who left behind a surprise to her.


    She shrugged and tossed the note into her handbag since she didn''t have time to think about it, then entered her car and drove off to work.


    She arrived before Lucy did. She didn''t know why thetter wanted her to arrive earlier so she could only wait. She opened her bag to take out her phone and saw the note again. She studied it for a while. Not all idents are idents?


    She had been in a hurry earlier but now that she was more calm, she frowned when she thought about it. What if it actually meant something?


    Something crossed her mind when she read it again. Theodore''s ident!


    _____


    Hello Darlings!


    The service team replied to me. Somements are automatically deleted by the system because they contain censored words (The usual NSFW, discriminativements or advertisements.)


    If yourments were deleted despite not falling under any of the three categories above, please let me know.

 Chapter 160 - No One To Trust

    <h4>Chapter 160 - No One To Trust</h4>


    "Dad''s ident was not an ident?" She mumbled in disbelief. She had not thought about it before but based on the timing, it did seem suspicious. But if it was a premeditated ident, who could have caused it?


    Jaime Fort? That was the only person she could think of that hated her father so much. She and Theodore had many enemies but at the moment, Jaime was the one who had been seeking their lives most actively at the moment.


    She ran a hand through her hair in distress and turned on herputer to check what Jaime had been up totely. He was in jail for a while before he was bailed out, right?


    However, she was bbergasted when she realized that her father had an ident on the same day that Jaime was bailed out of jail. Her heart skipped a beat until she found out that on the same day, there was a record of him in hospital, where he had been taken to ICU after an ident.


    Jaime and Theodore had an ident on the same day¡­ how odd.


    It had just gotten more confusing but one thing was for sure. If the ident was orchestrated by someone, that person wasn''t likely to be Jaime.


    "But it''s also possible for him to be caught in the mess that he created. Some twist of fate?" She mumbled a possibility and rubbed her temples. She had to find out exactly how the ident happened, but she had no ess to the traffic surveince. Did she have to seek Zeus'' help?


    She rubbed her nose bridge. That idiot had been ignoring her and it was no guarantee that he would help her out. Still, she decided to try. She logged on to Creszone on a new window and found him online, which made her almost give in to her urge to type a myriad of insults.


    [Are youing to work or not?]


    [Forget it. You are fired.]


    As expected, he answered her with augh. [Fired? I haven''t even started working yet.] He went ahead to give a ton of excuses about why he couldn''t make it to work and being uncertain whether or not he wanted to work at Preston And Fort Group. He was making no sense, which made her frown. What had gotten into him? He must have a split personality, she shrugged.


    [We can forget about your absence if you help me do something.] She grabbed the chance to ckmail him.


    [What do you need?] He asked.


    [Help me ess the traffic surveince.] She responded.


    [What road, date and time?] Came his question, making her sigh in relief and send the date over. She wasn''t certain of the time so she hoped for him to check about half an hour before she received the call from the hospital. She waited for a response which didn''t arrive even after ten minutes even though he was online. He could have hacked into the surveince system so she didn''t probe even though he didn''t usually take that long. She had breakfast as she waited and when she returned, there was a response¡ªone she would never have expected.


    [What do you take me for, Zaria? Someone you can use whenever you want?]


    She stared at her phone in disbelief. She didn''t expect such an outrage from him. If he didn''t want to help her, he could have said it politely. However, he was not wrong. He had helped her so many times already. Although she rarely asked him for help, he was under no obligation to do anything she asked.


    She was uncertain what to tell him. Before she could make up her mind, Lucy arrived.


    "You are here. Did you wait for too long?" She asked with a smile.


    "No. I just arrived." Zaria stood to hug her briefly.


    "What is wrong?" Lucy observed that Zaria looked hurt.


    "It''s nothing." She didn''t want to talk about Zeus'' tantrum, especially when she was not sure that Lucy was ready to talk about Zeus.


    "What''s that?" Lucy asked about the note on Zaria''s desk, whose content was inrge font.


    "Someone sent me this." Zaria sighed. She had reached a stalemate. "I think it is rted to my dad''s ident."


    Lucy picked the note up and scrutinized it. So this was why Zaria was suddenly interested in the city''s traffic surveince. She had hoped that it was something to do with Jaime and dreaded that she would find out that Theodore was involved in the same ident. The truth was even more terrifying. She was in fact looking for the cause of Theodore''s ident.


    If she found out what really happened¡­


    She closed her eyes in denial. "Zaria, I have something to tell you."


    "What is it?" She asked curiously, and Lucy looked away. What if Zaria hated her?


    "Mom?" Zaria probed when thetter remained silent for too long.


    Hearing what Zaria called her, she was even more reluctant to tell her the truth. She would never hear that word from Zaria if thetter took it the wrong way. She took a deep breath and pulled her daughter into a hug helplessly. "I have a son, your half brother." She dropped a fact that she was certain Zaria already knew.


    Zaria looked up in shock. "Zeus isn''t dad''s son? But his age¡­"


    Lucy pped her forehead. "You siblings will send me to an early grave. Is there anything the two of you don''t know?"


    "But you hid him away and didn''t want anyone to know about his existence." Zaria probed.


    "Well, that¡­" Lucy was unable to exin so she shook her head. "Let''s not talk about it." She picked up the note that she had dropped a moment ago. "This sounds like a crappy warning meant to make you lose sleep over nothing. Perhaps it''s an idle person."


    "I thought so before but suddenly¡­" Zaria paused when she thought about everything that happened before and after the ident. She pulled away from Lucy skeptically.


    "Mother?"


    "We need to get to work, Zaria. We have a lot of work to do today and we will not be done if we don''t start soon." She found a way to distract Zaria. She would secretly delete everythingter. If Zaria had to find out the truth, it had to be from her.


    "It''s just a question." Zaria insisted.


    "Zaria, it''s time for work. Let''s discuss other matterster" She reminded her seriously, not letting her continue to think about that night.


    Unknowingly, her reaction only made Zaria suspicious even though Lucy didn''t reveal anything in her expression. She crossed her arms with a frown. "How did you know that dad had an ident, mother?"


    Lucy was shocked, but she remained calm on the surface, not letting her daughter''s sudden suspicious tone faze her. "I was looking out for you then I found out that you were in hospital. You don''t know how worried I was." She wrapped her arms around Zaria. She knew that it would be more suspicious if she kept evading the topic. "Can we go now?"


    "Actually, I have another question." Zaria pulled away and looked at her seriously. "You said that I shouldn''t trust anyone. Does that include you?"


    "What are you saying?" Lucy had a bad feeling about this.


    "I will not ask you to trust me but believe me, Zaria. I would never want to hurt you. I know how much the ident hurt your feelings. I understand that he means the world to you." She said in reassurance. She was telling the truth. The hit was meant for Jaime and Theodore was identally caught in the mix. Although she hated him, she would never hurt him because Zaria would be the one who would get hurt. But how was she supposed to exin this without seeming guilty?


    As expected, Zaria didn''t seem topletely believe her. "Okay. I will join you in ten minutes. I have to make sure Desmond doesn''t have to see Jessica''s face today."


    Lucy nodded and left her office.


    Zaria slumped into her chair as she nced at the door. Lucy''s words rang in her mind yet again. "You are your own friend. No one else is worthy of your trust¡ªnot even your parents."


    "How ironic that your words made me wary of you." She mumbled dejectedly. Why did it sound as though Lucy was trying to warn her against herself?


    Indeed, she must have been crazy. How could she trust the woman who left her two decades ago no matter how sadly she cried? She had tons of secrets too, none of which anyone could uncover. Not to mention, she tried to sow discord between her and Theodore at the banquet too. She shouldn''t have started looking into this. Her head felt like it was on the verge of exploding. She arranged for a temporary assistant for Desmond before leaving the office.


    Lucy was not in her office so she guessed that she was waiting in her car.


    "Miss Wiims, Ms. Roatta will be back soon. She asked for you to wait in the car." The chauffeur reported when Zaria arrived at the parking lot.


    She silently entered the car and settled in the backseat. Lucy''s handbag was on the other seat with her phone beside it. Zaria immediately scolded herself for the thought that crossed her mind for a second. It was wrong to invade people''s privacy no matter how curious she was.


    Just as she tore her gaze away, the phone screen lit up with a text message.

 Chapter 161 - Jaime Is Dead

    <h4>Chapter 161 - Jaime Is Dead</h4>


    "Did you wait for too long?" A question announced Lucy''s arrival.


    Zaria offered a polite smile. She had been unable to see the content of the text message before Lucy arrived, but she saw that the sender was Zeus. It made her all the more curious but she could only mind her own business for now.


    "Set up a meeting with the Qins as soon as possible. Zaria, are you even listening to me?" Lucy shook thetter when she realized that thetter didn''t seem to have heard a word of her instructions.


    "I will." Zaria sighed as they arrived at their destination. "Imperium Sparks Hotel?" She was surprised when she realized where they were.


    "Let''s have breakfast here." Lucy got down from the car, not giving Zaria the chance to say that she was already full. She could only follow her into the restaurant and have a seat opposite her.


    "Take note of everything you like about this ce as well as everything you dislike." Lucy instructed her before waving a waitress over.


    "Good morning," the waitress offered them a smile.


    "Your uniform is ugly." Lucymented after looking her up and down. The young woman was obviously stunned.


    "I understand that everyone has their own tastes." She smiled even though Lucy was ring at her. "What would you like to have for breakfast? We have several specialties today."


    "I want nothing but to fire you." Lucy rested her chin on her hand as she looked up at the beautiful young woman.


    Zaria had already caught on what Lucy was trying to do, but the young woman almost couldn''t hide her confusion. She nced at the two of them and once again smiled. "I don''t think you are having a good morning, ma''am. Would you like a cup of hot chocte? It will make you feel better."


    "Are you saying that I''m crazy?" Lucy narrowed her eyes, to which the young woman''s eyes widened.


    "Just unhappy. How about tiramisu? It works like a charm." She went on to the next offer while ignoring Lucy''s uncalled forments.


    "Don''t bothering to work tomorrow. I will have your manager fire you." Lucy threatened.


    "Ma''am, did I do something to upset you?" The waitress finally couldn''t take it anymore. She didn''t want to lose her job!


    "Yes. You look like my husband''s mistress! Can''t I hate you?" Lucy looked so serious that Zaria almost burst intoughter.


    It took a while for the young woman to process the words. When she did, she turned to leave but as though she had a better idea, she turned resolutely and faced Lucy. "You cannot hate me for things no one can control like my appearance. If I see your husband''s mistress, I will scold her and help you fire her from her job. Do you still want your breakfast?"


    Zaria ced their orders and quickly sent the waitress away before Lucy could continue scolding her. She could clearly see thetter fight back her anger after being picked on.


    "Why would you do that?" Zaria asked for confirmation once they were on their own.


    "She should expect to meet unreasonable patrons once in a while. If she meets an aggressive patron, will she break down in tears?" Lucy exined.


    "All you want to know is whether or not the staff here are well trained." Zaria shook her head.


    When their orders arrived, Lucy called back the waitress before she could rush away.


    "Did I breathe like your husband''s mistress this time?" She asked, upset about Lucy''s behaviour.


    Lucyughed. "I''m single."


    The waitress was confused. If she was single, then what was all that about her looking like her husband''s mistress which deserved her hatred?


    When the manager contacted herter and said that she had been promoted to a higher position, she was even more confused. Working in such grand hotels paid a lot but serving those billionaires was really not a walk in the park.


    ¡­


    Zaria followed Lucy to inspect all the resorts and hotels owned by the Sparks family. By the time they were done, she felt as though she could drop down and fall into slumber.


    "Why are all these details needed? Did you finally decide to coborate with the Sparks?" Zaria asked as they returned to Preston and Fort Group.


    "Don''t be silly. I only want to know how to topple them." Lucy snickered.


    Zaria had nothing more to say. "I see."


    In the past, she would have been amazed by Lucy''s way of thinking, keeping the enemy close in order to find the best way to destroy them. However, all she could think of now was that she was the enemy Lucy wanted to keep close.


    "Are you alright? You have been out of it the whole day." Lucy reached to pat her head, only for Zaria to avoid her touch.


    "I''m okay. Just tired." She left the car and walked into the elevator inrge strides, leaving Lucy behind.


    Lucy absent-mindedly went to her office. Something had changed. Zaria no longer trusted her, which was obvious from her behaviour. Just as she sat down behind the desk, Zeus arrived.


    "I thought you wouldn''te." She looked up at him.


    "You thought wrong." Zeus crossed his arms. "I''m here for work. Why would you be certain that I''m noting?"


    "Just get out of my sight." She was in no mood to deal with her son right now.


    _


    When Zaria got back to her office, the first thing that crossed her mind was the search she had been doing this morning.


    If she were to ask Skeleton for help¡­


    She shook her head as soon as the thought crossed her mind. Thest time she asked Skeleton to challenge Zeus, thetter rejected the idea even without trying and conceded defeat. It was impossible even before she asked.


    The door opened and she quickly exited the window, looking behind her.


    "It''s you." She smiled when she saw Desmond walk in.


    He pressed a kiss on her cheek. "Are you not happy to see me, my love?"


    "What if I''m not?" She teased. It was refreshing to finally see a face that brightened her day after hours of being beside the person she no longer trusted.


    "Then I''ll make you happy." He ran his thumb down her cheek and cupped her face. "First, let''s get rid of all the trouble."


    "What trouble?" She looked up into his eyes.


    He tapped her nose. "The one on your mind. Are you still upset about what happened at the banquet?"


    She shook her head and rested her head on his chest. "Desmond, I''m just so confused."


    "You can tell me anything." He patted her back.


    She looked back at the door and couldn''t bring herself to speak with the possibility that Lucy could be listening in on them. It was creepy to think that there could be a bug in her office, so she pulled his hand. "Let''s talk about it somewhere else."


    "My ce?" He asked and she nodded.


    ¡­


    "Would you like something to drink? ck coffee?" He offered as he gently ced her on the couch.


    "I''m alright." She curled on the couchfortably.


    He smiled down at her. "How about something sweet¡ªlike my lips?" He offered. When she didn''t respond, he leaned over.


    She pecked him on the lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just hold me."


    He sat on the couch and took her onto hisp, holding her tightly.


    "Des, even with all these bodyguards around me, it still feels like danger lurks." She looked up at him as she swallowed.


    "Did something happen?" He asked gently.


    She sighed, torn in between telling him and not wanting to worry him. In the end, she gripped his hand. "I''m starting to think that my mother isn''t really as good as she seems."


    "What did she do?" He didn''t rush into a conclusion before assessing the origin of her thoughts.


    "My father''s ident¡­" She paused when she heard a bang followed by the shrill yell of a woman.


    She slid off Desmond''sp to check what was happening.


    Alyssa was here, which was not a good sign.


    "You bitch!" She threw her bag at Zaria, which thetter blocked.


    "Alyssa Fort!" Desmond red at her.


    It took both women by surprise, and it was apparent that he had had enough of his mother''s tantrums.


    "What did you call me?" She paused in her drama and looked at her son in disbelief.


    "Is that not your name? Get lost if you have nothing better than to cause trouble here." He demanded.


    Tears immediately flooded Alyssa''s face as sheughed in disbelief. "How great. First, my daughter dies and the day after the death of my first son, my second son is trying to denounce me."


    "What did you say?" Zaria was shocked.


    Alyssa burst into a rage and lurched at Zaria. "It was you! You and your mother, you murdered my son!"


    "Mother!" Desmond grabbed her and pulled her away from Zaria.

 Chapter 162 - Things Arent Always The Way They Seem

    <h4>Chapter 162 - Things Aren''t Always The Way They Seem</h4>


    "What are you trying to say?" Desmond was shocked too. He had a feeling that his mother was not just bluffing to cause trouble.


    "It''s Lucy." She cried. "She tried to kill your brother before but failed. I thought he was safe but she really murdered him this time. Honey, you cannot be with the daughter of the woman who wants to harm your family."


    Zaria blinked when she realized that although she didn''t want to admit it, Alyssa could be telling the truth. The ident on that day¡­


    "Zaria!" Desmond ran after her when she suddenly dashed out through the door and headed for the parking lot.


    "It was her!" Tears fell down her cheeks as soon as Desmond grabbed her hand. "She caused the ident that harmed my dad."


    "What?" He didn''t expect such a twist either.


    "Let me go. I have to confront her." She tried to pull away. She finally understood the message she had been sent before, which warned that not every ident was actually an ident.


    He pulled her onto his chest and hugged her tightly.


    "Desmond! Did you hear anything about what I said?" Alyssa rushed out after them, frowning when she saw her son embracing the daughter of the enemy.


    "I will investigate if Lucy was really behind Jaime''s death." He hated his brother but because Alyssa was his mother after all, he didn''t heartlessly dismiss her.


    "She is the one behind it, I swear." Alyssa cried.


    Desmond bent and picked Zaria up in his arms, brushing past Alyssa. "If she is, that''s one thing." He turned to look at her seriously. "But if I find out that Lucy killed Jaime because he was on his way to hurt Zaria, you have to know that I will do nothing about it even if I have evidence against her."


    "You only think about that woman!" Alyssa pointed at Zaria who was crying in her son''s arms. They both ignored her and went back into the house, all the way to Desmond''s room without turning back to spare her a nce. Didn''t the life of his brother matter? Even though they had been rivals all their lives, they were still brothers albeit half brothers!


    ¡­


    Desmond ced her in his bed gently and kissed her tear-stained cheeks. "You cannot go to find Lucy now."


    "Why?" She so badly wanted to, but she felt weak. Her entire body had been drained of strength from the sudden shock and she could only rest her head on Desmond''s chest.


    He sat on the bed next to her and gathered her into his arms. "Love, things aren''t always the way they seem. If you confront her in your current state, it is highly possible that you will merely hurl insults at each other and solve nothing.


    She snifled while trying not to think about it. "She is such a pretender, Desmond. I thought she actually cared about dad. She even lied about not being able to hurt him because he is the person I care about deeply. Yet she actually¡­"


    "My love, don''t think about it." He kissed her eyes. "Let''s think of some happy thoughts. Do you want me to tell you a story?"


    She nodded. She wanted anything that could keep her from thinking about Lucy and her evil schemes.


    Desmond pulled the covers over them and patted her as he gently narrated. "It''s actually about someone I know. Her name is Alma. She was engaged to her childhood boyfriend, Garret. However, her parents were against their rtionship because a wealthy man-the head of the Preston family-was in love with Alma. Her rtionship with Garret was bound to be broken. After all, the Prestons were also rumored to be a mafia family. Besides, Garret had zero power against Martin Preston."


    "Amelia Preston, Liam''s mother?" Zaria was shocked when she understood who he was talking about.


    "You catch up quickly." He teased her ears.


    "What happened?"


    "It''s just like you can imagine." He continued. "Alma and Garret vowed to fight for their rtionship no matter how hard the fight got. It was never easy for them for an instant. She thought they would stick together regardless and if worse came to worst, they would die together. However, reality was cruel. Not only did Garret abandon her after receiving a sum of money, but her parents also forced her into a wedding gown and practically dragged her to the altar to marry Martin."


    "That''s awful." She frowned. She would never have expected that behind Alma Preston''s cheerful smile in interviews was such a sad story.


    "It was." Desmond sighed. "She med Garret for leaving her and hated her parents all her life. They were the worst traitors that she didn''t want to see ever again."


    "And they never talked again?" Zaria asked. She thought it was pitiful for a family topletely break apart for something that happened three decades ago.


    "They did when Liam was little." Desmond exined. "Her father finally revealed the truth while on his deathbed. It turned out, Martin threatened them and Garret with her life. She was in danger and if Garret didn''t leave and her parents didn''t make her marry him, she would have been killed. He also sent a lump sum to Garret to make Alma hate him."


    Zaria looked up at him in shock. Just what kind of darkness loomed in the Preston family? She knew that they had secrets but she didn''t expect some of those secrets to be this dark. "What happened to Garret?"


    "I don''t know. No one has heard of him ever since he left Alma." Desmond sighed.


    His words rang through her mind. Things weren''t always the way they appeared.


    "I want to see her." She dered, referring to Lucy.


    "Right now?" He checked the time. Finding that it was not aste as he expected, he gave Lucy a call. It would be better for the two of them to talk now, before Zaria''s mind filled with all sorts of thoughts through the night. Besides, he also wanted to know the truth.


    Lucy arrived faster than the duo expected.


    "She is here." Desmond announced.


    Zaria nodded and crawled out of bed. She was feeling better than she did when she had just discovered that the ident that almost killed Theodore was her mother''s handiwork. He went to cook her something to eat as she went to the living room where Lucy was sitting on pins and needles.


    "Zaria?" Lucy stood as soon as she saw her daughter. She went to hug her, only to be ignored by thetter.


    "I''m sure you know why I''m here." She gave Lucy a stern side nce. When Lucy tried to hug her, she crossed her arms. "Which is why I do not understand why you are still putting on a farce."


    "Zaria," Lucy felt her heart tremble when she thought about the only possible reason for Zaria''s behaviour.


    "You hurt him. You almost caused his death and after that, you lied about not being capable of harming the people around me. Why, Miss Roatta?" Zaria fought back her anger and hurt as she tried her best not to explode.


    "It was an ident." Was all Lucy could say. She massaged her nose bridge. Both she and Zeus knew that it really was an ident. But how could she prove it to Zaria? Theodore and Jaime just happened to be on the same road when the ident happened, and the truck that was hired just happened to lose control and end up running into innocent cars? What were the odds of such a thing happening?


    Still, she looked at her daughter. "Zaria, please believe me. I was aiming for Jaime. I knew he was trying to hurt you. Zaria? Please say something." She became worried when her daughter stared at her nkly without saying a word.


    Zaria hugged her arms, her gaze still cold. "Let me ask you this. If we are walking on a bridge together and I trip, pushing you off the bridge coincidentally, and you fall to your death, is it an ident or not?"


    Lucy was helpless when she heard the hypothetical question. She knew that her daughter was trying to trap her but there was nothing she could do aside from answering her. "It is an ident."


    Zaria nodded in satisfaction at the anticipated answer. "But I killed you nheless, didn''t I?"


    Lucy sighed and stepped forward to close in on Zaria. "Please forgive me, my dear. I should have asked them to be more careful."


    Zaria frowned and pulled away, repulsed by the woman before her. "I would have forgiven you if it were really an ident. But you hid the truth and tried to make up for your actions."


    "I¡­"


    "Not only that, Ms Roatta." Zaria interrupted her. "You also used Zeus'' name to make me give up my search for the truth. What was that about me only using him when I needed help?" She saw the shock in Lucy''s eyes. Clearly, she didn''t expect her to have known that the message was not sent by Zeus. She huffed. "If you are innocent, why did you delete part of the security footage?"


    ________


    Song rmendation: Tu n''es plus l¨¤ ¡ªAmel Bent.


    I listened to it on repeat while writing this chapter.

 Chapter 163 - Turning Back The Clock

    <h4>Chapter 163 - Turning Back The Clock</h4>


    "I knew you would misunderstand me. That is why I was eager to hide the truth." She tried to exin, which fell on a deaf ear. Judging by Zaria''s expression, she thought that it was yet another excuse to justify what happened.


    "Do you believe your own words?" Zaria smiled sarcastically. "First, you tried to sow discord between my father and I. Now you want to turn me against my brother as well? It''s as though you are trying to destroy me and you expect me to believe that it is all a misunderstanding? I''m not a fool."


    She frowned deeply when she remembered that at some point, Lucy was against Desmond too. "What did I ever do to you? Did I destroy your life by arriving when I shouldn''t and tying you to a man you didn''t love?"


    "What?" Lucy was taken aback by the sudden sharpments. "Nothing of that sort happened, honey. You are my world¡ªthe greatest gift that life gave me. I really didn''t ever intend to hurt you. What will I do to make you believe me?" Lucy was out of options.


    "Turn back the clock. Or get out of my sight." Zaria challenged. She knew that she was too heartless when she saw sadness flicker in Lucy''s eyes but it didn''t matter. She couldn''t go too easy on her without knowing what her purpose was either.


    Lucy took a step back. "I cannot undo what I did, but I will do my best to make it up."


    She looked determined when she left the mansion.


    Zaria watched her leave and when she turned back, she saw Desmond who had just left the kitchen and had an apron around his waist. He looked puzzled, making it obvious that he had heard thest part of their conversation.


    "What do you think she is going to do?" He asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.


    "I couldn''t care less. She could evaporate for all that matters." She shrugged and hugged him.


    "If you would like to investigate her, I can¡­"


    "I can''t." She stopped him before he could offer his help. "It''s not because I know that I will find something¡ªI mean, that too¡ªbut the main reason is that I''m afraid. I don''t know what I will find."


    "Then let things unfold naturally. She might decide to tell you everything as a way of making up to you. If that happens, you are not obliged to ept her if the truth is something that displeases you." He kissed the top of her head.


    "Let''s stop talking about her. She''s ruining my mood." She closed her eyes and tried not to wonder whether she really meant anything to Lucy or if it was part of her pretence. She held Desmond tightly. "Let''s talk about more important things like you. You know, I never imagined you in an apron." She chuckled as she ran a hand down his chest.


    "What? You think I can''t cook, Mmh?" He nibbled her ear.


    "I''d have to see it to believe it." She pulled away and headed for the kitchen, not believing that he could even tell the difference between sugar and salt.


    When she arrived at the kitchen, she had to shut her eyes for a second to take in what she was seeing.


    "Desmond?"


    "It''s perfect, right?" He rushed over to receive the praise he thought he was going to receive.


    She was too stunned to say a word. She nced at a dish with a raised eyebrow.


    "Braised beef. I noticed that you prefer it to pork so I made some. Would you like to have a taste?" He joyously exined.


    She shook her head. It didn''t look like braised beef¡ªor anything edible.


    "And what''s that?" She pointed at what looked like lumps of coal.


    "Broli. It got slightly burned but it''s still edible, right?" He nervously looked at her.


    She facepalmed. "Have you ever cooked before?"


    "Just a moment ago." He realized that the dishes were much worse than he expected, so he looked deted.


    She ignored the mess in the kitchen and turned to wrap her arms around his neck. "At least you look good in an apron. Besides, you tried your best to cook for me even though it is your first time. It means a lot, my love."


    Although he had made a mess, at least he got a kiss for it so he smiled happily.


    "I''m sure it doesn''t taste that bad." She picked a fork to have a taste of the braised beef which made her immediately grab a ss and pour herself water to drink.


    "Let''s just order take out." He rubbed his hair in embarrassment. "The kitchen will be cleaned up in an instant."


    ¡­


    Lucy took deep breaths to calm herself down when she left Desmond''s mansion. She had expected this. She knew that Zaria would misunderstand her and that was exactly what happened.


    How in the world was one supposed to turn back the clock? It was impossible. Was staying away from her really the only option left?


    A thought suddenly crossed her mind. Perhaps Zaria didn''t mean that she should literally turn back the clock? What if she meant that she should make up for the mistakes she made in the past? That was not entirely impossible¡­


    _


    F&P Media, the following day.


    "Boss, there''s a woman here to see you. Her surname is Roatta." Theodore''s assistant reported.


    Theodore frowned and his hand paused halfway through his signature on a document. Roatta? There was only one woman he knew who had that surname. But it was impossible, right? What would his ex-wife want from him?


    She must be here to seek trouble with him, and he knew that she would merely look for him again if she didn''t straight up barge in. He ran a hand down his face in exhaustion. "Let her in."


    The woman came in within a minute. She looked unhappy¡ªas expected¡ªbut the p he was waiting for did not arrive. She merely stared down at him.


    "What do you want?" He asked in annoyance.


    "We need to talk." She breathed.


    "I''m not in the mood to." He opened another document to read and ignored her, but he couldn''t concentrate on work. All that filled his mind was the woman in his office. Why wasn''t she causing a scene yet?


    When he didn''t feel any movement for a while, he looked up curiously.


    "For the record, I''m only doing this for Zaria." She leaned against the wall with a re. She would have long run out of patience if she wasn''t trying to make up for the mistakes she made that were now tearing Zaria away from her.


    "And you expect me to do as you say just because you asked." Heughed. Was she insane? He raised an eyebrow and ended up shaking his head. "You are no longer the old Lucy¡ªor so you say. What a coincidence, I''m not the old Theodore either. The man who would do anything just to put a smile on your face has long been buried along with our wedding rings."


    She shut her eyes for an instant. She didn''t ask for that, okay!


    "I''m sorry." She stated.


    He frowned in surprise at what he had just heard. Was he dreaming? He looked up at her for confirmation. "What did you say?"


    With her personality, he expected her to roll her eyes and stomp away. However, for some reason, she took a deep breath and went through with it. "I just apologized for hurting you."


    Having confirmed that he had heard her right, he stood and closed in on her.


    "When, Lucy?" He asked, pressing a hand against the wall to trap her. "When you made my remaining family estranged to me? When you threw away what we had? Or when you tried to turn my daughter against me?" He paused and waited for her reaction. Why was she still here even though he was pushing her buttons? Why was she enduring it?


    "It''s for the ident." She finally answered, trying not to punch a debt through his face. It''s for Zaria, she convinced herself and restored her smile.


    It took a moment for Theodore to understand what ident she was referring to. He frowned when he realized that there was only one ident she should be sorry for.


    He let out a snicker. "Then you have a lot to be sorry for, Lucy. What about my heart that you broke? Are you sorry for that too?" He pushed.


    "I did what I had to. Let go of me now, will you?" She demanded, running out of patience.


    He noted how tightly her teeth were gritted to swallow down her anger. He smiled down at her. "You''re amazing at putting on an act, aren''t you. Pretending to be a weak, pitiful woman now, huh? Are you going to cry to Zaria and me me for bullying you?"


    She shoved him out of her way with a re and stomped out of his office.


    Watching her receding back, he burst intoughter. She hadn''t changed in the slightest bit.

 Chapter 164 - The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 164 - The Truth</h4>


    Meanwhile, Zeus sought Zaria for a chat.


    "I meant it literally when I said my name had been stolen." He exined.


    She studied him with a small frown. "Who would do that? Someone stole your identity to rece you?"


    "Not to rece me. Just to protect the person she cares about." Zeus hoped she would understand it now.


    Her eyes widened slightly as she tried to make sense of what Zeus was saying. Could it be¡­


    "Yes, it''s our mother." Zeus confirmed her suspicion.


    "I knew it." Zaria muttered. Part of her had suspected it for a moment, when Zeus introduced himself as the creator of Creszone.


    When she was little, she once heard Lucy mention it.


    ______


    Two decades ago.


    "What are you busy with? You have been stuck on yourputer the whole day." Theodore asked as he ced a cup of coffee on Lucy''s desk.


    "I''m creating an application. I will name it Creszone. When I''m done, I will take a break and let you work while I stay at home like a housewife." She pecked Theodore''s cheek and thanked him for the coffee. "Can you take care of Zaria for a while?" She carried over Zaria who was ying with a doll and gave her to Theodore.


    "But I want to stay with mommy!" The little girl protested.


    Lucy held her small hand and kissed it. "I''m sorry, baby. Mommy has to work. If I stay with you all round the clock, you will have no future."


    _____


    Zaria shrugged at her mother''s reason. She wasn''t wrong, but that was just her opinion. Theodore worked hard too, but he had time for her as well and she still had a future.


    "What are you sad about?" Zeus asked when she spaced out.


    "Nothing. I do remember her mentioning such a thing as Creszone in the past. I knew she was its creator, which is why I was surprised when I learnt that it was a man."


    Realization dawned on her as soon as she said it. If she thought back to all her encounters with Zeus and imagined him as a woman, it all made sense. She no longer found it creepy that she was being watched over by a man. On the contrary, she felt safe, being protected by her mother.


    "So you are the stubborn son she was training." Sheughed when she recalled herint.


    "I''m not stubborn." Zeus protested.


    "Why would she use your identity to get close to me anyway?" She still couldn''t make sense of it.


    Zeus coughed. "It''s a long story, actually."


    "I have all the time in the world." She reclined in her chair to listen to him.


    He leaned towards the desk. "Listen closely. Mother was in danger before and had to hide away. She needed a fake identity to keep her away from her enemies'' scrutiny."


    "And she thought her son''s name was the best option?" Zaria found it ridiculous.


    "It''s quite the contrary. Her fake name was Zeus." Zeus sighed.


    "She named you after her alias?" Zaria found it even more baffling.


    He let out a breath. "It was my choice after that incident happened."


    "What incident? Will you die if you exin everything at once?" She was losing her temper.


    His eyebrows furrowed. It was probably an incident he didn''t want to recall. "It doesn''t matter. Anyway, mother was on the verge of death. I took her name and was nning to use it to avenge her. It would have been thrilling for the enemy to hear that Zeus was back. But trust me, they were even more shocked to see the real her instead of a substitute Zeus."


    It sounded as though he was talking about something rted to the mafia and she was not ready to know all the details yet. She skipped to a milder part. "Why didn''t you restore your true identity? I would like to call you using your original name."


    "No you don''t." Heughed.


    "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes, my original name was Theo Roatta." He beat her to it, making her face-palm. What the heck?


    "When I learnt my father''s name, I decided to keep my name as Zeus. At least that''s an alias. So, you know who has been protecting you all these years. I would have used my entire life to protect you but I was still too weak." He sounded as though he wasining. Was it such a loss for him to be unable to protect his sister? "If I was strong enough in the past, we wouldn''t have been separated from you and dad for all these years."


    "What are you even talking about?" He sounded as though they had no choice but to stay away and could only return now.


    "What happened in the past might be incorrigible but Zaria, she would never make the same mistake twice."


    She hated Zeus for messing with her mind. She was officially confused. "What''s your major point? That she couldn''t have hurt dad?"


    "It was not her fault, Zaria. He is thest person she would want to hurt." He exined.


    "I''ll pretend to believe you for now." She harrumphed. She should have known. Zeus'' reason foring here was to try and convince her that Lucy didn''t intend for Theodore''s ident to happen. How could she give him time to exin? They had been together for all these years, of course he would be on her side. What was worse, she was starting to think that Lucy was really innocent.


    ___


    "Dad, I have to tell you something." Zaria started when Theodore arrived at the vi.


    "What is it?" He sat down on the couch and looked up at her.


    She didn''t know how to say it without making him immensely worried. "Well¡­ I just want to tell you to be more careful."


    "Is this about the ident?" He smiled at her. "Don''t worry, Lucy will no longer get to me."


    "You know?" She was shocked at the revtion.


    "She came to apologize to me. How sincere." He snickered.


    "She apologized?" She was even more shocked. Lucy was more arrogant than Desmond and had an ego bigger than the whole city. Such a thing as her dropping her pride to say she was sorry was quite unexpected.


    Theodore smiled. "Aside from being very pretentious, I think she was quite sincere. I''ll go to take a shower before dinner."


    She raised an eyebrow as she watched him go upstairs. His expression when he talked about Lucy was quite interesting¡­


    Out of the blue, she recalled one of Zeus'' messages in the past. She joked about wanting to drag her husband to vote for Jupiter¡­ because it might create a spark between them and make them reunite.


    What in the world?! Lucy still loved Theodore?


    Her phone chimed. She had received a text message on Creszone.


    [It''s your brother. Let''s be friends, okay?]


    She smiled and added him as her close friend before asking, [When do you n to barge into dad''s office and dere yourself as his rightful heir?]


    [What rightful heir?] He sent over a confused sticker.


    [Isn''t that what long-lost sons do when they appear out of the blue?] Sheughed.


    [You''re the worst! I''m not an illegitimate child, okay!] Heined. [Let''s talk about something more serious.]


    Her heart skipped a beat. So he really had a reason for contacting her. What was it about? She had enough shock earlier when he revealed the true identity of her protector.


    Zeus'' response was a video that looked blurry from the thumbnail.


    Her hands trembled when she recognized the content. Wasn''t that the day when Gabe tried to abuse her?


    She didn''t want to remember it but she knew that it could be a major clue so she gritted her teeth and watched it. She watched her past self cry for help only to be pped by Gabe who found her yells for help annoying.


    He grabbed her neck and just when she thought he was really going to have his way, a hand grabbed Gabe and threw him onto the ground, before he was beaten ck and blue by her saviour.


    Her saviour helped her up and left when Theodore appeared in the alley. Now that she saw it from an outsider''s point of view, her saviour hesitated before leaving.


    "No way¡­" She almost dropped her phone when she saw the saviour''s mask identally slip off.


    "It was mother!"


    All she saw was a small part of her face but it was definitely Lucy!


    ______


    AN


    I hope I didn''t get anyone confused.


    A short summary just in case


    Lucy''s alias is Zeus. She pretended to be the other gender because no one would look through men''s details when searching for a woman.


    Her son took her name to revenge but Lucy didn''t die. So basically, there are two ''Zeus'' but the one who has been chatting with Zaria is the original Zeus (Lucy).


    To avoid confusion in future, I will refer to Lucy as Lucy and Zaria''s brother as Zeus. If I have to refer to Lucy as Zeus, I will make it obvious.

 Chapter 165 - Food Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 165 - Food Exchange</h4>


    "Is everything alright?" Theodore asked worriedly as he returned downstairs to find his daughter trembling, with her phone dropped at her feet.


    She jolted out of her thoughts and threw herself into his arms. "I misunderstood her."


    "Who are you talking about?" He asked as he helped her pick up her phone. Don''t tell him she was referring to Lucy? What did that woman do to earn her trust this time?


    She knew that he would probably not trust Lucy if she exined what happened so she showed him the surveince recording on her phone instead.


    When he was done watching it, his eyebrows were tightly furrowed. "Zaria, don''t you think it is far-fetched for someone to suddenly ess a surveince footage from so many years ago? What if they reenacted the whole thing to fool you?"


    "I thought of that possibility too." Zaria confessed. "However, I know that it is true. It didn''t make sense for someone who doesn''t know me to save me. I didn''t ever tell anyone about what happened that day but Zeus somehow knew."


    "Zeus? That online friend you have been keeping for years?" Theodore confirmed.


    "Yes." Zaria felt emotional. "I had a feeling that he was the one who had saved me that day. I didn''t know that I was right and on top of that, Zeus is actually mother." She looked down in shame. "Yet I didn''t believe her. I suspected her of deliberately wanting to hurt us."


    "Zaria, you cannot¡­" He spoke, but it was toote as Zaria had already rushed out of the house.


    Theodore clenched his fists. "Lucy Roatta, I underestimated you."


    ¡­


    "Ma''am, there is a young woman here to see you. She imed to be your assistant but she is not miss Elena." The butler reported to Lucy who was drinking coffee in the living room.


    She ced the cup on the table and stood in surprise. "My assistant?" Aside from Elena, her only other assistant was Zaria. Was it her?


    "Let her in." She immediately instructed, and when Zaria walked into the living room, she dismissed the servants and grabbed her into a hug.


    "How did you know where I live?" She asked curiously, since she had never given Zaria her address.


    Zaria pulled away with a gentle smile. "If I don''t even know where my mother lives, how can I qualify to be her daughter?"


    Lucy was startled when she heard what she said. "Zaria¡­"


    "I''m sorry for misunderstanding you, mother." She was embarrassed for jumping into conclusions.


    "I don''t me you, honey. I would be skeptical if I were in your shoes." It was already good enough that her daughter was back, so Lucy did not wish to drag unnecessary matters.


    "Dinner will be served soon. Would you like to join us? Your brother will be here soon." She coaxed.


    Now that she mentioned it, Zaria realized just how hurriedly she had left. Theodore must have been shocked, so she had to miss out on the dinner. "Dad must be worried about me."


    "Then carry some food with you at least?" Lucy tried to convince her. "I cooked it myself."


    Hearing that her mother had cooked it, how could Zaria say no? She nodded and Lucy went to the kitchen, returning with a food sk.


    Just like that, Zaria returned home full of smiles and with a food sk in her hand.


    "What poisoned food did she give you?" Theodore couldn''t make sense of whatever was unfolding. Zaria rushed to talk about the incident with Gabe. How was it suddenly about a food sk?


    "It''s not poisoned." Zaria chuckled and carried the food sk to the dining table. She almost drooled when she opened it. "Don''t you want to have a taste? The chicken looks appetising."


    "If she thinks she will win us over with some food, she better wake up and stop dreaming." He harrumphed.


    Zaria chuckled and picked a piece with her fork, putting it in her mouth. "This is the best chicken I''ve ever tasted. Are you sure you really don''t want to taste it?"


    She was having fun teasing him, which she ignored.


    Just when she thought he was immune to the allure of food, he tasted a piece of the meat. In the end, he gobbled up a te of Lucy''s rice and chicken.


    "I was hungry." He coughed and awkwardly exined himself when he caught Zaria giving him a teasing look.


    She burst intoughter. "You can just admit it, dad. No one will judge you."


    To be fair, Lucy was exceptionally good in the kitchen. If she didn''t be a CEO, she would have been a world-renowned chef.


    Theodore insisted on ming his reaction on hunger so Zaria stopped teasing him. He wouldn''t admit it so she might as well save her strength.


    When she was done, she sent a text message to Lucy. [The food was so yummy that Dad almost swallowed the food sk along with the meat.]


    She chuckled after indirectly teasing her mother. Was she thinking too much? It felt as though the duo still had feelings for each other despite ring daggers and throwing insults at each other at every turn. It would be cute if their hate actually turned into love.


    "Stop imagining nonsense." He flicked her forehead. He didn''t need to be told to know that she was letting her imagination run unnecessarily wild.


    She rubbed her forehead with augh, then went to her room. She wanted to finish up on some work but before that, she gave Desmond a video call.


    "My love, you finally decided to give me a video call." The man was cheerful. She had been rejecting his video call requests so he did not expect her to initiate it.


    She averted her gaze from the screen as soon as she saw him. "Get dressed!"


    He looked down at his chest that had been exposed on the camera. "Why? I thought you found me more handsome this way."


    "I''ll hang up if you do not wear a shirt." She threatened.


    "Please don''t." He disappeared from the screen for a while and when he returned, he was wearing a pajama shirt¡­ with nothing on the lower half of his body.


    She tried not to look at him before he sat down.


    "Honey, why are you shy? Not only have you seen this body in real life before, but you have also kissed and touched it." He teased her, finding her flushed face amusing.


    "I didn''t call to talk about that." She dismissed him. Though she had to admit that she imagined herself stroking his abs when she saw them. "Are you ready for your business trip?"


    "Did you have to remind me of how much I will miss you?" Hemented at her heartlessness. She must have wanted to torture him.


    She chuckled. "You will have Zeus apanying you and won''t miss me for a second."


    "What are you saying?" He frowned.


    "He is so annoying. You will be too busy to think about me." Sheughed just thinking about it. "Are all your documents for the trip ready?"


    "Everything is ready except one thing." He responded, looking like he had suffered a loss.


    "What is it?"


    "Your kisses." Heined. "Will you see me off at the airport?"


    She thought about her schedule and felt troubled. "That will depend on what time your flight is scheduled for. I can only take one hour off work.


    "That''s good enough." He was relieved. Luckily, he was going on a private ne so he could take off whenever he wanted to. "Can you really not apany me?" He tried to push his luck.


    "How about we go out for fun when youe back? I will take you somewhere fun." She promised and finally managed to cate the big baby.


    ____


    The following morning, she woke up to the aroma of food.


    "What are you cooking? It must be yummy." She asked a maid as she yawned out of hunger.


    "It''s master Theodore. He woke up and started preparing breakfast. Our stomachs are about to break down from the torture." The maid joked.


    When Zaria entered the kitchen, the situation was indeed torturous. Theodore was packing dumplings onto one of the tiers of the food sk. When he saw her, he smiled. "Good morning. I figured you would return the food sk to her today so you might as well use it for your breakfast."


    Although he made it sound like he was only preparing her breakfast, she noted that the food was too much for one person. Was he perhaps hoping that she should share it?


    "I know what to do." She grabbed the sk with a brilliant smile.


    "What do you mean? What''s going on through your idle brain?" He had a strange feeling when he saw her naughty smile.


    She turned and hugged him briefly. "Nothing. I will be a good messenger."


    ______


    Mini theatre


    Theodore: Everyone is exchanging messages and letters. How about we express our love through food? Our daughter can be the messenger.


    Lucy: What love?


    Theodore: The one you expressed by giving our daughter my favorite foods to bring back home.

 Chapter 166 - First Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 166 - First Meeting</h4>


    "Do you want to apany Desmond?" Lucy asked Zaria when she learnt about Desmond''s business trip.


    "It''s alright. I can''t alwayspromise work just to be with him. It''s not like he isn''ting back." Zaria ced the files on Lucy''s desk and retreated two steps.


    Lucy crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Good. I wasn''t nning to give you the time off anyway."


    Zaria was rendered speechless by her reaction. If she was not nning to give her a day off, then why did she ask?


    Lucy smiled at her expression. Not wanting topletely ruin her daughter''s fun, she took the files and started looking through them. "When you are done, you can go to see him off at the airport. I don''t want you to think that your mother is too heartless to let you see your boyfriend."


    "But the meeting¡­" Zaria hesitated. It wasn''t because she didn''t want to go, but because she didn''t want to look too excited about it.


    "I can handle it. Everything has been prepared after all." Lucy smiled. "Just don''t forget about me, okay? You must be sure to get back within two hours."


    She had nned to go for an hour but since she had an extra hour, she was happier. "Thanks mom!"


    "Of course, ites at a cost." Lucy grinned, making Zaria freeze and look at her Questioningly. She chuckled. "Don''t look at me like I''m bullying you. Bring me back lunch from cklight. If Norman still owns the ce, you should get two servings."


    Zaria was surprised that her mother knew about cklight too. Also, two servings?


    She pretended not to find it odd. "Two servings of what?" She asked.


    "His special well-made steak. Have him top it with strawberry essence." Lucy instructed.


    "Uh¡­ what?" Zaria was puzzled, but she gave noment about it and finished up her work before going to see Desmond off.


    "See you in a week, my love." She kissed his lips at the private airstrip.


    "I will miss you. I wish I could go with you." He groaned at the unfairness of the situation.


    "At least the trip isn''t going to be that long." She consoled him.


    He had to admit that one week would fly by before he knew it, but "One second without you feels like forever. My love, are you sure I wille back alive?"


    "Of course. Go now." She pushed him towards the ne. If he didn''t go now, she might be tempted to cling onto him and hop onto the ne to apany him.


    "How heartless." Heined.


    "I''m not heartless. Where is Zeus anyway?" She had not seen him and she hoped he was not going to cause mischief by backing out at thest minute.


    "He insisted on going on his own. We will meet in Russia." He patted her head. "That''s okay with me. I would rather have my girlfriend beside me on the ne anyway."


    "That''s enough. You will bete." She urged him towards the ne. It was not a walk in the park to finally get him to leave, one would think he was going for a year.


    ____


    cklight.


    "There you are! I thought you had forgotten all about me." Normanmented when he saw her.


    "How could I ever forget you?" She cheerfully greeted the middle-aged man who was on the verge of exploding in excitement.


    "What would you like to eat? I''ll give you blueberry muffins as a bonus." Norman smiled happily.


    "Thank you!" His enthusiasm caught her off guard. "I would like two servings of well-done steak with strawberry essence topping."


    Norman looked shocked for an instant.


    "She is back!" He eximed.


    "Who?" Zaria was confused.


    Norman hurriedly prepared the order and returned with a cheerful smile as he gave the take away bag to her. "Theodore''s love. I knew she was your mom."


    "Huh?" She was even more confused. She had merely ordered some food. How was it suddenly rted to her father''s love?


    "I''ve met very few people who like eating thisbination and one of them looks a lot like you. I always suspected that you are rted, especially since just like her, Theodore brings you here often." Norman knew that she didn''t understand, so he leaned over to whisper to her. "Soon after I opened this diner, a scandal broke out between one of my waitresses and a patron. I can''t exin too much but it is through that scandal that your parents first met. They often came here for meals after that." Norman looked more cheerful than the involved parties would be.


    Although she was curious, Norman had to go back to work so she couldn''t ask too much. She could only rush back to thepany.


    The sight that greeted her eyes was groups of employees gathered along the hallways, gossiping.


    "What''s going on?" She asked three young women who were holding a newspaper.


    "It seems like the heiress of the Qin family went missing." One of the young women responded, much to her shock.


    "Laia Qin?" She asked.


    "Yes. How unfortunate." The young womanmented. "Bad things always happen to good people. But who is to me? Her mother, Shera Qin, is said to have more enemies than the strands of her hair. It is unfortunate that they targeted an innocent child."


    Zaria had an odd feeling about the news.


    Her phone rang. It was Natalie, who asked her whether she had ns for the evening and if they could go out.


    Meanwhile, in Lucy''s office.


    "Your intuition was right, mother." Zeus said over the phone.


    She crushed the newspaper on her desk and dumped it in the paper bin. "Just do what you should."


    The door opened, forcing her to hang up.


    "I knocked and¡­" Zaria awkwardly tried to exin that Lucy didn''t hear her knock.


    "It''s alright." Lucy sat back down. "Have you seen your boyfriend off?"


    Zaria nodded and handed over the take away bag. "Your phone call¡­" She couldn''t help being curious.


    "It was Natalie Sparks. She is ready to meet us." Lucy smiled and checked the content of the bag.


    Zaria''s eyebrows raised slightly. She was certain that the person Lucy was speaking to couldn''t be Natalie. She was speaking to Natalie on the phone just a second ago, and hung up when she was at the door. It was barely enough time for Natalie to dial another call, much less inform Lucy about their meeting.


    It was uncertain why Lucy was lying but it didn''t matter. It was not necessarily part of her business so she let it drop.


    "When are we meeting her?"


    "Tomorrow in the morning." Lucy secretly sighed in relief when she didn''t get exposed. She was not doing anything wrong but she wasn''t ready to exin her n to her daughter either. At least not yet.


    Zaria smiled. "Okay. I will get the proposal ready."


    "This is for you." Lucy gave her one disposable food box.


    "Thank you." She epted the dish and turned to leave.


    "Zaria," Lucy called her. When she turned, she warned, "Be careful, okay?"


    "Is this rted to the disappearance of Laia Qin?" Zaria pondered, since Lucy was warning her so solemnly just a few minutes after she heard the gossip. When Lucy nodded in agreement, she was puzzled. "But what''s it got to do with me?"


    "Nothing except the fact that she disappeared on the day of Amanda''s wedding banquet." Lucy revealed to Zaria''s surprise. It turned out that the Qins had kept it a secret and nned to find their daughter on their own. No matter why they suddenly let the news spread, Zaria had to be careful. "The Qins are still suspicious of you. They might have their eyes on you. Just don''t do anything that might be suspicious in the slightest bit. I''m talking about investigating them or something of the sort. It might draw their attention to you even though you have nothing to do with it."


    Zaria frowned. She was certain that she didn''t know anything about the child''s disappearance until a moment ago, but Lucy had a point. She nodded. "I will be careful."


    Although she promised to be careful, perhaps it was toote. The first thing she saw when she arrived at her office was the silhouette of a woman, who turned to face her when she pushed the door open.


    "Dr. Williams?" She frowned when she saw Kara Williams who was wearing a bodysuit and had a gun at the side of her waist.


    Kara leapt over to her and shut the door before grabbing her cor. "We don''t have to cause a scene, Zaria Wiims." Kara taunted. "Give Laia back and you will live."


    "What?" Zaria was shocked.


    _______


    AN


    Make a guess: Who was the waitress who broke into a fight with a patron, and who was the patron?


    ¡­.


    I feel dizzy after getting my first shot of the vine T_T updates might be unstable.


    Stay safe everyone, and vinate when you can.

 Chapter 167 - Extra Special Visit

    <h4>Chapter 167 - Extra Special Visit</h4>


    "What are you talking about?" Zaria was mortified. She looked up at Kara and expected thetter to burst intoughter and tease her for falling for a prank. However, Kara looked like she was trying her best to control her anger, which baffled Zaria. "Why would you think that I have a child?"


    "All I want is my goddaughter." Kara pushed her against her desk. "Miss Williams, I do not like violence. Think carefully before you do anything stupid."


    "I don''t know what you are talking about." Zaria could only deny the im.


    Kara sucked in a deep breath. "You leave me with no choice." She pulled her gun from the side of her waist and pressed the barrel against Zaria''s temples. "Do you need help opening your mouth?"


    She obviously meant she was going to torture her. Zaria couldn''t im that she was not in the slightest bit bothered but there was nothing she could do about it yet.


    "I promise, I do not have your goddaughter. You can investigate me." She stalled for time.


    "I would believe you but you are suspicious." Kara raised one eyebrow.


    "Let''s hear it." Zaria demanded, making thetter burst intoughter.


    "Are you asking me to tell you why I suspect you so you can hide your tracks?"


    Although she found it ridiculous, Zaria realized that Kara didn''t have a concrete reason to suspect her. If she did, they would not be merely chatting at gunpoint. Instead, she would probably be begging for her life in some dungeon. She forced herself to remain calm as Kara inspected her with her sharp gaze. In the end, she withdrew her gun.


    "If I find out that you have anything to do with the disappearance of my goddaughter, I will blow your brains out."


    "Okay." She smiled. "Would you like me to see you out?"


    "Did you say something?" Kara darted her eyes at her threateningly.


    "Nothing at all. Feel free to use whichever exit pleases you." She sighed in relief when that devil left her office. She was lucky that it was Kara, whose priority was saving lives. It must be because as a doctor, she was reluctant to take lives. Otherwise, she might have fired the gun without any interrogation.


    Forgetting about what happened just now, she prepared for the meeting she had to attend. She only had five minutes left thanks to Kara''s ambush. She rushed and met Lucy on her way to the conference room.


    "What happened to you?" Lucy pulled her aside to ask worriedly.


    "Nothing." She smiled and decided not to mention Kara''s visit.


    "It''s the Qins, right?" Lucy guessed.


    "They think I have Leo''s daughter. Do you know why they would think so, mom?" She asked, since Lucy had already figured it out.


    "I will help you investigate." Lucy promised after thinking about it.


    "Thanks, mom." Zaria hugged her briefly. "Though it is also possible that they are going around threatening every guest of that night to filter out those with a guilty conscience."


    "It sounds sloppy, but it is not impossible." Lucy smiled, but she did not think so. The Qins would never do such a thing. They probably had a concrete reason to suspect Zaria. Of course, they were definitely mistaken¡ªbut she was curious to know just what they thought was suspicious about Zaria.


    ____


    In the evening, Zaria sent a text message to inform Theodore that she would bete before going out for dinner with Natalie.


    "Zaria, are you okay?" Natalie asked when she realized how little Zaria had eaten. She was spacing out most of the time and didn''t seem to enjoy the food. "Do you dislike the food here? We can go somewhere else." She offered.


    "I am alright." Zaria smiled and tried to eat a little. She couldn''t even enjoy her favorite pasta no matter how delicious it was.


    "What''s wrong?" Natalie didn''t buy her lie.


    "Nothing serious." Zaria didn''t want to talk about her personal matters so she dismissed the topic. "Do you have something to talk to me about?" She asked. Natalie was usually busy and didn''t have time to ask anyone out for dinner, especially when they were not too close.


    "I called you to talk about Ms. Roatta. You are her assistant now, right?" Natalie asked.


    "Yes, what about it?"


    "How is she as a person? Is she friendly?" Natalie asked.


    Unexpectedly, it was about this. Zaria would never have thought that Natalie would call her to talk about Lucy but it was not too strange. She preferred to have as much information about her business partners.


    "Well, yes she is. Although she might appear to be hard to please, she is not unapproachable." She tried to be as honest as possible.


    "I am just afraid that she is cunning." Natalie sighed. Thest thing she wanted was to fall into a meticulously dug pit when all she wanted was to get onto her own feet. It would be such a huge loss if she couldn''t break away from her family business using this deal.


    Zaria was speechless at Natalie''s point of focus. "Aren''t all business people sneaky and cunning? They each have their own tactics. However, with Ms. Roatta, you will never be able to guess what is dropping onto your table next. You''d best be prepared for the stickiest situations."


    "Thank you for the heads up." Natalie made a mental note to be extra careful especially when signing any contracts with Lucy Roatta. "I will meet the two of you tomorrow in the morning. Can you please help me keep our meeting a secret?" She requested. "I wouldn''t want her to think that I went to investigate her because I don''t trust her."


    "Don''t worry. I will not breathe a word of it¡­.if you pay me handsomely." She winked through thest part which was a joke.


    "Desmond infected you with the negotiating syndrome, didn''t he?" Natalie seemed to have expected it. She took out an album and ced it on the table.


    "Jupiter''s autographed album! Deal." Zaria hurriedly epted the bribe. When the excitement died down, her eyebrows furrowed.


    "Can you give me a second? I will quickly speak to Desmond." She decided to deal with the matter on her mind, lest it destroy the entire evening.


    "It turns out you miss your Romeo." Natalie''s eyes widened in realization. "Go ahead. I will text Devonte as I wait." She took her phone to happily tease her boyfriend.


    Zaria walked to the end of the corridor. She knew that this restaurant had strict privacy regtions so it was alright to make a private phone call as long as no one was within earshot. She called his number when she ensured that she was alone on the balcony.


    "Des, have you arrived?"


    "You miss me? That''s sooner than I expected." He sounded pleasantly surprised, as though he had never thought that she would miss him.


    "Of course I do. I miss you when you attend a meeting without me." She smiled.


    "You are ttering me. Did you do something wrong?" He asked skeptically.


    She giggled at his response. "Do you think I would only tter you if I did something wrong?"


    "You rarely take the initiative, don''t me me for overthinking it." A deep chuckle vibrated in her ears.


    "I hate to be the one dropping the bombshell but you are not going to have an excuse to punish me. I only need your help." She teased.


    "Oh?" He sounded more excited. "What is it that my queen needs?"


    She was caught off guard. "Please. How cheesy." Although she scolded him for being cheesy, his words brought a smile on her face.


    "Can you have Skeleton investigate something? I would like the surveince of the entire night of Louis Fort''s banquet." She exined. "I''d also like to know where Laia Qin was on that night."


    "Honey, I can do it but why are you curious about the Qin family''s matters?" He was taken aback by her request that came out of the blue. "You should stay away from them. They are dealing with so many matters right now and you sure don''t want to be caught up in any of them." He tried to talk her out of whatever it was that she was nning.


    "I know." She pped her forehead. "I swear, I wouldn''t ever have them on my mind, much less on the list of families I want to investigate. However, Kara Williams paid me an "extra special" visit earlier. "


    "Why would she do that?!" He cursed. How dare they!


    She exined the events this afternoon. "They have their eyes on me. The only way to prove that I have nothing to do with the kid''s disappearance is to uncover the real kidnapper. This is why I need Skeleton''s help."


    "Got it." He gritted his teeth. Once he proved that Zaria had nothing to do with their child''s disappearance, she would pay them a visit and have a good "chat".

 Chapter 168 - The Little Devil

    <h4>Chapter 168 - The Little Devil</h4>


    When Zaria returned to her seat, she caught Natalie smiling and giving her a meaningful look.


    "What''s going on?" She had a strange feeling about Natalie''s grin.


    "It really was because you had missed your boyfriend. Do you feel better now after hearing some sweet, loving words?" Natalie winked.


    "What? He didn''t¡­" Zaria was speechless. No matter what she said, Natalie would never believe a word of it. She was hell set on believing whatever she wanted.


    "How is Devonte?" She asked to divert the other''s attention.


    "He is alright."


    Although that was what she said, Zaria was certain that she had caught a hint of sadness in Natalie''s voice for a second.


    "Is he treating you well?" She asked out of concern. "If he isn''t, I will get his die-hard fans to one star the hell out of all his movies." She threatened seriously.


    Natalieughed. "Would you go against your idol for me?"


    "Of course, you are my idol too. But what happened?" Zaria asked.


    "He is just¡­.busier." Natalie didn''t seem to believe that he was busy. She must be thinking of something else based on her tone. "The frequency of his meetings has dramatically increased in the past few weeks."


    Zaria was a woman too, so she knew what she was thinking. She yed with her fork gently. "You know, Natalie, Devonte is the most famous actor in recent years. There are countless people pining for him and this is not just limited to men."


    Natalie frowned slightly. It was true but she felt worse.


    Zaria smiled gently. "Despite this, he has never cast a nce at another woman. Let''s be real. Putting aside the fact that you are one of the most beautiful women in the city, men don''t always cheat because the other women is more beautiful. Sometimes they sumb to temptation. Are you certain that in all these years you have been together, no one has thrown themselves at him?"


    Natalie''s frown deepened.


    "If he was nning to cheat, he would have done so ages ago. You should trust your man a little more, don''t you think? Perhaps he has multiple meetings because he is taking on more jobs¡ªto be able to take care of you in future."


    Natalie sighed and massaged her temples." To think I would one day receive rtionship advice. But you are right, Zaria. I thought too much. I thought that he might have started to grow tired of me after being together for so long."


    Zaria didn''t me her for thinking too much. Such long rtionships were rare. "Who would get tired of a goddess like you? But if it eases your insecurity, you know what to do, right?" She winked.


    Natalie smiled. As soon as Devonte had a chance, she would ask him out on a date and set the mood.


    "Thanks Zaria."


    Zaria smiled teasingly. "If you want to thank me and all of Devonte''s fans in general, give us a little Jupiter soon."


    Natalie facepalmed. She had never thought about that.


    ____


    Ximena hurried out of her office. She didn''t have enough staff at her startuppany yet, so she had to deliver some of the goods on her own. She sped off and hoped she would not get caught in a traffic jam. She was delivering a makeup set to a famous model and heaven knew how unfriendly some of those celebrities could get. She might get scolded or worse, the other party might ask forpensation if she was a secondte.


    In her rush, she rear-ended a bugatti.


    "No, no no¡­" She froze. Whichpany''s insane CEO could she have messed with? She vehemently hoped it was only the chauffeur¡ªshe would pay for the damages and be let off. But if it was an insane billionaire¡­


    Her mind went nk when she saw a stern face leave the backseat with a ferocious re. To her shock, it was someone she had seen on the television screen a few times. It had just to be Liam Preston. Just her luck.


    She quickly stepped out. "Sir, I''m so sorry. I was in a rush and¡­"


    "And you think I had all the time in the world to waste?" He cut her off, his expression worsening.


    "That''s not what I meant!" She desperately tried to redeem herself. "This, I hope we can settle it privately. Please." this was the first time she was being polite to a man, and it was only because she wanted to get to her destination as soon as possible.


    "So you want topensate me." He looked down at her, towering over her with his height that exceeded hers a great deal.


    "Young woman, why do you look familiar?" He observed her face carefully.


    "Let me pull over first¡­ my car is blocking the others."


    "It''s not my business what your car does." He dismissed herint with a frown.


    She waited for him to tell her how topensate him, lest she anger this tycoon.


    "Mmh...I''m pretty sure I''ve seen you before." Liam touched his chin as he stared down at her. Were his eyes ying tricks? He was certain that had seen those spiteful eyes before. Moreover, it was rare for him to meet women who looked unbothered in his presence. Although she looked like she was admitting her fault, it was clear in her eyes that she was not in the slightest bit sorry. All she wanted was for the matter to end.


    "The onlypensation I will ept is for you to buy me a new car. You can take my old one afterwards." He demanded.


    "What the heck?! How in the world am I supposed to afford it?" She exploded. He was going too far! Not only was it a bugatti, but it was La Voiture Noire. Even if she pooled in all her savings, it would only be a drop in the bucketpared to the price of the car.


    "Didn''t you say you would pay thepensation?" He taunted.


    She frowned and took out a business card. "Give me a callter and we can discuss thepensation. I''ll get going!" She rushed back into her car and drove off before he could say a word. He wanted to extort her? Fat chance!


    After driving for just a few miles, she finally realized the huge mistake she had made. She had freaking given him her current business card instead of the old name cards she usually carried around¡ªthe ones that contained her former address! She had taken them out of her bag the day before. How could she forget!


    "Contact the insurancepany." Liam instructed his chauffeur. While he waited for another car to be brought over, he checked out the card in his hand.


    Morel Beauty?


    It turned out to be the new cosmetic brand that he overheard Zaria talk about with the female employees.


    He frowned when he saw the details. Ximena Morel.


    It was her!


    He entered the new car and let out augh. He had only met one girl called Ximena his life and he had never forgotten about her.


    He rubbed his forehead with a triumphant grin. "I knew the heavens would give me a chance to pay you back for that rock."


    ____


    About seventeen years ago.


    "Liam, hurry up. We will bete." Desmond urged. They were rushing back home after a whole day of fun behind their parents'' back. Desmond was afraid that Jaime would rat them out to his parents if he arrived from school before they got home.


    "I will¡­ ah!" Liam suddenly gripped his forehead. He felt as though his senses had been numbed by a sudden hit. Who dared to throw a rock at him?


    "Liam, are you alright?" Desmond panicked.


    "I guess so." He nodded, wondering how he would exin it to his parents.


    "It''s that girl!" Desmond pointed at a group of teens, along with two girls who looked much younger.


    The girl with ck hair hurriedly grabbed the other''s hand. "Run!"


    "Ximena! We cannot run." The brown-haired girl reprimanded, but the girl called Ximena was hell set on evading responsibility.


    "They look rich. Of course I will run." She dragged her friend away, and he and Desmond did not catch up to them when they tried to chase them.


    ___


    In the present, Liam tried to think of the simrities between the Ximena he had just met and the little devil from that year. She had haunted his dreams a few times, hitting him and running away with an evil grin. He would never forget the smug face. Now that he met her again, there was no denying that it was her.


    It seemed like she really did like running away from responsibilities whenever she made mistakes.


    "If you think you are going to run away this time, you are wrong." Heughed in triumph.


    ______


    AN:


    The rich boy that Ximena hit in their childhood turns out to be Liam. Isn''t the world small?


    100 coins redemption code: AB9GY7KZAFG2KK27A


    Please let me know if you sessfully redeem it.

 Chapter 169 - The Little Devil (2)

    <h4>Chapter 169 - The Little Devil (2)</h4>


    Ximena heaved a sigh of relief when she sessfully delivered the make up set, finally evading trouble she would be in if she waste. She happily ordered food from a restaurant she frequented so she would not have to cook dinner.


    Just as she settled down to take a bite of her food, her house telephone rang.


    Not many people knew her house telephone number, so she frowned. Zaria would always call her personal cell phone and she didn''t have many friends in Olphire. Could it be that her parents had stalked her and found out her address?


    "Hello?" She answered the call with suspicion in her voice.


    "Ximena Morel." A male voice said her name with a triumphant snicker.


    Her heart skipped a beat. Who was it? Before she could ask, it suddenly made sense. It had to be Liam Preston! How under the sun did he get her house telephone number?!


    She cursed under her breath and thought of what to tell him.


    "Sir, are you looking for Miss Ximena? She has not returned home yet. Would you like to leave a message?" She slightly pitched her voice so it sounded adorable and innocent.


    "Ximena Morel! Don''t put up an act with me." Liam roared on the other end, making Ximena tremble slightly.


    "What do you mean? I''m obviously an adorable little maid." Sheughed dryly, knowing that she had already been caught and there was no need to continue pretending.


    "You still owe me a car." He demanded unreasonably. If he hadn''t found out that she was the little devil who threw a rock at him in the past, he might have been more reasonable. However, he was not going to let her off.


    "Give me about five years. By that time, I''m certain that Morel Beauty will be one of the most popr cosmetic brands. I will get you thetest bugatti and make you forget all about your Voiture Noire." She countered.


    "Are you saying that my car is worthless?" Liam was irritated.


    "That''s not what I said." Ximena maintained her calm, knowing that yielding would only make this unreasonable man make her life more difficult than it already was. "It is not up to me to decide the worth of your car, Mr. Preston. You can call it a scrap metal if you want to." She almost bit her tongue as soon as her words were out. Why couldn''t she control her words just one damn time?


    As expected, he was angered. "Very well, since you are ready to buy me a new car, I will be waiting for it tomorrow in the evening at Preston and Fort Group."


    She cursed when he hung up. How crazy! Did he think she had that much money?


    ¡­


    Zaria had just arrived from her dinner with Natalie. She was slightly dizzy from having drunk a little and was about to take a shower when a panicked Ximena bolted in.


    "What happened to you? Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.


    "No I''m not! My life is over." Ximena exaggerated as she slumped onto the couch helplessly and drank the water that Zaria brought her.


    "What happened?" Zaria asked curiously. There was rarely anything that could bother Ximena. It had to be something serious if it had her racing about.


    "I rear-ended Liam Preston." She dropped the bomb.


    "What?"


    "And he wants a new car tomorrow. I''m freaking dead." Ximena exined what had happened to Zaria.


    Zaria massaged her temples. "Did you have to pretend to be a maid, though?"


    "All I wanted was to get away, okay?" Ximena cried.


    Zaria shook her head at her friend''s bad luck. She took out her phone to check her ount bnce. She had used most of the money she earned from her contract with Desmond to revive F&P Media and buy the vi. Her current savings could only be enough to repair the damages.


    "How about you repair his car and give it back to him? As long as the job is done perfectly, it will be good as new." She suggested.


    "The idiot only wants to extort me. He will not ept that. He ordered me to buy a new car and take the old one if he is satisfied." Ximena pped her forehead.


    Zaria frowned. Who would have thought that Liam could be so childish?


    "I don''t have enough money¡­ How about I ask Desmond for help? You can repay him when you.." She was still speaking when Ximena interrupted her.


    "Zaria! You cannot do that for me. I wasn''t asking for you to help me out." She only wanted someone to rant to. She knew that Zaria could not afford such an expensive car at the moment.


    Zaria shrugged. "But you don''t have a way out. If you are ufortable using Desmond''s money, I can ask Zeus instead."


    She was yet to tell Ximena that Zeus was in fact Lucy''s alias so she hoped thetter would not ask.


    As expected, Ximena was puzzled. Why would Zaria and Zeus be suddenly that close? She would never guess their real rtionship but she didn''t ask too many questions. She only hugged Zaria. "Thank you for being willing to help me out. However, I''m not nning on spending that much money to buy something I cannot even buy myself. I just need to think of a way out."


    Zaria chuckled. Old habits die hard. Ximena would never truly take responsibility for what she did.


    After thinking for a while, her eyes suddenly lit up. " That''s it! Liam said that I had to get him a new car¡ªbut he didn''t mention at any point that the new car had to be a Bugatti La Voiture Noire."


    "Are you going to get him a different Bugatti model?" Zaria asked and started thinking through the old models whose price had dwindled over the years.


    "Of course not." Ximena rolled her eyes. Old or new, it was still a Bugatti nheless. She grabbed her phone and under Zaria''s curious gaze, did a search.


    "Cheapest car in the world."


    Zaria burst intoughter when she saw the images of the car she had selected. "You are not going to buy that."


    "Hell yes I am." Ximena checked out tomunicate with the dealer.


    Hence the following evening, a spectacle broke out at Preston and Fort Group when a First Generation Toyota Coro pulled up with Liam Preston''s name on it.


    Since selling his shares, Liam only dropped by thepany when there was a board meeting. Today, he dropped by under the guise of inspection when all he wanted was to wait for that devil who was to deliver a brand new Bugatti. He was waiting to see whether she would really afford it.


    He left the building with a smirk only to catch sight of a lively gathering of employees¡­ staring and taking pictures of a white car.


    The car te had been covered by a temporary one that had both of his names written on it in bold font.


    He took a deep breath and tried not to rush to the woman inside and snap her neck into pieces.


    Ximena left the car with a smile when she saw him. "Good evening, Mr. Preston. Ipleted my part of the deal and bought you a recement car."


    He clenched his fists. "Get out!" Was this woman''s forte infuriating him?


    She looked shocked by his tone even though he knew that she was pretending. "But Mr. Preston, you haven''t done what you promised yet. You owe me a Bugatti La Voiture Noire." She looked up at him and blinked her eyes innocently.


    "Did you hear what I said?" He was on the verge of exploding. "Who gave her ess to thepany''s parking?"


    "It was the CEO''s assistant, Miss Williams." The receptionist answered with a tremor in her voice, afraid of getting caught up in this fight that was none of her business.


    Liam frowned. Zaria. Of course it would be Zaria. He had investigated and Ximena''s best friend was Zaria, and they had known each other for years. Was she also the one who gave Ximena this sick idea?


    "A promise is a promise, sir." Ximena brazenly insisted. "There has to be a surveince video from yesterday¡­you clearly threatened me and made me pool in all my money to buy me a new car. You promised to give me your damaged one in return. I couldn''t even repair my own car because the money wouldn''t be enough." She deliberately spoke aloud, as though she was afraid that the employees would not hear what happened between her and Liam.


    "Are all rich people so ruthless? You are taking advantage of your position and bullying the weak." She dramatically sniffled.


    Behind them, Zaria facepalmed and covered her mouth whileughing. Enough already, Xim.


    Liam gritted his teeth so hard that veins almost popped at his temples. "What is your real intention ofing here?"


    "I just want my car, as promised." She blinked in all innocence.

 Chapter 170 - Set Up

    <h4>Chapter 170 - Set Up</h4>


    Zaria couldn''t watch the drama anymore. The employees were starting to specte that Ximena was Liam''s ex girlfriend and that she was here to cause a scene and get back at him for jilting her. Some of them were even secretly taking pictures.


    Zaria knew that Ximena was enjoying the situation a little too much and if no one stopped her, she would anger Liam to death. She pushed through the crowd and dragged Ximena away.


    Ximena was still reeling inughter when they entered Zaria''s car. "Did you see his face? He was on the verge of detonating." Sheughed so hard that tears seeped out of the corners of her eyes.


    "You really are one in a million." Zariaughed helplessly. While most people were either terrified of Liam or infatuated with his looks, she was courageous enough to make fun of him.


    Ximena pulled the hair tie out of her hair and shook her head to let her scalp breathe. "That was so much fun. Though it''s such a pity that he didn''t give me the bugatti in the end. I would have sold it and used some of the money to repair my own car, then use the rest to boost Morel Beauty."


    Zaria was speechless.


    Liam watched the two drive off with a confused look. If Ximena and Zaria had been friends for so long, did that mean that they stuck together even during their childhood? His mind suddenly thought back to the brown-haired girl who was with Ximena in his memory. Was it possible that the girl was Zaria?


    Did that mean he and Zaria had actually met so long ago?


    He frowned as soon as the thought surfaced. So what if they met eons ago? She was his best friend''s woman. He shouldn''t be thinking about her.


    ___


    Zaria intended to drop Ximena off at her apartment and go back home. However, thetter dramatically begged her to stay for dinner so she stayed.


    "What would you like to eat? My culinary skills have surpassed five-star chefs, I''m sure!" She exaggeratedly tooted her own horn as she slid on a flowery apron.


    "Anything is fine. Let me help you out." Zaria grabbed an apron from the rack and draped it around herself.


    "You can just sit by andze for a bit. You have been working hard and besides, I''m in the mood to cook." Ximena pushed her to sit and took out the ingredients. She set a timer and turned to face Zaria. "You have dark circles. Tell me, has Desmond been treating you well?"


    She knew that no matter how busy work got, Zaria had her own magical way of finishing it in time and sparing time to rest. Herck of sleep could only have been caused by restlessness.


    "Yes, everything is fine with Desmond." She thought about the matters in her mind and felt like her head would explode if she tried to keep everything to herself. "The thing is¡­ I''ve been caught up in a scandal that I have nothing to do with."


    "What''s that?" Ximena was curious and worried.


    Zaria briefly exined the situation with the Qin family, which gott Ximena confused for a while.


    After thinking, it still didn''t make sense. "If someone I care about were to go missing, I would not blindly start to question people who have absolutely nothing to do with it."


    Zaria''s eyes widened slightly. "Are you saying that I have something to do with it?"


    Ximena looked directly at her. "Not directly. Maybe something circumstantial."


    "What are you even saying?" Zaria did not understand.


    "Think of it this way¡­" Ximena closed in on her as she thought of an example. "If we were to have a heated argument right now and you stormed out, andter I shot myself, do you think it would be easier for people to believe that Imited suicide, or that you murdered me?"


    Zaria was about to reprimand her for thinking about such things when she realized just what her friend meant. "Everyone would believe I murdered you."


    "Think about why they would suspect you. Did you interact with their daughter?" Ximena asked.


    Zaria shook her head. She had never even met Laia Qin and had only seen her pictures on Creszone when the Qin couple finally decided to reveal the face of their daughter.


    "I asked Desmond to help me investigate." She said.


    As if on cue, her phone rang. She signalled Ximena and answered it.


    "Did you meet with Laia that night?" Desmond went straight to ask the very question that Ximena had just asked.


    "I didn''t even see her." Zaria admitted.


    "It''s quiteplicated." Desmond sounded at a loss. "The only leads they have point towards you."


    "What?" Zaria was even more shocked.


    "I''m shocked too." There was a slight tremor in Desmond''s voice. "ording to the surveince footage that Skeleton found, Laia Qin arrived in the banquet hall in the presence of a nanny, and went to the bathroom. In the same minute, you went out to the balcony. The part containing whatever you did at the balcony was deleted. What is worse, Laia was kidnapped soon after you returned to the banquet hall. "


    " What? I didn''t do anything but speak to my parents." She was confused by the twist. Why would that be deleted?


    Desmond sighed. "Not just that. Laia''s nanny was found dead in the bathroom. There was a foreign phone nearby with an unsent text message. There were only three words and it looked iplete. [Williams'' Orders: Go¡­]"


    Zaria was helpless. Why did that sound so much like a set up? If it was a coincidence that the girl was kidnapped at the time she left and returned to the banquet hall, what was up with the name on the text message?


    "I will get to the bottom of this." Zaria vowed. "By the way, was I the only guest with the surname Williams? Dr. Kara shares the same surname too and so does her mother."


    "They are close to the Qin family." Desmond said helplessly, implying that it was easier for them to suspect an outsider than it was to point fingers at their own friends.


    When the call ended, she was no longer in the mood to eat anything. At this rate, it would not be long before the police came looking for her. She couldn''t afford to have a criminal record, especially for something she knew nothing about.


    "Is everything alright?" Ximena asked, even though she already knew from her friend''s expression that everything must have gone horribly wrong.


    When Zaria shook her head, she hugged her. "It will be alright. I will help you investigate the real culprit in the shortest time possible."


    "Thank you." Zaria returned the hug and forced herself to have a few bites when dinner was ready.


    ¡­.


    By the time she returned home, it was already 9pm and the housekeeper reported that Theodore was yet to return. He had been workingte into the night recently, she observed. She would urge him to take more care of himselfter.


    "Where is Des?" She asked the pet nanny. All she wanted now was to hug her cute puppy. His yfulness always made her day.


    "He snuck into the attic while trying to y hide. I couldn''t get him out, I''m so sorry Miss Zaria." The woman apologized. She couldn''t coax Des out of the attic no matter how hard she tried. She had been forbidden from going into specific rooms in the vi without permission so she could only wait for the puppy toe out himself.


    Zaria was shocked. "You should have given me a call! What if he got injured there by himself? How long has it been?"


    "Two hours." The nanny responded truthfully, making Zaria even more shocked.


    She asked the housekeeper for the key. While she went to bring it, Zaria rushed to the door of the attic and knocked softly as she gently called, "Des?"


    The puppy whined in distress, which made her heart race. She grabbed the key from the housekeeper and sent them to get a first aid kit in case the puppy was injured. She fumbled with the lock before finally opening it. "Des, there you are! You scared me." She turned on the light and saw him more clearly.


    The puppy rushed up to her and nudged her with his nose before rushing away. She had grown more ustomed to this action of his so she followed him behind a stack ofrge boxes. "Des, what''s there? Did you find a new hiding spot?" She chuckled.


    However, her eyes immediately went wide when she reached behind the box. Her jaw dropped in an instant. It was a little girl!


    Her small limbs had been tied up and her mouth sealed with duct tape. She was trembling from fear, cold and pain, the corners of her eyes wet. Zaria felt her blood go cold. Wasn''t this Laia Qin?

 Chapter 171 - Im Dead

    <h4>Chapter 171 - I''m Dead</h4>


    She hurriedly closed the door before rushing back to the panic-stricken girl. She gently untied her limbs and her heart ached when she saw the red marks around her wrists and ankles. Who would bear to do this to a child?


    "Little girl, how are you? How did you get here?" She pried in the gentlest tone possible.


    When she peeled the duct tape of her mouth, the girl burst into tears. "Daddy¡­"


    Zaria wiped her tears in panic. "Don''t cry, I will help you find your daddy."


    "Do you know your dad''s name?" She asked for confirmation. Perhaps she was mistaken but whether or not this was Laia Qin, her parents must be worried sick.


    The little girl merely stared at her nkly. Perhaps because she was scared and didn''t trust the woman before her, she didn''t say a word.


    "Do you know who brought you here?" Zaria continued to pry as she tried to lift the girl off the floor.


    Thetter kicked up a fuss and didn''t want to be touched, making Zaria helpless. Her whole body trembled. What kind of situation was this? She fished for her phone in her pocket and checked Leo Qin''s Creszone. His disy picture was a little girl and when Zaria checked the simrities, it was aplete match. So the girl before her was really Laia. Not only was she Leo and Shera Qin''s daughter, but she was also Kara Williams'' and Carlos Aubert''s goddaughter as well as the mayor''s granddaughter.


    "I''m dead." She mumbled. The only sane thing was to either involve the police or directly call the Qins¡ªbut no matter what she did, she would never be able to exin what the girl was doing in the attic of her vi.


    Her mind instantly wandered to Desmond. He was closer to them and may have a way out, so she dialled his number.


    "Desmond¡­" She was on the verge of fainting when she called out his name.


    "What is it, my love?" Desmond worriedly asked when he heard how she sounded.


    She moved to the farthest end of the attic and snuck a nce at Laia who was curled up in the corner with Des running around in front of her. "I found a girl in the attic of my house. She is Laia Qin." She briefly exined the situation.


    "What in heaven''s name is she doing at your vi? Who brought her there?" Desmond was puzzled.


    "I don''t know!" She tried to keep her voice down even though she was in panic. "I don''t even have a lead¡­ I just followed Des to the attic and¡­ I''m dead. The Qins are already suspecting me."


    "Calm down." He tried to console even though he was too shocked. "We have to get to the bottom of this but the first thing we have to do is send her back home. Hell knows what chaos will break out if the Qins find out she is there."


    "I know. But how will I prove to them that I don''t know how she got to my house?" This was her greatest worry. Heaven knew that she might simply end up dead a few seconds after sending the girl to her parents.


    "I''ll take care of it." Desmond promised.


    "Is that possible?" Zaria was doubtful.


    "Don''t worry. Take care of Laia and wait for my signal." He hung up before she could ask for more details.


    She heaved a breath when the call ended. Of course it was nearly impossible. He was probably taking a risk which is why he didn''t want her to ask.


    She turned to look at the girl who was now paying attention to Des. If she left her here, she might be taken away or worse, murdered.


    She poked her head out and when she ensured that all the servants were out, she picked Laia up and made a beeline for her room. Based on her cautious movements, one might mistake her for the kidnapper.


    She sighed in relief when she finally got to her room without bumping into anyone. She put the girl on her bed and opened the door for Des who had followed them.


    "Sweetie, stay here okay? You will be safe here."


    The girl did not respond so she added, "I had someone call your daddy. He will pick you up soon."


    The girl finally nodded.


    Zaria sighed in relief and snuck to the kitchen to get some food, bringing with her some anti-inmmatory drugs while at it.


    Luckily, the girl didn''t cause a scene and was distracted when Des yed with her. She soon fell asleep after eating and taking her medicine. Zaria hugged Des and rubbed his coat. "You''re a lifesaver."


    She heard the front door open so she quickly covered Laia and rushed downstairs.


    "Dad, you are home." She greeted Theodore who had just arrived.


    As soon as she saw him clearly, her eyes squinted as she thought back to the results of Desmond''s investigation. The iplete text message on the phone that was found in the bathroom was an order from someone whose name was Williams.


    At first, she thought it was merely a horrible coincidence but now that she looked at him¡­ his surname was Williams too!


    Besides, only two people had ess to all the rooms in this house¡ªhim and her. But would her dad do such a cruel thing as kidnap a toddler? It was uncertain how long she had been in the attic since she rarely essed it. If Des didn''t sneak in there while ying, how long would the little girl continue to stay in the attic? Thinking about it sent chills down her spine.


    Most importantly, if Theodore was the culprit, what would he gain from doing that?


    But the harder she thought about it, the more it seemed like she had found the missing pieces of the puzzle.


    She was the major suspect because of the time she was on the balcony. If she remembered correctly, the only time she appeared on the balcony was when she was speaking to him. They left at about the same time too¡­


    The realization made her stiffen. Could it be that all this time the Qins harassed her when their actual target was her dad?


    "Have you had dinner?" He asked when he noticed that she had spaced out.


    She nodded listlessly.


    "Is anything bothering you?" He asked as he made his way to the couch.


    She followed him to sit opposite him. "It''s just the Qins. They think I kidnapped their daughter. Two days ago, Shera''s best friend sought me and threatened to kill me if I didn''t give the child back¡ªbut I didn''t kidnap her. Aren''t they strange? Why would they suspect me?"


    She was carefully observing his expression but nothing seemed out of ce.


    "They should take care of their kids and stop bothering other families about their disappearance." He sneered.


    She frowned at his bizarre response. That didn''t sound like something he would say in such a situation. He would usually fawn on her and ask if she was alright if she so much as scratched her finger. What was with the sudden cold answer? It was as though he wanted the topic to be over and done with.


    She thought about it and added, "I found some leads."


    He didn''t answer her and seemed lost in his own world, which worried her. Did he really have something to do with Laia''s presence here?


    "Anyway dad, you have beening homete." She sounded as though she was changing the topic, but in a real sense, all she wanted was to use a different approach to pry for the information she wanted. She wanted to know what he usually did that got him returning home sote.


    Theodore didn''t feed her curiosity. He rubbed his temples tiredly. "Princess, I''m a bit cold. Could you get me a cup of coffee?"


    "Of course." She stood and went to the kitchen.


    She refilled the coffee beans as her hands trembled slightly. She had wanted to know whether or not her father had anything to do with Laia''s kidnapping but from her sorry attempt at interrogating him, she was only more confused.


    Should she let him know that Laia was now in her room? If he didn''t know that she was here under the same roof as them, he would reprimand her for doing something illegal. But what if he knew all along that she was in the attic? What if he was the one who had locked her up there?


    She didn''t know what scared her more, between finding out that her father hadmitted a crime and the possibility of watching a little girl meet her end because she couldn''t keep her mouth shut.


    She pped her forehead in the next second. What was she thinking? That was her dad. She had known him for twenty seven years and he had never done anything to hurt anyone. How could she start suspecting him now?

 Chapter 172 - Finding Laia

    <h4>Chapter 172 - Finding Laia</h4>


    After Zaria exined the situation with Laia to Desmond, he hurried back to the country. He was yet to finish his business but it was more urgent to deal with the Qins before they got any intel of Laia''s current location. He set up a meeting with Leo who was coincidentally on his way to pick up his wife from work, so the three of them met up at a restaurant.


    Seeing as the couple was not in their best mood, he did not beat around the bush. "I know where your daughter is."


    "Laia? Where is she? Where is my baby?" Shera who had been quiet the whole time looked as though she was ready to jump and strangle him if he did not provide sufficient information.


    "Mrs. Qin, please calm down." He sipped his tea and directed his gaze at Leo. "Your daughter is safe. You can be rest assured that she is in trustworthy hands and I will return her to you in one piece, but there is a condition."


    "You bastard!" Leo exploded as soon as he heard hisst piece. He stood furiously. "I trusted you!"


    Desmond dodged his punch. "Are you going to kill me before I tell you where she is?"


    At his words, Leo and Shera forcefully calmed down slightly.


    "Just so we are clear, I did not kidnap your daughter. I have no use for a little girl."


    "Then why are you trying to set conditions to bring her back?" Shera interjected. If the man before her was not Desmond Fort, she would have probably ordered for his death already.


    "Setting a condition doesn''t mean I kidnapped her. I could have rescued her in which case I would be a benefactor, don''t you think?" He asked humoredly. Because his words made sense, they waited for him to state his condition.


    "Before you find the real culprit behind your daughter''s disappearance, don''t me my girlfriend. All she did was find the girl." He exined briefly.


    "You expect us to believe you." Shera huffed, clearly treating his words as a joke.


    "Do you have a choice?" Desmondughed even though it was the most inappropriate thing to do right now. "My girlfriend is the only one who knows where your daughter is. If you scare her, she will be too timid to reveal the little princess'' location." He deliberately warned, the underlying meaning of his words evident. If they threatened Zaria, she might just hold back the information from them.


    Seeing Leo''s skeptical look, he took another sip of his tea and smiled slightly." I don''t want us to end up fighting before the truth is out. Save your anger forter. Of course, the key priority here is my girlfriend''s safety. I heard that your close friend, Kara, paid her an ''extra special visit''."


    "We do not suspect her for no reason." Shera defended her friend''s move.


    Desmond knew this, but he was certain that Zaria was innocent. She could have been set up. Someone could have altered all the evidence to lead the Qins to suspect her, and sent the girl to her vi to make her appear guilty. But no matter how much he trusted her, he couldn''t say the same about the enraged couple before him.


    "If you really prove that my girlfriend personally took your daughter from the restroom or directly instructed anyone to do it, you can do whatever you want with her. But until then, you are not allowed toy a finger on her." This was the onlypromise he could reach.


    Seeing as he was willing to let them punish Zaria as long as they had sufficient evidence, the Qin couple could only take a step back as well. It would be unreasonable to continue picking a fight. Besides, nothing good woulde out of them fighting so they decided to hold back until the investigation was over.


    " I still have a bad feeling about the Williams. " Shera muttered under her breath, not caring that Desmond could still hear them.


    "Laia is more important." Leo reassured her.


    ¡­


    In the evening, Zaria was ying with Laia who had woken up after a long sleep. Since Zaria had taken good care of her, giving her food and snacks, she was more rxed around her and was willing to y.


    It was onlyter that Zaria realized just how active the girl actually was. She curiously looked at everything, blinking her beautiful eyes to ask for permission to touch whatever she found interesting. After practically touching everything in the room, she grabbed Des'' coat out of boredom and violently tugged it, making the puppy whine in shock and pain.


    Zaria was startled. She reached for her little hand and gently pulled it away. "Don''t pull his coat."


    "Why?" Laia seemed confused.


    "Puppies have feelings too. If you hit him and pull his coat, the pain will make him sad and he won''t want to y with you anymore." She patiently exined, thinking that the girl greatly took after her mother. They both enjoyed violence.


    "But I want to y with him." Laia was startled when she learnt that the puppy might dislike her. She reached over to clumsily pet the scared puppy. "I''m sorry, Des. Can we y?"


    It seemed as though Des had forgotten about what she did just now, it rubbed its head against her belly, making herugh at the ticklish sensation.


    "Zaria, can I keep him?" She asked out of the blue.


    Zaria was speechless. She wanted her Des now?


    She had to disappoint the girl even though she was looking up at her with adorable eyes. "I''m sorry darling. He is my pet, I can''t permanently give him to you. But if you want toe back and y with him for a while, you cane as long as your mommy and daddy let you."


    Although disappointed, Laia was cated by the second part so she nodded. The two continued to y with Des and when Laia yawned, Zaria put her in bed before grabbing a nket to ce on the couch. Because she was afraid that the girl might not be used to sharing a bed with anyone, she prepared to sleep on the couch just like the night before.


    As soon as she turned off the light, she heard a soft rmed gasp. Through the little light that seeped in through the curtains from the street lights, Zaria saw the girl grab onto the covers and curl into a ball at the top corner of the bed.


    She patiently went over and hugged her. "Why are you sad? Are you afraid of the dark?"


    It took a while before Laia finally responded pitifully. "I''m not a little girl anymore. Mommy says that brave girls are not scared of the dark. But when I''m scared, mommy and daddy will sing me a song."


    Zaria felt her heart clench. She was so much like her own little version. When she was little, her friends once pranked her by throwing a rubber snake at her. After that, she would feel it crawling up her skin as soon as she closed her eyes.


    Back then, Theodore would hold her in his arms while Lucy told her to be a little braver. They would then sing her a luby together.


    She jolted out of her thoughts with a smile. She wanted to sing to Laia but was afraid of making her miss her parents. "We can sleep with some light on." She said and turned on the bedsidemp.


    "Thank you, Zaria."


    She was yet topletely fall asleep when she woke up to a phone call.


    "The Qins want Laia back right away." Desmond said over the phone.


    She was puzzled. "That''s sooner than I thought." Sure enough, she heard the screeching of tires in the next few seconds and when she peeked out, she saw a fleet of cars stop in front of the vi and Leo and Shera got out, leading arge group of bodyguards.


    "They had missed their daughter after all." Desmond exined. "Don''t worry, I made a deal with them so they will not cause you any trouble."


    "Mmh." Zaria was reassured. She patted the girl awake. When she didn''t wake up, she thought about it and carried her downstairs.


    The tension in the air woke Laia, who was surprised to see her parents as soon as she opened her eyes. "Mommy, daddy!" She jumped onto them in surprise.


    Shera looked her daughter over and when she was certain that she was alright, she patted her husband and took a step back. "We will take our leave now. Thank you for finding our daughter, Miss Williams."


    She deliberately emphasized ''finding'', indicating that she didn''t trust her yet.


    Laia looked over her father''s shoulder and waved at Zaria and the puppy beside her leg. "Goodbye Zaria. Bye Des. I will miss you."


    "Goodbye." She smiled at the girl and lifted Des'' front limb to help him wave his paw.


    It was only when themotion died down that she noticed Theodore who was behind her all along.


    _______


    Not so fun fact: Zaria is not the only one T_T


    I''m terrified of snakes too¡­ so much that sometimes I randomly wonder whether they are in my neighborhood and if they can climb stairs to get to my room.

 Chapter 173 - Guilty

    <h4>Chapter 173 - Guilty</h4>


    Zaria stared at Theodore for a while as her thoughts ran wild. He wanted to ignore her and leave, but she stood in his way to stop him. "Dad, wait."


    He stopped and looked at her indifferently.


    The more she faced him, the more her suspicion intensified. Why wasn''t he shocked about the appearance of a child in his vi? With the kind of scene that the Qins had almost caused with their arrival, he should have asked her innumerable questions. Even if he was keeping calm so outsiders would not know what he was thinking, they were alone now. Why was he still not giving any sort of reaction?


    "You knew about her presence here, didn''t you?" She asked, but her tone was affirmative. As soon as she asked, she frowned at a thought. Kidnapping a child was one thing. But why the hell would he keep her in his own residence? Was it because he thought that the Qins would never think of searching his home because they would assume that he had hidden her in some warehouse or factory?


    Before she could ask the next question, she heard his snicker.


    "This question, do I have to answer it? What''s the point?"


    He pushed past her to leave, but she grabbed his arm. "I''m asking you a question, dad. Did you kidnap her and bring her here? Was it you? You have to answer me!" She demanded.


    Theodore swatted her hand away before looking at her coldly. "You took matters into your own hands without asking a word. What gives you the right to question me now?"


    "I have to know what''s going on." She insisted.


    "Whether or not I answer you, you will believe whatever you have already concluded. Exining anything now is a waste of my time."


    This time, she didn''t stop her. Disbelief clouded her face. Putting the re aside, this was the first time Theodore had responded so coldly to her question.


    What did his unwillingness to answer her mean? Was he disappointed in her for not trusting him, or was he unable to say a word because he knew deep down that he was guilty?


    "Dad¡­" She mumbled with a hand over her mouth, swallowing a bitter gulp. All she wanted was his denial. As long as he said that he had not abducted Laia, she would believe him no matter what evidence pointed against him. She would help him prove his innocence.


    But his reaction made her heart sour, her suspicion only deepening.


    ___


    It wasn''t long before Zaria found the answer she was looking for. Unfortunately, her fears were confirmed when she arrived home to amotion. She had worked overtime today and it was already 10pm when she arrived, which made her stare in confusion when she saw a police car in front of her house.


    She nced at it in shock and rushed into the vi, just in time to see a policeman show his badge to Theodore.


    "What''s going on?" She asked.


    No one answered her, but she clearly heard it when they spoke to Theodore. "Mr. Williams, you are under arrest for abduction and attempted murder. Pleasee with us to the police station. You have the right to remain silent."


    "Dad?" She looked at him in shock. He swept a nce at her and averted his gaze. He neither struggled nor asked a word, silently letting them lead him away.


    "Wait!" She jumped in their way. "Why would you barge into someone''s home sote at night and arrest people?"


    "There isn''t a time limit for the police to do their work. After all, criminals have no time limit either." The policeman looked impatient. "Ma''am, please get out of the way."


    "No! You will not take him anywhere without an exnation." She red at them, using her arms to block their path.


    "If you have anything to say, please do so at the police station.


    We will arrest you for obstructing the police if you do not get out of the way." One of the policemen nudged her out of the way. Just like that, she watched Theodore being led into their car which immediately drove off.


    "Dad!" She called in vain. Just now, he had not even spared her a nce. If she had asked him why he was being arrested, he would definitely have ignored her.


    She wiped the glistening moisture from the corners of her eyes using the back of her finger.


    No! She could not let him spend a night in jail! No matter what he had done, they would let her bail him out, right?


    Unfortunately, she could not bail him out before he was interrogated so she had to wait until the next day.


    She went back to her car and sat to wait. Part of her hoped that the police would pity her and let her see him even if she couldn''t bail him out. However, they didn''t budge for a second. She was already tired from attending meetings at different locations all day so she soon fell asleep in the car. Because the position was ufortable and she didn''t have a nket, she felt sore and cold when she woke up.


    She stretched and didn''t dare toin. Her father must have had it worse. She had vaguely heard about what happened in interrogation rooms. Sometimes, the police would deliberately torture suspects in the name of obtaining evidence, and sometimes it was so gruesome that some of the suspects did not leave the interrogation rooms alive.


    "No!" She jolted at the thought. Without second thought, she ran all the way back into the building and met the police officer who had handcuffed Theodore just as she walked in. He must be changing shifts, so he didn''t bother with her and continued striding past her.


    "Sir, please let me see him. Just for one minute, please." She held her hands together in front of her chest in a pleading gesture.


    Probably because he knew she would continue clinging to him, he shot her a look. "Jacob will exin the details to you."


    "Thank you, sir." She hurried in to find Jacob, a young policeman.


    "Have a seat." He led her to room near the interrogation room and exined Theodore''s crime in detail.


    It turned out, the Qins had sued him for kidnapping their daughter as well as shooting the mayor''s wife on the night of the banquet!


    Her eyes widened in disbelief when she heard him. Even though she had suspected him for a while, she didn''t truly believe that he really did it. Not to mention, shooting the mayor''s wife too?


    "He refuses to say a word." Jacob exined. "All you can do now is get awyer. If you cannot get one, the court will randomly assign him one."


    She bit her lower lip forcefully and tried not to break down. She thought through everything that Jacob had said and a frown formed between her brows. "You just said...you believe that he is the culprit behind the kidnapping because the child pointed him out?"


    "Yes. Here is the illustration." He retrieved a drawing which was probably made ording to Laia''s description of the man who grabbed her. From the major features, there was no denying that the man on the drawing was Theodore.


    She closed her eyes in denial. "What if there is a man who looks like him? Besides, she''s just a child. How can you rely on her testimony? What if she remembered one detail wrong?" She argued.


    "Miss Williams, she is the hostage. She told us everything she remembered. Not to mention, this is not the only evidence." Jacob patiently continued to exin. "He was already a suspect before the hostage was rescued but we didn''t have enough evidence to arrest him. Besides, there is a witness. One of your neighbours saw Mr. Williams sneakily bring a blindfolded child into your vi."


    "I understand." Zaria was defeated. She now understood why the Qins had repeatedly confronted her. So it was not entirely because they suspected her. On the contrary, they thought that she was either an aplice or a witness to the kidnapping, being the closest person to Theodore.


    She was lightheaded by the time she was allowed to have a word with him.


    He was handcuffed and she was not even allowed to hug him, making her heart clench. She could only sit opposite him.


    "Zaria," He looked surprised to see her.


    "Dad, how are you?" She scrutinised him with her eyes. There were no wounds or injuries on him¡ªat least not visible ones. But she couldn''t be relieved yet.


    "Dad, I will get the bestwyer possible. Hang in there okay?" She had wanted to demand answers but seeing him looking pale and sad, she couldn''t bear to. "If they torture you, you must tell me, okay? They don''t have any right to harass you."


    "Don''t." He finally whispered when she finished rambling.


    She looked at him in confusion.


    In the next second, he reached to hold her hands between his own cuffed ones. "It was for the best. Zaria, don''t get me awyer. I am guilty."

 Chapter 174 - Has Her Father Been Swapped?

    <h4>Chapter 174 - Has Her Father Been Swapped?</h4>


    "You¡­What did you say?" Zaria was taken aback. Did he just say that he was guilty? And with a straight face?


    His eyes lowered as he repeated the words that had shattered her brain. "I''m guilty, princess. Don''t waste your time on hiringwyers."


    Her mind went nk for a while. When she processed what she had just heard, her voice lowered as she weakly asked, "Why?"


    Theodore let out a sigh. "I wanted to be the first to garner a huge scoop. Nothing interesting has been happeningtely in Olphire, you know. Scandals are a dreame true for the media. You know this yourself, princess." He exined. "However, you cannot always guarantee that as soon as something happens, your agency will be the first to get the scoop. Reporting a piece of news after someone else does it is not fun either. It only makes it appear as though F&P Media is outdated. What faster way is there for me to capture the news as soon as it happens than to create it myself?"


    If Zaria had not known Theodore for so many years, she might have believed that the police swapped her dad and brought an impostor before her.


    She knew what he was talking about. She had heard rumors about some agencies causing crimes to be able to capture them, because it would attract readers and viewers¡ªespecially if the crimes had to do with celebrities. But to hear him say that he was involved in such underhanded dealings¡­


    "So you shot Amanda ck just so you would publish a piece of explosive news?" She asked.


    "Yes." He answered dryly. "Wasn''t it a great headliner, though?"


    She took a deep breath to calm down before she asked, "Is that also why you kidnapped Laia?" "Yes." He admitted yet again, before adding that it caused quite a stir for the mayor''s wife and his granddaughter to be attacked just a few days apart. It got everyone talking and wondering whether they had a hidden enemy in their family, which made F&P Media''s forum busier than ever.


    "Zaria, I''m sorry. I have failed as a father." He apologized in the end.


    "Enough." She couldn''t take it anymore and stood. "I will get awyer, and I will investigate this matter."


    When she ran out, Theodore knew just how upset she must be. Since she was born, he had always been beside her. No matter what happened, she would turn to him forfort. For the first time, he was unable to hug her despite knowing just how torn she must be feeling inside. "My dear Zaria¡­" He muttered helplessly.


    "Williams, time''s up. You have to go back." The wadern closed in on him to escort him back into his cell. He could only stand and allow himself to be led back.


    ___


    Zaria didn''t know how she left the building. The tears she had been holding back all came gushing out.


    "Dad, why?" She mumbled through her cry.


    When she asked him the same question just now, he had given him an answer that thoroughly destroyed his reputation. At the same time, their conversation might have been recorded¡ªshe could never be totally sure that it wasn''t.


    However, the reasons he gave were not what she wanted to hear. What she wanted to hear was why nothing made sense.


    She had watched F&P Media rise from nothing years ago. If all he had to do was create some scenes and capture them, would he have struggled for so many years? Would he have stayed up for all those nights to find ways to improve?


    If she hadn''t known him for so long, she would have believed his reasons. However, he knew that they were lies. There had to be another reason and it probably had nothing to do with what he wanted.


    A reminder rm chimed on her phone. Seeing what time it is, she hurried home to freshen up before speeding all the way to thepany.


    "You arete." Lucy reprimanded when she arrived.


    "I''m sorry. I got caught up." She lowered her head, not meeting Lucy''s gaze.


    Lucy was still able to see her swollen eyes and dark circles. "What happened?" She asked worriedly.


    Zaria shook her head. "It''s a personal matter."


    Lucy did not push her, seeing as she was unwilling to talk about it. She only looked up at her. "Do you need to take the day off?"


    "Thank you but it''s alright. I can handle it." Zaria rejected the offer. Thanks to Desmond''s indulgence, she had already taken several breaks from work. If this continued, she would be the most ipetent employee at Preston and Fort Group.


    She took Lucy''s instructions and went back to her office. A few hourster, a man barged in.


    "Sis, you have no idea. That man basically wanted to kill me. I''ve been bullied¡­" Heined pitifully. Only when his words were out did he get a clearer look at Zaria who was in a daze.


    "Zaria?" He called out.


    She looked up at him and tried to smile. But no matter how hard she tired, she only triggered the tears she had been holding back toe gushing out.


    Zeus'' hands clenched into fists as he closed in on her and hugged her. "I''m sorry."


    "Why are you apologizing?" She asked.


    He patted her back gently. "As a brother, I failed in my most basic role. I was not able to protect you, letting you cry. What happened?"


    "It''s¡­" For a moment, she wanted to blurt out everything that happened but she didn''t want to bother anyone with her matters. She shook her head. "I''m just tired."


    Of course, Zeus was not a fool. He knew that she was hiding something. Based on the little knowledge he had of her, he knew that she only had one weakness¡ªTheodore. Had something happened to his father? He was yet to ask when her phone rang, and the caller just had to be the man he wasining about earlier.


    "Honey, do you want to grab lunch together?"


    Her mood brightened a little when she heard Desmond''s voice. She shed a smile and wiped her tears. "Yeah. Let''s eat at the employee cafeteria."


    When she ended the call, she turned to her brother with a smile. "Thank you Zeus. I''ll catch up with youter. You should get something to eat too."


    "Bye." He could only wave at her. Now he had something else toin about his new boss. Did he have to choose this moment to ask Zaria out? He was also probably going to grab the chance to help Zaria out, stealing the opportunity to be the brother that saves his precious sister.


    ¡­


    Desmond was already at the employee cafeteria when Zaria arrived. There were countless female employees buzzing around him, smiling and asking random questions to try and get on his good side. There were even some dropping their trays because they were focusing on him and forgetting that they were walking.


    She facepalmed. How could she forget that he attracted attention wherever he went? Although the food at the employee cafeteria was delicious and of good quality, seeing the CEO here was a rare sight so they were excited to see him. She hoped they wouldn''t throw forks at her for dining with their dream man.


    Soon after she arrived, he asked what he wanted to eat and went to bring their food. There was no queue so he was back within a few minutes, cing her food box in front of her.


    She thanked him with a gentle smile. "How is Zeus at work?"


    "Not as bad as I thought. At least he is smart and efficient." He had to admit that he had nothing to nitpick.


    "That''s great. At the end of the three month period, you can keep him." She let out a sigh of relief. She had expected the two to turn the office of the CEO into their battlefield but it seemed like they were doing great. At least they had not killed each other yet.


    " Don''t even think about it." He frowned as soon as he heard her words. "I want my assistant back as soon as Lucy finishes whatever it is that she is doing at Preston and Fort Group."


    She chuckled at his tone. It seemed like the peace was simply because neither of them had a choice after all¡­


    When she spaced out for a few seconds, he reached to hold her hand on the table. "Honey, don''t worry about your dad. I have already contacted mywyer. I already told him that there is a possibility that your dad is being threatened."


    "When did you even find out?" She was confused. She was certain that she didn''t tell him. Besides, wasn''t Theodore arrested the previous night?


    "Honey, if I can''t even tell why my girlfriend has been distressed all morning, do I deserve to be her boyfriend?" He smiled gently.


    She gripped her fork in distress. "I didn''t want to drag anyone into this. Ow¡­" She whined softly when he flicked her forehead.


    "You are not dragging me into anything. You are only letting me into your life. You already have me so can you please not choose to suffer in silence?" He seriously pleaded.

 Chapter 175 - Chance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 175 - Chance (1)</h4>


    Long chapter iing.


    ________


    Soon after Zaria left, Zeus went to his own office and just a few minutester, went to find Lucy. He entered her office discreetly and made sure to lock the door before turning to face her.


    "What do you want to tell me?" Lucy looked up at her son after watching his dramatics. If it wasn''t anything urgent, he would have waited to say it to her at home. There was only a few hours left before they left work after all.


    "Father was arrested." Zeus went straight to the point, telling her what he had discovered after looking it up a moment ago.


    Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. So that was why Zaria waste this morning and looked like she was on the verge of death. She shut her eyes for a second and looked up at her son. "And?" She believed this was not the only thing he intended to tell her.


    "What do you mean by that?" Zeus was taken aback by his mother''s indifference. "We have to get him out. Doesn''t that go without saying?"


    Lucy massaged her temples with a frown. "No way. A jailbreak?" She unknowingly exerted pressure on the pen she was holding as she looked at her son in disapproval. "I was wondering why you often end up on the wrong side of everyone. You are too reckless."


    Zeus was taken aback. "Helping my sister is being reckless? Did you see how sad she was a moment ago? She is not a crybaby and you know that, but she was crying so heartbrokenly. How do you expect me to ignore what she is going through?"


    "Do you think that by helping him out you will be doing the right thing?" Lucy mmed her palm against the table. "You¡­ have you thought about what would happen next?"


    "We will find him a safe ce to hide. Zaria can move there with him." He exined, even though he believed it was obvious. He was not going to rescue him just to bring him back to his current residence and let the police catch him, was he?


    "And he will have to be termed as a criminal for the rest of his life. Not to mention, she will bear the title of the daughter of a criminal." Lucy countered in displeasure.


    Zeus knew that it would definitely happen but he scoffed. "Do you think they care about that? All Zaria cares about now is to be with him and he only cares about her. Besides, what difference does it make? It''s not like her mother and brother are saints."


    Lucy almost wavered but the second part of Zeus'' statement woke her from her trance. She red at her son. "Don''t ever breathe a word of this to Zaria. Get lost. I will handle this myself."


    "Okay. I hope you don''t wait until Zaria''s tears flood the whole building before you take action." Zeus shrugged and smiled his way out. If worse came to worst, he would have decided on a jailbreak. However, that was not his intention at the moment. He had onlye to Lucy''s office to provoke her. She had more power under her belt, after all. If she really had to, she would definitely ensure Theodore was freed. As expected, Zaria was her weakness.


    When Zeus left, Lucy nced at the door and let out a breath. Did she know how much Zaria cared about Theodore? Of course she did! That was her daughter. How could she not feel her grief?


    When she called her son to ask about it, she found out that Theodore had been arrested for shooting Amanda and kidnapping Laia Qin. She immediately frowned. No matter how much she hated Theodore, she was certain that he would never do either of the crimes he was used of.


    What was worse, it was only a matter of time until the news was leaked. As soon as it was leaked, other media agencies would use it to tarnish the reputation of F&P Media to a point of no return, getting rid of a majorpetitor.


    "I will not let that happen." She dered as she looked out through the window. A few secondster, she frowned slightly as she added, "I will not allow anything else to make my daughter sad." She was doing it for her daughter¡ªonly for her daughter.


    _


    About half an hourter, she arrived at a meeting room of CT Corporation where she had requested to meet Mrs. Qin.


    It wasn''t long before a woman in a short business dress sauntered in. She sat down opposite Lucy and immediately cut to the chase.


    "What brings you here?"


    "You don''t need to pretend when you already know." Responded Lucy.


    Of course, Shera knew. She only found it ridiculous. "You want me to call off thewsuit against your ex husband."


    Lucy was not surprised that Shera had found out the rtionship between her and Theodore. Even then, she shook her head. "It''s for my daughter."


    "You would certainly do everything for her." Shera mocked.


    Lucy sighed when she mentioned Zaria, her heart aching. "You are a mother too, Shera. You know how it feels to see your daughter so sad."


    Not only was Shera not moved, but she found it ridiculous too. She let out a smallugh. "You said it yourself. We are both mothers. I thought you would understand me. You have no idea how pained I felt to see my Laia with those marks on her ankles and wrists."


    She asked for a cup of tea, looking distressed because of the topic they were discussing. Her hand that was at the edge of the table trembled slightly. "What pained me even more is her reaction when I took her away. Your daughter had managed to befriend her, making her forget that she was the victim. Do you know that she was actually unwilling to part with her new friend and her pet?"


    Lucy remained silent. She had only asked for the reason why Theodore was arrested, so she had no idea that Laia had been held hostage at his house nor did she know that Zaria had even befriended her. Why would she do that? She should have contacted her as soon as she found Laia! She would have found a way to end this without implicating Theodore.


    Even so, she didn''t me her daughter for the decision she made. She, after all, did notpletely trust her.


    Shera took a sip of her tea when it arrived, while Lucy stared nkly at hers.


    "I would gain nothing from poisoning you." Shera chuckled sarcastically without a hint of a smile. "When Desmond found my husband for a talk, I was actually willing to drop this matter. But that was until I found out that he shot my mother too. My mother, who has never done wrong to anyone. How could I forgive him for this? My mother was shot near the heart. If Kara didn''t immediately take out the bullet, she would have died. His intention was to murder her!"


    Lucy looked at the other woman and didn''t say a word. It would have been easier if it involved one victim.


    Shera continued to exin. "When I told Laia that the bad guy who shot her grandma and kidnapped her would be taken to prison, she pitifully cried and said that Zaria would be sad to be separated from her dad. Do you know how it feels for your daughter to defend a murderer?"


    "Children are innocent, Shera." Lucy responded, finding Laia so kind and thoughtful for her tender age. "Believe me or not, they can easily tell whether someone genuinely cares for them or if they are being pretentious."


    "So now you''re saying that your ex husband was caring." Shera interrupted with a scoff. "Then on behalf of my whole family, and ancestors, as well as those of my husband, I appreciate him for taking such good care of our baby."


    "I don''t mean that¡­" For the first time, she was too stunned to find the right words. What was worse, she had to admit that if she were in Shera''s shoes, sending Theodore to prison would have been the most lenient oue.


    "I mean he isn''t that kind of person. He would never willingly hurt anyone, especially a child. I believe he was forced." She confidently suggested.


    Shera raised an eyebrow and said nothing.


    "I will prove to you that he was forced to do this, as soon as I can. But before then, I have a feeling that his life is in danger. What if someone is trying to murder him and the first step of his n is to put him behind bars? What if he was in fact, a witness and was forced to be the scapegoat? You cannot ignore the possibility that the real culprit might still be after your family. "


    Thest part sessfully caught Shera''s attention, who frowned ever so slightly.


    After thinking about it for a while, she looked straight at the older woman. "I know Desmond is probably discussing the same thing with Leo so never mind. I will drop thewsuit temporarily and give you a chance to prove his innocence."


    "What''s your condition?" Lucy was certain that Shera would never blindly take such a risk.


    "Everything you have will be on the line." Shera said. "If you are unable to prove his innocence using valid evidence, I will acquire Twilight. Not only that, but I will also take over The Dark Night. I know you are its leader."


    Lucy was more shocked about the mention of The Dark Night than she was about the terms. How did Shera find out?


    "What''s it gonna be? Are you willing to bet on everything you have?" She pressed without exining how she found out about Lucy''s secret gang.


    "If you are ready, I will draft a contract right away."


    Lucy''s lips moved slightly. It was not a question of whether or not Theodore was innocent, but of whether she could prove it. Although The Dark Night was one of the strongest organizations, Shera''s La Rose Noire practically ruled Olphire. It was not guaranteed that she would not try to sabotage the investigation.


    ______


    What do you think Lucy will do?


    A Anything for Zaria


    B So much risk just for an ex-husband? No f-ing way!

 Chapter 176 - Chance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 176 - Chance (2)</h4>


    Knowing that she had dumped an impossible condition at the other party, Shera unhurriedly sipped her tea as she waited for a response.


    "That is doable. But I have a condition." Lucy spoke up after a while.


    "You have conditions when you are the one who wants me to do you a favor?" Shera asked with a hint of disdain in her voice. "Aren''t you too greedy, Ms Roatta?"


    "It''s to ensure you are not robbing me in the name of doing me a favor. My condition is that you will not meddle in this matter. You will leave it entirely to me. If I prove that you have tried to do anything behind my back, the conditions you set will no longer be valid." She insisted. Knowing Shera, it would be a surprise if the woman didn''t use this chance to try and acquire Twilight.


    In response, Sheraughed lightly. "I didn''t think about it before but now that you mention it¡­maybe it will be fun to sabotage you."


    "I''m sure you don''t want to be The Dark Night''s enemy when we could be friends." Lucy threw in a low-key threat, promising that if Shera meddled with the results, she would fight back even if it caused unnecessary chaos.


    "Ah, whatever. I don''t want to tire myself out anyway. But I will give you a week." Shera waved her hand in dismissal.


    "One week...that''s alright." Lucy left CT Corporation, heaving a sigh of relief. Shera did not make her sign the contract in the end, so they merely had a verbal agreement. Her reason was that if Lucy was willing to bet everything she had on him, then she was certain of his innocence. It was true but it didn''t mean there was time to bex about it. She had to prove Theodore''s innocence as soon as possible.


    _


    Desmond dropped Zaria off. When he turned to go back into his car, she tugged his sleeve. "Can you stay, please?"


    His heart broke when he heard her. She couldn''t stay on her own tonight after everything that happened. He kissed her forehead and took her hand, leading her into the vi.


    Once in her room, he warmed a ss of milk and brought it to her, before taking off her heels and massaging her feet.


    "I''m alright." She smiled at his fawning actions.


    Although she said that she was fine, he didn''t stop what he was doing. They had already had dinner earlier so he tucked her in bed soon after she took a shower.


    "I will handle whatever is left. Go to sleep, okay?" He coaxed.


    "How can I let you do everything? I have to find some clues too." She was feeling drowsy from having not had enough rest the day before, but she was determined to finish what she had to before she could rest.


    Knowing that she would not be convinced no matter how hard he tried to persuade her, he gave in and exined to her the n he had in mind.


    "Are you sure the Qins would agree?" She knew that she could not bail Theodore out mainly because the Qins had prohibited it, so she was surprised when Desmond talked about convincing them to let him off.


    "There''s only one way to find out." He shrugged. He knew that it all depended on what he could offer in return and how soon he could prove his words. "I''ll give Leo a call."


    The call onlysted a few minutes before he returned to her side. She bit her lower lip. "He disagreed, right?"


    "Yes." He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. "Because someone else was faster. Your mother already has an agreement with Shera."


    Zaria was taken aback. "My mother? Why would she do that?"


    "Because she can''t bear to see you sad. By the way, Leo casually mentioned that she betted full ownership of herpany on Theodore''s innocence.


    Zaria no longer knew what to say. Could it be that Lucy had had enough of a luxurious life and was throwing away some of her wealth to relieve herself. She could never fully understand tycoons'' train of thought.


    "Are you going to pretend not to know why she is doing it?" He teased her.


    Zaria shook her head. "Caring about me is one thing. But even if it''s for my sake, that seems a little too much. Hey, do you think she still loves my dad and can''t bear to see him behind bars?"


    "Who am I to make a guess?" He smiled, even though he thought the same way. Although it was none of his business, he hoped for Zaria''s family to reunite. Heaven knew how badly she had always wanted to see her parents together. She even made a wish on the wishing well on their behalf.


    "Let''s go to sleep. Sing me a luby." She childishly demanded, knowing that he would merely tease her in return.


    However, he held her against his chest and actually started singing.


    She burst intoughter. "Who would have thought? Although your voice is so seductive when you speak, you sing like a frog? You will start ribbiting if you don''t stop."


    He smiled, d that she was finallyughing. "At least I''m good with the piano. I can y you a ter."


    She snuggled against himfortably. "I would love that." Tilting her body, she pinched his nose. "You have to decrease your caffeine intake. It has a negative impact on your voice."


    "That''s okay. I don''t intend to be a superstar anyways." He held her hand that was pinching his face.


    "You still need to decrease it. Don''t get me started on all the other health effects." She frowned at him. What was so good about caffeine anyway? Before she became Lucy''s assistant, she had started to insistently give him water whenever he asked for coffee. Once in a while she would rece it with milk or juice too. She made a mental note to tell Zeus what to do.


    "Honey, although you are beautiful even when you frown, I still prefer your smile." He pinched her cheek to forcefully make her smile.


    "Then give me a reason to smile." She pouted.


    "I love you." He kissed her lips. "And I need you."


    He traced a finger down her back and flipped her so she would be on top of him. She kissed him but just as he was about to reach into her pajamas, her body went limp. He checked on her only to find out that she had fallen asleep.


    Well, she needed to sleep after such an emotional turmoil. He kissed her hands and slid out of bed, heading for the bathroom.


    ____


    The following day.


    When Zaria told Ximena about what happened to Theodore, thetter was in the middle of a meeting with a client''s assistant.


    "Please proceed with the meeting. I have an emergency to attend to. Excuse me." She apologized and rushed out of the meeting room, letting her assistant take over.


    She jumped into her car and sped off towards Preston and Fort Group.


    But who would have thought, her car would run out of fuel when she was far from the next gas station?


    "Crap. I knew I shouldn''t have ignored the rm." She cursed.


    She was still dialling a number on her phone when someone knocked on her window. She looked up,ing face to face with Liam.


    "Get off the road if you don''t want to drive. You are causing a traffic jam." He berated her.


    "I thought the highway was a nice spot to park my car." She smiled sarcastically before her smile faded into a frown. "Of course I have ces to go too. Can''t you freaking tell that I''m out of fuel?"


    "I wasn''t asking for an explosion." He widened his eyes at the audacity of this woman to yell at him.


    She exited the car and nced at the wide highway, where other cars were still swiftly going past despite the blockage of onene. Liam was the only one who was brainless enough to wait for her to move. Or perhaps, he was just causing trouble.


    She red at him. "Of course I will explode! Do you wealthy people leave your brains behind every time you negotiate business deals? You are pathetic!"


    "Do you have something against wealthy people?" He raised an eyebrow, recalling that this was not the first time she was yelling at him for being a CEO.


    "Only foolish, arrogant ones like you." She sneered. Of course she hated them. If they weren''t brainless, they wouldn''t be fond of forcing their children into decisions they wanted nothing to do with. She nced at him over her shoulder and entered her car. "I would very much advise you to stay away from me. I''m in a hurry."


    "Do you want to get somewhere fast? I can drive you." He offered. "It may take long for the gas station to help you refill your car. Just saying¡­"


    She knew that he was right no matter how much she wanted to deny it.

 Chapter 177 - Finding The Chance To Bomb It

    <h4>Chapter 177 - Finding The Chance To Bomb It</h4>


    "You damned shrew. I was only trying to help!" Liam exploded, annoyed by her attitude. "Even if you are not grateful, you should be polite at the very least!"


    Ximena looked at him like he was an idiot. "Thank you for what? For wasting my time or for calling me a shrew?" She cast him a disdainful nce and turned away. "I''m pretty certain as a busy man, you have no time to care for shrews like me. I will not bother you, Mr. Preston." She rolled up her window so she would no longer hear his nonsense.


    She dared to ignore him! He red at her smug side profile and crossed his arms. "Whatever. It''s not my business anyway."


    Even though he said that it was not his business, he continued to wait at the side to see her make a fool out of herself. Besides, a gentleman never leaves a helplessdy on her own. If not, he would have let her go to hell if she wanted to. Of course, watching her make a fool out of herself was the major part.


    "Why is it taking so long?" Ximena nced at her wristwatch for the umpteenth time. It had been twenty minutes already, and she was yet to hear any response from them!


    Thinking of a possibility, she got off the car and pointed at Liam who was ying with his phone while leaning against a pole. "You! Did you contact the gas station and have them dy me on purpose? Are you trying to make sure I don''t to my destinattion on time?"


    He frowned at her usations that came out of the blue. "What would I gain from doing that? Do you think I have so much free time as to do something that will not be of any benefit to me?"


    She frowned in annoyance. "Who said there would be no benefits? You could do it to sabotage me or rescue me and forcefully make me owe you. Being the dumb hero that saves the beauty." She exploded, grabbing his tie as she red right into his eyes. "Let me warn you. You don''t want to get on my wrong side."


    He met her threatening gaze. Looking at her eyes, she was not bluffing. She would really do sometthing horrible if he got on her bad side. However, he did not feel intimidated. On the contrary, he found the situationical.


    His lips curved on both sides as he looked into her eyes.


    "You seem experienced in grabbing ties, Little Devil. Are you experienced in ripping them off as well?"


    "And using them as a murder weapon to strangle their owner? You can count on me." She threatened as she tugged his tie harder. He chuckled, making her want to lose her mind. He really was ready to die, wasn''t he?


    He took her hand and pulled it away from his tie. "How unfortunate. While that is thrilling, I only appreciate women tugging my tie if they thing it''s in the way. I may not be able to fulfill your romantic urder fantasy."


    She frowned at his words. Was he insinuating that she was trying to seduce him?


    "I have nothing to do with the dy, just so you know. I thought you would need my help but I will mind my business, I guess." He waved and entered his car.


    She checked the time again and sighed. How much longer would it take? She had to get to Zaria as soon as possible!


    She followed him to his car and knocked on the window. When he rolled down the window, she didn''t dare be loud. "Fine. I was going to Preston and Fort Group. Could you give me a ride?"


    The little devil asked nicely¡­ Liam was surprised. He got off the car and opened the driver''s door. "Take care of thedy''s car." He instructed his chauffeur.


    "My chauffeur will bring your car to thepany as soon as it is refilled. Get in." He sat in the driver''s seat with a smug smile. Why was he so happy about it?


    "Don''t expect me to thank you." She harrumphed as she fastened the seat belt.


    He gazed at her with a slightugh. "Are you kidding me? I would never expect snow on a hot summer day."


    Was he implying that she was naturally ungrateful? She harrumphed and ignored him.


    The ride was silent until her phone rang. It was her assistant, informing her that the investor they were discussing with the day before had rejected their proposal.


    "What is wrong with our proposal? He is guaranteed to earn much more than we will on this project! He wants 70 percent instead of the agreed fifty? What a lousy greedy fox!" She hung up and gripped her phone so hard that Liam wondered whether her hand was alright after exerting such pressure.


    " Are you having trouble at work?" He asked, merely out of politeness. Of course, the bigger reason was because he would be ted to hear that the devil was having trouble.


    Seeing through him, she cast him a side nce and let out a sigh. "If it makes you feel better, yes."


    For some reason, he found his previous imagination childish. "Why would your troubles make me feel good? Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "I do not ept help from men." She red at him.


    "You and your pride." He harrumphed. And to think he had been willing to help her out a moment ago. Why would he even offer help to a woman like her?


    "ording to you, rejecting help is pride?" She regarded him scornfully.


    "What else would it be?" He was unwilling to continue speaking to her but it would be more awkward to ignore each other while in the samee car, so he painfully put up with this conversation.


    "It''s a precaution." She deliberately taunted. She was not entirely joking, however. She had dealt with a swindler before, so she would never casually ept help especially from strangers who might as well turn out to be big fishes intending to swallow up the little fishes.


    When they arrived at Preston and Fort Group, she took out her purse and pped a fifty euro bill onto the dashboard. "Keep change."


    "What?" He looked at her, bbergasted.


    She turned just as she was about to leave the car. "The fare. It''s usually around ten euros but since I got to ride in a luxury car, I gave you fifty. I will pay for the fuelter. Don''t even think of trying to extort me."


    He watched her saunter away and his expression darkened. Did she think that was the point?


    He felt his blood boil as he looked at the fifty euro bill. Very well¡­


    ¡­


    Zaria had just arrived in the underground parking to get her car when she witnessed this odd scene. Why did Ximena arrive in Liam''s car, and why did thetter look like he was about to erupt.


    "Ximena?" She called out in confusion.


    Ximena bolted towards her when she finally saw her. She threw her arms around her best friend. "Zaria, you are here. Are you alright?"


    Zaria finally understood what was going on. Ximena must have rushed here since she told her what had happened with Theodore. She hugged her back with a smile. "It was not an emergency. Of course I am alright. Did you think I would cry until I pass out?"


    "That''s not entirely impossible." Ximena was relieved.


    "Wait. Why did youe with Liam?" Zaria lowered her voice to ask. After the car incident just a few days ago, seeing them together was quite odd.


    Ximena face palmed when Zaria brought it up. "Long story. You must be busy right now. How about I wait for you and see you at lunch time? I''ll treat you to your favorite burger."


    "You don''t need to leave. Actually, I''m meeting thewyer. You can tag along and we can go for lunch together afterwards." Zaria suggested jovially.


    "Sounds like a st!" She hooked her arm around Zaria''s and led the way. They entered Zaria''s car as she asked, "Is it awyer you know? I''m not trying to discourage you but most court-assignedwyers do nothing but waste time. Some of them take bribes and it might lower uncle''s chances of winning the case."


    "I know¡­" Zaria frowned as she started the car.


    "I have a good friend who is an experiencedwyer. Although he is in The US right now, I can call him back to take this case." She offered, then pped her forehead. What was she waiting for? She should have called thewyer already!


    "Thanks, Xim. Desmond already gave it to hiswyer." She smiled at how willing everyone was to help her.


    "He stole my thunder. Where is my knife?" She gritted her teeth.


    Zaria burst intoughter. "Why don''t you tell me what you were doing in Liam''s car?"


    "Finding a loophole to bomb it. Does this reason count?"

 Chapter 178 - The Mastermind (1)

    <h4>Chapter 178 - The Mastermind (1)</h4>


    "He is quite lucky." Zariaughed.


    "Why would you say so?" Ximena did not understand her logic. Wasn''t she supposed tough a Liam for being unlucky?


    "Not everyone gets the chance to pique your interest in such a manner." Zariaughed, enjoying the situation a little too much.


    "There is something wrong with your imagination." Ximena frowned. What part of their argument looked like Liam had piqued her interest? Even if she was going to be interested in a man, it was definitely not going to be that insane scatterbrain.


    Zaria smiled. "There is no telling what might happen in future."


    " What? You¡­" Ximena was speechless when she caught on Zaria''s meaning. She massaged her temples. "Listen, not everyone is like you and Desmond, the enemies who hated each other so much that they ended up having sex and falling in love out of fury."


    "Hey!" Zariained. Why was she being attacked out of the blue?


    "You started it." Ximenaughed dryly. "Anyway, where are we meeting thewyer?"


    Zaria knew that she was changing the topic but she smiled. "We are here."


    They entered the restaurant and not too long after, Desmond arrived with a man beside him. Zaria thought that he had hired the samewyer who represented Alyssa in court before. To her surprise, it was Eugine Preston? Eugine was Liam''s elder brother and was one of the bestywers in Olphire, having failed none of the cases he took.


    They sat down as soon as Desmond introduced them.


    "So this is your girlfriend. Have I seen her before?" Eugine scanned her face.


    "On my phone." Desmond dismissed him.


    "That''s right. She is your phone''s wallpaper." Eugine smiled and stopped looking at Zaria, sensing jealous fireballs threatening to burn him to death. Soon after he finished speaking, he realized why he found Zaria familiar. Wasn''t this the woman that Liam was so obsessed with that his house was filled with secretly taken pictures of her?


    It turned out to be his best friend''s woman. This was quite thrilling to watch. He giggled. "Let''s talk about the case."


    When she finished exining, Eugine seemed to be in a tight spot. "Honestly, you should prepare for the worst. I will do my best to ensure he gets a lower sentence."


    "But he is not guilty." Zaria tried to exin for the umpteenth time.


    "That''s what you believe." Eugine tapped the table lightly.


    "And it''s your job to make sure the courts believes it too." Desmond red at him.


    Eugine shot a re back at Desmond before focusing his gaze on Zaria. "Based on what you said, the mastermind behind this is someone powerful, and he wants your father out of the picture. Is he perhaps in anyone''s way?"


    "None that I know of." She tried to think hard but couldn''te up with any possibility.


    "Tell me about his hobbies." Eugine asked.


    "Perhaps he is in someone''s way." Ximena interrupted. "F&P Media''spetitors?"


    "I don''t think so. How many media agencies exist in the country? Would the culprit kill all of them just to avoidpetition?" Eugine dismissed Ximena.


    Zaria exined Theodore''s hobbies even though she didn''t know its relevance to the case. When she was done, she ran a hand through her hair. "I need to see him. Perhaps he is willing to tell me something more concrete this time."


    "I will drop you off." Desmond took her hand and stood, throwing his car keys at Eugine. "Drop Ximena off."


    Before Ximena could process it, Desmond had already left with Zaria. "Annoying! How could he drag her away without my consent? We were supposed to have lunch together!"


    Eugine found herical. "You sound protective over your friend. Don''t tell me you are in love with her?"


    "You scumbag! What did you say?" She grabbed a fork and pointed it at him threateningly.


    "Did I say something wrong?" He slipped away.


    She could only follow him to Desmond''s car. She wanted to give Liam a call but realized that she didn''t have his contact number. She could only turn to Eugine. "You are that asshole''s brother, aren''t you? Have him send my car to my home."


    Eugine burst intoughter when he realized who she was talking about. "Did you just call Liam an asshole? Finally there is someone brave enough to insult him and order him around."


    Were the Prestons all crazy? She gave him her work address and ignored him.


    ___


    Zaria wanted to get changed before going to the police station but to her surprise, she found out that he had been released!


    "Dad!" She hugged him emotionally. "I knew you couldn''t have done anything wrong."


    He tousled her hair but was confused. What did she mean by that? Didn''t the Qins withdraw thewsuit after making a deal with her? This was what he guessed when he was released, but he was uncertain after seeing her reaction.


    "I''m afraid it''s not that simple." He sighed.


    "What do you mean?" Her heart sank, the relief she had felt upon seeing him flying out through the window.


    "Are you hungry? I will prepare lunch now." He pulled away to go to the kitchen.


    "Dad." She grabbed his arm. "I know what''s going on. I know that you were forced." His expression changed slightly, but he had no intention to admit that she was right.


    "Dad, I know you don''t want me to worry about you. But not knowing anything is making me even more worried. Can you please not keep me in the dark anymore?"


    Her eyes glistened with moisture at the corners. He would never say no no matter how much he wanted to keep her out of it. He sighed helplessly. "Why don''t you get your boyfriend something to drink first?"


    She jolted, realizing that she had forgotten all about Desmond. She dashed to the kitchen and returned with three sses of juice. She sat next to Desmond. "Don''t worry, dad. We can trust him."


    Theodore nodded. "Princess, I don''t know who is threatening me either. I have only been receiving their calls. However, you may find this unbelievable but as soon as the call ended, the log would disappear from my phone. I was unable to track them down. Whoever it is must have hired a proficient hacker."


    Zaria''s heart sank when the first lead went down the drain even before they could grasp it. Even so, she did not lose hope. "What did they tell you?"


    "They gave me the details about the banquet and instructed me when to appear. I didn''t expect to meet you there. All I had to do was shoot Amanda ck in the head."


    Zaria was terrified when she heard it.


    "He threatened me with your life." Theodore continued. "I knew my daughter''s life might be in danger but killing a human being in exchange¡­ It was too much. I went for her shoulder at thest moment."


    Zaria pictured the scene and trembled just thinking about it.


    "And then what happened?" Desmond probed, knowing that it wasn''t all there was to it.


    "I did not follow instructions, so a microbomb appeared in your hair." He exined to Zaria. "It was a warning."


    "What?" Zaria froze. She had almost forgotten all about the microbomb and it turned out that it was a threat? "Is that why you kidnapped Laia?"


    "I had to." Theodore admitted, not daring to look at his daughter. Would she hate him now?


    Zaria processed his words and was still in shock at such a twist. How could anyone be so cruel? "Was it also their idea to publish the news as soon as possible, and admit to the police that you did it because you wanted to be the first to publish explosive news?"


    He nodded, and she shut her eyes. "We will investigate this, dad. Trust me."


    Desmond studied Theodore''s expression. "Being threatened is one thing. But how were you able to execute the job perfectly?" He asked skeptically.


    Theodore let out a bitter smile. "If it''s about the person who means the world to you, you can sessfully perform a surgery without medical experience. Besides, I learnt how to operate firearms many years ago as a form of self defense."


    Desmond looked at Zaria as though to confirm whether she knew about it. Seeing as she didn''t react, he concluded that it was not news to her.


    He stood to contact Skeleton. While he spoke to him a few meters away from them, Zaria asked the question that had been bugging her the most. "Dad, do you have any enemies, someone who wouldn''t back down unless you perished?"


    Hearing this question, Theodore was unwilling to answer it. However, he knew that silence would only make her worried. He took her hand. "This is only my spection. Based on their abilities, they could have killed me without a trace. However, they don''t want my life. They only want to destroy my reputation and considering where this was headed¡­ the main point was to make you hate me. Your trust is all I would have lost from this. "


    "What are you saying?" She squinted her eyes.


    "The only person I can think about who would gain from this, is Lucy Roatta¡ªyour mother." He concluded.


    She found it ridiculous. "Why would she do that?"


    "For revenge." Theodore sounded certain. "I once told her that I would never allow my daughter to be brought up by a criminal."

 Chapter 179 - Knight(1)

    <h4>Chapter 179 - Knight(1)</h4>


    "Don''t you trust me?" Theodore was helpless when she didn''t utter a word for a few minutes. "Do you think I''m trying to frame her to keep you two apart?"


    "That wouldn''t make any sense." Zaria rubbed her forehead. "I''m an adult now, dad. I can decide whether or not I want to be close to her and it will not interfere with my rtionship with you."


    Theodore was not entirely convinced. "To be honest, I would not let her ever get close to you if it were up to me. I know she feels the same way¡ªbut the difference between us is that she will do anything to get what she wants. I know she wants you back."


    Zaria thought it made sense. No wonder Lucy bought Preston and Fort Group''s shares and became the COO just to get close to her. For this very reason, she shook her head as she held Theodore''s hand. "She is a smart woman, dad. I''m sure she knows that hurting the people around me would only make me hate her. Besides, if framing you is supposed to make me disappointed in you and run to her in tears, then strengthen my rtionship with her, she doesn''t need to do that. Because we are already in good terms. Why would she risk ruining that?"


    "What? You have been meeting her?!" Theodore was bbergasted by the meaning behind her words.


    Zaria nodded. "She is my temporary boss. I''m sorry I didn''t tell you¡­"


    She knew that he must be disappointed. She didn''t want to tell him before in fear that it might start a feud between them. However, she was telling him now to dispel his suspicions against Lucy.


    "So when you realized that she was the one who had saved you years ago, you were already in contact?" He asked for confirmation. When she nodded, he frowned with unease. "There are two sides of a coin, Zaria. Tell me, what would you do if you witnessed a crime in which you are able to rescue the victim?"


    She didn''t know why he was asking, so she blinked in confusion. "I would save the victim and call the police so the perpetrator does not escape."


    "That''s what an ordinary citizen would do." He huffed. "But a mercenary will take thew into their own hands in the name of revenge. Do you know how Gabe died?"


    She subconsciously shook her head, even though she knew where this was heading.


    "He was tortured and killed by her in an agonising way. Of course, he deserved it for trying to hurt my daughter. I would have strangled him to death if I caught him first¡ªbut the way she did wasn''t what you would imagine a mother doing to avenge her daughter. It was as though she enjoyed torturing living humans¡ªlike a hobby."


    Her blood ran cold at his exnation. After a few seconds, she recovered her wits, stopping herself from imagining her mother torturing people. "I wouldn''t me her. Did you see how angry the Qins were when they took Laia? They would have shot us dead if they didn''t have an agreement with Leo."


    "I''m not ming her either. I''m just saying that sacrificing a life or two just to get someone''s attention does sound like something she would do." He crossed his arms.


    Zaria didn''t know what to believe anymore. On one side, her mother was constantly worried about her trust in Theodore. She had even once warned that trust should never exist in the world, and that she should not trust anyone¡ªnot even her parents. On the other hand, her father was certain that her mother was behind his predicament. Despite all this, she believed that neither of them was in the wrong. Was this possible?


    "Hold on. Why do I feel like I''m in the middle of a couples spat?" She muttered.


    Theodore heard her, which made him stiffen. "Don''t speak nonsense."


    Desmond was on his way back, so Theodore decided to drop the topic. "It''s alright if you don''t believe me. But if you want to, ask her about the leader of The Dark Night. Make sure to take note of her reaction."


    "Did you just mention The Dark Night?" Desmond asked as he shoved his phone into the pocket.


    "What''s The Dark Night?" Zaria asked with a finger on her chin. Why did it sound like some gang of sorts?


    "An organization as fierce as the mafia. They were in Russia before but now they are in Olphire. Speaking of which, their recent movements are quite odd." Desmond exined, then looked at Theodore.


    Thetter cleared his throat. "The answer to this, I would prefer if you asked Lucy."


    Although he instructed them to ask Lucy, his meaning was obvious. Was Lucy associated with The Dark Night? To be more precise, was she the leader?


    "I understand." Desmond didn''t probe further. "Skeleton will hack into your phone and retrieve the call records. One we know who called you, we will be able to investigate their identity."


    Theodore nodded, even though he still suspected that it was Lucy. Voice changers existed after all, and she could simply pretend to be a man on the calls. If not, she could use one of her henchmen. As for hacking, if the culprit was really Lucy, Desmond''s friend was wasting his time trying to uncover her tracks.


    "I still have something to take care of so I will leave first." Desmond stood, ncing at Zaria so she would see him off.


    She followed him and when they reached the parking lot, she hugged his arm. "Thank you for helping me out, Desmond."


    "You don''t ever pay heed to my words, do you?" He pulled her to his chest and before she could process it, a pnded on her backside.


    Her face flushed furiously. "Desmond!" How dare he spank her?


    "Did it hurt? I''ll rub it for you." He ran his palm over her butt.


    "You are so shameless! We are outside." She nced around and hoped her dad did not think ofing out.


    ____


    That evening.


    "Mom, father was released." Zeus reported to Lucy who was sitting in her room, dazed as she held her phone.


    "How is Zaria?" She asked without turning.


    "She is happier now that father is back home." He stalked towards her. "Speaking of which, you would really do anything for her, wouldn''t you? You even helped out the man you im to hate with your life."


    Still facing away from her son, a smile of ridicule donned her lips. Hate? That was an understatement. If she were to describe her former marriage with Theodore in simple terms, she would use three words¡ªan utter disaster.


    They loved each other¡ªor imed to love each other¡ªuntil it boiled down to what was bound to happen.


    ______


    It was six days since Lucy asked for a divorce. They had been avoiding each other at all costs. She didn''t want to stay with him for a second longer than necessary, afraid that she would change her mind. At the same time, she knew that he was avoiding being alone with her because she would remind him about the divorce.


    When she put Zaria to sleep that night, she turned only to see him disappear behind the wall. He rushed all the way to the bedroom and pretended to be asleep on the couch.


    "I know you are awake." She started.


    He opened his eyes and averted his gaze from her. "What do you want?"


    "We already talked about it. I want a divorce." She did not look at him either.


    Without warning, he grabbed her wrist. "Why?"


    He had asked this question almost a thousand times when she brought it up, and her answer was bound to remain the same, which she stated calmly. "I cannot put up with this kind of lifestyle anymore." It was the perfect excuse. Following her marriage to Theodore, her parents had frozen all her ounts and done their best to oppress them. It had been hard on them even though they tried their best to get back on their feet each time.


    Hearing the same excuse, Theodore found it ridiculous. "If I were to sign the divorce papers, and suddenly be a billionaire tomorrow, would you ask to nullify the divorce?"


    This was the most difficult question she had ever been asked in her life. She was not leaving him for not being wealthy enough. How could she answer that?


    "Think about it." He let go of her wrist and their gazes collided for the first time in thest six days. "I will give you one night. Think about your decision. Even if you don''t care about our future, think about our daughter."


    He left the room to let her think, but he didn''t need to wait for one day. When he returned from the study, he had her phone in his trembling hand as his chest heaved.


    "You had a call from some Knight who misses his love very much and can''t wait to see her again. I answered it." He announced sarcastically.


    Her heart dropped when she heard the name she had been dreading.

 Chapter 180 - Knight (2)

    <h4>Chapter 180 - Knight (2)</h4>


    She held her breath for a moment.


    "Theo, about¡­" She was about to exin when she recalled the only reason why that man would contact her. Her gaze turned indifferent. "You found out."


    "Who is he?" He asked with a tremor in his voice. She knew that he would believe her no matter what she said, but this was not the time to make him trust her.


    "Why should it matter to you, ex-husband?" She asked indifferently.


    The word hurt him, so much that he remained silent, standing in the same spot for minutes. He smiled bitterly when he jolted. "Now I get it. No wonder you suddenly asked for a divorce. It makes sense now."


    He threw her cell phone on the bed, trying not to lose his temper.


    Even without needing an exnation, she knew that he had misunderstood her. He must have thought that she cheated on him. She wanted to exin herself, but when she thought about her sleeping daughter, she exhaled a sigh and started packing her belongings.


    He went to the study only to return with arge box which made her curious.


    "Don''t forget this." He pushed the box to her feet, and only then did she realize that it was her desktop.


    "You better hurry. I want to go to sleep." He rushed her impatiently.


    Her eyes widened. Was he implying that she should leave right now, even though it waste at night?


    He must have seen through her puzzled thoughts, and he scoffed. "I don''t want to continue keeping another man''s love under my roof. Who is to say that you will notin to him about living in a pigsty?"


    Her hands trembled at his sudden sharp words, making her drop the jewelry case in her hand. He was not intending to help her but when he looked down, a particr diamond ne caught his attention among the simple ones.


    She reached to grab it but he was faster.


    "This ne¡­ the pendant is a symbol of The Dark Night. Do you know how dangerous it is to own anything that could make one mistake you as a member of a gang?" He stopped speaking when he realized that it was not an imitation. His eyes squinted at her. "Why do you have it?"


    She grabbed it back from him and shoved it into her luggage. "It doesn''t matter anymore. You have alreadye to a conclusion and it won''t matter what I tell you."


    "I only want an exnation!" He demanded, grabbing her wrist.


    She flung his hand away. "Please send the signed divorce papers to my office tomorrow." She zipped up her suitcases and lugged them out the door, hoping she could catch a cab. Pausing at the door, she let go of the bags and ran back in, brushing past Theodore who was preparing to close the door.


    "What are you doing?" He grabbed her arm when he realized that she was headed for Zaria''s room.


    "I want to say goodbye to my daughter." She annoyedly pulled her hand out of his grip.


    "No! You will not touch my daughter." He blocked her path, pushing her away.


    "Breaking news, I''m her mother!" She yelled at him.


    He looked at her as though in surprise, before he burst intoughter. "As a member of The Dark Night, you dare to im that you are a mother? Have you no shame?"


    Thinking of everything, he stared at her in disbelief. "Why did you get close to me? Why did you marry me? Was I part of your mercenary mission?"


    She remained silent.


    "All those times you said you were meeting with a client, was it them you were meeting? Were you taking me for a fool all along?"


    "I do not desire to exin what''s in the past, but I do have a request. Give Zaria to me. She will be safer with me. I will ensure she has everything she needs." She stood her ground.


    "Never. Get out of my house!" He shoved her towards the door. "Unless you want me to call the police and reveal who you are." He threatened.


    "I was leaving anyway. Mywyer will discuss it with you tomorrow." She calmly grabbed her bags.


    "Lucy¡­" She heard him call her name which made her stop, only to hear his cold words, "If you have a brain, you will not think of fighting for my daughter''s custody. Because as long as I''m alive, I will never allow my daughter to be raised by a criminal."


    Her eyes stung, but she smiled bitterly without turning to face him. It was just a pendant. How could he simply dismiss her for being a criminal without asking why she was involved with The Dark Night?


    _


    It seemed like a joke but Lucy knew that after divorcing Theodore, she had to rush back to Russia.


    Knight was as expected, waiting for her at his vi. She felt nauseated just looking at his face. This jerk was the man her parents had sold her to, despite knowing that she was married. Or perhaps, it was her marriage to Theodore that made them sell her to the bloodthirsty leader of The Dark Night.


    "You finally divorced that jerk, my dear Lucy." He drawled her name in the way that disgusted her the most.


    "I did." She could only put up with it for now.


    "Let''s celebrate. It''s great news." He brought a bottle of wine and two sses, pouring some into hers.


    She panicked. When she did the required medical test for emigration, she found out that she was pregnant. She definitely couldn''t drink wine.


    "I don''t want to drink wine." She made an excuse. "I''ve been drinking a lottely. I will substitute it with water."


    To her dismay, he saw through her lie. "Is it that you don''t want to, or that you can''t? Are you pregnant?" Heughed after making a right guess that made her freeze.


    A pnded on her cheek. "You really are pregnant, you little b*tch! Your whole family owes me yet you dare to betray me again?"


    Her fists clenched. She would make him pay for it.


    "And your little daughter¡­" He suddenlyughed like a maniac. "She''s actually quite pretty and looks brave for her age. If I groom her, do you think she could be stronger than you in future?" He looked down at her threateningly.


    "You promised to stay away from her!" She yelled. As expected, men like him never fulfilled their promises. She had divorced Theodore and came to Russia. Why was he still threatening her with Zaria''s life?


    "I will keep my promise. Just get rid of the seed of that jerk. I don''t want my woman giving birth to another piece of trash."


    His words were revolting. "My dear Lucy, I will forget about that bastard and his little brat if you get rid of this child and marry me. Think about it¡­ you will be wealthy andfortable. If I''m in a good mood, we can have kids of our own. Don''t you think it''s awesome, dear Lucy?"


    Her eyes narrowed. " Okay."


    "Good Lucy. You finally know what''s good for you." He raised his ss to her.


    She stood with a smile. "I''m going to cook. Help me book an appointment with the hospital."


    He was shocked that she was actually taking the initiative to book an appointment, so he made a call as soon as she went to the kitchen.


    When he was done giving instructions, he added an order to whoever he was speaking to. "The little girl in Olphire, keep her alive. I may need herter."


    Unbeknownst to him, Lucy had eavesdropped on him and heard thest part. She furiously chopped the vegetables to suppress her anger. She looked down at her stomach when she calmed down. ''I will not let anyone hurt you or your sister.''


    He entered the kitchen, brimming with a smile. "WestHill Hospital, tomorrow at 9a.m."


    "Okay." She knew it was the abortion appointment.


    "What are you cooking?" He closed in to peek.


    "Why don''t you take a look?" She tried not to push him away.


    "It looks tasty. You are getting better with the knife too. I''d like to see your performance back in the field." He joked as he saw her chop tomatoes at a scary speed. He couldn''t help imagining the knife thrust into someone''s heart instead.


    "You can see it right here too." Sheughed and turned, stabbing the knife right into his chest. As he held it to resist her push, she grabbed another knife and stabbed him innumerable times.


    "I nned this before I came here. Of course I would seed." She gloated as he bled out. "Don''t worry, I will not be punished for your death¡ªif anyone cares about it to start with."


    "The Dark Night will never let you off!" He threatened as he tried to drag his injured body towards her.


    She stepped on his hand mercilessly. "Don''t worry about The Dark Night. The organization will be taken good care of. After all, I''m their new master. Surprise!"


    _________


    AN


    Finally, part of Lucy''s past. Would you like to know more?

 Chapter 181 - Knight (3)

    <h4>Chapter 181 - Knight (3)</h4>


    "Master!" Several men from The Dark Night rushed into the kitchen, following an rm they received from the ring on Knight''s forefinger.


    "Catch her! Punish her for what she did!" He ordered, casting an evil smile at Lucy. Whether or not he died, she would never be able to live peacefully after what she did to him.


    To his dismay, they didn''t capture Lucy, but instead, bowed to her.


    "Master, how should we handle him?" Asked the top mercenary, Knight''s right hand man. He went on one knee and kissed the back of Lucy''s hand.


    Lucy smiled, returning an evil nce at Knight, whose skin was paler from losing too much blood. "Did you not understand what I said, Knight? Oh, perhaps you were pretending to be dumb."


    She smiled down at her new subordinates. "He threatened not only the life of a little girl, but that of an unborn baby too. Although we are called The Dark Night, we cannot resort to such lowly schemes. Else, how will we be able to lift our heads in the presence of other organisations?"


    "I will take good care of him, master." Knight''s former right-hand man vowed. Of course, there wasn''t much to take care of since the jerk was already on hisst breath. It was just thrilling to see his reaction when his most loyalp dog turned against him.


    "The rest is for Zaria to handle when she grows up." She sighed, referring to her family. After all, they were the cause of all this. If it wasn''t because of their selfishness and utter stubbornness, Zaria''s life would never be in danger.


    ___


    Lucy furrowed her brows.


    "I thought Zaria would be part of The Dark Night once she is old enough. I didn''t expect the situation to be so different." She gently caressed the ring on her forefinger, which she had snatched from Knight years ago. "The biggest problem is that she despises the underworld. If I bring it up to her, not only will she oppose the idea, but she might also drift away from me."


    Zeus thought hard about it. "I don''t have a way to convince her either. We can simply protect her from behind the scenes." He scratched his chin. "But how will we keep your family away from her if we are no longer in Olphire? I thought they would never strike but here they are."


    ording to his investigation, it would only make sense if Theodore''s fiasco was caused by her family. They must have found out that Lucy was back.


    "I didn''t expect them to strike again either." She chuckled in ridicule. "Let''s be real¡­ I did expect them to strike again, but I thought they would directly target Zaria."


    "Zaria has Desmond''s protection. This must be a roundabout way of harming her¡ªusing the person she cares the most about." Zeus guessed.


    "Do you think they have investigated Zaria''s identity yet?" Lucy asked, hoping they would soon fall into the trap she set years ago.


    Zeus shrugged. "They don''t have a reason."


    "Leak the information I told you before. Let everyone in all the organizations know that Theodore''s ident was caused by me." She instructed.


    Zeus was taken aback by the idea, then a reason hit him. He smiled brilliantly. "Mother, you are smart."


    By making her family find out that she tried to hurt Theodore and Zaria, she was pushing them to have doubts about Zaria. If they started investigating, they would naturally get caught by the web that had been woven and was waiting for them all along.


    Lucy huffed over her shoulders. "Get rid of these little fishes. I''ll start with your grandfather."


    ___


    Desmond''s mansion, the next evening.


    "You have not been eating enough. Have some fruit." Desmond brought Zaria a tter of diced fruits in the living room.


    She let him ce it on the coffee table. "Thank you."


    "Skeleton managed to trace the caller." He gave the good news as he sat next to her, picking a piece of fruit with a fork to feed her.


    "Really? That''s great!" She finally cheered up.


    "What do you want to do, call them?" He asked.


    When she thought about it, she shook her head. "We can''t let them discover my identity as soon as I call. Skeleton should do it. He can prevent the call from getting hacked."


    "Okay, leave it to me." He promised to deal with it. "Your mother had a talk with Leo''s wife."


    "And?" She tilted her head curiously.


    "They made a bet. If your mother is unable to prove your father''s innocence within a few days, then she will have to give up Twilight." He exined, making her eyes widen with shock.


    "What? How could Shera do that?!" Her anger calmed in the next instant. "Wait. The point is, why is mother willing to make such a grand bet?"


    "I can''t make a guess." He left it to her even though he knew the reason already.


    "No matter what her reason is, I have to thank her." She could finally confirm that Lucy had nothing against Theodore. Just as she wondered whether to give her a call or thank her in the office on Monday, her phone rang.


    "It''s Ximena. Crap. I forgot to call her back." She bit her lip guiltily and answered the call.


    "Zaria, how are you doing?" Ximena sounded a bit worried.


    "Everything is fine. I''m sorry I had to ditch you. Let''s have lunch tomorrow, okay?" She suggested.


    "I was just about to ask you out for lunch tomorrow. See you at Lumiere Dix, then."


    "Sure."


    "Are you going to ditch me tomorrow?" Desmondined, reminding her that they had nned to go out the following day since it was the weekend.


    She pped her forehead. "I''m so sorry. I already agreed to go with Ximena and it would be awkward to cancel it now. Let''s go out after my lunch date with Ximena, okay?" She pecked his lips to pacify him.


    "Are you going to pacify me with just a kiss?" He retorted.


    She grabbed his cor and kissed him a little longer. "I''ll make it up to you all night. How about that?"


    "Fair enough."


    ___


    The following day, at Lumiere Dix.


    Ximena hadn''t had a single bite of her food since it was served, sighing endlessly instead.


    Zaria was worried at herck of appetite. "Is everything alright?"


    "I''m sorry. I thought I would feel much better if I went out for fun." Ximena couldn''t hold it anymore. "I think I need a mega cup of double espresso."


    "What''s going on?" Zaria looked at her suspiciously, finally realizing how tired her friend looked. She guessed that if thetter were to wipe off her makeup, there would be dark circles around her eyes. Hadn''t she been having enough rest?


    "Things aren''t going too well at Morel Beauty. It was alright at first but the situation doesn''t look so promising anymore."


    Zaria frowned. "What''s the exact situation? Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "Right. You have been a CEO''s assistant so you might be able to help." Ximena realized that such an important detail had slipped her mind. In the past, she had half-joked about wanting to own arge cosmeticspany and having Zaria as her co-founder. However, their dreams turned out to be different and she had long forgotten about it. But now that she thought about it, Zaria might still offer help from a business woman''s point of view. "I''m in need of investors. However, no matter how good my proposals are, nopany wants to coborate with me. Instead, they want to buy out Morel Beauty with the excuse that I still have a long way to go. Do you have any rmendations?"


    Zaria cursed. "Those damned profiteers."


    "I expected this." Ximena sighed. This must be a result of the Morel family secretly meddling in her business.


    "Overconfidence is your weakness, Xim." She reminded her friend.


    "Huh? Am I¡­" Ximena was about to ask if she was being too confident when it dawned on her. "You are right. I aimed too high when I saw the ratings soar."


    "I suggest you deal with individuals instead ofpanies." Zaria stated after thinking about it. "At your current level,rgerpanies are bound to take advantage of you. Forget about them and aim for those tycoons who have nothing better to spend their money on. As long as the profit looks promising for both parties, there shouldn''t be a problem. I will send you a list of potential investors as soon as Ipile it. After that, it''s up to you to meet up with them and convince them."


    "You are a lifesaver." Ximena hugged her gratefully.

 Chapter 182 - Awful Timing

    <h4>Chapter 182 - Awful Timing</h4>


    Zaria returned the hug with a chuckle at how easy it was for her friend to be pleased. "I didn''t do much."


    "Don''t be too polite! You have no idea how relieved I am." Ximena sat back down, and this time, she could finally find the food appealing before her. "I don''t feel confused anymore."


    Zaria knew that she must be scolding herself for being dim-witted, so she patted her hand. "It''s alright to be confused once in a while. You have a lot going on after all, you will feel mentally exhausted when it''s too much. Don''t overwork yourself. You are doing great already."


    "You think so?" Ximena was a little surprised.


    "I know you are." Zaria smiled. For a startup, she had progressed quite fast.


    Since that was out of the way, the women finally enjoyed their food in peace. "We shoulde here again. Jeez, I didn''t know that the food here was so delicious. If I knew, I wouldn''t keep ignoring this ce in the past." Commented Ximena.


    Zaria agreed with a nod. "You can''t always judge a book by its cover¡ªthough we do that many times." For some reason, this situation reminded her of the hotel she had acquired from the Su family to pacify Desmond a few months ago. At first, business had been challenging and Desmond made a loss. However, the ratings had soon improved and he had recovered the loss and gained more profit on top of it. She should go and check on itter.


    "Do you have ns this afternoon?" Ximena asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.


    "A date with Desmond." She responded. "He will burst into tears if I miss it."


    Ximena chuckled. "I can imagine that."


    Zariaughed lightly. "If you are free, could you help me select an outfit?"


    "Of course! Leave it to your fairy godmother who is also your best friend." She winked as she exaggerated. "What kind of style do you want? A fiery seductive style to charm the hell out of him?"


    She would love to try that, but she couldn''t this time. "I don''t know where we are going so it''s best to be simple."


    "Got it." Ximena dly took the task.


    Once they finished their food, Ximena led her to the nearest store to select a dress, then went to her vi to apply her makeup and style her hair.


    By the time they were done, they heard a car pull up into thepound.


    "Your man is here. Have fun!" Ximena hugged her and quickly led her downstairs.


    Desmond had got down the car and was about to give her a call when he saw them walking towards him. He couldn''t take his eyes off his girlfriend.


    She was wearing a short long sleeve dress and had no essories except a purse. It was simple yet captivating and it made his heart elerate as though he was seeing her for the first time.


    Seeing the kind of look that Desmond was giving her friend, Ximena knew that she should no longer be a third wheel. "I''ll be on my way too."


    Desmond didn''t fail to notice her subtle warning and it made himugh. "Don''t worry, your best friend is the most important person in my life. I will treat her well."


    Ximena let out a low harrumph. "You know what''s good for you. I''ll be on my way. See you soon, Zaria. I''ll take care of Des when Uncle Theo is busy."


    "See you soon." Zaria waved at her and smiled at Desmond when they were on their own.


    "Where are we going?"


    "Why don''t you let it be a surprise?" He held a palm out to her, in which she ced her small hand.


    "You look breathtaking." He pulled her close to him.


    She pecked his lips and entered the car. When they reached his private airstrip and she saw a helicopter waiting for them to board, she blinked in surprise. "We are taking a helicopter?"


    "It''s much faster." He exined. "It''s been awhile since we spent time on our own. I wanted to be alone with you for the rest of the weekend. Do you mind?"


    "Can I possibly say no?" She joked as she willingly let him lead her to the helicopter.


    "Of course not. I will kiss you into agreeing." From his tone, she was certain that he would do just that.


    Their destination was Libre Town and they arrived in half an hour. Theynded at arge garden and when she saw the name, she was speechless.


    It was the most beautiful garden she had ever seen with a variety of flowers in thepound and a magnificent cottage at the centre¡ªbut who the hell actually named a garden "Fleur Garden?"


    Ignoring the name, she looked around as she felt the fresh air brought about by nature, and the silence that was magically calming. "It''s beautiful. Is this another hideaway of yours?"


    "You guessed so. But this one is different. I bought it recently for us." He took her hand to lead her into the cottage and waved the pilot off so he could leave.


    She clung onto his arm as she took in his words. Did this mean that he had bought an entire garden with a cottage just so he would bring her here for a date?


    "Do you have to be so sweet?"


    "I can be even sweeter. Would you like to have a taste?" He presented his lips with a double meaning.


    "I wouldn''t say no to that." She kissed him for a bit longer.


    The interior of the cottage was even cooler with white and gray as the major colors. It was sofortable that as soon as she sat on the couch, she gave in to the fatigue she had been feeling all week.


    "You actually fell asleep." He teasingly pinched her nose before carrying her to the bedroom and putting her in bed.


    When she woke up, the first thing she saw was him with a towel draped around his waist, having just had a shower. He was facing away from her so all she saw was his back whose muscles bulged and rxed with his movements¡ªwhat a feast for her eyes.


    Sensing her gaze that was filled with desire, he looked over at her with a smile. "You are awake. The weather is perfect for a grill."


    "You are definitely one of my brain cells. I was thinking of the same thing." She smiled excitedly. She had thought about it earlier when she saw the beautiful garden.


    "That makes it more fun." He got dressed in front of her without flinching and when he was done, led her to the backyard.


    "You got it all prepared." She was amazed.


    She didn''t realize she had slept for so long until she saw the moon in the sky. Just how long had she slept?


    He didn''t ask anything about it and brought the meat for them to grill.


    "Let''s sit for a while." He pulled her to the cup couch and held her on hisp, looking up at the sky.


    "Does the moon remind you of anything?" He asked beside her ear.


    A hint of red crept up her ears when she realized what he was talking about but she denied it. "Definitely not. What would it remind me of?"


    He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You really forgot? It seems like I need to remind you." He kissed her earlobe as he gently traced his forefinger at the side of her face.


    "You are so beautiful." He pressed pecks on her cheek before moving to her lips, which he kissed gently. It had not been long since they were together but he had missed this feeling so badly. Being able to hold her in his arms and kiss her.


    She hugged his neck and hummed lightly in response to his kiss, which he deepened slowly. His long fingers traced her neck as his other hand supported her waist, his lips moving in rhythm with hers.


    His phone rang, interrupting them.


    He so badly wanted to kick the caller in their guts. She didn''t want him to ignore it in case it was important so he broke the kiss and fished for his phone from his trousers pockets.


    "It''s Skeleton." He cursed.


    "Has he always had such awful timing?" She chuckled. Even so, she wondered what the call was about.

 Chapter 183 - Shut Her Up

    <h4>Chapter 183 - Shut Her Up</h4>


    "What did he say?" She asked when Desmond hung up the call. She was nervous even though she tried not to be.


    "He retrieved the contact number of the person who ckmailed your dad." He shared the good news, making her let off a sigh of relief at the fact that she would no longer have to ask Lucy or Zeus to help her trace the culprit. It was not that she didn''t want to, but they were more or less suspects too.


    His tone and gaze confirmed that he had suspicions too. Perhaps the identity of the caller was too shocking.


    "And?" She probed.


    "It''s the butler of the Su family."


    Her jaw moved but for a while, she was unable to say a word. She stared at him in shock before she finally managed to fumble a few sybles out.


    "The butler must have been instructed to do that by his master, right? What does the Su family have to do with dad and I?" She didn''t understand. There was no rtionship between the Su family''spany and F&P Media either. When she racked her brains, she found that the only connection they had was the acquisition of one of their hotels. But that wasn''t merely for her own selfish benefits, it was for Preston and Fort Group. Why was the Su family targeting her? They were not even targeting her directly but her father instead? It made no sense.


    "I didn''t think much of it before but now that I remember¡­" Desmond scratched his chin as he thought about something.


    "What do you remember?" She sat up and probed.


    He pulled her up and reimed his spot on the tea-cup chair and pulled her to sit on her spot¡ªhisp. "The first time I met your mother, a bodyguard was trailing after her and calling her "Miss Su." At the time, she angrily red at him and said, "My surname is not Su. It''s Roatta now." Now that I think about it¡­"


    "She sounded like it was not Roatta before. It was Su." She finished his statement, which shocked her even though she was already prepared.


    "Yes. Skeleton did another check without my orders, I hope you don''t mind." He added.


    "What did he find out?" She was certain that it had a lot to do with what they were talking about.


    He caressed her back gently in an attempt to make her feel better about what he was going to say. "There are only two families surnamed Roatta in Imperium and when he checked, neither of them had a daughter called Lucy. On the other hand, there is a missing daughter called Lucinda Su from the Su family and she should be about your mum''s age."


    "Lucinda Su." She repeated the name and shook her head. But no matter how hard she wanted to deny it, Lucy could very well be that Lucinda.


    "Su family¡­ Nathaniel Su?" She asked when it sank in.


    "Yes. From Skeleton''s investigation, she must be Nathaniel Su''s daughter."


    She remained silent as she processed it, then it dawned on her. "No wonder. When we first met, he asked for my mother''s name." At the time, she had found it funny and somewhat ridiculous, annoying even. But could it be that when they first met, the elderly man thought she looked a lot like his long lost daughter, or suspected that she was his granddaughter and was merely asking for confirmation?


    "Do you want to ask her?" He stroked the side of her neck.


    She shook her head. Not yet. "What reason do you think she would have to hide her identity?" She asked even while knowing that he wouldn''t know. She just wanted to let it out.


    "She has been hiding many things. First, it''s her identity, then she also hid the fact that she was pregnant when she divorced my dad."


    "What?" that definitely shocked him.


    She realized that she had not told him about it before. "Zeus is my brother. I''m sorry I didn''t tell you. It''s not that I didn''t trust you before." She attempted to exin, sinking her back into his chest.


    "I understand. You have nothing to be sorry about and you definitely have the right to keep secrets." He reassured her. While trust was important, he didn''t expect her to spill everything that was in her heart without any sort of consideration.


    There were things that were better left unsaid and others that would not change a thing whether or not they were said and she was d that he understood this.


    "Thank you." She wrapped his hands around her tighter.


    He kissed her head and thought about Lucy''s decision. "The only reason I can think about is that her life would be in danger if she didn''t disguise her identity, and her son was probably in danger too. Which is why she had to hide him away."


    She shifted slightly to look at him.


    "At least from my understanding of Aunt Lucy." He added.


    "You knew each other." It was not a question. She was certain of it.


    "He was my parents'' friend. At least I thought they were friends." He exined. They were supposed to be friends but no friend would hold their friend''s child hostage.


    "She was mysterious in the past too." Zaria sighed.


    "I guess so." He agreed, since even he couldn''t figure her out.


    "I will ask her about itter. If she is in a conflict with her family, why would they still target father? Could it be because they think she is still together with him?"


    "She probably broke off her ties with her family because of him." It was the closest reason he coulde up with, considering such things happened albeit rarely. "They think that she is not returning to the family because of him."


    It was possible and she frowned. She suddenly started questioning her parents'' divorce. Was it really what they both chose?


    Deciding not to think about it anymore lest her brain burst from all the twists, she rested her head on his chest and closed his eyes.


    "Is itfy here?" He asked, taking it as a cue to change the topic.


    "Mmh. It''s warm, hard and sturdy." She smiled without moving.


    "Hard?" His deep voice sounded amused when he asked in her ear.


    His hot breath made her muddled for a second, then she understood what he just asked. Her eyes flew open.


    "I was talking about your chest. I¡­ unless ''that'' is hard too."


    He smiled. "Your presence always makes me hard, Zaria. From the first day I met you."


    "The first day?" She squinted her eyes. "When I threw you a dor for your reputation or when I took someone''s name to swindle you?" She asked.


    "Both." Came his hot breath again, sending her nerves tingling.


    "Thetter is normal, but I didn''t know you can have the mind to be hard while being yelled at." Just how bizarrely did his body work?


    He chuckled lightly, pulling her so she was sitting very close to his crotch. "It depends who is yelling at you and how they are doing it.


    If it''s annoying, I will be angry." He exined, then gently kicked her ear. "But if it''s a feisty kitten purring and showing her ws in all the wrong ways, I will want nothing more than to shut her up¡ªwith my lips."

 Chapter 184 - Long Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 184 - Long Night (1)</h4>


    He pressed his lips against hers before she could say a word, taking her breath away. Her heart picked up its pace from the sudden intense kiss. Feeling him wrap his arms around her, she hugged his neck and let him deepen the kiss. She grabbed a fistful of his hair as he pulled her body up against his.


    She tasted sweeter than she usually did. Perhaps it was because it had been long since they were on their own with little to worry about, but he couldn''t help savoring her lips like a delicacy.


    she took a breath when their lips pulled apart. Her pupils were dted when she looked at him, driving him on edge. He cupped her face and took her lips in his, but a strange smell filled the atmosphere and it grew so strong it was distracting.


    "What''s that smell? " She noticed it too, and pulled away from him with a frown. It took a moment for both of them to recognize the smell and they jolted up simultaneously.


    "Shoot, the meat is burnt!" She ran over to the grill to have a look. Just as she dreaded, the meat they had set to grill a moment ago was now a lump that was raw on one side but looked like coal on the other side.


    "Uh¡­" Her stomach churned.


    "It looks a little too grilled." He flipped it and stared at the ck side. "Do you think it''s still edible?"


    "I don''t think I want to try it." Just the thought of it made her feel bile build up in the pits of her stomach.


    He didn''t think he would want to put it anywhere near his mouth either, but he felt bummed at the same time. Tossing the ruined meat, he prepared a fresh set of ingredients. "We have to start all over."


    "We can marinate it with lemon juice first. Are there any fresh lemons?" She asked, preparing to try a different recipe.


    "I think so." He fished through the basket of ingredients and found the lemons which he gave to her.


    They marinated the meat and set it to grill while ncing at each other. When he reached for her, she evaded his touch. "Let''s make dinner first."


    He looked at her helplessly. "If you are going to avoid my touch, can you not give me that look?"


    "What look?" She asked innocently, certain that she had done nothing wrong.


    "That ''pin me down in bed and f*ck me'' look." He grinned, earning a smack from her.


    "You are so dirty minded!" Her cheeks couldn''t be any redder.


    "You want that, though." He chuckled before slyly adding, "And I want to do that too."


    "Shut up."


    ¡­


    This time, they watched the grill closely and managed to enjoy their dinner without any burnt parts. Just when he thought she was going to drag him to bed, she dragged him to the living room instead and turned on the television to watch a show called ''Hex your ex''.


    What kind of crappy name was that? "Why would you want to watch such a reality show?"


    "It''s fun!" She excitedly waited for the introductions to end so the show would begin.


    "No, it''s not." He frowned. Nothing was more interesting than her right now. He was so turned on from their close proximity that it was almost excruciating, and she was feigning ignorance about it. She was definitely doing it on purpose.


    She gave him a seductive gaze while talking about the reality show. "How would you know? You haven''t tried it yet."


    "I know from the name." He protested.


    "Come on,e on. Give it a chance. Just five minutes. If you don''t like it, we can switch to Netflix." She kissed his cheek. When she leaned over, her chest rubbed against his arm and he could clearly feel her boobs through the fabric of her clothes.


    "Sure." He swallowed, waiting to see what she was up to. She was not even a fan of reality shows.


    "Yay! I love you." She kissed his lips before snuggling into his arms to watch the reality show that he was certain she wouldn''t pay any attention to. He smiled down at her. There was a long night ahead of them.


    ___


    When Zaria said that she would send a list of partners she rmended, thest thing Ximena expected was for Liam Preston to be included in the list. Not only was he included, but his name was also the first on the list and ording to Zaria''s notes, he was the most likely to be interested and easiest to convince. Zaria definitely had a huge misunderstanding about Liam Preston.


    When she arrived in her apartment, she realized that she had run out of coffee so she decided to go grocery shopping.


    Pushing her cart with her elbow, she checked the list she had written in her phone''s Cresnotes app and tiptoed to grab a box of assorted cookies from the top shelf. She identally kicked her trolley when she steadied herself and rolled off to kock into a man on the same aisle.


    ''''I''m so sorry." She pulled her trolley. Luckily, there wasn''t much on her trolley so it couldn''t have caused too much damage. She was midway through sighing in relief when the man turned.


    What in the world?! Was fate trying to y some not-so-funny games with her right now? What was it Liam, of all people?


    "Your talent is rear-ending people. I should have figured it out." He gave that annoying smile again, the one that made her want to beat the crap out of him.


    "It was an ident." She shoved the box of cookies into her trolley. "Both instances were idents."


    He smirked with no response to her obviously strained apology. She hated to admit her fault, especially in his presence, and he was not going to give her the satisfaction of getting away smoothly. "I didn''t expect you to seek me so soon, little devil. Did you miss wrecking havoc so badly?"


    "For the record, I did not seek you." It was him who was in the wrong ce. He didn''t live nearby. What was he doing in the grocery store nearest to her neighbourhood?


    "Oh really? I seem to recall that a certain someone tried to have my assistant schedule a meeting with me despite it not being a working day." He taunted in response to the email he had received not more than an hour ago.


    "This is a coincidence. A freaking horrible coincidence that I really don''t want to be part of." She was frustrated.


    "Then we can simply part our ways." He said it in a tone that suggested that he would definitely reject her proposal. Her heart sank at the realization that she was yet again offending a man that could have all the other potential partners reject her as well.


    "Wait." She called after him as he walked away.


    "What?" He stopped. He was having too much fun with this.


    She swallowed a lump. "Can we have a talk?"


    "You want to have a talk with me?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement even though he knew what exactly she was referring to.


    She so badly wanted to make him have a taste of her new high heels but she could only hold it in. "We are only going to discuss business."


    He pretended to ponder before dropping a bomb. "It''s still a discussion nheless and I''m not going to have it with a devil."


    She cursed and stabbed him a hundred times in her mind while still keeping a remorseful expression. "I''m sorry."


    "For what?" He deliberately asked the obvious.


    Her hands gripped her cart tightly. "I''m sorry for barging into yourpany to cause a scene."


    "You have something else to be sorry for?" He asked with a smile.


    She sighed. "For rear ending you, and for hitting your butt with my trolley. Look, let''s put this behind us, okay?"


    Her tone amused him. "You are not sorry, Miss Morel. You are only scared that I will make your life hell in retaliation for what you did."


    Then don''t sound like you will do it, damn it! She screamed inwardly.


    "I¡­"


    "You don''t have to. You are irritable, I know. But how the hell do you think I''m going to cooperate with a woman who will yell at me at the slightest provocation?" He looked serious as he interrupted her exnation.


    Her patience wore out. What was wrong with this idiot? Her hands flew to her hips. "If you were a normal man, I would never yell at you now would I? Do you think I''m a crazy woman?"


    "Yes!" The word escaped his lips instantly.

 Chapter 185 - Long Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 185 - Long Night (2)</h4>


    "Excuse me?" She glowered at him.


    He took two steps to close the distance between them with a twitch of his lips. "What? You want me to lie and say that you are not freaking crazy? That you are not driving me mad along with you?"


    If it was another man before her right now, she would have pped the crap out of him. However, it just had to be Liam. She was sane enough to know not to cross the line. She could only swallow her anger. "I am not responsible for your madness."


    Heughed.


    He was freakingughing when she was on the verge of detonating in anger. What was so funny?


    He cleared his throat just when she was about to ignore him and leave. "You admit that you''re crazy, then. Fair enough."


    "Screw you." She couldn''t believe she had listened to his nonsense for so long.


    He should have been angry after being cursed at, but he was intrigued instead as he watched her fill her trolley with several bottles of the same spice before putting them all back in their ce on the shelf. Her method of dealing with anger was rather unique.


    "Don''t you want to talk about the deal?" He tailed her.


    She ignored him.


    "Those are nothing but sugar and yeast. If you eat too many, it will be bad for your health." He pointed at therge box of assorted cookies. He knew this exact brand because of his friend''s little daughter who had once begged him to eat a few of them with puppy eyes and an adorable expression. They were too sugary for his taste and that of anyone in their right mind. He tried not to think of the toothache he had afterwards and wondered who in their right mind would buy such arge box of overly sweetened crap.


    But then again, Ximena was crazy. It suited her.


    She ignored him and pushed her cart away from him.


    After fighting such a childish battle, she thought it was a relief that she made it to her apartment in one piece. She brewed coffee and poured it in a mug, making a call as she sipped it.


    "Zaria, where are you right now? I promise I won''te over and stab you with a forty meter long knife." She hissed through the phone.


    Zaria burst intoughter, immediately knowing why Ximena would use such a tone. "Trust me, Liam is the best option."


    Ximena frowned and tried to forget what had happened in the convenience store. "Why him though?"


    "That''s for you to find out, my dear Xim." Came Zaria''s chirp. She was having way too much fun with this.


    "I know." She ced her coffee on the kitchen ind and rubbed her forehead. "I''m just frustrated."


    "Did you two meet each other?" Zaria guessed. Ximena remained silent so she guessed again. "Let me guess. It didn''t go well."


    "What could ever go well with that man in the picture?" Ximena was defeated. It was as though that man was the punishment sent to her by the heavens. They had only met thrice but he was driving her crazy!


    "Nothing." Zariaughed in response to her question about what could go right with Liam in the picture. "I can''t wait to see the two of you kill each other."


    Ximenaughed helplessly. "And here I was thinking we were friends. I should have known that you hate me."


    When she realized how long they had been talking, she was startled. "Uhm¡­ I better go now. Desmond will kill me otherwise." She had almost forgotten that Zaria was out on a weekend vacation with Desmond.


    "He won''t." Zaria chuckled and nced at Desmond who looked unhappy about being interrupted. He was kissing her when Ximena called. She smiled. "Goodnight. Dream of Liam. It might do your body a whole lot of good."


    "Zaria, you are nuts." The other sighed and hung up.


    Desmond''s brows were quirked. "Are you ying Cupid again?"


    "Again?" She frowned at thest word. "When else did I do it?"


    "With your parents." He reminded her of the wish she made at the wishing well.


    "Oh¡­" they were a lost cause, she didn''t want to think about them anymore. "But Liam and Xim would make an entertaining pair, don''t you think?" Sheughed just thinking about the odd pairing. One was proud and headstrong while the other was yful despite being determined and had zero interest in men. It made one look forward to seeing the man who would be able to tame her, and she had a gut feeling that it could be Liam, seeing as he was already making her lose her cool.


    "The main point for you is the entertainment." He evaded her question with a chuckle. Not because he didn''t want to talk about his friend''s love life but because he knew just who Liam liked. He could ignore it since Zaria wasn''t close to Liam but it would no longer be funny if Ximena fell in love with Liam.


    What would that turn into? A screwed up love square with best friends falling in love with the same woman and another pair of best friends breaking up because the man that one of them loves just happens to be in love with the other?


    She looked at him with a smile. "If Ximena finds happiness, it will be my greatest joy."


    "Then don''t get carried away." He carried her in his arms and headed for his room. He ced her on the desk by the window and kissed her neck. "You can create opportunities for them to meet but don''t push them. He might end up hurting her and who knows? Perhaps her happiness lies in being a single, independent woman." As he spoke, his hands trailed down her body in slow, gentle strokes.


    "Makes¡­ sense." Thest word morphed into a moan when he grabbed her boob.


    "I don''t want to talk about others. I want to entertain you." He fondled her as he supported the small of her back with one hand.


    She nodded and hummed in agreement despite not having heard a word that he said. He met her gaze and smiled. He loved that she was always so vulnerable to his touch. Just a few strokes was enough to turn her own, and her aroused expression always drove him crazy with lust.


    He kissed her neck as his hands explored her lower body. Her skin felt hotter with every touch and when he caressed her inner thighs, she parted her legs to give him ess. Holding her by her butt, he pulled her closer to the edge of the desk.


    She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Her eyes were shut as she grinded her core against his crotch. They still had their clothes on but her body twitched when she felt his bulge against her.


    "So impatient, are we? What happened to the sly vixen that kept avoiding me after turning me on?" He teased her earlobes.


    She opened her eyes and looked at him usingly. He pushed her back against the surface of the desk and roughly tugged the shorts off her. Parting her legs further, he buried his head between her thighs.


    "Desmond¡­" His name escaped her lips in moan as she felt his hot breath through her soaking thong.

 Chapter 186 - Long Night(3)

    <h4>Chapter 186 - Long Night(3)</h4>


    His teeth caught the wet fabric of her thong and he gently slid it off her waist. She kicked it off her legs impatiently, resisting the urge to press her legs together when he looked down at her bare body. He looked mesmerised and the look in his eyes exined just how aroused he was by the view. She threw her head back when his tongue flicked her core, gasping in the sudden waves of pleasure. He took his time tasting her, driving her crazy as he teased her. When he looked up at her, he licked his lips in satisfaction, making her embarrassed yet more aroused than she had ever been.


    She reached for the sides of his boxer briefs at the same time as he did. Pressing against her, he let her tug it off his waist and let it fall to the ground as she held his manhood in her hand.


    "Gently or roughly?" He croaked out the sybles which she didn''t immediatelyprehend.


    "Huh?" She probed.


    "How should I take you?" He was on the verge of losing it from need and her small, raspy voice made his manhood throb.


    "The way you want to, my love." She parted her thighs as she tightly wrapped her hands around his body.


    "Then brace yourself." He grabbed a condom from the desk and slid it on faster than ever. Holding her back, he pushed into her. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist with her toes curled behind him. She moaned against his chest as he gently thrust into her before picking up his pace and making intense love to her.


    Her climax built up sooner than she expected and she tightly shut her eyes.


    "Open your eyes." He croaked as he felt her core start to clench around his manhood. "I want to see youe."


    Their eyes locked as they climaxed. He pushed deeper into her as her nails dug into his back.


    Her body went ck and he hugged her, supporting her without moving an inch.


    "That was¡­" She couldn''t find the right word to describe it.


    "Yeah, it was." He kissed her, feeling the same way.


    "I don''t want to move. I want to stay like this forever." She purred against his chest.


    He didn''t want to move either. "Then we can stay this way for as long as possible."


    However, they had to move after a while since it would be ufortable for her to sit on the desk for too long. He gently put her in bed.


    "Are you sleepy?" He asked.


    "Not in the slightest." She had slept as soon as they arrived and was not going to sleep again any time soon. "What about you?"


    "I was thinking we could watch a movie." He suggested.


    "I''ll get the popcorn." She excitedly said. However, she had just slid off the bed when she felt the soreness between her thighs. She turned to re at him and he immediately understood what was going on.


    "I''m innocent! You were too sweet, I couldn''t help it." He chuckled.


    "So now it''s my fault." She pretended to be mad.


    "How could I me you?" He winked. "Come here, I''ll make it up to you."


    Her face reddened at the thought of how he would make up to her.


    "Choose a movie." She instructed.


    "Will you watch anything I select?" He asked while reaching for hisptop.


    "If it''s not a gory documentary, yes."


    "Of course, you asked for a movie." He guiltily switched back to the movies section.


    He prepared the popcorn and they started watching. It didn''t take long before they started ying around and teasing each other with the popcorn. A few pieces of it ended up in the panties she had just worn.


    "Hey!" She shot him a look.


    "Let me clean that off." He flipped her over, more excited than he should be about this. Before she could say a word, he pulled down her panties to eat the popcorn he had just shoved in, teasing her while at it.


    It was his idea to tease her but he ended up just as horny as she was.


    "Does it hurt?" He asked gently as he caressed her wet core.


    "It won''t if you are gentle." She averted her gaze as she added, "Des, I''m safe right now, so¡­"


    He understood what she was trying to imply when she tugged the condom he had grabbed out of his hand and put it back on the nightstand.


    "Mmh." He hummed, still pleasantly surprised as he buried himself into her.


    ___


    On Monday morning, Ximena crossed her fingers as she waited to be let into Liam''s new office. It was nothing to do with wishing herself luck. She hoped she would be able to stop herself from beating the shit out of her supposed potential partner. Of course, she would need a lot of luck too. Heaven knew what side of the bed that bastard had rolled off from. If it was the right side, he might be a little less annoying.


    Ten minutester, his assistant showed her in.


    "I figured you would be here." He smiled from behind his desk.


    "I had an appointment with you at this exact time so yeah, here I am. Breaking news!" She smiled sarcastically.


    He frowned and leaned against his backrest. "Why don''t we skip the fight and get this done with?" He proposed.


    "For the first time in forever, I agree with you." She couldn''t wait to be done with it either. The more they argued, the more they would have to tolerate each other and that didn''t sound fun in any way.


    "Among all the businessmen in Imperium, why did you choose me?" He asked as he held her proposal in one hand, having perused through at a ridiculous speed.


    He had the whole weekend to read through her proposal which he clearly didn''t bother to. He would not be asking this if he read through the first pages. But then again, he would not be Liam Preston if he was not ridiculous so she endured it and answered him nheless.


    "Before you partnered with Mr. Fort to create Preston and Fort Group, you had your mind set on starting a cosmetic brand. I''m guessing it''s because yourpany is a conglomerate¡ªyou can venture in whichever field you want."


    "What''s all this got to do with Morel Beauty?" He probed for her to exin further.


    "You didn''t go through with your n of starting a cosmetic brand. It''s an iplete dream. Morel Beauty can be your way of living that dream. Not to mention, there will be lots of mary benefits in it for you." She added before flipping her copy of the proposal to the page with ie sharing. "For every cent that Morel Beauty earns from the sale of beauty products within the period of our contract, beauty, you will receive twenty-five percent." She almost gritted her teeth saying that. It was a little too much. Luckily, the contract would only be valid for two years and after that, she would no longer need to do this kind of crap.


    "I want seventy percent." He shamelessly proposed a rip-off.


    She almost red at him for his audacity. "Mr. Preston, I proposed twenty-five percent because it would only be reasonable based on the contributions from both parties."


    Her voice seemed to fade as his eyes zeroed down on her finger tapping the page she was indicating to him. He would expect the owner of a cosmetic brand to be all made up,plete with perfectly done nails. On the contrary, her nails were purely natural. They should be only about a couple of millimeters long but were the prettiest he had ever seen¡ªmore beautiful than the perfectly done nails he had seen before. If he had nails that were this beautiful, he wouldn''t want to cover them with gel and polish either. Her fingers were also captivating and looked exceptionally soft. He didn''t have a hand fetish but he imagined the small hand before him grabbing a fistful of his hair.


    What the hell was he thinking?


    He snapped out of it and continued the conversation from where his brain had left off. "Mary benefits? From the brand whose owner gets the cheapest possible car to rece my Voiture Noire? How much profit am I going to gain from that, huh? One dor?"


    Did he really not hear any word of what she exined? She bit her lip to swallow down a curse.


    She was going crazy from this conversation, and it hurt that she couldn''t hit him because she was seeking partnership with him. But how could they be partners if they couldn''t even handle a peaceful conversation? He was definitely off the list but she spared him the rudeness of storming out before the discussion was over. "Mr. Fort, in case you didn''t know, one dor is important."


    "Of course. It''s worth a candy." He snorted sarcastically, making her frown as he shot her a condescending look. "A few of them will buy you a box of those ridiculous high-sugar cookies."


    "What do you have against my cookies?" She was rendered speechless.

 Chapter 187 - Unknown Callers(1)

    <h4>Chapter 187 - Unknown Callers(1)</h4>


    He stared down at her and frowned. "Don''t tter yourself."


    Now it was about her ttering herself? "You clearly¡­" She shut her mouth when she realized how insane it would be to argue with a fool. Never mind.


    She grabbed the proposal out of his hand and gathered her documents then stood to leave.


    "Don''t you want to know what I think of the proposal?" He asked, to which her lips twitched.


    "No. I am not coborating with a jerk who has his head halfway up his ass."


    ___


    Zaria was almostte for work. Luckily, Lucy was a few minuteste. She went over to the COO''s office after mentally giving Lucy some time to settle in.


    "Mom," She called gently.


    "It''s good to see you again, Zaria." Lucy looked bright and happy as she looked over at her. "How was your weekend?"


    "Perfect." Her cheeks flushed from the thought of it. It was awkward to talk about it with her mother. They had done nothing but eat, watch movies, make love and sleep over and over, but she couldn''t have asked for anything else. It was the most rxing weekend ever.


    "You want to talk to me about something?" Lucy observed that Zaria was not holding any files.


    "Yes." She nodded.


    "Let''s talk in my car this evening." Lucy could pretty much guess what it was about and didn''t think it was sane to address it during working hours.


    The entire day felt like it was dragging, and when evening finally came, Zaria confirmed the venue of the dinner Lucy would have this evening before going to meet her in the parking lot.


    This time, Lucy drove on her own so they had time to talk on their way.


    "I¡­" She started.


    "Just be straight with it." Lucy smiled, knowing that Zaria was probably nervous.


    Zaria took a deep breath. "Okay. So, you never talk about your family."


    "And that''s an issue because?" Lucy shed over a look.


    "Someone asked me about you before. He kept asking what my mother''s name was, then her surname and¡­" She found herself ridiculous. This was her mother. Why did she need to beat around the bush?


    Lucy noticed it too but her attention was caught by what must be the oue. "Zaria?"


    It was a familiar tone, simr to how Theodore would sternly draw out her name if he suspected that she had done something wrong.


    "I didn''t go snooping, I promise." She held her hands out to signify that she was innocent. "At least not on purpose. It''s just that¡­ Desmond''s friend helped me check out who was trying to harm dad. It just turned out to be rted to the person who asked about you before."


    She waited to see if Lucy would connect the dots and trace it back to Nathaniel. If she did, she did a pretty good job at hiding her expression because she seemed nonchnt.


    "You don''t need to worry about it anymore. I already disclosed the real culprit to the Qins and they will no longer try to sue Theodore. As a matter of fact, they are going topensate him." Lucy promised with a smile.


    Zaria''s eyes fell. "The point is why the culprit would do it. What does the Su family have against dad?" She asked a little more directly. "Nathaniel Su, to be precise. We have nothing that we arepeting for and neither has dad. We are not business rivals either."


    "Why would I know that?" Lucy feigned ignorance. If Zaria didn''t see how tightly she was gripping the steering wheel, she would have been convinced that Lucy didn''t give a damn about the Su family.


    "Because they are your family?" She pointed out.


    "Not anymore." Lucy gave her a sidelong nce. "It would do you a lot of good if you don''t go prying in my past. Trust me on this, princess."


    She was frustrated. "I''m only trying to know what concerns me."


    "The only thing that concerns you is that your mother is Lucy Roatta and your father is Theodore Williams. Anything aside from that is a potential recipe for heartbreak and disaster." Lucy insisted.


    "But¡­"


    "No buts, princess. Look. I promise not to let anyone hurt you, okay?" She turned to face Zaria at the red light, her eyes probing whoever was looking at them to do as she said.


    "Okay." Zaria could only agree.


    "It''s partially my fault and for that, I will apologize to Theodore in person." Lucy promised.


    It was a personal dinner and Zaria didn''t need to apany her, so Lucy dropped her off near her neighbourhood.


    When she got out of the car, she was confused. What now? Should she be obedient and leave it at that, or should she go against what Lucy said and seek answers anyway?


    ¡­


    When she entered the vi, the aroma of whatever Theodore was cooking lured her to the kitchen.


    "You are home. Are you unhappy?" Theodore was worried.


    "No way! I''m super ted." She hugged his arm for a few seconds so she wouldn''t distract him from cooking. "No one will try to put you behind bars anymore. The culprit has been dealt with. I''m guessing it''s because you are making a lot of food."


    "We need to celebrate." He agreed. The deep fryer dinged. The chicken must be ready, so he took it out.


    "I''ll quickly knock off my heels and help you out." She offered, seeing as there were still many things that needed to be done.


    "Don''t run too fast. Be careful not to trip!" He called after her when she sprinted away. Heughed helplessly. He couldn''t me her for being excited. It had been long since they had something to celebrate about and even longer since they did so by cooking together.


    His phone buzzed and he used his free hand to receive it before cing it on the empty kitchen counter.


    "When will you be free?" A female voice asked as soon as he answered the call.


    He paused in his tracks. That familiar voice¡­ Not wanting to use up his time trying to figure it out, he said, "I don''t talk about my schedule to unknown callers."


    "Ms. Roatta." The caller introduced herself.

 Chapter 188 - Unknown Callers (2)

    <h4>Chapter 188 - Unknown Callers (2)</h4>


    He stiffened when he heard the confirmation. Why would Lucy call him? It was definitely not simple. "What do you want?"


    "To have a word with you." She sounded like she wanted to hang up, as though she had been forced to give him a call.


    He didn''t want to speak to her either. "Is there a good reason why I should ''have a word'' with my ex-wife who dumped my ass and didn''t say a word to me for two decades?"


    She went silent for a while and he was starting to think that she was going to hang up when she spoke again. "Don''t be so full of yourself, okay? It''s not like I''m trying to crawl back into your life."


    She was mean, just like he would imagine. "It''s not like I would let you crawl back into my life even if you wanted to." He returned the remark.


    She was silent for a few seconds. "I just wanted to apologize. I''m sorry."


    The words caught him by surprise. Lucy wanted to apologize? Surely, it was an impostor who was using her phone, right? She had changed too much. She was full of pride now. How could she possibly say that she was sorry? Most importantly, Lucy¡­ it''s long overdue. He was about to voice the words out when she interrupted him by speaking.


    "I''m sorry for dragging you into matters that should only be my business. You were targeted because of me."


    "I see." He was a little disappointed. He had thought that she was apologizing for leaving. Not that it would have changed anything. He let out a breath. "If I was targeted for merely existing, then it''s not your fault either. Even though I previously thought it was."


    "Why would you think so?" She asked before it dawned on her. "Wait. You think I would stoop that low to pull Zaria away from you? I''m not that petty, Theodore."


    "What else should I have thought?" He shrugged. me her for being so hateful.


    "I know she means the world to you¡ªbut that''s not the point here. The point is, she is my daughter but she is yours too. Our daughter." She emphasized on thest two words. "If I hurt you, she would be the most hurt. Thest thing I want is for our daughter to be hurt."


    He was certain that she didn''t realize the impact of those two words "our daughter"ing from her mouth so casually.


    "And Theodore¡­" She pulled him out of his thoughts.


    "Anything else?" He yed with the knife he was using to chop vegetables.


    She hummed as though she had changed her mind about what she was going to say. "Uhm¡­ I''ve pretty much said what I needed to so it''s not necessary to have dinner. But if you want, we can dine at L''HLLR at 7pm tomorrow." She said in one breath. He knew that it was not what she wanted to say, she probably wanted to say it in person.


    "L''H?tel Luxe La Rive? Sure. Be there." He almost pped himself after agreeing. Why was he meeting up with his ex wife? Was he insane?!


    He wanted to call back and cancel the meeting but stopped before he could dial the number. What if it had something to do with Zaria?


    Of course, the only thing they could discuss was their daughter. That must be it. He shoved his phone into the pocket of the half apron draped around his waist.


    Zaria skipped back into the kitchen just as he kept his phone away with a frustrated expression.


    "Business call?" She inched closer to tease.


    "Yes."


    She chuckled at the side. That was definitely not a business call. Her womanly instincts told her that the caller was a woman. She secretly smiled, once again excited at the thought that her father could be finding someone to spend the rest of his life with.


    "I''ll bake the pastries first." She skipped away to get the ingredients.


    He chuckled as he watched her hum happily. He knew what he was thinking. If only she knew who he had just spoken to. Would she still think the same way?


    Giving her a good look, he frowned. Was fate ying games with him? The casual dress she had changed into looked almost identical to the one Lucy was wearing when they first met!


    ___


    At the time, he hated her guts. She was a mean young woman, in a bad mood and taking it out on a waitress who just happened to be the woman he cared the most about. Someone dared to bully his sister!


    "Get out of my sight before I get you fired!" Lucy yelled at the waitress.


    Unable to watch anymore, Theodore stepped forward with his arms crossed, while shielding his sister. One look at the exquisite dress and jewelry she was wearing and he could tell that she was one of those people he hated the most¡ªpampered wealthy heiresses who thought the world belonged to them.


    He was a young man back then and didn''t care who he offended. He tapped her table to get her attention.


    "Rich girl, huh." Heughed sarcastically when he had a clear view of the arrogant young miss. "Did your parents make you believe that you could trample all over everyone else because they are supposedly trash?"


    She was riled up. "Excuse me? I didn''t¡­"


    "Yes you did." He didn''t give her the chance to retaliate. "You yelled at an innocent waitress. Do you have any idea how hard she works to serve people like you?! Yet what does she get? All she gets is a serving of your insane arrogance!"


    "Theo¡­" The young waitress held his arm to stop him.


    "It''s okay, sis." He whispered to her.


    "You have no right to speak to me that way!" Lucy stood furiously, ring at him. "I don''t care which rat hole you came from, crawl right back before¡­"


    A pnded right on her cheek. It was nothingpared to how humiliated his sister was.


    "How dare you!" She exploded.


    "Fight back if you can." He challenged, ready to p her again if she dared.


    She took a breath and picked up her bag to leave instead, probably because she was afraid since the onlookers were on the waitress''s side. "You will not see the sun tomorrow." She threatened.


    He burst intoughter. "What, will you get your rich daddy to kill me?" He looked her up and down. "Even if he does, there is something you should know. The world doesn''t revolve around you, princess."


    _________


    AN


    Would you have an ''apology'' dinner with your ex?

 Chapter 189 - I Want To Kill You

    <h4>Chapter 189 - I Want To Kill You</h4>


    "Dad?" Zaria called for Theodore''s attention for the umpteenth time.


    He snapped out of his daze. "Ah, yes the sugar. Here you go." He seemed to have heard her ask for him to pass her the sugar so he passed it over to her. She took it but looked at him worriedly.


    "Are you okay?" She asked.


    "Yes." He was perfectly fine, maybe a little crazy. He had to be bordering on insanity to randomly think about the day he met his ex-wife.


    ____


    The following day, he was even more convinced that he should add an appointment with a shrink to his calendar. Not only did he take an insane amount of time to prepare for the dinner, but he also styled his hair differently and sshed the cologne he rarely used.


    When he left his room, he bumped into Zaria who was carrying a small bag. "Are you going somewhere?" He asked her.


    "I''m having a sleepover with Xim." She smiled. "But if you need me. I can call her over instead."


    "No, It''s alright. Have fun." He urged her.


    She looked at how dressed up he was and couldn''t help being curious. "Are you going out too?"


    He nodded and recalled something. "Actually, I need you for a moment."


    Following his words, she was dragged to his dressing room to help him choose a tie, tie clip, and watch. He also asked her topare the outfit he was wearing to the ones he has swapped out and was ready to change if she had a better choice for him.


    Those who didn''t know would think he was going on a date. Since when was he so flustered about what he wore?


    "Are you meeting someone?" She teasingly asked.


    "Yes." He nodded with a serious expression, probably not realizing that she was teasing him.


    "Good luck." She winked.


    He finally realized what she meant and shooed her away. "You naughty thing."


    Lucy had already made a reservation. When he arrived at L''H?tel Luxe La Rive, he was shown into the private booth that she had reserved. She arrived a few minutester.


    "Did you wait for too long?" She asked as she took a seat opposite him.


    "I just arrived." His eyes lingered on her for a moment¡ªit was hard not to. She looked beautiful in the emerald dress she was wearing, which was neither baggy nor too tight fitting. Her nails had been done to be the exact shade as her dress. If he didn''t know that she was a woman who liked dressing up once in a while, he might have thought that she had dressed up for him.


    In truth, he had not dressed up for her either. He just didn''t want her to look down on him and think he was doing worse off than he was before she left.


    "What would you like to order? It''s my treat." She spoke while putting her phone away.


    "How can I let a woman treat me? I will treat." He protested.


    "It''s an apology dinner. It will not make as much sense if I''m not the one paying for it." She smiled gently.


    He was not in the mood to argue with her. "Whatever makes you smile."


    L''Hotel Luxe La Rive was known for having menus that served at least ten countries'' specialties, but they both chose French and ordered steak frites¡ªan odd coincidence.


    "I thought you would want a heap of blueberry sauce on yours." Teased Theodore, making her eyes squint.


    "Very funny, Mr. Williams. You should grab a strawberry yoghurt to drink and use a crazy straw." She struck back.


    "I will drink one of those insane smoothies you used to make. Especially the one that went wrong." He chuckled. "What did you do again? Right. You added mint and celery to what was supposed to be a tasty strawberry smoothie."


    "Urgh." She groaned and they bothughed.


    The atmosphere had been lightened so she thought it was the best time to break the news, before it became tense again. "I called you here to tell you something I''ve been putting off.


    Well, I still wanted to put it off to be honest, but it will simply show up at your doorstep."


    "What are you talking about?" He couldn''t make out what she was saying.


    "Your child." She dropped the bomb in two words. The speech she had prepared earlier had long fled her head and she could only hit the nail on the head.


    He was confused. His child? "Zaria?"


    "No. Your son." She fiddled with her fork, the unease starting to creep in.


    He burst intoughter. "What drugs are you hooked on, Lucy?*


    "Currently, none. In the future, none either. I''m simply stating a fact." She didn''t look like she was kidding.


    "And the said fact is my son?" He found her amusing. "Since when did I have a¡­ wait." Realization hit him like thunder.


    "Yes, Theodore." She knew that he had made a guess. "Whatever it is you are thinking, you are right." She watched his expression transit from amusement to shock and disbelief. Her lips clenched into a line. "I shouldn''t have hidden him from you."


    "How could you!" It was a whisper of shock. His voice was hoarse and it was apparent that the news had hurt him. "Where is he?"


    "You can meet him when you are ready." She stated.


    He pulled at his hair in frustration. "I so badly want to strangle you right now. I want to f*cking kill you!"


    ___


    Soon after Zaria arrived at Ximena''s apartment, thetter brought the food she had spent most of the evening cooking.


    "What''s going on with you?" Zaria asked as they ate.


    "Everything is fine." Ximena forced a smile and took a sip of juice to mask the fakeness of her smile.


    However, Zaria wasn''t taking her crap. "Yes, yes. My best friend Ximena decided to call me for a sleepover on a Tuesday simply because she was bored and it had nothing to do with work being hectic or anything. Like anyone would believe you." She rolled her eyes.


    Ximena burst intoughter. "I feel better already, knowing that you care for me." She was not lying about it. Zaria must have a magical charm that made her feel like everything was alright even when it wasn''t.


    "So, will you tell me what''s wrong?" Zaria pressed.


    Knowing that she would not get away without answering, she nodded. "I will, but can we eat first? We can talk in my room."


    They were almost done so it didn''t take long. A few minutester, they sat on the carpeted floor of Ximena''s room while holding pillows as thetter finally opened up. "I met Liam."


    Zaria was caught in between amusement and curiosity. "Is it crazy that I knew he had something to do with this?"


    "It''s not. He is a total creep." Ximena wanted to punch him just thinking about it. "Anyway, I didn''t end up coborating with him. He gave this insaneugh and I thought it was ridiculous until I realized just what an asshole he is. He¡­"


    "Xim," Zaria didn''t like where this was heading.


    "He freaking had all the potential partners reject me!"


    "What the heck!" Zaria exploded.


    "I totally didn''t expect him to stoop that low. If he thinks he will get me to beg him, then he has something elseing for him."


    While she was still rambling, she caught sight of Zaria grabbing her phone and seemed to scroll through something in anger¡ªprobably her contact list.


    "What are you doing?" She grabbed Zaria''s phone.


    "Giving him a piece of my mind. How dare he! Give my phone back." She was on the verge of detonating. She would make that man regret ever messing with her friend.


    Ximena simply smiled and continued holding onto Zaria''s phone.


    "Come on, give me my phone." She held a hand out while trying to calm her anger.


    "Calm down, will you?" Ximena coaxed. "I have a nice n in store for him."


    "Uh¡­" Knowing Ximena, the so-called nice n was a thousand times worse than the earful of insults that she was going to offer.


    Ximena smiled evilly. "I will make him beg to be let off and when I''m done with him, he will never mess with me¡ªnot me or any other woman."

 Chapter 190 - Nice To Meet You, Father

    <h4>Chapter 190 - Nice To Meet You, Father</h4>


    Just as Lucy had predicted, Zeus showed up at Theodore''s doorstep the following evening. He was expecting him and even if Zeus did note, he would have gone looking for him. The young man looked just like he did in the picture that Lucy showed him. More than that, Theodore felt as though he was looking into a mirror that reflected his past self. This was indeed his son!


    "It''s nice to finally meet you, father." Zeus managed a smile.


    Even the voice was the same! Theodore was speechless for a moment before he finally remembered to show his son in.


    "Would you like something to drink? Beer perhaps?" He asked, to which Zeus nodded. Hence he brought several cans of beer to the living room. The two of them sat opposite each other with almost no conversation.


    Downing the remnants of his second can, Theodore sighed. "I can''t believe meeting my son is this formal. It''s almost bordering on awkward." All he knew about meeting one''s kids was receiving a wailing newborn from a nurse¡ªit was the happiest moment one could ever hope for.


    While he was happy, this was different. This was a son whose life he had missed. More than two decades! He should have killed Lucyst night when he had the chance.


    Zeus didn''t find the awkwardness strange. "It happens when two people have been away from each other all their lives. But that doesn''t make me any less of your son, does it?"


    "No it doesn''t." That was for sure. "I''m ready to pick it up from here if I''m not toote."


    "It''s never toote to have a father." He smiled, which melted Theodore''s heart. Well, at least that devilish woman knew not to feed their son with lies about his father rejecting him before he was born.


    Having heard a little about it from Lucy, Zeus could guess what his father was thinking. He twirled his can. "I know it probably doesn''t matter anymore but some decisions had to be made."


    Theodore caught his hint and frowned. "She kept my son away from me. How was that inevitable?"


    Zeus shifted in his seat. "Think about it this way, father. If you knew that I existed, you would definitely battle it out with her in court. What would happen then?"


    "I would be with both my children." Hepleted the supposed puzzle, giving what Zeus thought of as the wrong answer.


    "In the present, yeah. It''s verymon for little children to be separated from their motherstely with surrogacy on the rise. But in the past, the court would automatically give me to her. You would have more chances of winning Zaria. In the end, nothing would change. I would still be away from you for at least eighteen years, before I would be allowed to stay with the parent of my choice."


    His heart ached just thinking about it. "Perhaps that would happen but something would change. I would know my son is alive somewhere. I would write to you. I would be there when you needed me." When he thought about Zaria''s childhood, he felt even more hurt. He had apanied her wherever she wanted to go and patted her when she was bullied. He had been there for all her school events that required his presence. Heck, he had even been there for her mother-daughter events as the only father. He had made sure his daughter had nothing toin about. Then there was his son, who had probably been the butt of his ymates'' joke for not having a father. His hand trembled. "I''m sorry Zeus."


    Zeus shook his head. "You don''t need to be. I always knew you would take care of me if you knew about me. But I don''t me mother. She had to."


    "If you say so." He knew that all bets were off when it came to a bond formed over two decades.


    "Hey, let''s not drown in the past, okay? Are you up for a game?" Zeus suggested. This tense atmosphere was not working for him either.


    "Chess, scrabble, ludo?" He suggested some of the indoor games that Zaria liked buying.


    "I guess that''ll have to do. Let''s y chess." He rolled up his sleeves.


    Theodore had a servant bring the chessboard and ced it on the table between them. "We can y basketball next time."


    "Yeah."


    It felt like an oddbination at first but chess and beer was a magicalbination. They didn''t talk much but it felt as though they had caught up on everything that happened over the years.


    Zeus finally knocked out a knight from Theodore''s side. "I haven''t had a nice conversation in ages. Let''s talk about the two women that we both love."


    "The what?" Theodore initially thought that Zeus was going to mention his girlfriend but when he made sense of his words, he was puzzled. What two women did they both love?


    "Obviously, Zaria and my mother." Zeus rified.


    Theodore frowned. Someone had definitely sent his son on a mission to mess with him. "The only woman I love is my daughter."


    ___


    At the same time, Zaria had been invited for dinner with Lucy. Thetter was yet to finish cooking so they ended up in the kitchen together, chatting as they cooked.


    "This is your secret spice? What is it made of?" Zaria observed a ss spice bottle with a dark-colored powder, which had beenbelled "secret". She had seen Lucy use it to garnish the meat.


    "If I tell you its contents, would it still be a secret spice?" Lucy teased.


    "I guess not." Zaria chuckled and returned it to its holder.


    "Don''t worry. I blend it myself. I will make you someter so you can use it when you cook at home." Lucy promised.


    "I would love that." She cheered.


    "Zeus isn''t home?" She observed. Knowing the fool, he would jump on any opportunity to cling to her andin nonstop about how Desmond bullied him. It was so out of character for him that she couldn''t get used to it.


    "He went to meet your dad." Lucy answered.


    Zaria knew that the father and son would meet some day but she was a little worried. "Do you think they will get along?"


    Lucy rubbed her forehead just thinking about them. "They look like hot oil and water to me¡ªexplosions might happen if we squeeze the two of them into the same frame."


    "And you still let them meet on their own?" Zaria''s eyes widened in horror.


    "Theodore wouldn''t want me to be there. I''m his worst enemy right now." She sighed. "But I know he will not reject Zeus. They might get along after all."


    "Mother¡­" She wanted to say something tofort her, knowing it hurt that Theodore hated her for something she had no choice but to do.


    "It''s okay. It doesn''t matter. All that matters is that I finally let him meet his son. He will no longer have a reason to me me." She dismissed the topics.


    The oven dinged and Zaria wore a pair of mittens to take out the tray of baguettes. The aroma made her want to take a bite.


    "I like my baguettes a little cool." Lucy used it to change the topic.


    "What a coincidence. Me too." Zaria ced the tray on the counter to let them cool.


    "Great. While they cool, let me show you some embarrassing pictures of Zeus." Lucy excitedly pulled her away.

 Chapter 191 - Mr Or Miss Preston

    <h4>Chapter 191 - Mr Or Miss Preston</h4>


    Thest thing Ximena expected was for Liam to make a scene upon his arrival at herpany¡ªeven though she had expected him toe. She feigned ignorance but the annoyance on her face was real. "What the hell are you doing here?"


    He red right at her and wanted nothing more than to rip her into pieces. "Rumor has it that I''m nning to undergo a transgender surgery and be a woman."


    She crossed her arms with her eyes wide as though realization had just hit her. "Oh, that would be awesome." She inched closer to offer in a whisper, "Would you like a bra or two? I''m sure I have some that I haven''t worn yet. Wait. I''m assuming you are going to have your boobs created¡­ or whatever they do to make men have boobs. If you do, have them in my size so I can give you some of my new bras and you won''t have to buy them on your own."


    Was she seriously talking about bras and boobs with a man who wanted to strangle her? She had some nerve¡ªbut he had to admit that her boobs were just the right size. Neither too big nor too small, just perfect. To be looked at and touched, alright! Not to be duplicated onto his chest.


    She made matters worse by adding, "Maybe I should give you some tampons too, in case you are scared of buying them on your own."


    "Ximena!" He roared.


    She shrank back in feigned fear. "Don''t be mad, Mr. Preston. No, it should be Miss Preston."


    "I know you have something to do with this." His eyebrows knitted. This woman was driving him crazy in anger. Heaven knew how many media agencies had contacted him since the rumors started, wanting to interview him. They wanted to know why he had made such a shocking decision and their spections were even more infuriating.


    Some of them even guessed that he was in love with a lesbian so he wanted to do it so she would ept him. It was crazy, and it had everything to do with her spinning the tales behind the scenes.


    She was guilty but she pretended as if she had just heard the most ridiculous thing. "Please, what would I gain from that?"


    "Making a fool out of me." He closed in on her so she was leaning against her desk and he was right in her face. She better not think of escaping this.


    She didn''t seem to be in the slightest bit fazed. "I don''t know about that, but Mr-or-Miss Preston, rumor has it that the rejection from all my potential partners is not a coincidence. Do you have something to do with it?"


    He finally understood and pulled away in shock. "You think I did something to stop them? Are you crazy?"


    "Maybe." Her expression turned serious. "Whatever it is you told them, retract it."


    "I told them nothing, okay?" He red at her for thinking he could do something so stupid and meaningless. Was this why she started the rumors? To get back at him?


    He thought she was going to relent but instead, she had an evil smile as she unbuttoned her shirt.


    "What are you doing?" He was shocked stiff. "Look, you don''t need to do this for me to retract my words. I¡­"


    He was still speaking when his hands were nted onto the edges of her shirt. She looked horrified all of a sudden which shocked him. He let go of her shirt while trying not to look down. "Fix your clothes."


    She buttoned up her shirt and took out her phone to check something, which made her smile. "Ah, that was fast. I didn''t think the pictures would be sent to my phone so fast." She grinned and closed in on him before he could storm out, grabbing his arm. "Liam Preston, retract the lies you told them."


    "I know you did it. I''m certain if you didn''t lie to them at my expense, they would not reject me for no specified reason. At least not all of them."


    She shed a smile. "If you don''t¡­"


    "You will scream and use me of attempted rape?" He chuckled at her naivety. Did she think such a lousy trick would threaten him?


    "Oh no. Why would I do that?" She pretended to be shocked, then waved her phone in his face to show the picture she had chosen.


    "The next rumor will be about you trying to sexually abuse a woman for revenge. Try me."


    The content on her screen horrified him. There was a picture that was probably from a camera she had hidden beforehand. What a scheming woman. In the picture, his hand was holding the unbuttoned part of her shirt apart and she looked horrified.


    He knew that she had ced his hands there and the expression was fake but it looked incriminating.


    "You are crazy. You are fucking mad!" He raged.


    "And you''re not? Do you have any idea how hard I''ve worked? Just because you have some lousy money and status, congrattions to you, you messed it all up!" She yelled right back at him. "I''ve been staying up for nights just to get back on my feet."


    "Calm down, will you?" He grabbed her hand and tried to pry the phone from her, which she was quick to keep away.


    "I''m freaking calm, okay!" She red at him.


    She was crazy, arguing with her might just make him earn a record. "Okay¡­ look. I really didn''t do anything to mess you up. I promise."


    "So you''re saying that all those partners looked at mypany information and decided that it would be a losing deal." She found his exnationical.


    "No, they didn''t. And it''s not. I think it has a high potential for profit." He spoke in one breath. "What I''m saying is, the person who did that is not me. I may mess with a person for ages but I would never touch theirpany.


    If you want, I can help you investigate."


    "I''m not offering you help. I just want to clear my name. " He added.


    She was silent for a while then she sighed. "No need. I know who did it." It was definitely her parents. That pair of monsters.


    Liam was relieved when she figured out who her real enemy was. "So, it''s really not my fault. Can you delete those rumors you created to get back at me for something I didn''t do?"


    "I was enjoying the show but whatever. I will delete themter." She shrugged, making him sigh in relief yet again.


    "Good. Can you also delete the pictures you took just now? I don''t want my reputation tarnished for something I have never had any intention of doing."


    She looked like she was about to delete them, only to cackle. "Why would I do that? They are rare ckmail material."


    "You¡­" A vein almost popped on his forehead.


    She smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don''t worry. I will delete them." He was about to let out a breath when she added, "After sending them to your future wife on your wedding night."

 Chapter 192 - Why Not Me?

    <h4>Chapter 192 - Why Not Me?</h4>


    "What will it take for you to stop messing with me?" Liam let out a sigh, feeling like his mind was really going to explode if this lunatic kept her antics up.


    But he should have known that she didn''t have any intention of stopping. At least not any time soon. "I don''t know. Let me keep messing with you for a little longer. When my mood is much better, I will let you off."


    "Even though I did nothing to upset you?" His eyes narrowed.


    "You did everything to upset me." She crossed her arms.


    "What the heck did I do?" He almost roared at her.


    "I don''t know! I don''t f*cking know, okay? Just the sight of you is a trigger. My life has been hell ever since I met you." She used him so righteously that if there were onlookers, he would never have been able to prove his innocence.


    He looked down at her while wondering why a woman would be so irritable. "Are you on your period?"


    "What does my period have to do with you?" She snarled. "And no! I''m not having it right now."


    If this was the normal her, he did not wish for her when she was in pain and needed someone to vent it out on.


    "I''ll offer you a piece of advice." Her eyes looked so murderous that his advice was shoved back down. Never mind. "I will coborate with you."


    "What?" She was taken aback.


    "That will make your mood slightly better, right? I hate to be shot lying down." He exined.


    "What do I gain from that?" She sounded like he was the one making a major gain from this.


    "You will no longer need to do that." He pointed at the shredder. The paper bin below it was full to the brim. "I don''t need to check to know that those are imperfect proposals that you have tried writing in the past couple of days. The one you wrote first is the one you find most perfect. I bet it took countless papers too."


    He was right that she didn''t want to argue with him.


    "What will you gain?" She knew that he was not merely helping her out.


    "Smart woman. Don''t worry. I''m not trapping you." He grinned.


    "You are right. I wanted a cosmetic brand but I could not create one. I may as well coborate with one I think will be worth my time."


    For the first time, her face softened into a smile. "Thank you for the high evaluation."


    "Let''s discuss the details over a cup of coffee." He suggested, wanting to get out of this office before something more incriminating could be captured tond him in trouble.


    "Sure. There is a Reynold''s downstairs." She led the way.


    There wasn''t a long queue at this hour so it was their turn in a few minutes. "What will you have?" He asked her.


    "Double espresso. You?"


    He responded by ordering a double espresso and a skinny cappino. They sat near a window to discuss.


    "So, why didn''t you go ahead with your dream, you know, the cosmetic brand one?" She couldn''t hold her curiosity any longer.


    "Because of ALY''s." He sipped his cappino, seeming absent minded.


    "Whoa wait." She blinked. "You were afraid of thepetition?" She almost wanted tough at him. He gave up his dream because of the existence of another brand? "Well, breaking news. ALY''s is now going straight downhill and itspetitors are on the rise. You could have been one of them. Nothing is ever permanent."


    He chuckled. "I could notpete with its creator. We were close and¡­let''s just say I had more potential which made her uneasy and afraid to start hers. So I paused because of her."


    "Okay¡­" That was not how she expected it to turn out. Was it a woman?


    "Samantha Fort." He dropped the name.


    "Wait." Ximena felt like her mind would blow from the explosive news.


    "Yes, she is the woman I thought I loved." He sighed and took another sip. "I only meant to wait until she got on her feet but she had different ns. She stole all my ideas and used it to create ALY''s, using a different name from her own so I wouldn''t immediately know."


    "Oh wow." She frowned. "I don''t know much about her but she was a b*tch. May her soul rest in peace though. But now I''m no longer shocked about you being an asshole."


    "Thanks." He stared hard at her.


    "No, for real." Sheughed. "But¡­ the woman you thought you loved? You didn''t actually love her?"


    He had never quite talked about it, but he couldn''t turn down her bright eyes that begged to know more. "I spent years lying to myself. I would force myself to have an awkward conversation because she and I barely had anything to talk about, and she would get mad if I didn''t talk to her a few times every day."


    Sheughed at him. "That''s just messed up."


    "I know. A conversation can never feel forced around the person you love. I was just blind and deaf¡ªand a big idiot too." He didn''t want to talk about how it ended up between him and her so he skipped off before she could probe. "I love someone else now."


    "And I don''t think I want to know who that is." She teased.


    "Because you will be jealous?" He teased right back, for her to almost choke on her drink before she frantically shook her head.


    "Of course not. Because I will pity the poor woman."


    They talked for almost three hours and had a few refills before they finally remembered why they were here. After discussing the details, she walked him to the parking lot.


    He turned to wave at her. "It was nice chatting with you, Ximena."


    "Nice of you to not scold me, Liam." She waved back with a smile.


    ¡­


    Throughout the drive, that smile was stuck on his mind. It was not forced, not sarcastic and not evil like her other smiles. It was genuine. And she looked so beautiful with a genuine smile.


    Although he tried not to let his mind trail down, he couldn''t help recalling the scene when she unbuttoned her shirt. She had only undone three buttons so he didn''t see much, but what he was was enough to make his thoughts run wild. Her boobs were neither too big nor too small, just enough to fit in his hands.


    He cursed. Why was he thinking about the body of a woman he wanted nothing to do with? Coborating with her was already a stretch.


    Frustrated, he walked towards the elevator only to see the doors almost close. Zaria was inside. Yes! That was the woman he should be thinking about. Not her best friend. It would be screwed up to love one woman but cast lustful nces at her best friend.


    "Zaria!" He called so she would stop the elevator for him. He thanked her when he got in.


    "Which floor are you going?" She asked formally.


    "The same one you are going to." That sounded creepy, considering he didn''t even know where she was going.


    She nodded and pressed her floor number silently. She didn''t try to strike a conversation with him and that made him ufortable. Was she still avoiding him?


    "Can I ask you a question?" He started before he could think twice about it.


    "Go ahead." She didn''t turn to look at him.


    "What made you choose him and not me?"


    "Excuse me?" Her attention was finally piqued but not in a good way. She was now looking at him like he was crazy. Not that he wasn''t.


    He considered pretending he didn''t ask anything and telling her to forget that this conversation happened. However, he wanted to know. In what way was he not good enough for her?


    He chose his words and spoke. "When we met, you hated him to the core but you had nothing against me. You were friendlier with me. You would do nothing but scold each other whenever you and him met. But with me, we would have reasonable conversations that made us happy."


    "Mr. Preston." She turned to re at him sharply in warning.


    He ignored her warning and asked, "So in the end, why did you choose him? Why not me?"

 Chapter 193 - Dinner (1)

    <h4>Chapter 193 - Dinner (1)</h4>


    Zaria cast him a nce. He was thest person she wanted to discuss such matters with. To be exact, it would have been better if it was never mentioned. She took a deep breath. "Do you really want to know?"


    "I wouldn''t have asked otherwise." He gave her a meaningful stare. He was waiting for her answer and the only way to end this conversation was to tell him what he wanted to know.


    She let out an audible breath. "Because both of you turned out to be different from what I''d perceived."


    "I don''t understand." If it was because of something that was yet another simrity between him and Desmond, shouldn''t it mean that he still had an equal chance?


    She red at him for pretending to be brain dead. "You were friendly, Liam. I''ll give you that. You were a good man."


    He didn''t dare to rejoice. Her words sounded like apliment, but from her tone, he knew that there was a giant ''but''ing.


    "Until it turned out that you would push your friend under the bus in the name of protecting them." Her voice dipped.


    His eyes shot at her. She still sounded hurt. He didn''t know that it had caused her so much pain. "Zaria¡­"


    "Not just that." She interrupted him. "I hate being deceived, Liam. No matter how small you think the lie is, it''s still a lie nheless and you may never know what chain of events it could cause."


    He knew that she was right. In fact, she was putting it mildly. He had simply yed what he thought was a small trick but it almost cost her her job as well as F&P Media, and made her Jamie''s obsession. He would still be harassing her if he didn''t get himself killed. How could he forget? Within a few minutes of knowing her, she mentioned that she was not very forgiving.


    "I understand." He didn''t want to hear her praise Desmond.


    However, she did anyway. "On the other hand, Desmond appeared to be this tyrannical CEO who wouldn''t give a fuck if he run an elderlydy over with his billion dor car. But after spending time with him, I realized that he was capable of being kind, loving, and he loves me."


    He clenched his fists. When she opened her mouth again, he so badly wanted to shut her up but she paid no heed to him.


    "You wanted a reason. I gave you two. Most importantly, you thought too much. I didn''t ever think of you as someone I could be with romantically. I''m sorry if I identally led you on."


    He had always known this. He had merely overlooked it like the idiot he was.


    "You didn''t. It was me. I¡­"


    The elevator dinged to announce its arrival and the doors slid open.


    "I have to go to work now." She walked out. He battled his thoughts and decided to leave too. She wouldn''t mind being on the same floor as him, right? But why was he ufortable, although he was here for Desmond and not her?


    She was three steps ahead of him. When she reached the door to her office, she turned to face him. "I didn''t say you are a bad person. You''re just¡­ not for me." She rified. "I hope you find the right woman for you."


    "Ah yes. Of course I will." His lips twitched as he watched her disappear into her office. Thatst part was not necessary. She just said it to further shatter his hopes by informing him that even if she were to break up with Desmondter, she would not consider him.


    How heartless...but he couldn''t me her. It was better that she made it clear instead of leading him on.


    ___


    After telling Liam off, Zaria hoped that it would not affect his friendship with Desmond. She would avoid himter until he moved on.


    She ced herptop on her desk and went to Lucy''s office.


    "Hey mom." She ced a box of snacks in front of Lucy, who was buried in a stack of files.


    "Sweetheart, I thought you had gone out for a meeting." She opened the snack box and dug in, thanking her daughter for being thoughtful.


    "I just came back. It ended earlier than expected. Are you free for dinner tonight?"


    She nced at the files on her desk. "I should be able to make some time, yeah. These will be done in the next hour or so."


    She didn''t doubt her speed. "I can help with that." She took some of the files and carried them in one arm. "When we are done, can we go to my ce? I''ll cook."


    She gave Zaria a meaningful look. "Will I leave alive?" She joked.


    Zaria chuckled. "Don''t worry, you will. Dad is out on a work trip. He had an interview scheduled in Luxenville tomorrow and has to go in person, so he will go over today."


    Theodore was the only reason why she couldn''t freely go, so she nodded when she learnt that he would not be there." I don''t see why not."


    "Great! I''ll get the ingredients after work. Let me get Zeus and invite him too." She hoped off in excitement.


    Evening came by pretty fast, probably because the trio had something to look forward to.


    As promised, Zaria prepared to cook. She had given the servants the evening off because Lucy still wanted to be secretive.


    However, she shooed her mother and brother out of the kitchen so they would rest as they waited for dinner. She only epted their help to set the table.


    "Sis, I didn''t know you could cook so well." Zeus was on the verge of drooling as he stared at the assortment of delicacies on the dining table. He was just about to reach for a pineapple piece when his head got smacked.


    "What kind of brother are you? You always think the worst of me." Zaria red at him.


    "That''s not what I said. I wasplimenting you, okay?" He rubbed his head and looked at Lucy like he was about toin. She ignored them.


    "Uh huh. It sounded like apliment." Zaria smacked him again and in return, he snatched her silverware.


    Lucy facepalmed. "Is it crazy that I''m thankful I don''t live with both of you under the same roof?"


    "You are not crazy. Zaria is a tyrant. If you lived with her under the same roof, who is to say that the house won''t go up in mes?" Zeus teased.


    "You are the freaking tyrant!" Her weapon was smacking him but he caught her hand and twisted it. "Ouch!"


    "That''s enough, you two. You do know that you are adults, right?" Lucy red at them. How would they enjoy dinner while fighting like kindergarteners?


    Zaria served some food for Zeus. "There. Don''t go saying that I bully you because I''m the eldest."


    "Urgh." He groaned. It was already bad enough that he was not older than her. Did she have to rub it in? "What''s the use of being the eldest when you are not tall? I''m six feet tall while you are five foot nothing." He petted her head, earning a re.


    Seeing that their umpteenth battle of the evening was about tomence, Lucy ignored them and ate her food in silence.


    They were still bickering when the doorbell rang.


    "Are you expecting someone?" Zeus asked.


    "No."


    "I''ll get it." Lucy stood. It would be a relief to be away from these two even for a second. Except, meeting the person she saw at the doorstep was not a relief!


    _____


    AN


    Free coins! You know the drill.


    AB9MYJKG6TPNA2AHA

 Chapter 194 - Dinner (2)

    <h4>Chapter 194 - Dinner (2)</h4>


    "What are you doing here?" The words flew off her tongue before she could process it.


    Theodore did not look in the slightest bit amused. He swept his eyes over her. "Are you asking me what I''m doing in my house?"


    She stepped aside to make way for him. "That''s not what I meant."


    Zaria rushed out when she heard his voice and was shocked. "Dad, didn''t you go to Luxenville?"


    "Nope. Change of ns. Did I disappoint you?"


    He was teasing her, but she was too shocked to realize it. "No, that''s not it. It''s just¡­ you had a meeting to catch."


    "The interview was postponed and I was yet to board the train so I came back." He ced his briefcase on the couch nearest to the door. "Of course, I ruined the game that the little mice were ying while I was away."


    She was no longer certain whether he was joking or upset. "Dad¡­"


    Knowing what she was about to say, she nudged her. "Come on, Zaria. You have every right to bring whoever you want. You are not restricted. I''m just upset that you thought you had to hide it from me."


    Her eyes drooped. "I thought you would be upset."


    "It''s not Zaria''s fault. I asked if we coulde over for dinner." Lucy chimed in to take the me. "We were pretty much done so Zeus and I will leave."


    "You don''t have to." Theodore wished he had lingered outside for a while. His sudden arrival had made the atmosphere awkward and he hated this.


    "Why don''t you join us, father? Zaria cooked food enough for a feast." Zeus spoke from several steps behind Lucy.


    He debated the options. Going to his room was probably best, but they would be ufortable. Besides, he was hungry and the aroma was not making it any easier for him. Not to mention, how could he turn down the opportunity to bond with his children?


    In the end, the four of them sat around the dining table.


    "Let''s dig in before the food gets cold." Zeus set cutlery for Theodore and settled down. "Where were we? Right, I was showing off the height difference between me and Zaria."


    She rolled her eyes. "You are insane."


    "You''re an idiot." Zeus leaned in to whisper to her.


    She darted her eyes at him and subconsciously lowered her voice too. "Why are we whispering?"


    "You should have made father sit next to mother." He whispered.


    "You fool." She gently smacked him.


    "You''re the fool. Don''t you see the giant sparks flying between them? They would be more intense if they were next to each other."


    "Zeus, when did you say you would get engaged?" Lucy spoke from beside him all of a sudden, scaring the crap out of him.


    "I don''t even have a girlfriend. Not that I want one." He resumed eating.


    Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, you better get one soon. That will keep you too busy to poke your nose where it doesn''t belong."


    He grinned. She had overheard their conversation.


    "Zeus is still young. He can settle down when he wants to." Theodore chimed in.


    "In that case, he should get a permanent job and keep himself busy." Lucy huffed.


    "I have a job." Heined.


    "That''s Zaria''s job. Get your own permanent one and keep yourself busy." She urged. He would be an idiot if he didn''t get it. The main point was that she thought he was too idle.


    A few minutes into the dinner, Zeus announced that he was full. "I''ll make a call to my girlfriend."


    You have no girlfriend. Zaria wanted to call him out. If he had one, he would not be so eager to annoy his sister. Or maybe he would, but she was still certain that he was single. When realization struck her, she stood too. "I promised to return Desmond''s call."


    Theodore watched them disappear into different directions and frowned. Those brats. Never mind. Treat it as eating alone.


    "Could you pass me the ketchup?" She spoke up, making it apparent that he was not on his own. He was in the mood to tell her to stand and get it herself but that was too childish.


    He took the small bottle and stretched his hand so it would reach her.


    ¡­.


    Zeus found Zaria on the balcony and nudged her arm. "Hey, do you think they will make up?"


    "That''s none of our business." She responded. "Not that I mind giving them a push if they are acting like blockheads and inwardly missing each other."


    He smiled at the thought of what might be going on downstairs. "I''m certain that mother misses him sometimes. At least the few times I caught her smiling to herself, I was certain that she was thinking about him."


    Zaria smiled but then her expression dimmed. "I think dad might be interested in someone."


    "No way." Zeus swallowed.


    "It''s possible." She sighed, recalling his expression after what he had called a business call before, the one she was certain was a call from a woman, paired with him dressing up the following day to go out.


    Seeing that Zeus looked disappointed, she ced a hand on his shoulder. "I understand how you feel. I feel the same way... We both want out family to be reunited. But let''s not forget that their happiness matters too. If being together makes them ufortable, we cannot force them just because we want our family to beplete. Besides, we are adults now. No one''s stopping us from spending time with each other even if we do it separately."


    "I hate to agree with you on anything but you are right." He admitted.


    She changed the topic out of the blue. "That aside, may I know why you don''t have a girlfriend?"


    "Women are troublesome." He groaned.


    She squinted her eyes at him meaningfully. Before she could reach to smack him, he raised his arms in surrender.


    "Women are troublesome, except my mother and my sister. Those two are hell."

 Chapter 195 - Why Did You Avenge Me?

    <h4>Chapter 195 - Why Did You Avenge Me?</h4>


    In the dining room, the atmosphere couldn''t be any more awkward. The only sound that could be heard was the asional ever so slight nk of the silverware against the ceramic tes. It was as though both Lucy and Theodore were walking on eggshells¡ªor sitting on eggshells. Her phone rang and she dly answered it, speaking in a low tone.


    "Hey¡­ uhm, not tonight. I have ns tonight¡­ okay, tomorrow night, it is."


    When the call ended, she felt a gaze on her and looked up to meet it. Theodore was ring at her as though she had justmitted murder.


    She had the urge to exin although her ns had nothing to do with him. "My niece wants to meet up and discuss a proposal I sent her. I''m a busy woman so¡­ nights are the only times I can be avable."


    He averted his gaze without saying a word, which made her want to beat the crap out of him. Wasn''t he the one who red at her like she was doing something wrong, like she was being a bad influence to Zaria for making night ns? It was almost as if Zaria was not old enough to think on her own.


    He ate a few more bites of his food before he finally looked up. "Your ns have nothing to do with me. Unless, of course, they threaten my children''s safety in any way. In that case, they will have everything to do with me and I will do my best to make your life miserable."


    "Thanks a lot." If eyes could literally re daggers, he would be dead from the few seconds that she looked at him.


    He actually found it amusing. "Don''t look at me like I''m your enemy, Luci." He emphasised on the name. "It would be great if we could tolerate being in the same room. Amuse the kids for a while."


    Her expression turned from a re to surprise. She pped her forehead in the next second. "It took you twenty eight years to figure out what I said. Just how dumb are you?"


    "Dumb enough for you to exploit and y along for almost three decades." He snorted.


    ___


    Twenty-eight years ago.


    A few days after telling off the spoiled princess he had seen yelling at his sister, Theodore couldn''t believe who he saw waiting at their doorstep in the evening when he returned from work. It was her, the pampered princess in the flesh.


    She stood up from the doorstep where she had been sitting and closed in on him.


    "Why would you sit there? Doesn''t it hurt your butt? It''s definitely not half asfortable as the couches in your home." He red at her. "What are you doing here anyway? Are you here to show your rich parents where I live for the convenience of finishing me off?"


    Her eyes drooped and shockingly, he felt bad for firing off at her without giving her a chance to speak.


    She took the chance when he was reflecting on himself. "I came to say that I''m sorry. I was in a bad mood that day¡­but it''s not an excuse to yell at people. I''m really sorry."


    "Why would you be in a bad mood when you have everything?" He was supposed to sound sarcastic but she probably didn''t get it.


    She lifted her head. "I had just returned from a party. Not an ordinary party but one whose invitation card probably costs more than all my family''s savings."


    "Wait. You¡­" He was surprised. Why would a rich girl say such words?


    Sheughed, a painedugh. "What, did you think I was some rich heiress?"


    "The clothes you were wearing looked like they cost ten thousand dors. The ones you are wearing right now must cost a fortune too."


    "Oh. Uh¡­" She hade up with this crap on her toes and had not thought about her outfit. "My best friend got adopted by a tycoon. She gives me her old clothes."


    "Oh." He nodded. "Is she also the one who invited you to that party?"


    "The one where I made a fool out of myself? Yes." Actually, not all of her words were lies. She had indeed been invited to a party by her friend and made a fool out of herself, but thetter part had a lot to do with her parents who thought the party was the best excuse to push her into the arms of men she didn''t want to shake hands with.


    "I''m sorry I judged you." He apologized when he thought about what she must have felt being made fun of.


    "It''s okay. You wouldn''t have known." She looked down. "Do you hate rich people?" She had wanted to find out since thest time they met. He had yelled at her in a tone that seemed to hide a lot of pain.


    "They are the bane of my existence." It was almost a growl. "You have no idea how many times we have been disced growing up, because some aristocratic businessmen thought my neighborhood was the best spot to build their factories and whatnot."


    "I''m sorry." She knew that it was not her fault but it sucked. No wonder he hated wealthy people so much.


    "Why don''t youe in? It''s getting cold and you don''t look so warm."


    epting the invitation, she entered the house after him. He tactfully left the door open and let her sit on any of the couches. The house was small and the furniture old but clean. There were traces of a female scent and the house was styled in bright tones so she guessed that he must be living with his sister. There was only one picture on the wall¡ªone with him and his sister. She didn''t dare to ask about the parents.


    He brought her a cup of tea which she thanked him for and sipped. She only wanted to apologize before but now that she interacted with him a little, she realized that the man was actually kind beneath his bitter countenance. He had probably run out of sugar when he sweetened her tea, so he opted for water instead. It was not something she usually saw¡ªeveryone around her was a pretentious asshole. She felt a little bad drinking the tea but couldn''t reject his kindness either.


    "What''s your name anyway?" She asked in desperation to talk, to get rid of the awkwardness.


    "Theodore. You can call me Theo." He spoke, sitting a little far from her. "What about you?"


    Her fingers tightened around the cup. If her name left her lips, he would figure out her identity sooner than she could snap her fingers. There were rumors all over the city about her family in recent months.


    Think¡­ think.


    Her grandmother''s maiden name popped up.


    "Roatta. Roatta is my surname. My name is Luci." She conveniently shortened her name.


    "Lucy. It''s a pretty name." He said.[1]


    ____


    "What was wrong with telling me who you were from the word go? Did you have to lie?" He asked a question he had asked before, when they were married. At the time she just skirted over the question but she didn''t have any reason to hide it anymore, did she?


    She let out a breath. "If at the time I told you that I''m the daughter of the man who demolished your homes to build his oh-so-royal hotel, would you have continued to speak to me?"


    "Are you kidding me? I would have thrown you out." He realized that he had answered his own question when she looked at him meaningfully. "Ah, fine."


    He stabbed a piece of steak. "That hotel went up in mes. Did you know? It was about a year after you left Olphire."


    As soon as he spoke, he realized that he had yet again asked a question whose answer he already knew. "Were you the one who did it?" He asked to confirm his hypothesis.


    "The Dark Night did it." She shirked responsibility as though it didn''t mean the same thing.


    He called her out on her bullshit. "You are the boss of The Dark Night. I know that now." He gave her a strange look. "I just don''t get it. Since we were already divorced, why did you go out of your way to avenge me?"


    [1].... Luci and Lucy have the same pronunciation. Theodore thought she said Lucy when in fact she just said her name (Lucinda) halfway.

 Chapter 196 - Lets Drink Till We Drop

    <h4>Chapter 196 - Let''s Drink Till We Drop</h4>


    After discussing the details of their deal in the evening, Liam and Ximena ended up having dinner together. It was Ximena''s idea to thank him by treating him to a meal. Of course, he was not about to let a woman foot the bill but he humored her for a while.


    "Is the food too boring?" She couldn''t help asking when she realized that he had barely eaten a bite and was instead blindly running his fork through the fried rice. "I''m sorry that I''m not familiar with many of those restaurants that you probably go to. Not that I would afford a bottle of water in any of them."


    "It''s alright." He said, despite not having tasted it. He was evidently dull.


    She did not expose him and instead sighed. "So, that means I''m the one who is boring." As if it made sense, she added, "No wonder when we discussed, you looked like you wanted to bolt away as soon as the chance presented itself.


    "Ximena," He frowned.


    "What''s eating up your mind?" She probed.


    "It''s nothing. I''m in a bad mood for personal reasons." He responded dismissively.


    She nced at her fair wrist as if she was checking the time although she was not wearing a watch. "I have all the time in the world. You can tell me about it if you don''t want to bottle it up. You don''t want to risk having a series of sleepless nights, do you?"


    She sounded like she would bug him to death if he didn''t tell her what it was about. For some reason, he felt it was safe to confide in her. Maybe it was because after their deal, they would go separate ways and it wouldn''t matter what she knew. It wasn''t like it would do her any good even if she were to try and use it against him anyway.


    After a few forced bites, he suggested that they get some drinks at the bar across the street instead.


    They sat opposite each other on the rooftop where there were much less patrons and multiple times less noise which was ideal for both of them. After downing a few shots of vodka, he nced at her. "Hey, I''m about to tell you a secret. Don''t tell anyone, okay?" The alcohol was yet to kick in. He was merely teasing her and knew that she was not drunk either.


    Instead of answering his question, she beckoned to a bartender and swept her hair behind her neck when he came to their table. "Do you know where I can get a megaphone?"


    "Ximena!" He roared.


    "I''m just teasing." She chuckled and let the bartender go after making him blush byplimenting his looks and winking at him.


    "He looks like a teenager." Liam grumbled about the bartender. "What''s so good about him? Who blushes from a slight wink?"


    "What do you know? It depends on how beautiful the eyes winking at you are." She exaggerated.


    Well, it was no exaggeration. Now that he studied her eyes, he had to admit that his heart would race and skip a few beats if she were to wink at him. They were clear, bright and beautiful. She was gorgeous when she was not annoying him. She was gorgeous all the time. The annoyance was more noticeable when she turned on her devil mode.


    "You were about to tell me some interesting secrets." She nudged him.


    He averted his gaze from her. "It''s not even a secret. Anyway, I finally had a talk with her. I asked her why she wouldn''t consider me."


    Ximena''s eyes squinted. "Your luck in romance is horrible."


    "Thanks." He red at her.


    "I mean, what happened?"


    He downed a shot. "Apparently, my best friend is everything she had ever wanted in a man."


    She was about to say something when she stopped as his words sank in. "You¡­you like Zaria?"


    "I figured you''d put two and two together. But we don''t have to go into detail. She made everything clear."


    "That must suck. I''m sorry."


    "Thanks." He looked at her. "I thought you would make a monkey of me."


    "I''ll make fun of you for anything but this." She had a smile that he would consider genuine. "I''ve been there before."


    It was his turn to be shocked. "You like Desmond?"


    "Hell no!" She almost shrieked like it was a taboo for him to even think about it. "I mean, who the hell would like a bossy asshole of his sort? Only Zaria can tame him. They deserve each other. But I did have a crush on a guy who happened to be in love with Zaria."


    "Tell me about it." He wanted anything that would distract him even if it was a story that involved Zaria.


    Ximenaughed at herself before she narrated, "We were childhood friends. Zaria, Ryan and I."


    "You don''t mean Ryan Fin, the one who Desmond still wants to throw out through the window, do you?" He was shocked.


    "I do. That Ryan." She chuckled. "Growing up I had a crush on him. We would often hang out together. Zaria was the scaredy cat who would need a lot of convincing before we could all sneak out for some fun. On the other hand, Ryan and I were daredevils. I actually liked him for several years. Until a week before I turned sixteen."


    "What happened a week before you turned seventeen?" He listened keenly, despite knowing where this might be headed.


    "I snuck to his room."


    "What the¡­!" He looked at her in shock.


    "Don''t give me that look." Sheughed. "I was an infatuated teenager, okay? You will not believe who gave me the idea to sneak into his room."


    "Zaria?" He guessed, since they were best friends at the time.


    "Yes. She didn''t know the guy was Ryan, though. Anyway, nothing good came out of it. He was not in his room but there was paper strewn all over his desk from all his attempts at writing a letter¡ªto Zaria. Urgh, the irony." Sheughed at her past self.


    He found it more interesting than his own sob story. "Did you see him in the end?"


    She shook her head. "I did what an infatuated, stupid self-centered friend would do¡ªsnuck out of his room and pretended nothing happened, then used the chance when Zaria missed school to tell him that the basketball captain was chasing her. He really was, but I deliberately sent the wrong message. I apologized to him on my birthday after a sleepless week." She pped her forehead. "Then I moved on and wished him luck winning her over, and they didn''t even end up together! I swear, love is crazy."


    He burst intoughter. "Do you still like him?"


    "I would be a fool if I did." She rolled her eyes. "It had taken me ages to realize that I didn''t even like him in the first ce. I just liked the fact that we were so much alike. It was like having a male version of myself. I adored the friendship and mistook it for romantic feelings." She added. She was certain that if what she felt for Ryan in the past was really love, she wouldn''t have retreated without feeling jealous of her best friend.


    "And here is another male version of you." He spoke.


    She cocked her head to follow his gaze before turning back to look at him. "Where?"


    He smirked. "Right in front of you."


    "What are the odds?" She groaned but had to agree with him.


    The alcohol was kicking in and their words were a slur as theyined about their horrible romantic experiences to each other.


    "F*ck love. Let''s drink till we drop." She proposed a toast with her empty shot ss.


    He refilled it and clinched it with his. "F*ck love. Let''s drink till we drop."


    "Hey, that''s what I said." She red at him.


    "I was thinking the same thing." He countered.


    "I published mine first." She insisted.


    "Published¡­" He rocked inughter. "I didn''t know you could publish your speech in the air. You are a superhero."


    "Shut up." She challenged him to down a few more drinks before requesting him to drop her off. Too drunk to drive, he called his chauffeur and paid the bill.


    She was more drunk than he was. When they arrived, he supported her to her doorstep in case she wobbled her way to the wrong house.


    She turned and hugged him, taking him by surprise. "Thank you for tonight."


    He chuckled. Her mind was a jumbled mess. "I''m the one thanking you."


    "Ah, right. For the megaphone. Don''t worry, I''ll keep it." She promised with the clumsiest wink he had ever seen. She basically closed both of her eyes several times and when she realized that it wasn''t working, she ced a hand over her left eye.


    Heughed and winked. "Get some sleep. You will be able to wink tomorrow." He turned after taking a couple of steps. "Nice figure, by the way."

 Chapter 197 - Can I Count Them With My Tongue?

    <h4>Chapter 197 - Can I Count Them With My Tongue?</h4>


    "How did you know about my figure? Have you been checking me out?" She asked in response to thepliment he had thrown at her without a warning.


    He swept a nce down her body. She was wearing a dark green dress that perfectly fit her body. With curves like hers, it didn''t require any extra attention to notice her figure. Still, he had been checking her out for the most part of the evening so he affirmed her words with a nod. "Yes."


    She widened her drunken eyes. "Did you just say you have been checking me out?" She was joking and didn''t expect him to actually admit it.


    He moved closer so he wouldn''t have to be loud. "And fantasizing myself pushing you against the wall and feeling you up, yes."


    "Oh my God!" Her voice pitched exaggeratedly. "You just admitted to being a pervert, you know that?"


    He smiled. "Will you sue me?"


    "That''s a good idea." She ced a finger on her chin, then looked like she was having second thoughts. "Come here."


    He inched closer.


    "Cloooser." She drawled, and he took thest step to close the distance between them.


    "What do you want to do?" He asked.


    Instead of answering him, she grabbed his wrist and yanked him into the house along with her, pushing the door shut.


    "Are you going to kill me because I checked you out?" He asked the drunk woman, his own head spinning.


    "That''s a good idea but no." She pushed him to the couch. "I''m only going to make things fair."


    "Okay." He sat still and waited for her to execute the said fairness. When she ripped his tie off and started unbuttoning his shirt, he looked at her in shock. "What are you doing?"


    "Please. Don''t start sounding like I''m about to ravish you." She rolled her eyes and unbuttoned his shirt halfway. "I only want to check you out. Only then will it be fair. Then I will not need to sue you."


    The corners of his lips lifted. Just when he was starting to think that she was not drunk, she had to go and prove him wrong. He grasped her wrist when she started doing more than ''checking him out.'' Her hands were caressing his chest,pletely unreservedly. He smiled when she gave him a confused look. "You are feeling me up. I will have to do the same to you if you keep on doing that."


    She didn''t seem to have heard what he said. Without pulling her wrist from his grip, she continued looking down his shirt as though she was seeing something novel.


    He was amused. "There is no tattoo there if that is what you are looking for."


    "You have a tattoo?" She asked in surprise.


    "I don''t. Is that not what you were looking for?" He asked.


    She shook her head and sat next to him, continuing to study his body. "So that''s where they go." She finally spoke.


    "What?"


    "Abs." She pointed at his abdomen. "I was wondering where they disappear to after being shown off on social media. So they disappear into shirts."


    He threw his head backughing.


    "How many of them do you have? Six? Eight?" She looked at him. "Do you mind if I count using my tongue?"


    He felt heat start to rise under his skin and stood up. "You are more drunk than I thought. Why don''t you get some sleep? I''ll go home now."


    "You can''t drink and drive." She waved a finger in front of him in warning.


    He looked at her. So she did know that she shouldn''t drink and drive. Someone should tell her that drinking and touching men''s chests while asking whether she could lick their abs could potentially get her in trouble too.


    Seeing how serious she was regarding the warning, he reassured her. "I am not driving. My chauffeur brought us here, remember?"


    "I don''t." She looked like she was about to call him out on lying. To convince her that he was not going to drive, he took her out to show her his chauffeur in his car before escorting her back to her apartment.


    This time, he didn''t go in. He nudged her into the house. "Can you give a warning before you switch from a troublesome devil to a cute drunk? I almost couldn''t keep up."


    She caught only one part of his words. "You think I''m cute?"


    He smiled. "Goodnight, Ximena."


    "Goodnight." She retreated into the house and locked the door with his instructions. He waited until the lights went off before he finally left.


    Sitting on the back seat of his car, he tried to think of other things to get his mind off the thought of Ximena running her tongue down his abs. That woman sure was a devil. One word from her and she was stuck in his mind, giving him a boner that he would never expect. What was wrong with him?


    ¡­.


    Ximena woke up to the ringing of her phone and the annoying rm. They sounded almost as though they were singing the most infuriating duet that would wake her even if she didn''t want to.


    "Shut the fuck up." She groaned at the annoying little clock. When it didn''t, she stretched a hand and mmed a button. It went quiet, but the phone kept ringing.


    She grabbed it and answered groggily. "Do you want to die?"


    "Uh...hello to you too." Zaria sounded puzzled by the unfriendly greeting.


    "Zaria, it''s you!" Ximena sat up, her mind clearing up a little. "I''m sorry. It''s been quite long since I drank. Just a few vodkasst night and my head feels like it''s been run over by a truck."


    "Wait. You went drinking without me?" Zaria asked usingly.


    "Didn''t you have dinner with your parentsst night? Besides, we went to drink on a whim. It was not prenned."


    "You still went without me. Who did you go with?" She asked.


    "Liam."


    "So it''s misters before sisters for you, huh." Zaria taunted.


    "Shouldn''t the question be how I''m holding up? My head is about to burst!" Ximenained exaggeratedly.


    "You deserve it." Thetterughed gloatingly. "Your parents couldn''t reach you so they dumped at least a hundred messages for you in my email, mailbox and Creszone. Do you want to check them out?"

 Chapter 198 - Oscar-worthy Dinner

    <h4>Chapter 198 - Oscar-worthy Dinner</h4>


    "I will go through the messages but that''s only because I don''t want them to keep bothering you." Ximena rubbed her temples tiredly. Did she owe them a huge debt that she refused to pay in her past life? Why did they have to keep barging into her life even when she was trying her best to avoid them?


    Zaria forwarded the emails and Creszone messages and promised to send the letters within an hour. Once they arrived, she nced through the first letter and cringed. Her mother had actually sent her a card wishing her good luck with her brand. The very brand that she and her husband had worked so hard to destroy. They must be up to something and she had a feeling that it would not end well. She did not want them to keep harassing Zaria with their pretentious messages so she dialled her father''s cell phone number. She had deleted it from her phone but that was useless because she could remember it by heart.


    He picked up on the first ring.


    "Ximena, you finally returned my calls. I couldn''t get through to you." He sounded overjoyed and that just confirmed it. There really was something that had triggered them to act pretentious and im to have missed her.


    "What do you want?" She was too impatient to deal with their crap right now.


    "Is that how you speak to your father?" He reprimanded her, his pretense almost fading in his annoyance.


    She gulped down a few sips of the water that she fetched from the dispenser while deliberately making him wait for her response. "If my so-called father is impossible to please and has never been a father when it was needed but suddenly started acting like he missed me, I have no obligation to respect him." She sat on the couch and added, "Not to mention, only you would express fatherly love by sabotaging your daughter. Why can''t I be the only daughter who reciprocates the love however I want to?"


    He remained silent for so long that she thought he had hung up. Surprisingly, he didn''t. He didn''t dwell on the matters he had pointed out either. "Mena, let''s forget the past, okay? We can start over."


    "Easy for you to say." She huffed. Did he have any idea how she had survived for years away from home? He certainly didn''t know that, nor did he know how hard it had been on her after her return. If it wasn''t for their unique way of showing parental love, she wouldn''t have had to coborate with Liam either. Luckily the man was no longer trying to make her life a living hell. But that didn''t change her spite towards them. Also, "Don''t call me Mena. You know that I hate it."


    "You will always be my little Mena." He sounded so proud saying it that it was nauseating. "Daughter, can youe home for dinner this evening? Your mom and I have something important to discuss with you."


    There it was. There was something bothering them and she was probably the only one who could help out.


    She chuckled into the phone. "What? Have you found somepany''s CEO who is older than you that you want to marry me off to?"


    "Ximena!" He roared. "See you this evening." He hung up.


    That was expected.


    She finished her water and filled the bath, and slid in. Should she simply ignore the order and continue her life as if she didn''t hear them? But if she did that, would they bother Zaria again? She rubbed her palms against her arms. Well, it would be much easier to get it done as soon as possible. In their meeting, she would express her dislike of the fact that they were still rted and negotiate a way to stay out of each other''s lives. Of course, it was easier said than done.


    ¡­


    In the evening, she received a call just as she left the building.


    "Mr. Preston, do you miss me so soon? We only saw each otherst night." Surprisingly, she was in the mood to taunt him despite feeling out of sorts all day.


    "Don''t mentionst night to me, little devil." He groaned.


    "You can call me a devil but drop the prefix. I''m not little." She reprimanded him.


    "Oh yeah? I''ll have to take a clearer look at you to decide that you aren''t." He let out a low chuckle.


    "Why did you call? I need to get somewhere in a few minutes." She probed as she headed for the parking lot.


    "Oh, what a bummer." He sounded disappointed. "I wanted to call you out for dinner. We could have taken advantage of the time to discuss something I just thought of. If you will be too busy, I can drop by your office at the time you find convenient tomorrow."


    "I''ll let you know." She promised and didn''t hang up.


    He had nothing business rted to tell her at the moment but he kept the call on and encouraged her to turn on the hands free mode. She did, and started driving as she listened to him tell her the awkward moment he had experienced at work today. It somehow morphed into them talking about their embarrassing moments in the past andughing at each other. When she arrived at her parents'' vi, she was reluctant to end the call.


    "If you want to continue talking, I can give you a call tonight." He promised.


    "That depends on what you want to discuss sote at night. Because I will only be free to talk at 11pm." She teased.


    "We can discuss anything you want. Now go and have a word with your parents." He urged her. She had mentioned that she was meeting her parents and was displeased about it, but she had refrained from blurting out everything regarding her bad rtionship with them.


    She groaned."You just had to remind me that I have to face them."


    Heughed at her misfortune. "But you do. It wouldn''t change a thing if I were to shut my mouth about it. And the sooner you go in, the sooner it will end."


    She had to agree with him. She forced out a smile. Here goes nothing.


    Her parents were especially friendly. They even rushed to meet her at the door and hug her. They had already prepared dinner and had included her favorite dishes. Heaven knew how they found out what she liked to eat. They must have asked Zaria when they bugged her on Creszone.


    "The two of you are being creepy. Did you suddenly find out that I''m not your daughter? It would be even more thrilling if you also found out that my real parents have been looking for me and you are now ready to give me to them." She taunted as she took the farthest seat from them at the dining table.


    "Watch your tone." Her father warned.


    "Mena likes to joke a lot." Mrs. Morel smiled, the fakest smile on earth.


    Ximena was almost spooked. She didn''t know that parents could also give their children such fake, scheming smiles. What she hated most was her childhood nickname. They would call her that when they wanted to emotionally ckmail her into doing things she did not want in the name of preserving the family''s pride.


    "I cooked your favorite dishes. You should have a taste before it gets cold. Your father also prepared strawberry pudding for dessert. You love it so much." She added.


    Ximena wanted to roll her eyes. Who said that she loved strawberry pudding? She didn''t! She had only once begged her father to make it for her because Theodore often made it for Zaria. It was not the pudding that she craved at the time, but the feeling of receiving something made by her father. To be fair, Theodore had been more of a father to her than the man sitting several chairs away from her could ever be.


    "Speak." She was tired of their acting.


    "Can''t we call our daughter back for dinner?" They exchanged nces as her father spoke.


    "Since you have nothing to say, I will get going."


    That got them to open up. Her mother faked a smile. "I forgot to mention that we have a guest. He will be here any time now."


    Her lips twitched. Of course.

 Chapter 199 - Dare To Sell A Devil

    <h4>Chapter 199 - Dare To Sell A Devil</h4>


    "I bet this ''special guest'' orpany as you call him, is the showstopper, huh?" She did not bother to hide the ridicule in her tone as she taunted. She enjoyed seeing her parents so riled up, especially because there wasn''t much they could do about it because they were trying to curry her favor.


    As if on cue, the guest arrived. It was just as she predicted. A man whose first reaction was to nce in her direction. She would forgive him if all he did was look at her but he had to go and ruin it by letting his eyes trail down her chest.


    She knew that she was wearing a blouse that was a little low cut but so what? It was not for him to look at as though he couldn''t wait to burn her clothes off her body. Her stomach churned in disgust.


    "I''m sorry I''mte. I was a bit caught up trying to get my niece off me." He apologized as she looked at them, exining what must be the tale he came up with on the spot.


    "She sounds like a cute clingy one. You should have brought her along." Mrs. Morelughed slightly. "We wouldn''t mind an adorable guest and Mena likes kids."


    "Is that so?" The man looked pleased, which was probably what her mother wanted to achieve.


    "Mena, this is Raynold Mark. You must have heard about him." Her mother introduced him sweetly. She was probably the only woman who would smile at the man who just eye-f*cked her daughter. How unique.


    "I haven''t." She said coldly. "And I don''t like kids. You don''t know me well enough if you think I do."


    Her mother was awkward for a moment but she did not take the cue to let it drop. She went ahead to introduce the man in detail while ignoring the second part of her outburst. "Raynold works for Twilight. His father is one of the major shareholders of Twilight and owns several hotel chains in Europe."


    Ximena wanted to roll her eyes. What did she have to do with Twilight? Were they going to sell her off because they wanted some business deal with Twilight?


    She sucked in a breath to stop herself from hurling curses at them. "I still have something to do. Why don''t you guys enjoy your dinner as you catch up on baby clothing brands and all that?"


    "You cannot walk out on us." Her father warned. They had spent a lot of effort on this and they were not going to let her ruin it.


    As though reading their minds, she deliberately let her cutlery sh onto her te to make an ear-piercing noise. "Hell yes, I can."


    "It''s okay. Ximena must be busy. I looked her up and herpany is at the rising phase. It''s also the most delicate phase and needs a lot of concentration." Raynold spoke up in an attempt to get on her good side. He had something elseing for him.


    "I''m d you understand. Do you think you can give her a hand?" Her mother grabbed the chance to toss her onto Raynold''s path.


    "Of course." He generously agreed, but it was obviously because he didn''t mind spending a little more time with her to check her out and probably try more perverse acts on her. Yet, they were directly giving her to him.


    Disgust filled her eyes as she stood. "Excuse me."


    "Let Raynold drop you off." Her father spoke.


    "I drove here." She rejected the offer, not that she would have agreed if she had taken a cab here. She would rather run back to her apartment than be in the same enclosed space as him. If they pushed it, the next thing they would find would be his body floating on the river near their neighborhood.


    "I''ll walk you out." The pervert followed her before she had a chance to say no. She snickered under her breath and let him walk to his death.


    "What do you want?" She asked him as soon as they got to the doorstep.


    He pretended to be a gentleman. "I''m sorry that my presence made you ufortable. I only wanted to befriend you. If you dislike it, I will not appear before you."


    She smiled at his fake promise. "Good. Keep your wordter." After walking two steps, she turned and looked him over her shoulder to let him get close. "What do they want in exchange?"


    "What?"


    "They are trying to push me to you. What''s in it for them?" She asked more directly.


    "Their business is going downhill. They need my family''s help." He exined and thought she would start sobbing and beg him to help them. His fantasy of controlling her shattered along with his balls when she kneed them. He groaned in pain as he clutched his crotch.


    "That''s to thank you for letting me know." She smiled and walked off. She would ''thank'' himter for looking at her the way he did.


    ¡­.


    Arriving at her apartment, she did nothing buty in her bed with no desire to do anything. She couldn''t fall asleep either so she ended up tossing and turning, and hugging a pillow. Just when she was about to resort to taking some wine to make her drowsy, her phone rang. It was only then that she realized it was 11pm. She didn''t even realize that she had been waiting for Liam''s call until she saw his name sh on the screen.


    "Hey, are you still alive?" He made fun of her situation as soon as she answered the call.


    "My parents tried to sell me off. Can you believe it?" She was pissed off now that she talked about it.


    "No. Who would dare to sell a devil? She could kill you right there and then." He was still joking and teasing her.


    "Ha-ha. So funny." She wanted to beat him up.


    He had the audacity tough. "But for real. If I were them, I would be paying someone to take you and not epting anything in return."


    "Am I that bad?" She exaggerated, trying to sound pitiful but only ended up sounding funny.


    "In their eyes, yes." He said. "Because they are fools. You can''t expect a fool to see jewels the same way a wise person sees them. The former will find it worthless but thetter will treasure it."


    A smile snuck onto her face. "That''s the best thing I''ve ever heard from you."


    "It''s true." He emphasized.


    "Even though you think I''m a devil?" She asked tauntingly.


    "Yes. A devil with a charming side." He chuckled on the other end.


    She imagined the smile on his handsome face as she asked, "So, did I charm your socks off? Or is it your pants?"


    "My boxers, actually." He sounded like he was joking but she could not be so sure.


    Her eyes widened. "You mean¡­"


    "What are you wearing?" His deep voice cut her off.


    "Hell no!" Her voice pitched before she caught her senses back. "Wait." Did he just ask her that? It wasn''t something she would expect of him but she didn''t feel repulsed either. She thought for a moment and nced down at her tank top and shorts. "Nothing. I''m wearing nothing."


    He muttered a curse under his breath and ended the call, then he called again but it was a video call this time.


    "Why did you switch to video call?" She asked before she remembered that she was not wearing nothing. It was toote as she had already answered it.


    "To call you out on lying. I knew you had your clothes on." With the angle of his gaze, she knew what he was looking at. While she felt repulsed by Raynold looking at her boobs, it was the opposite when Liam did the same.


    She held the front of her tank top with a teasing smile." I can correct that."


    "It''s much safer not to." He warned.


    Her hand pressed her chest slightly as she teased the top. "Your eyes say otherwise."


    "Stop doing that."


    "May I know why exactly I should stop?" She asked the obvious.


    He looked speechless. "Do you want me to lower the phone? I''m not wearing anything. Do you want to see?"


    Her face heated up. "On second thought, we should go to sleep."


    "Probably." He watched as she rolled to her side to hug her pillow. He wished he could rece it.


    "Ximena," He called before she could end the call.


    "Yeah?"


    "Do think of me when you get your BOB down there." He instructed.


    "BOB?" She looked onto the screen, puzzled by his words.


    "Battery operated boyfriend, Ximena. Also known as vibrator."

 Chapter 200 - Punishing Disobedient Assistants

    <h4>Chapter 200 - Punishing Disobedient Assistants</h4>


    Zaria was about to go to sleep when her phone rang. She curled into the covers as she answered it sweetly. "Mr. Workaholic CEO finally has time for me." She teased him.


    "When was I ever too busy for you?" He chuckled. "Were you asleep? Did I wake you?" He asked.


    "Of course. You interrupted me from dreaming about a handsome adonis." She joked.


    "Then I''m d I interrupted that kind of thing. You cannot dream of anyone who is not me." He joked, but she knew that he was serious about thest part. He was that jealous.


    "What are you doing up sote at night anyway?" She asked.


    "I could ask the same thing about you." He returned her question. "Are you pulling an all-nighter?"


    "I thought I would but I don''t need to anymore. I finished work sooner than I expected." She responded.


    "I miss you." He groaned. Their schedules had been so different in the past few days that they had not seen each other in two days despite working on the same floor of Preston and Fort Group.


    "I don''t miss you." She teased him, chuckling when he groaned inint.


    "Hey, will you be too busy the day after tomorrow, in the evening?" He asked.


    "No." She shook her head even though he could not see her.


    He sounded relieved. "I would like you to apany me to a banquet."


    She remained silent for a while. He almost thought she had hung up until he heard her sigh. "Okay¡­"


    "Is anything wrong?" He asked. Had she forgotten an appointment she had already made that she just remembered now?


    She tried to sound calm. "No. Just¡­ nothing good has been happening at banquetstely." It might have appeared trivial but she still couldn''t get over it.


    He was relieved that it was just that. "I wouldn''t ask you toe along if I wasn''t certain that everything would be safe." He reassured her.


    "Then I guess I don''t have any excuse to turn you down." She chuckled.


    He was about to say something in relief when her words sank in. He wanted to spank her for that. "Don''t make it sound like you were looking for excuses to turn me down."


    "What if I was?" Sheughed slyly.


    "Then you will get it from me tomorrow." She knew that he was smirking even though she couldn''t see him. "I''ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, love."


    "Goodnight." She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


    ___


    When he threatened to make her get it from him, thest thing she expected was for him to spank her butt as soon as he saw her. What made it worse was the fact that she had just gotten down from her car and there were other employees too! At least ten eyes just saw the CEO spank her in public! She wanted to drown in the ground in embarrassment. Seeing his smirk, she knew that he had done it on purpose.


    "What was that for?" She red at him when he pulled her into the elevator under the watchful gazes of the employees who had their jaws on the ground in shock.


    "That''s what happens to naughty assistants." He grinned.


    "I''m not your assistant at the moment, remember? Are you telling me that''s how you punish all disobedient assistants in thepany?" She raised an eyebrow usingly at him.


    "Only if their name is Zaria Williams." He pressed a hand against the elevator wall to trap her. His other hand roamed the sides of her thighs before digging in between them. "And if she is wearing a skirt like this, I don''t need her to make a mistake before I spank her."


    Her ck skirt wrapped around her curves in a way that made him hard with just a single nce. His hand moved up and she parted her thighs in silent invitation. He caressed the centre of her panties, which was probably not a good idea. It was acy thing and it was wet. "You are trying to kill me."


    She chuckled. "And you''re not?"


    Her heart elerated under his touch. She turned to nce at the green arrow on the door of the elevator, which showed which floor they were on. They only had six floors left.


    He followed her gaze and turned back to her. "I need this. Right now."


    "What?" Her eyes widened. He definitely didn''t mean that, right?


    "Your thong." He emphasized and nced at the door to silently remind her that they were running out of time.


    She chuckled. They could get caught, but that excited her. Bending slightly and letting him enjoy the view of her backside while she did it, she took off the pinkcy thong and stuffed it in his palm. He took a deep sniff that made her cheeks redden. He stuffed it into his pockets.


    "Why do you need it anyway?" She asked.


    "Every time I feel them, I''ll think of nothing but the fact that you are wearing none." He curled a lock of hair around his forefinger. "That, and the fact that it will be easier to bend you over my desk and take youter." He was about to kiss her when the elevator dinged and slid open. He hugged her briefly instead.


    "I''ll send you a gown this evening."


    "Okay." Her phone rang just as they stepped out.


    "I'' ll get this. See youter." She smiled and answered it as she entered her office.


    "Hey, uh what? But I ordered it two weeks ago." She frowned when the store she had ordered something from called and informed her that the items were out of stock. "Okay." She hung up with a groan. Just what she needed.


    ¡­


    That evening, she didn''t expect to see Ryan waiting for her in front of her house when she arrived from work.


    "Hey Zaria." He smiled when she got down from the car.


    "Hey. I didn''t expect to see you." She was a little awkward. In the past, she would have hugged him. But she couldn''t anymore, knowing that she would take it for a tonic hug while he might think something else of it.


    He sighed when he observed that she evaded his hug. "Of course you didn''t expect me. You never said a word to me since you moved out. Did twenty years of friendship go down the drain?"


    Seeing how awkward she looked at his question, he smiled. "Don''t worry. I''m just joking."


    "Oh." She forced a smile.


    "Yeah. Anyway, it''s Nina''s birthday tomorrow. I thought you would want to know." He announced.


    "I''m throwing her a small party in the hospital. Just me, her and the nurses."


    Although he didn''t outrightly say it, she knew that he was about to invite her.


    "I''m so sorry. I can''t make it."


    She felt a stab in her heart seeing his disappointed face.


    "Don''t sweat it if you are too busy. I only told you because I''m sure Nina would like you to know." He rubbed the back of his head. "I''ll not mention a word if she doesn''t ask about you."


    She knew he was trying to make it easier for her but she felt worse. Shit. Why did it have to be the same day as the banquet? It even had to be in the evening.


    She slumped on the couch when she entered the house. She couldn''t possibly turn down a girl who needed her, could she? It had been long since shest paid her a visit and that already made her guilty. She couldn''t even drop by to wish her before leaving. A thought crossed her mind.


    "That''s right. I don''t have to stay for the party." She smiled when she thought of the best thing to give her. Nina liked chocte chip cookies.


    "Chocte chip cookies,ing right up!" She cheered and ran to the kitchen to start baking.


    By the time she was done, it was already a few minutes to 11pm. She nced at the clock and took a deep breath. She would make it, right? She arranged two cookies each in colorful cupcake wrappers. She then put them in a basket with a pink ribbon on its handle and threw in some choctes. Certain that Nina would love it, she wrote a birthday note on a colorful post-it.


    ¡­


    Ryan was about to leave the hospital when she ran into Zaria at the door. His brows furrowed. "What are you doing here?"

 Chapter 201 - You Didnt Do Anything Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 201 - You Didn''t Do Anything Wrong</h4>


    "Hey. Can Ie in?" Zaria looked up at Ryan''s shocked face. It was expected. She was surprised too. Rushing over to the hospital at 11pm was not on her itinerary and she hadn''t even thought about it until the cookies were ready and packed in the colorful basket. She had initially thought of sending the basket to the hospital the next day but after thinking about it, she decided to use it as a chance to see Nina. It had been quite long after all, it would be best if she apologized for not being able to attend her party the next day too.


    Ryan pulled out from his thoughts and nodded as he stood aside to make way for her. "I was just about to run across the street and get her a midnight snack. She is hungry."


    "Then it''s a coincidence that I brought cookies." She felt less awkward than she expected. It would have felt strange to be with Ryan in a hospital room but with Nina around paired with the fact that she was here for the girl and not him, it only felt strange because it had been long.


    Nina nced over when she realized that her personal space had been invaded.


    "Hey." Zaria smiled warmly. "How are you?" She received no response, not even a slight change of expression. She looked over at Ryan helplessly. "She doesn''t look so good."


    Ryan couldn''t help a smile from forming. "She has been much bettertely. At least shemunicates her needs and emotions." He knew that Zaria was confused so he exined, "She thinks she is seeing an illusion. She has been heartbroken since you stoppeding. She thinks she did something wrong that made you hate her."


    His words pierced her heart. Just great. She had promised to be there for Nina yet as soon as things became stiff between her and Ryan, she took off. She was the worst kind of friend. She couldn''t me Nina for being mad and disappointed.


    She crouched beside the bed so Nina was facing her. "Sweetheart, you didn''t do anything wrong. I promise. And I definitely don''t hate you. I acted selfishly by noting anymore and I''m sorry."


    The girl looked relieved, which broke her heart even more. She was just like a little child. She forgave so fast it was heartbreaking. When Nina pointed at the small basket, she brought it over to her.


    "These are the cookies I baked for you."


    Nina smiled her thanks and picked a cookie to crunch on, making Zaria sigh in relief. Soon after eating a few cookies, she took her tablet to y with and ignored the adults in the room. Zaria didn''t mind it as long as the girl would not be disappointed in her anymore.


    "What are you doing here sote at night? Are you sure your boyfriend will not bring the sky down in vengeance?" Ryan asked, his toneced with more sarcasm than concern.


    "You don''t have to mention him if you are going to be so hateful about it." Zaria rolled her eyes. What happened to trying to maintain peace?


    "But I hate him." He insisted childishly.


    "That''s on you. He has nothing against it." She almost raised her voice at him. She would have if Nina was not in the room. Even though she didn''t particrly raise her voice, her hands were on her hips as she scolded him and her eyes shot daggers. She felt a tug on the edge of her jacket and looked down to meet Nina''s warning gaze.


    She chuckled, understanding it for the first time without needing to be told. She patted the girl''s head. "Okay. I''ll stop scolding him."


    To stop herself from chewing Ryan out, she sat on the edge of Nina''s bed and asked, "Have you made any friends?"


    The girl nodded.


    "Really? That''s awesome. I would love to meet them." She was not just saying it. They must be kind and friendly if they managed to get along with Nina who didn''t like outsiders.


    Ryan coughed at the side. "Ahem. Her friends are Olive and Lili, the cats we found during our walkst week. She named them and has me bring them food twice every day."


    "How caring." It was a sign that she might recover soon, because she was starting to show more emotion.


    Zaria went silent for a while after checking the time on her phone.


    "It''s gettingte. Shall I drop you off?" Ryan thought it was because she was worried about going home toote.


    She shook her head as she stared at the screen. "My neighborhood has reliable security. I''ll be safe."


    As soon as she saw the 00:00 on the clock at the top of her phone screen, she hugged the girl on the bed out of the blue. "Nina, happy birthday!"


    Nina''s eyes lit up as she returned the hug and kissed Zaria''s cheek happily.


    Ryan''s heart melted. No wonder she rushed all the way to the hospital sote at night.


    As expected, it did the trick. When Zaria apologized and announced that she would not be able to attend the party in the evening, Nina didn''t seem sad about it. It was already good enough that she squeezed out her busy schedule to be the first to wish her and give her a present.


    After ying for a few more minutes together, Ryan dropped her off. He was not reassured letting a woman drive out sote on her own, even though she had insisted that the neighborhood was safe. It was already a few minutes past 1am when they arrived so he didn''t go in. He waited for her to enter the house and watched until he saw one of the windows on the second floor illuminate, which he knew must belong to her room. Only when she waved down at him to assure him that she was home and in her room safely did he take a cab back to the hospital.


    She was relieved when she climbed into bed. She only had a few hours to catch some sleep since it was already sote but it was worth it.

 Chapter 202 - Home Wrecker

    <h4>Chapter 202 - Home Wrecker</h4>


    The following evening, Ximena went over to Zaria''s to help her dress up for the banquet as usual. Only that this time, she was unusually quiet as she worked her magical fingers through the locks of Zaria''s hair. Thetter soon realized this and suspected that something must be wrong. She lifted her head slightly so she could see Ximena through the mirror. "How have things been?"


    "What things?" Ximena asked, and that was all it took for Zaria to know that something was up.


    "Yup. Something is definitely wrong. What happened?" She asked. "Is it something to do with thepany?"


    "No. Everything is fine at Morel Beauty." Ximena assured her and grabbed several pins which she ced on the vanity, preparing to use them to hold up Zaria''s hair.


    "Can we go for something aside from an updo? I''m not sure I can handle the pricks right now." She asked, and Ximena nodded and reached for ab to part her hair.


    "I''m still not convinced that everything is alright." She pointed out. "I know you don''t like worrying other people but I also know when something is bothering you."


    Ximena sighed. "It was Nina''s birthday yesterday. Ryan threw her a party but it was toote when I learnt about it. I sent over some presents but I know for sure that it didn''t feel the same as having her friends celebrate it with her. I feel awful about it."


    Zaria looked at her through the mirror for a while. That madeplete sense but she knew that it was not what had her friend looking like she had lost a million dors. Sure Nina was her friend too but after being away for so many years, the girl was no longer ustomed to her presence. Ximena had sent presents and not made an appearance for at least four of Nina''s birthdays and she didn''t seem stressed about it.


    Still she decided to go along. "I see. I assume that is not the only reason why you look depressed, though."


    Ximena shook her head. At least she was being honest.


    "Did I tell you that my parents tried to set me up with some weirdo pervert?" She asked.


    "No you didn''t. How could they do that?" Zaria wanted to explode in anger. She hated Ximena''s parents. If it were up to her, she would have made thetter her sister so she did not have to deal with those selfish hypocrites.


    "They did, and that man looked like I had him where I wanted after I kicked his balls. However, he showed up and ruined my lunch date. I guess I didn''t kick his balls hard enough."


    "Wait." Zaria turned as though the mirror couldn''t give her a clear enough view of her friend. "You are telling me that you went on a date and said nothing about it?"


    "I wasn''t exactly on a date." Ximena defended herself. "Liam and I are not serious about anything yet."


    Zaria''s jaw cked. "Liam Preston?"


    "The very one." Ximena felt relieved that she was not the only one who was shocked about it. She had woken up a few times in the middle of the night and wondered whether all of it was part of a delusional dream that her brain had made up because she was bored.


    She watched the shock wash over Zaria''s face. "Let''s talk about this in order of importance. You and Liam have been seeing each other? How long has it been?


    "We''re not." She sighed. "We have only met up for some meetings that had everything to do with Morel Beauty. He is my investor."


    "I see." Zaria obviously didn''t believe a word she was saying.


    "We have met a few times outside work too and,.." her voice trailed off.


    This was definitely not Ximena. There was an impostor behind her. Zaria thought dramatically as she looked at the woman who had resumed styling her hair through the mirror. Since when did Ximena ever seem flustered about a man? All she knew about her encounters with men was that she beat the crap out of any man who did anything more than harmlessly ogle her from afar, Even those who ogled from afar needed supernatural courage because one re was all it usually took to send them scurrying off with their tails tucked between their legs.


    Yet that very Ximena was talking about her interaction with a man and seemed uncertain about the progress of things?


    Seeing how serious thetter was, Zaria didn''t make fun and instead waited for her to continue.


    "We don''t even talk that much, only a few good morning and goodnight texts, asional phone calls that make us talk for hours as though we have known each other for ages, and a few dinners. Right, We hit the bar twice and the second time, we kissed. We didn''t make out and definitely didn''t talk about it but he asked me out for lunch the following day, which was yesterday.


    That''s when the asshhole whose balls I''d kicked decided to make an appearance before us, pointing at me for ying with his heart and calling Liam out for being a homewrecker."


    "Oh no." Zaria''s brows red. The fucker had guts.


    "Yeah." Ximena sighed. "Liam was annoyed. Maybe he was angry too or disappointed? I don''t know. He has not said a word to me since then."


    Zaria remained quiet for a while before letting out a breath. "Maybe he had somewhere to rush? He could have had something to do that was an emergency and he didn''t have enough time to let you know."


    "Yeah." Ximena knew that it was naive to believe that. The man had probably taken off when he realized what a wreck her life was probably going to turn into. Not that she could me him. He didn''t have any obligation to stay and handle whatever crap her life had to offer. They were not even dating and she didn''t think they ever would.


    "Xim," Zaria called and peeked up to meet her gaze.


    "Mmh?"


    "What do you think of Liam?" She asked.


    Ximena let out the breath she had been holding. "You ask that question for a reason. I didn''t think I was that obvious."

 Chapter 203 - The Wrong Man

    <h4>Chapter 203 - The Wrong Man</h4>


    It took a while for Zaria to process the words before she looked at her friend seriously. "Do you actually like him?"


    Ximena bit her bottom lip as she made a small braid at the side of Zaria''s hair. "I know it sounds crazy but I do feel something for him. Like is a strong word." But still the only word that could exin what she was feeling. She said to herself and wanted to give herself a piece of her mind.


    "He is not the right guy for me, I know." She chuckled, making Zaria frown.


    "Why do you say that? I was about to say that he isn''t a bad person. He is a great guy, actually."


    Ximena shrugged andughed at herself. "He really is great. In the few days we met each other frequently, I found out that he takes business pretty seriously. He values friendship and learns from his mistakes as soon as life smacks him in the face, and he is always willing to make up for them."


    "Whoa, you really have the hots for him." It was no longer funny. Ximena rarely said anything good about a man. The fact that she was rating Liam so highly could mean that she already liked him too much to back out.


    It was not concerning for her to like Liam. The only concern was her tone. She looked like she was certain it was impossible between them even without needing to try anything.


    Ximena grabbed a hair curling wand. "He is going through that dangerous phase of heartbreak that should make everyone run for the hills. He is looking for a rebound even though he doesn''t know it himself. If he were to have any interest in me, it would be merely that."


    "How about you take it slow?" Zaria stated the obvious, which Ximena had not thought about because she was muddled.


    "Let''s talk about pace when he stops avoiding me." Sheughed dryly.


    "He will not dare to mess with you, trust me." Zaria looked certain. Although Ximena knew that her friend was not as violent as she was, she knew that Zaria would kick Liam''s ass if he were to mess with her.


    The thought of violence reminded her and she groaned. "Who would want a woman like me?" She had never thought of her actions before. She hated that Liam was making her pay more thought to her personality than she should.


    Zaria whipped her head around. "Do you mean a beautiful woman with a smart brain, who is not a damsel in distress and can take care of herself, and is also good in bed? There are probably hundreds of men trying to get you but know that they don''t deserve you."


    Ximena burst intoughter. "Forget the damsel in distress part. What makes you assume that I''m good in bed?"


    "You are not shy." Zaria said, as if it had a direct rtion to one''s performance in bed. Well, maybe it did. But it all depended on the man. That was not the point.


    "Men want to be the source of their women''s security. To protect them like fragile flowers and all that." She countered, which made Zaria glower at her through the mirror. She chuckled. "Okay, okay. That depends on a man''s tastes."


    Zaria, who was about to dump on her a list of power couples, eyed her like she was crazy. "How about this, when Ie back, we can have a sleepover and talk about men all night."


    "I think I need that." Ximena smiled. She also needed a man. Whatever she was feeling for Liam might be a sign of sex depravation. Perhaps she would no longer think about him once she had that settled.


    Zaria''s phone vibrated with an iing text message which made her frown slightly. "Desmond will not pick me up. He let my mothere over instead."


    Ximena was on the verge of gasping at her words. She had learnt that Lucy was Zaria''s mother but the information had not ceased to shock her. She nodded when it sunk in. "I will be done soon."


    ¡­..


    Unbeknownst to them, Lucy had already arrived and was downstairs, making small talk with Theodore.


    He should have told Zaria that Lucy was here after learning that she was here to pick her up but instead, he made her wait. He brought her a ss of water, knowing that she would not want to take a soft drink before a banquet. It was a small habit of hers and he was shocked that he still remembered it.


    "Thank you. Is Zaria almost done?" She asked.


    He sat across from her and looked bummed. "Are you in a hurry? I was starting to think that it was time for those embarrassing and cute childhood pictures of Zaria toe to use."


    "You have pictures of Zaria?" She asked in excitement.


    "I kept records of her entire childhood." He looked at her meaningfully. "Well, since she was seven, at least. A certain someone stole all her pictures from when she was born to when she was six."


    She chuckled slightly. "I still have them." She was looking forward to seeing the pictures although she had secretly kept a watch on Zaria. Usually, she would only get verbal information and it didn''t include pictures.


    Theodore brought an album and started opening it with Lucy.


    "She was so adorable!" Lucy was on the verge of kissing the first picture she saw. Zaria was wearing her school uniform and was holding a cone of ice cream. She had pink smudges on her cheeks but still managed to look cute.


    "She was the prettiest girl in her ss." He looked proud. "I would make her a snack box every morning but she would rarely have the chance to eat a thing from them. The boys in her ss would fight for a chance to share their snacks with her."


    Lucy burst intoughter. She then flipped to another picture. This time, Zaria was wearing a pink princess dress and had a tiara, and she was holding hands with a boy a head taller than her, who was wearing a tuxedo. They looked like they had juste from a wedding.


    "Is this her boyfriend?" She joked.


    Theodore cracked up. "That''s Ryan. They have been friends for ages."


    She chuckled. Of course she knew Ryan. He was handsome even as a little boy.


    Theodore nced at the picture fondly. "That was the wedding of one of our neighbors'' sons. My princess had a mega crush on the groom."


    Lucy threw her head backughing.


    "She always wanted to y with him but of course, he was interested in women in their early twenties and wanted nothing to do with a little girl." He told the tale that Zaria was most embarrassed of. "She cried when he announced his wedding day and said that she wanted to be the one wearing a wedding gown and looking like a princess. So he made her a flower girl and had a gown and tiara specially made for her."


    "That''s so cute." Lucy looked at the picture on herp and joked, "He is so kind. He even found her a little groom of her own."


    "Actually, that was the day her friendship with Ryan started. After that, he would bring her a slice of cake every day." Theodore stated, and they burst into another round ofughter at Zaria''s ''love life''.

 Chapter 204 - My Girlfriend Is Jealous Of You

    <h4>Chapter 204 - My Girlfriend Is Jealous Of You</h4>


    When Zaria was done dressing, she was greeted by the off scene in the living room. She swept her gaze between her parents who were engrossed in whatever they were discussing. Lucy wasughing her heart out at something that Theodore said and he instinctively ced his palm behind her head in fear that she would get hurt even though the backrest of the cough was too fluffy to hurt.


    She stopped moving, afraid to disrupt the rare scene. She quickly realized that she was the subject of theirughter. She followed Theodore''s gaze to Lucy''sp, where there was a photo album.


    "This is Ximena. You must have met her." She heard Theodore say as he pointed at one of the pictures. When Lucy nodded, Theodore hummed in approval. "She is Zaria''s best friend. She did all the dirty work that I had to do when Zaria was a teenager."


    "What dirty work?" Lucy asked.


    "Kicking teenage boy butt." Theodoreughed.


    Lucy threw her head backughing again, even though Zaria didn''t find anything funny about their conversation. Were they high?


    Lucy looked at the photo once again when she finishedughing. "She was so pretty. It''s no wonder you had to do dirty work. There must have been a hoard of boys pining for her."


    "Of course, she is pretty. She takes after you." Flirted Theodore, ncing at Lucy''s side profile.


    Thetter tilted her head to nce at him and remained silent as though she was contemting what to say. In the end, she chuckled. "You can say Zeus is handsome for a simr reason. He has always had women swooning for him, but he is so boring, he pays none of them any attention."


    Zaria would have loved to continue watching them tter each other and indirectly flirt but they would bete at this rate, so she walked to them.


    "Honey, you are done." There was a hint of regret in Lucy''s tone.


    Zaria hugged her, feeling bad for bursting her bubble. "Did you wait for too long?"


    "She won''t tell you but time flies when she is with me." Theodore half-joked and they allughed.


    "Where is Xim?" He nced behind Zaria and realized that thetter had not followed her out.


    "She fell asleep. Could you wake her when dinner is ready?" She asked.


    "Of course. I would even if you didn''t ask me. Is she feeling unwell?"


    "She is just tired." She saw that Lucy was ready to go and kissed her father''s cheek. "We''ll get going now. Bye dad. We will miss you."


    She would be back in only a few hours. It was clear who she thought would miss him. Theodore pinched her ear slightly. "Don''t be naughty."


    Although that was what he said, he couldn''t help ncing at Lucy as if to confirm whether she looked like she thought she would miss him. Thetter was busy rummaging through her bag for heaven-knows-what. She was probably only pretending to not be part of the conversation. He smiled. "I will miss you too."


    Zaria chuckled. These two were a match made in heaven.


    ¡­.


    They arrived at the banquet hall just as Desmond got down from his car. She was about to go to him when he circled the car and opened the shotgun seat. Her eyes narrowed.


    He had not exined why he couldn''t pick her up and had sent Lucy instead. It turned out that it was because he had another partner? She red daggers at him as he helped out whoever was inside the car. She knew that she would not be able to see them even if she craned her neck so she waited to see the woman who would leave the car. She was certain it was a woman even without seeing the other party. Sure enough, she caught a sliver of what must be a white scarf in a few seconds.


    "Zaria?" Lucyughed. "You are spacing out. Is something the matter?"


    "Nothing." Her mood was sour. This was a formal charity banquet and most of the men were either wearing suits or tuxedos. That scarf was a woman no matter how hard she wanted to convince herself. "Let''s go in."


    Lucy found her weird but followed her to the banquet hall nheless. It didn''t take long for her to figure out why Zaria was upset. When she saw Desmonde in, she finally understood. Her baby was jealous!


    She wanted to say something about it but for some reason, she shut her mouth and continued to watch her daughter''s jealous antics.


    Zaria soon blended in and made small talk with some of the other guests.


    "You came too." Liam seemed to appear out of thin air and smiled when he saw her.


    Her first reaction was to narrow her eyes at the man like he was an enemy. In actual sense, he was. Anyone who made Ximena upset deserved hell and he had made her so sad that she decided to sleep it off.


    "Uh¡­did I do something wrong?" He didn''t understand why she was ring at him so fiercely.


    She beckoned for him to lean over. When he did out of reflex, she lowered her voice to ask, "Do you know how meat turns into minced meat?"


    "It''s ground in a mincer¡­?" He didn''tprehend her sudden question.


    Her smile turned sinister. "It''s great that you know what will happen to your balls if you keep messing with Ximena."


    He swallowed as he watched her leave, scolding himself for the kind of pit he had dug for himself. These women were scary!


    ¡­


    "There you are." Desmond grabbed Zaria''s shoulders as she almost brushed past him without seeing him.


    She nced up at him then at his side and raised an eyebrow. "Did you ditch your date?"


    "My date?" He chuckled.


    She crossed her arms. "Don''t feign oblivion." She was certain that his date was not Natalie either, because she had just seen her across the hall and she was wearing a purple gown that certainly didn''t need a scarf.


    He chuckled at her reaction and pulled her towards a woman who had her back to them. It was toote for her to bolt away when she recognized the scarf.


    "Grandma." He called, and the woman turned with a smile. He nced at his jealous girlfriend who looked like she wanted to dig a hole to disappear into, then back at his grandmother. "You don''t believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful. Will you finally believe me when I tell you that my girlfriend is jealous of you?"

 Chapter 205 - Your Girlfriend Has Been Snatched Away

    <h4>Chapter 205 - Your Girlfriend Has Been Snatched Away</h4>


    "I am not!" She denied the im sternly, but neither Desmond nor his grandmother believed her.


    The woman who didn''t look old enough to have a grandson of Desmond''s age held her hand out to take Zaria''s. "So this is Zaria. She is more beautiful than you described and isn''t she the loveliest?"


    "Don''t scare her." Desmond chuckled before leaning in to whisper to Zaria, "She talks a lot. If you are bored by her chatter, just say good things about Liam."


    "I heard you." The woman red at her grandson before pulling Zaria to her side as though snatching her from Desmond. "Forgive my manners and that of my grandson. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Isabe Alma Deandre but you can call me Izzie."


    At the side, Desmond pinched his eyes closed. "Don''t you think you are too old to be going by such a girlish nickname?" Before he could be berated, he snuck to Zaria''s side to expose his own grandmother. "It will be her birthday next week. She is turning seventy-five."


    Isabe looked around and dipped her head with a hush. "Don''t listen to his crap. I''m turning fifty-five."


    Zaria chuckled. "No one would ever doubt that."


    Isabe couldfortably pass off as Desmond''s aunt and no one would find it weird. It must be all thanks to her lifestyle.


    After the brief introduction, there was no ''let me know if he bullies you and I will help you kick his butt'' crap that most aristocratic women would say without meaning a word of it. Zaria and Isabe fell into a never-ending discussion like a pair of long-lost friends.


    At first, the subject of their chatter was Desmond, who they mercilessly gossiped like he was not standing right there listening to them. He wasn''t even sure they could still see him as they continued to discuss him. Isabe told Zaria countless embarrassing tales from his childhood, most of which were crap made up by Liam''s imaginative mind so he would feel slightly better about the fact that he had once gotten kneed in his balls for asking the prettiest girl in ss if she wanted to make out with him.


    "I didn''t pee my pants, for thest time. I had sat in the grass without knowing a dog had marked its territory on it." He massaged his temples like they were giving him a headache.


    The women red at him in unison before resuming their chatter. They were now talking about movies and happened to have the same tastes.


    "Do you beauties want something to drink? I''ll get champagne." He suggested, only to earn another pair of simultaneous res.


    "Darling, why don''t you be a doll and go get something to eat?" Isabe waved him off. "While at it, you can find Liam and y with him."


    "dly." He had thought it would be rude to leave them. Now that they suggested it themselves, he couldn''t get away fast enough.


    "Let''s find something to drink." Isabe suggested before Desmond could even make the second step, and they ignored him as they went to the drinks section. Great, he had just been robbed of his girlfriend.


    "You look like you have been robbed of your girlfriend." Liam''s voice made him turn. The idiot was making fun of his predicament.


    "Hello to you too." He scowled.


    "Your woman just threatened to grind my balls." Liam groaned inint, to which Desmond huffed.


    "Then don''t do what she warned you not to do. You can''t get your balls ground before I be a godfather."


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the women continued to stick to each other even after the banquet started. The auction was yet to start so they stayed in a corner and chatted as they sipped their champagne.


    "I''m sorry I snatched your date. I thought Desmond was lying when he said he wanted toe with his girlfriend. He has a record for fake rtionships." Isabe apologized.


    "It''s alright. He sent someone else to pick me up."


    "I''m d my Des is no longer alone. He finally fell in love." Isabe breathed a sigh of relief as she studied Zaria. "You have no idea how awful I felt when I found out that he and Natalie were not even engaged in the first ce, that it was a fake rtionship. I almost disowned him. Natalie is such a great woman."


    "She really is." Isabe had not said it in a tone meant to put her down in favor of Natalie, so she didn''t feel jealous even though the woman had just put her boyfriend and another woman in the same frame.


    Isabe''s smile widened. "At first I didn''t understand why he didn''t want to be with the woman who was so much like him but now I do. Although they seemedpatible in almost every way, somethingcked between them¡ªsomething that I see in the way you look at each other. You are such a perfect match, Zaria."


    "I''m d you think that way." Zaria felt touched. "When we first met, I didn''t think I would ever consider being close to him, let alone actually being in a rtionship with him."


    "You don''t have to fall in love at first sight to stick together." Isabe remembered something and looked concerned. "Does Alyssa know about you two?"


    "I''m sure she does." Zaria saw the older woman''s scowl and raised an eyebrow. It turned out, she did not like Alyssa either.


    She had heard her name and thought that since her surname was not Fort, she must be Alyssa''s mother. It was only when she grumbled about her son''s widow that she realized that she was Desmond''s paternal grandmother.


    "Don''t get close to her. She will probably stab you in the back." She warned.


    "I''ll take note of that." Zaria smiled awkwardly.


    "Don''t treat it as a joke. I''m telling you the truth, Zaria. That woman is a snake. The only good thing that ever came out of her is Desmond. Aside from that, she can murder you and cry the most tears at your wake."


    Zaria nodded and didn''t say a word. Although she knew that Alyssa was much more evil than she looked, it was still ufortable talking ill of her boyfriend''s mother.


    "The bid is about to start. There are so many items that I want." Isabe urged her to take their seats.

 Chapter 206 - Why Isnt She Dead Yet?

    <h4>Chapter 206 - Why Isn''t She Dead Yet?</h4>


    As they sat down, Zaria caught sight of Natalie heading towards them. She had a megawatt smile as she pointed at the seat on the other side of Zaria. "Is this seat taken?"


    "No." Zaria smiled and the two hugged.


    "I haven''t seen you in a while." Her jovial mood was contagious as she circled the table to kiss Isabe on the cheek. "Hey Izzie."


    "Now here''s one person who knows how to express their love for me." Isabe hugged her and made Zariaugh. So, her lovenguage was to be called Izzie. She would take note of that.


    "Is there anything you like? I''m here for pretty much anything that catches my eye." Natalie was speaking a little too fast and Zaria found it odd. What had her in such a good mood?


    It was only when she studied her face and caught sight of her eyes that dulled for an instant that she understood the situation. Natalie was not in a good mood. She was trying to hide whatever was depressing her by appearing overly jovial. She was doing quite a convincing job at it. When her gaze met Zaria''s, she shed a smile and anyone who saw her would think she was living the most blissful part of her life.


    The auctioneer started to introduce the items and interrupted Zaria before she could confront Natalie. Deciding to ask her about itter, she looked at the items that were being introduced and made a mental note to try for a few of them.


    However, she quickly realized that it was naive of her to have thought of it. As soon as it was time for any of the items to be bid for, figures would start flying around like money was nothing but mere numbers to the aristocrats in the hall. Some of the prices that closed the bids made her jaw drop.


    Forty million dors for a dress?! Were they insane? It had previously belonged to a retired international superstar but still. She soon realized that it was not about the item being worth the price; it was more of a business battle.


    No one wanted to be outbid by their rival and they kept raising the prices just to vex theirpetitors. They were donating the money to charity anyway, so they didn''t think it mattered. However, there wasn''t anything she liked enough to be willing to spend such ridiculous amounts of money.


    She was pretty much a spectator most of the time, raising her paddle once in a while so she wouldn''t look awkward, but forfeiting once the prices rocketed. She was starting to get bored when the secondst item was presented.


    It was a watch once worn by thest emperor of The Olphirian Empire, before Olphire became a republic. It was not the exaggeratedly grand titles given to the watch or its age, but its beauty that attracted Zaria to it. She audibly gasped when its image illuminated therge screens of the bidding hall and that was not out of ce because no one could sit still.


    The watch had a perfect line of diamonds embedded on its straps. Even from the screen, it was evident that they were rare diamonds, and even less attainable now since so many years had passed. The face was also gorgeously crafted and giving it a starting price would be doing it injustice. The starting price was left open for the bidders to decide what they felt it should be worth. This was what attracted most of the men to start firing off figures like their paddles were on fire.


    Zaria raised her paddle this time, ready to take the watch home. It would look good on someone she knew and she was not ready to give up¡­ until the prices reached seven figures and dangerously neared eight.


    Lucy and Isabe were yet to give up, battling the men who didn''t want to be looked down on for chickening out. At this point, she would never afford it even if she sold everything she had. So she silently stopped bidding.


    Isabe saw her disappointed expression and patted the back of her head. "You like it, don''t you? I''ll get it for you." She gave a gentle smile and continued raising her paddle.


    Zaria patted the back of the elderly woman''s hand with a smile. "It''s okay. It''s not worth it, I don''t like it that much anyway." She lied for Isabe to stop.


    The truth was, she didn''t want to snatch something that Lucy wanted. Thetter looked eager to win it and in the entire hall, Isabe was probably the only one capable of outbidding her.


    In the end, Lucy won after offering enough money to purchase apany. She had previously thought that the watch was for Zeus but now she doubted that. It had to be for someone else. She wondered whether the lucky man was Theodore.


    "Do you like the queen''s crown too?" Isabe asked, having misinterpreted her smile as interest for thest time.


    "Of course not." She shook her head. She would have to sell her life to gain something she might not even wear once in her life. What was the use of attaining it only to make it a closet decor? Isabeughed, then she turned and nced at the entrance when she caught sight of something.


    Zaria followed her gaze as did Natalie, and they saw Alyssa slip in with her lover, barely bothered by theirte arrival. They found a seat and prepared their paddle as if there was anything left for them to bid.


    "Urgh. I was starting to think that she was dead. Why didn''t the heavens make my wishe true?" Isabe groaned and Zariaughed.


    "Don''t say that." Otherwise, she might end up being the first suspect if anything were to happen to Alyssa.


    No one seemed bothered by the pair ofteers as they prepared for the bid to start and started firing off numbers.

 Chapter 207 - Married To His Career

    <h4>Chapter 207 - Married To His Career</h4>


    "Nat, do you have a minute?" Zaria asked Natalie as soon as the banquet ended. Thetter was trying to take flight when she had the chance.


    She turned doubtfully. "Sure. But why don''t we go somewhere else? Let''s not disrupt the cleaning staff."


    They went to the end of a hallway where there was no one else before Natalie looked at her with probing eyes.


    Zaria suddenly felt too nervous to speak. She had called Natalie on a whim but now that it was time to ask what she wanted to ask, she wondered whether the other would see it as an intrusion of privacy. She battled between bringing it up and brushing it off with a general question or some random topic. Someone exited the restrooms nearby and that snapped Zaria out of her thoughts.


    "Are you having trouble with anything?" She asked and almost bit her tongue when Natalie looked shocked.


    "Why would you think that?" Sheughed exaggeratedly.


    It made Zaria even more worried. Just how bad was it? She stopped caring about intrusion of privacy. Natalie had the right to decide whether or not she wanted to share. "You don''t look happy."


    Natalie was surprised, as though wondering how anyone was able to see through her smiles. After a few heartbeats, her eyes drooped as she yed with her fingers. "Devonte and I called it quits."


    "What?" Zaria''s face scrunched in shock and confusion. "How could that be? Why?"


    "I heard that there is a swing nearby." Natalie pointed in the direction of the back of the hotel, and Zaria knew what she meant. The hallway was not a ce to talk about such a thing.


    Hence they went to the back and sat on the swings without pushing them, so they could only sway slightly.


    Natalie smiled, yet another fake smile but this time the sadness was obvious. She let slip how she was really feeling.


    "We''ve been together for so long. A decade. Not many marriagesst that long, let alone unwed rtionships."


    Zaria had the urge tough at how short marriages usuallysted these days even though it was nothing funny. It was sad.


    "Did you hear what happened to Luxenville''s mayor''s daughter?" Natalie went into gossip mode. Zaria tilted her head to look at her as she rambled on. "She got married in the most expensive wedding of the century,plete with hot air balloons, a private cruise¡­and a myriad of phone calls from his mistress on their wedding night. They had a divorce within twenty-four hours of their wedding."


    Zaria shook her head at the thought. It had been a scandal, but that was not the point. Natalie was stalling.


    "If you feel ufortable¡­"


    "No, let me get it off." Natalie interrupted her and ced her hand on hers. "The point is, we had been together for too long to still be dating. I know it''s because we had to keep our rtionship a secret for years but not anymore. So I did what I thought women in my shoes should do but it is probably the worst thing to do. I pulled up my big girl panties and bought a ring, the sexiest lingerie I could find and ingredients for the best dinner I''d ever cooked.


    I tied the ring onto the side of my thong¡ªyeah, that was ufortable as shit¡ªand had it on my waist until he undressed me. He went crazy for my body in my lingerie and froze stiff when he saw the ring. Then I proposed. How romantic, right?"


    Zaria didn''t dare to ask about Devonte''s response, seeing as they had broken up.


    "He said that he was sorry. That he had lost too many fans when they learnt that he was dating and it would be much worse if he got married."


    "That jerk!" Zaria cursed, feeling the heartbreak although she was not the one who had been rejected. Her view of Devonte had shattered.


    Natalie couldn''t hold her tears anymore. "I wanted to marry him but it turns out he is married to those innumerable women who have him in their fantasies." She wanted to bang her head for her idiocy. "He always said that he was working hard for me and it wasn''t the fame that mattered, and I believed him like a fool."


    Zaria pulled her into a hug. "I''m sorry."


    Natalie nodded against her chest but cried harder.


    When she looked up, she wiped her tears with a handkerchief and blinked the rest of them away. "Don''t tell Desmond about this, okay?"


    "Of course not. It''s your personal matter. I''m d you shared it with me and I respect whatever else you decide to do." She helped smooth her hair.


    Natalie was back toughing. "No, really. Desmond is like a brother to me in every way and that does not exclude beating the hell out of the man who broke my heart."


    Zaria bit her lip. She was still worried that Devonte would be beaten up. What was a little physical pain,pared to what she felt? Ten years of her life had been wasted on a scumbag.


    How she wished she could gather Desmond, Ryan and Ximena to wait for the jerk at a dark alley. The thought of those three in the same frame was more terrifying than what would happen to Devonte if they did unite.


    "There you are." A familiar deep voice made them almost fall off the swings in horror.


    "If you are going to speak out the blue, then make some damn sounds when you walk!" Zaria chided him when she was finally able to swallow her heart that had leapt to her throat.


    Heughed and hugged her from behind to soothe her. "I was looking for you."


    "I''ll join you in a minute." She promised, but he did not budge. She turned to find that he was staring at Natalie skeptically. Thetter was looking away so he wouldn''t see her red eyes but he still knew that she was not alright.


    "Did something happen?"


    "The English havended." She lied. [1]


    He saw through her but didn''t want to make her ufortable so he didn''t probe.


    He kissed Zaria''s cheek. "Don''t take too long."


    _____


    [1]....That time of the month.

 Chapter 208 - Pretentious

    <h4>Chapter 208 - Pretentious</h4>


    "Come home with me." Desmond slid a hand around her waist as soon as they were alone. It was a cross between a request and an order. He didn''t sound like he was giving her any choice.


    She tilted her head to look at his face andughed when she caught the lustful look in his eyes. "Is this why you invited me to the banquet, Mr. Fort? So you can get into my pants?"


    His eyes darkened and she felt his hand tighten against her waist. "I don''t need to invite you to a banquet to get into your pants, Miss Williams. And by that, I don''t mean that I don''t want to."


    She caressed his hand that was on her waist teasingly. "I hate to torment your balls but¡­"


    "Then don''t." He groaned, knowing where this was heading.


    "I left Ximena in my room." Sheughed.


    "She''s a big girl. I''m sure she can take care of herself until mommy''s home." He joked but didn''t want her to leave for Ximena.


    "She needs me right now. I''m sorry." Her expression turned serious so he would know that she couldn''t go to his ce without having to exin it in detail.


    "But I need you too." He pouted. He was so cute that sheughed out aloud.


    "Be a good boy and I might just reward you." She grabbed his crotch but let go faster than he could process it. When he grabbed her hand to pull it back to his body, she withdrew it like it had been scalded. "We are in public."


    "We were in public a moment ago when you grabbed my dick." He muttered in her ear and hated it when Lucy arrived. She winked, blew him a kiss and hopped into Lucy''s car without looking back. He felt worse when Lucy gave him an awkward smile and muttered a ''sorry'' before disappearing into the car after her daughter.


    He groaned. He wanted to grind Liam''s balls just as badly as Zaria wanted to. After hearing about her threat and the fact that Ximena needed some sort offort, paired with the fiasco at thepany a few weeks ago that stemmed from the arrival of a first generation Toyota coro with Liam''s name on it, he had pinned the pieces together and guessed that his friend was the asshole who made Ximena sad. He doubted anyone had the ability to make that devil sad but that was the only usible exnation.


    His ridiculous thoughts of kicking his friend''s ass for causing his blue balls were interrupted by an ufortable feeling. He felt eyes on him and was yet to investigate his surroundings when an overly enthusiastic voice came from behind him.


    "Desmond! Honey, I missed you."


    He dodged Alyssa''s hug when he felt her near him. This woman was his mother but he didn''t know how to proudly say that anymore. His father might have been an asshole in every way that counted but she wasn''t any better off. She was a selfish woman who could make a deal with the devil if it meant getting what she wanted. And often what she wanted wasn''t in any way worth the price. The only good thing about her was probably the fact that he had met Zaria because thetter wrote an article about her.


    Alyssa looked hurt by his distance. "Are you still avoiding me because of that woman? Is she advising you to stay away from your family?"


    He furrowed his brows in annoyance. "What do you want?"


    "You never spoke that way to me until you met her. You were my lovely boy." She looked like she was on the verge of crying. "Do you know that she is keeping you from her family so you can be even? Her own mother dumped her and just so you know, the mother I''m talking about is Lucy Roatta. That woman is a nightmare."


    He knew that. To be fair, he didn''t know why everyone was going crazy at the mention of Lucy''s name. Sure, she was the wealthiest business woman in Olphire and probably the whole of Europe, as well as the boss of The Dark Night, but she was also a loving mother who would lower her position to a COO of apany way below her level just to bond with her daughter. It was unfair that everyone seemed to only see the viiness in her.


    And the woman who had the audacity to term another woman as evil was not any better off. He looked at the hypocrite he had trusted for most of his life, and would probably still be trusting if Zaria didn''t throw the facts in his face. "What do you want?" He repeated.


    "Do you think I only sought you because I want something?" She looked annoyed. "I missed you, that''s all."


    Sarcasm filled his visage. "I see. I''ll get going then."


    "Wait." She called after him and he turned.


    "Son, I''m in a fix." She looked down as she spoke.


    Of course he expected that. He nced at her downcast face. "What kind of fix? One that Mark created for you, or one you created for Mark? Or is it one that stemmed from your ridiculous ns together?"


    She looked up, not entirely surprised that he knew about Mark. Since he already knew, she skipped the specifics and jumped to begging mode. "Lucy is after us."


    "You nned to make a move on her only daughter. I wouldn''t be surprised." He raised an eyebrow. If she had not convinced him to leave Alyssa and Mark to her, Alyssa would not be standing here, shedding crocodile tears. Of course, he would have dealt with Alyssa in a way that didn''t involve a bullet through her head but Mark would not have escaped that.


    "We will stay away from Zaria if she lets us off." Her plea pulled him out of his thoughts.


    "You should stay away from Zaria whether or not Lucy intends to let you off." He scoffed.


    She sped her hands together. "You have to help us, please."


    A smirk formed on his lips before it bloomed into a smile. "You should be grateful that I''m not doing anything to you for targeting my woman." He looked behind her just in time to catch a head disappearing behind the wall. Someone had been listening in on their conversation and he had seen a glimpse of the man before he disappeared.


    He would recognize that gray head anywhere. It was none other than the patriarch of the Su family, who they now knew was Zaria''s grandfather. Nathaniel Su.

 Chapter 209 - Are You Still Pining For That Asshole?

    <h4>Chapter 209 - Are You Still Pining For That Asshole?</h4>


    "Are you still moping and pining for that asshole?" Zaria asked as soon as she returned to her room.


    Ximena sat up with a smile. "I thought you wouldn''te back. Didn''t Desmond go to the banquet?"


    "He did, but I couldn''t leave you alone." She kicked off her heels.


    "You didn''t have to worry about me. I''m alright. You should have more fun." Ximena urged.


    Zaria turned to re at her. "You are not going to change the subject..


    Ximena let out a sigh. "There is hardly anything for me to pine. How long have we known each other?"


    She shrugged off her feelings. She knew it was insane to even think of having feelings for Liam at this stage. They were not trying to advance their rtionship into anything. It was just a dying momentary spark.


    " I believe in love at first sight, actually." Zaria sighed.


    Ximena refrained from telling her that she didn''t fall in love with Desmond at first sight. She realized immediately after thinking it that it had zero simrities to her situation. "What about that femalepanion anyway?"


    Zaria raised an eyebrow when she realized what her friend was asking. "How do you even know that it''s a female?"


    Ximena rolled her eyes. "It''s obvious. If a man asked another man to ditch his date and be hispanion to a banquet, he will be told to fuck off."


    "Yeah, that''s true." She giggled. "It was his grandmother."


    "Holy crap!" Ximena''s lips formed a smile. "You met his grandmother? What is she like? Wait. If she made Desmond leave you to your mom and apany her instead, what does that say about her? Is she one of those?"


    Zaria burst outughing. Ximena was talking about aristocratic women who couldn''t wait to force their sons and grandsons to leave their girlfriends and offering money would always be at the tip of their tongues.


    "No. Isabe is kind." She smiled just thinking about it. She was nothing like what one would imagine of the matriarch of the Fort family.


    "That saves me from having to disrespect an elderly woman by kicking her butt." Ximenaughed.


    "Would you like something to drink?" Zaria suggested through herugh, and didn''t wait for her friend''s response before she dashed to the cer downstairs and returned with tequ, like and shot sses.


    "You are going for the kill!" Ximena jumped to her feet and helped her carry the tray.


    Zaria''s phone buzzed. She made sure Ximena had caught a grip on the tray and dashed to the couch where she had flung her clutch. She opened it and took her phone out. Crap. She had forgotten to tell Desmond that she was home.


    "Are you home?" He asked when she answered the call.


    "Yes. I forgot to tell you. Are you home?"


    "I just arrived." He replied after a heartbeat. Her instinct told her he was not home but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he had something else to do but didn''t want her to worry so he lied about being home.


    "What are you doing?" He asked.


    "I was just about to drink with Xim. Wanna join us?" She joked.


    "Don''t drink too much." He warned and she scoffed.


    "I''m not driving. I''ll get going. See you soon, I love you." She blew a kiss into the phone.


    "I love you too."


    She nced at the screen of her phone when the call ended. Something felt off. What was it?


    ____


    "Are you asking for my life? No. The right question should be, why are you trying to kill me?" Skeleton whined.


    They were at Desmond''s mansion. Thetter had called him out of the blue and summoned him over without an exnation.


    "Aren''t you going to give me something to drink, at least? I came all the way here for you." Heined.


    Desmond ignored his whiny antics. He paced the living room and came to an abrupt stop. "Nathaniel Su is following me." He let out a breath and resumed pacing.


    Skeleton looked at him with a frown. "Why would he?"


    Desmond red at him. "I don''t know. If I had a f*cking clue, why the hell would I call you?"


    "Okay." Skeleton disappeared into the kitchen without a word and returned a whileter with a cup of coffee, making himself at home.


    "Let me get this straight. How long has he been following you?" He asked as he settled onto a couch, as far from the pacing Desmond as possible.


    "This should be the first time. I didn''t notice him before." He ran a hand through his hair. "But I''m not certain whether it is me that he is following. My mother was there at the banquet. So was Lucy and Zaria."


    Skeleton didn''t know whether or not to be relieved. "Lucy is his daughter. There''s nothing to worry about if he is stalking her."


    "There is. Because Zaria is Lucy and Theodore''s daughter and he has targeted Theodore before. Zaria is not safe."


    Skeleton assessed the facts and shrugged when he couldn''t exactlyprehend it. "I''ll find out what he is nning. Have you warned her about it?" He found the answer without waiting for Desmond to open his mouth. He wouldn''t want his girlfriend to be worried.


    "Fate is crazy, isn''t it?" He chuckled. When Desmond looked over, he took a sip of his coffee. Thirty million people in Olphire and you just happened to fall in love with Nathaniel Su''s granddaughter, whose mother was a close friend of your dad''s but it was a disguise so she would dole out vengeance on him. I mean, what are the odds?"


    Desmond''s shoulders slumped.


    It did sound fishy. If he didn''t meet Zaria under different circumstances, he would have suspected her of having an ulterior motive.


    _____


    AN


    Hello darlings, I''m sorry for not updating for a while. I had taken a much needed rest but I''m back now. Thanks for your patience!

 Chapter 210 - I Heard You Went Back To Him

    <h4>Chapter 210 - I Heard You Went Back To Him</h4>


    "What''s going on with you?" Ximena asked. Zaria looked worried after getting the call from Desmond.


    "He is acting strange." She sighed and threw her phone onto her bed. "Whatever. I''ll talk to him about it tomorrow. He won''t say a word even if I beg him right now."


    "Do I need ammunition?" Ximena asked threateningly and Zariaughed.


    "Of course not."


    Three tequ shotster, Ximena''s phone vibrated with a text message. Her nose scrunched up when she realized that it was Liam''s. "What does he want?"


    "Take a look." Zaria urged.


    She unlocked her phone and read his text message then she burst intoughter. "He wants to meet for a talk tomorrow."


    Zaria frowned and rubbed her eyes as if that would clear out the drunkenness. She was starting to slur. "Do you want to talk to him?"


    "Do I have a choice?" Ximena slurred.


    "To make him shove his want up his ass, yeah." Zaria drunkenly suggested.


    "Don''t be snarky." Ximenaughed. "You know what I want to do to his ass? Come here, I''ll tell you the secret."


    Zaria shuffled over and presented her ear for Ximena to whisper into it.


    Ximena put down her phone and lowered her voice to whisper. "I want to¡­" She lowered her voice much more, not certain that it was quiet enough. One couldn''t risk getting eavesdropped on.


    Zaria looked at her with a frown after she finished speaking. "You really want to do that?"


    "Totally!" Ximena cheered.


    Zaria thought about it with a frown. "I didn''t hear what you said you wanted to do."


    Ximena pped her forehead and whispered loudly. "I said the only thing I want to do to his ass is grab it!"


    ¡­.


    The next morning.


    "Ow!" Zaria groaned when she exited the elevator.


    "What is it?" Asked Desmond, who had coincidentally ridden the same elevator as her.


    "My head hurts." Sheined. It didn''t just hurt. She felt like the insides of her head had been passed through a mincer. It was probably payback for what she had threatened to do to Liam.


    Desmond held both sides of her head. "Hangover?"


    "I think so?" She looked at him through her hazy eyes. She shouldn''t have drunk so much with Ximenast night.


    He looked at her and pulled her out of the elevator, towards his office. "Let''s get you some coffee."


    He made her a cup of coffee on the coffee machine she had slotted in his office.


    After a few sips, she felt much better and could finally tell what was going on around her. She shuddered at the realization that she had driven to work. That was dangerous! Thanking the heavens that nothing went wrong, she nursed her cup as she watched him sip his coffee. "Are you going to tell me what''s going on any time this year? I''m talking about the reason for your callst night."


    "Can''t I hide anything from you?" He joked.


    "Not a chance." She finished her coffee and he knew that if he didn''t say it, it might morph into a misunderstanding.


    He leaned his backside against his desk so he was facing her. "Nathaniel is after one of us. My guess is that his aim is you and he probably wants to use me or my mother to get to you."


    "That''splex." She gritted her teeth.


    "And worrisome. That''s why I didn''t want to tell you." He confessed.


    She let out a breath and ced the empty cup on his desk. "And I don''t appreciate you keeping secrets. Does my mother know?"


    He shook his head and thought about it for a while, which resulted in him shaking his head. "She doesn''t need to know."


    She nodded and focused her gaze on him for a while. She didn''t know what he was thinking but whatever it was, this matter was unwee.


    "I have a bad feeling about this. Again. I thought he had given up."


    "So did I." He finished his coffee and held up his cup. "Refill?" She shook her head, so he ced the empty cups aside. "Apparently, he has not given up."


    She rubbed her temples even though they were no longer throbbing. Couldn''t Nathaniel let them have some peaceful time before striking again?


    She chewed the inside of her cheek. "Let''s not tell my mother about it yet. At least not until we really have to tell her."


    "What are you two nning to hide?" Lucy''s voice resounded from behind her and she turned in shock. She almost dropped out of her seat.


    "Mom?" She looked at Desmond questioningly.


    "It was toote to warn you." He shrugged. "And besides, she would still find out one way or another."


    She looked back at Lucy.


    "I knocked." Lucy looked at them pointedly. "Are you going to tell me?"


    "Do we have a choice?" Zaria groaned.


    "No, but you have a lesson. Don''t leave your door open while discussing secrets." She reprimanded them.


    "Touch¨¦." Zaria smiled bitterly.


    "It''s Nathaniel Su." She exined what Desmond had just told her.


    Lucy pped her forehead, muttering under her breath. "Just what I need."


    "You two calm down and go on with your lives like nothing is wrong. I''ll handle him." She ordered.


    "But¡­"


    "No buts." She cut Zaria off and turned to leave.


    As soon as she was back in her office, she sent Desmond an email with everything she had wanted to discuss with him before she walked in on their discussion, then she had Elena schedule a meeting with Nathaniel.


    Thetter got back to her within an hour.


    "Ma''am, your meeting with Mr. Su has been set for this evening." Elena reported.


    The old geezer was eager to meet. She scoffed. What a coincidence, she was eager to meet him too. It was about time they discussed the matters that had been put off for years.


    So, as soon as she finished her work for the day, she went to the restaurant where she was meeting Nathaniel. He was already there, as eager as she expected and when she sat down, he shed a brilliant smile that she found pretentious.


    "My dear Luci. I heard you have gone back to him.." The first words that came out of his mouth were infuriating.

 Chapter 211 - I Was Born Ready

    <h4>Chapter 211 - I Was Born Ready</h4>


    Lucy nced at the man across from her and all that was left was her asking the gods why she had to end up with him as a father. Weren''t there billions of men in the world? Why did it have to be one who didn''t understand her even when she was already in her forties? What irked her the most was not the fact that he was doing his best to keep her away from her happiness, but that he was only doing it as a disy of power.


    She crossed her arms. "I have loved him for long enough. You don''t expect me to stop loving him just because you said I should, do you?"


    He took a small sip of his drink. "You are stubborn, dear. Don''t forget¡­"


    "Don''t mention the past." She glowered at him as she interrupted whatever he was going to say. Nothing good ever came out of him mentioning the past.


    ____


    3 decades ago.


    Lucy had left Theodore a fake address for him to send her letters so they kept in contact. The letters took too long to arrive and would take weeks sometimes, so she found a chance to pay him a visit.


    They spent the whole afternoon sitting in the park and talking about random topics, including how they first met.


    "Sianna will never forgive me." She sighed when he admitted that his sister didn''t like the fact that they were in contact.


    He held her hand in his. "It''s okay. All that should matter to you is me."


    She rested her head on his shoulder with a bright smile on her face. "To be honest, I only care about your opinion, Theo."


    He smiled and held her shoulder in a tight hug against him. "Then, will you be mine?"


    "What?" She pulled away from him in shock.


    He scratched the back of his neck and panicked when she recoiled. "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry¡­ If it''s too soon, you can forget what I said." He panicked when she didn''t say a word. "We have been exchanging letters so I thought¡­ I thought too much."


    He looked down and mocked himself inwardly. How could he think that such a beautiful girl could like him? She must have hoards of admirers. Why would she choose him out of all of them?


    She grabbed his hand when she realized that he had misunderstood her. "You didn''t. It''s not. God, I''ve waited for this day for so long. I thought you had never thought of it." She blushed as she lowered her voice to remind him of a major point. "Besides, you kissed me¡­"


    "I will definitely be responsible for you." He confessed and kissed her again. "I knew I wanted to be your husband from the second time I saw you."


    "Second?" She blinked. Didn''t men always say that they loved a woman from the first time they saw her?


    He nodded and exined in all honesty. "You know that I hated you the first day. But that''s until I realized what a sweet girl you are."


    "Theo¡­" She blushed and couldn''t look him in the eye.


    "So what do you say, Lucy?" He asked, more confident since she had said that she was waiting for him to ask her.


    "I say let''s meet the parents soon." She suggested and immediately looked away with a frown.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked worriedly. Was there a reason why they couldn''t see the parents?


    "Actually, can we not involve our parents?" She suggested.


    He frowned. "Why?"


    She thought hard and couldn''te up with any reason aside from the difference in their background, which her parents would obviously mind. "My parents have a stereotype."


    His frown deepened and he put some distance between them. "You said you were not some rich girl."


    "I''m not!" She immediately defended herself. "That''s not what this is about. Trust me. It''s not my opinion. I mean¡­ I like you for you. I don''t care about anything else but my parents definitely don''t think that way." She desperately tried to exin in a way that wouldn''t make it sound like she cared. If it was up to her, she wouldn''t ever let her parents know that she had found the man she wanted to marry. She sighed in exasperation. "They care about many more things."


    "Namely?" He asked gently. When she looked like she wanted to make an excuse and weasel out of it, he kissed her cheek. "You can be honest with me."


    "Your status." She reluctantly said. "They will not let me be close to you if they find out and¡­" She shook her head when she thought about what would happen if it got to that. "Theo, let''s not meet them yet. When we get married, it will be toote for them to say anything."


    "When?" He smiled broadly and she was confused.


    "Huh?"


    "You said when." He looked like he was about to grow a pair of wings and fly off.


    "I did say that¡­" She looked at him like he was a lunatic. What was wrong with what she said?


    He hugged her tightly, overjoyed as though he had heard the best news. "It''s not a possibility. It''s a reality. You are certain that you want to marry me."


    She finally understood him, and she smiled. "Yes Theo. We only met two months ago but who still cares about such trivial matters?"


    "Then we will get married as soon as you are ready." He promised. He was ready to n the wedding as soon as possible. In fact, screw the wedding crap. He wanted to have a civil marriage if that would be faster.


    "I was born ready." She stood up and dragged him up.


    "So was I." He held her hand. "Come on, I''m sure we can find a magistrate right now."


    "Not so fast. Where do the two of you think you are going?" An angry voice interrupted them.


    They both turned at the same time and they looked like they had seen a ghost.


    Theodore''s first reaction was to pull Lucy behind him. "What do you want this time, Mr. Su?"


    Nathaniel shook his head. "I should be asking you that. What are you doing, holding my daughter''s hand?"


    Theodore looked at Nathaniel then Lucy. Did he just say¡­ his daughter?

 Chapter 212 - Keep Your Claws Away

    <h4>Chapter 212 - Keep Your ws Away</h4>


    Lucy didn''t realize she was ring at Nathaniel until he pointed it out.


    "You do realize that no matter how angry you are at me for the things that happened in the past, we would never change them, right? They already happened. The past is gone. We are better off moving on." He scoffed.


    She crossed her arms at his hypocrisy. "So, I should move on from the past even though you can''t do that yourself, huh."


    "I don''t know what you''re getting at." Nathaniel feigned ignorance.


    She took a sip of her drink with a subtle shake of her head. In the past, when he followed her and found out that she had been seeing Theodore, he had grabbed her right out of his arms and dragged her home where he and her mother reprimanded her in turns for days, then they set her up with a man from a wealthy family who ording to them, was better suited for her status.


    Every time she snuck out to meet Theodore, they would catch her before she left the heavily guardedpound and punish her for being rebellious. It wasn''t a piece of cake to finally get out and have a chance to speak to him.


    ____


    She saw him at the marketce just as he was about to leave, and hurried to catch up to him.


    "Theo!" She called when she was close enough.


    He turned and nced in her direction. She was certain that he had seen her because he frowned at her, but he didn''t stop walking away from her. On the contrary, he quickened his footsteps to leave.


    She ran faster and blocked his path. "Theo, please listen to me." She grabbed his hand as she heaved for breath from how fast she had run.


    He looked down at her and almost felt guilty for having made her run but then again, it shouldn''t be any of his business so he swatted her small hand away. "Why the hell should I do that?"


    "Because you have to." She grabbed his sleeve before he could brush past her.


    He looked her up and down and scoffed. "What makes you think I should listen to you just because you want me to? Do you think the world revolves around you, princess?"


    She blinked sadly. He knew how much she hated that word but he had still used it. He must be angrier than she thought.


    She clung to his hand. "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to lie to you. I just¡­ I knew you wouldn''t want to see me if you knew my true identity but I liked you."


    Her straightforwardness was almost tempting. He looked down at the hand she was holding in a vice grip, as though she would rather pull his hand out than let go of it. "What about now that your father found out that you are seeing me? Do you like someone else, who deserves you more than a pauper of my variety does?"


    She knew he was being sarcastic but she buried her face in his chest. "Now, I love you. I don''t know when it happened but I fell in love with you. I can''t live without you, Theo."


    He pulled her away from him when he heard thest part. "You have to. Thest thing I want is to be a wanted criminal just because I eloped with the daughter of a tycoon. It''s already bad enough that my sister has been made to lose her job."


    She looked up in shock. "What?"


    "Yes. So stay the hell away from me." He pushed her away.


    "But you imed to love me." She grabbed his shirt to resist his push.


    "That doesn''t mean I''m stupid, Lucy. I''ll not put my only family in danger for the sake of love. Hell, I can fall in love with another woman and get married within a month if I have to."


    ¡­.


    Lucy closed her eyes. His words from that day still stung even though they had ended up getting married and even had a divorceter.


    She shook her head at how shallow her father was. "If my daughter were to marry someone I didn''t like, I wouldn''t try to separate them anymore. Just how selfish are you, Nathaniel?"


    "Enough nonsense. And how dare you call me by name? I''m your father!" He roared.


    She shrugged. "Why do you have a name if you don''t want it to be used? You might as well remain nameless and there won''t be an actual difference."


    Nathaniel red at her and knew that if they started arguing, it would spiral out of control before he even told her what he wanted.


    "I can stay away from that man and that girl." He promised but it sounded like he was about to drop an impossible condition in exchange.


    "They have names. She insisted."


    Nathaniel crossed his arms in frustration. "I can stay away from Theodore Williams and Zaria Williams. However, you have to do two things for me."


    "What two?" She asked with a scoff, knowing deep down that she would probably not do either of them.


    "One, it''s about Zaria. No matter how you twist the truth and make it seem like you adopted her and dumped her when you divorced Theodore, I know that it can''t be that simple. Blood is thicker than water and I knew that she is my granddaughter from the moment I firstid my eyes on her." He thought back to when he met Zaria after the auction in Luxenville.


    She looked a lot like his daughter Lucinda. Instinct had told him that she was Lucinda''s daughter and when he interrogated her to find that her mother''s name was not Lucinda Su, it hadn''t made sense.


    "So what if she is or isn''t your granddaughter?" Lucy asked through a scoff.


    "There''s such a thing as DNA tests if you don''t admit it so that''s not an important point. I want you to let here over to the Su family and help with the family business." He demanded.


    She scoffed even before he could add whatever was at the tip of his tongue. "She has her own career to chase."


    "That''s not an excuse. She could still do that while helping out her family like any other grandchild." Nathaniel argued.


    Lucy shrugged. "If I don''t trust you with myself, what makes you think I would entrust my daughter to you?" She didn''t think it made any sense to keep denying it when Nathaniel might easily retrieve a DNA sample of Zaria. It would be troublesome to keep Zaria away from potential hair thieves. They might as well give up on it. "Why should I believe that you will not murder her to get back at Theodore and I for not breaking up when you wanted us to?"


    "Did you not hear what I said?" He massaged the space between his brows. "Why would I hurt my granddaughter?"


    "Why would you hurt your daughter?" She threw the question back at him in a way that irritated the hell out of him.


    "What''s the second condition?" She asked and chuckled immediately after. "On second thought, tell me if it''s something I''m going to say no to. It will save us both a lot of time."


    Nathaniel let out a breath. "It''s about your son. The first grandson of the Su family, who you hid from the world as well as your own family." He looked like he wanted to reprimand her for it.


    She stretched her limbs. "Yeah, I''m going to say no to whatever you are nning to propose. My son will not be subjected to any kind of insanity."


    "Lucinda!" He roared. "Aren''t you afraid that I''ll keep attacking you?"


    She shrugged. "You can go ahead and try. I''m not the naive, powerless girl I used to be, Nathaniel Su."


    After telling him off, she took out a few bills from her bag and pped them onto the table. "Enjoy the rest of your short life, Nathaniel."


    He red up at her and she knew that he had not fully understood her words, so she leaned over to rify. "If you can''t keep your old ws away from my family, I''m going to have to chop them off and I won''t necessarily do it without hurting other parts of your body."


    As he watched her saunter off, he pursed his lips.. She was more heartless than he expected.

 Chapter 213 - Knocking On Womens Doors

    <h4>Chapter 213 - Knocking On Women''s Doors</h4>


    The doorbell rang when Natalie had just left the shower and was wiping her hair with a towel.


    "Coming!" She called and let the towel fall onto the bed, then left her room and headed for the front door. She checked herself out and decided that her simple homely dress was decent enough. It was probably the furniture delivery bringing in her dining table. After an intense fight with her parents, she had moved into a new apartment the day before, and chosen one that was unfurnished so she would select her own furniture.


    She opened the door and was about to direct them where to ce the dining table when she saw the person outside the door. She paused mid speech when she realized that it was no delivery guy. It was Devonte Lemaigre in the flesh. "Why is it you? What are you doing here?"


    "Nat¡­" He whispered out her name.


    He looked like crap and for a moment she almost felt pity for him. No matter how he looked, she felt worse. She pulled the door to close it and he pressed his palm against it to keep it from shutting. He was stronger than she thought.


    "What? Aren''t you scared your fans will see you trying to break into a woman''s apartment and leave you? There is probably some other actor who doesn''t go knocking on women''s doors. He will be more appealing." She scoffed sarcastically.


    He looked pained. "Nat, please give me a minute of your time. Just a minute." He pleaded.


    She crossed her arms, giving up trying to close the door in his face. "One minute has already psed. You may leave."


    "Please." He pleaded.


    She rolled her eyes at his ridiculous expression. Was it even real or was it acting? It was worth noting that this man had convinced hundreds of millions of fans by his convincing act. This entire thing could as well be a y to him. "Why do you want toe in? So you can convince me that you regret saying what you did? Lie that you didn''t mean it?"


    She cut him off before he could say a word. "Then what? Will you try to sleep with me and if you manage to get what you want, leave before I wake up? What am I to you, huh? A bin for you to empty your balls?"


    He ran a hand down his face, knowing that she was only using that kind of tone and saying such hurtful words because she was hurt. Heck, she had every right to feel that way. He took a step closer to her and tried to take her hand. "Nat, I would never do that to you. "You did worse. Get out of my sight." She roared, swatting his hand away before it could touch her. And to think that this was the very man whose touch had ignited fire in her body before. All she felt for him now was resentment.


    She turned to enter her apartment.


    "Baby, can you hear me out?" He took a step to follow her but knew better than to actually enter her apartment. He could only stand at the door and plead, "Leaving you was the worst mistake I have ever made. I¡­" He swallowed. "I have no excuses and it wasn''t my choice either."


    She turned around dramatically and crossed her arms when she heard the infamous excuse start to build up¡ªthat he didn''t have a choice.


    "Let''s see." She tapped her chin with her forefinger exaggeratively. "Did you identally knock another woman up and were afraid to tell me?" She asked sarcastically. She had watched enough melodramatic soap operas with those. If that was what happened, then Devonte was back because he realized that the child the other woman was carrying wasn''t even his¡ªthat he had been cuckolded and it turned out that leaving his former girlfriend was a mistake. She gave him a deathly stare before he could open his mouth. She should have gotten the water boiling before opening the door so she would chug it down his face if he dared to spout such ridiculous nonsense.


    His lips trembled and he stared at her in disbelief for even thinking of such a possibility. "Hell no. I have never been with another woman during our rtionship." He was afraid that his words didn''t sound believable so he looked into her eyes. "Never, Natalie. I know there is probably no way to believe it but please trust me. It has only been you for these twelve years."


    He had included the time they knew each other without dating. That made it sound serious and to some degree, it softened her heart. She frowned at the thought. This was not the time to be feeling anything for him. Not even hate.


    She continued ticking off her list of possibilities. "Then what? Were you diagonized with an incurable illness that you were afraid would make me leave you, but you found out that you can be cured so you came back?" This time it was a possibility she had considered while she was still in denial about his departure.


    He still shook his head. "No."


    She scoffed. "Did someone threaten you with my life and say that they would kill me if you didn''t call it quits with me?"


    He remained silent. It was not that either, she guessed from her knowledge of him.


    "So you realized that your words were stupid, huh?" She made a guess she thought was silly.


    When he didn''t respond, she sighed. "If it''s none of these situations, I can never take you back."


    She remembered another possibility and looked him up and down. "Oh. Unless you lied about your hard work and your career was actually sponsored by a woman who wanted you in return. If it''s such a thing, I''d never take you back. I hate unfaithful dogs."


    He winced at her unfiltered words.


    "Can you listen to me once? I''m only fucking asking for one minute. Why can''t you calm down for a second and listen to me?" He wanted to pull at his hair in frustration.


    She tilted her head to peek at the space behind her as if to check whether he was speaking to someone standing there. She saw no one so she looked up at him.


    "Are you yelling at me? What right do you have to do that?" She was starting to lose her temper too.


    "Don''t fucking raise you voice at me!" He pointed at her with a growl. She raised an eyebrow unamused. Who the hell raised their voice at the other?


    His eyes were suddenly bloodshot and he looked like he was about to murder someone.


    "Devonte?" Her body shivered. She had never seen him this way before.


    He ran a hand through his hair and avoided her gaze. "I''m sorry."


    She frowned at him and scoffed in the end. "Whatever. Just leave."


    Before he could try to plead, she grabbed her phone which was on the nearby coffee table threateningly. "Or else I''ll call Desmond."


    That made him retreat. He knew that thest person he should ever mess with was Desmond, and that was even more fatal after ditching his best friend.


    Natalie watched him leave and let out a breath. "Devonte Lemaigre, just what the hell happened to you?"

 Chapter 214 - Insane Taste

    <h4>Chapter 214 - Insane Taste</h4>


    Meanwhile, Ximena was unable to meet up with Liam for lunch, so she asked to have dinner with him the following day. It was such a bummer that the idiot was not beingpliant.


    "I am too busy to run around the city for you, Ximena. Do you think I have all the time to keep making ns that you will cancel as you please?" He reprimanded her.


    Before, she would have grabbed the opportunity to rain on him a series of insults but this time, his words pierced into her heart like a knife. What was wrong with her? Was it because she couldn''t stand the thought of being turned down by anyone?


    She held her phone against her ear with no intention to speak. Just as she wondered whether to hang up, he finally spoke again. "If you want to cook for me, I can consider dropping by your apartment when all my work is done."


    She was crazy to even consider it. How could he let him into her apartment? What would it mean?


    Even after giving herself several mental warnings, the word that left her mouth baffled her. "Okay."


    "See you in three hours, Xim." He hung up.


    "What the hell is wrong with me?" She asked out aloud.


    She looked down at herself. She was wearing a perfectly fitting ck dress that Zaria had picked out for her, but one had to know that Zaria was too yful. She had helped her pick out a woollen one that barely reached the middle of her thighs and had paired it with a pair of silver heels. Was she really going to a meeting with Liam dressed like this? It looked almost like she was trying to seduce him!


    Damn Zaria and her choice of clothes. She was definitely mad. Luckily, she had made the call and had the chance to take a second nce at herself before leaving the house.


    However, there wasn''t really much difference now. She had called him into her apartment and promised to cook for him like she was a girlfriend of sorts. Urgh. That was definitely something she would never be in this lifetime. Not that she cared. It had been her choice to beat the crap out of every man who tried to pick her up. Why did the thought irritate her when she reced all the men she had beaten up with Liam in her mind?


    "Pull up your big girl panties, Ximena." She gave herself a friendly talk aloud. "You can simply give that man a call and cancel everything. You don''t really need to meet up with him, do you?"


    Her hands flew to her hips. "Or you can wait for him to show up so you fry his balls. Yeah, that''s definitely not a good idea."


    She went back and forth with the debate that she was certain would scare her neighbours away if a word of it leaked out.


    She sighed. "You can either go to the kitchen and make yourself useful, or keep standing there and moping about your stupid mistakes." The part of her that she thought must be the devil warned. It must be the devil, because the angel would ask her to cancel the meeting. Definitely.


    After an insane mental debate, she tied an apron around her waist without getting changed out of her dress.


    She hummed as she cooked and by the time she realized that her dress was notfortable to move around in, she was almost done. She put all the food on low heat and left the kitchen, but was yet to make it to her bedroom when the doorbell rang. She instinctively went to open the door only to find Liam standing outside.


    "Hey." He grinned as he presented a bouquet of roses.


    "Wait for a second. I''ll get changed." She ignored the roses and left the door open. If he didn''t take the cue to get in, that would not be up to her.


    "What''s wrong with the clothes you are wearing? You look gorgeous." He settled on the couch nearest to her while ignoring the fact that she had not taken a nce at the roses he brought. He should have known that she wouldn''t.


    "Why did you bring me flowers?" She asked, ignoring hisment.


    So she actually saw them.


    "I thought women liked flowers." He felt ufortable under her gaze.


    "What am I to you? A substitute for other women because you couldn''t get them?" She snapped.


    He was bbergasted. "Jeez, Ximena. All I did was drop by and bring flowers. When did I call you a substitute?"


    She rolled her eyes.


    "Wait for me to get changed." She sauntered away without waiting for his response.


    He had no choice so he waited. He thought she was going to change into something morefortable like home wear of sorts but to his surprise, she was seductively dressed when she came out of her room.


    Her ck dress had been reced with a silk, red one and her hair had been let down. She had not applied an ounce of makeup but she looked so perfect that he couldn''t get his eyes off her as she made her way to the kitchen.


    She turned off the stove and flipped her hair, having felt his gaze. "I know. I was also thinking of wearing something morefortable. Hell knows why I ended up changing into this." She was frustrated at the thought.


    She ted the food and yelled from the kitchen. "Aren''t you supposed to be famished?"


    "I am!" He practically sprinted to the kitchen and she was speechless. Was he out of his mind?


    She ced their food on opposite sides of the kitchen ind and sat down, letting him take his seat on his own. When he didn''t, she had the urge to taunt him. "Are you waiting for me to pull out a chair for you, Princess?"


    Her remark made him frown. Was she addicted to starting fights with him?


    He looked at the bowtie pasta in his te and was awed by her culinary skills. It looked yummy, but that was not what he said. "Do you actually know how to cook? If not, who will want to marry you?"


    He was merely teasing her to get back at her for herment but it blew her fuse.


    "So what if I don''t know how to cook? I have no desire to marry you! Do you understand?" She snapped.


    She was definitely on her period.


    He ate quietly. It was the most awkward meal he had ever had with her and he would have changed the situation if he had the chance. How unfortunate that she didn''t seem to even want to talk to him during the meal.


    When they were done, the first thing she did was dismiss him. "You better not be thinking of trying to spend the night. I don''t want spoilt, rich brats under my roof." She showed him the door.


    "I am not a spoilt, rich brat. Can I stay?" He pleaded. When she looked like she was about to p him, he grabbed her hands and held them against the sides of her body. "Please. We need to talk."


    "What''s there for us to talk about?" She fumed, forgetting that she was the one who had wanted to talk to him in the first ce.


    "Xim," He lowered his voice as he stepped into her personal space. "Hear me out."


    "I don''t want to." She shook her head stubbornly. "I don''t want to hear what I already know."


    "And what do you know? That there is something between us?" He asked.


    Her eyes went wide for a moment. "That''s not¡­ listen. You can fool all the women in the world but that will never be me." She grabbed a floormp to use as a weapon.


    He raised his hands in surrender and burst intoughter when she looked like she would really hit him with it if he made a move. "Desmond was right about my taste in women. It''s insane."


    She red at him.


    "Put that thing down." He ordered, pointing at the floormp in her hands.


    "You don''t get to tell me what to do." She hissed.


    He ignored the weapon and closed in on her.. Before she realized what he was up to, his arms were around her and his lips pressed against hers.

 Chapter 215 - One Word

    <h4>Chapter 215 - One Word</h4>


    She squirmed only for his arms to wrap tightly around her, and her shock was ovee by his scent. Her body felt like putty as he pushed her against the kitchen ind. His body pressed against hers firmly as he kissed the breath out of her.


    "Liam," She moaned softly.


    "Stop it, baby. I don''t want to fight with you anymore." He nipped her bottom lip, his voice coaxing her like a temptation to sin. He dipped his head to take her lips, but she shoved him away with nearly enough force for him to bump against the wall.


    "Ximena?" He frowned when he managed to regain his bnce.


    A pnded on his face a heartbeat before she shoved him by his chest.


    "Get your filthy hands off me!" She roared, her eyes reddened.


    He raised both of his hands in surrender and stepped back so he was against the wall. "Okay."


    She calmed down a little and turned to saunter away. He still couldn''t figure out what he had done wrong so he grabbed her arm.


    "Why, Ximena?"


    She turned with a fierce re. "What did you think? That I called you here because I wanted to have sex with you?"


    "What the¡­"


    "That was not it, okay? If that''s what other women expect when they call you over, don''t let it get to you! Not everyone is attracted to you!"


    "No. But you are." He protested. He probably should have shut his mouth. His response earned him a more ruthless p, and she looked at him like he had ruined her life.


    "Get out." She snarled.


    He had seen iting.


    "I''m leaving." He announced even though he had been asked to.


    He grabbed his jacket from the living room on his way out, and smoothed his hair as he turned to look at her. She was staring back at him, and it made him uncertain. Did she want him to leave or not?


    He considered turning back and hugging her butughed it off. Why would he want to make a fool out of himself?


    "Ximena Morrell, you are the most iprehensible woman on earth. Either way, you will not see me when you don''t have to."


    He paused and rubbed the side of his face, muttering something about birds of a feather flocking together.


    Then he was gone. The sound of the door shutting felt like an ominous spell that she couldn''t get out of her mind. When she finally tore her gaze away, she looked down at her palms. What was she thinking? How could she let it get this far?


    And for the first time in forever, she admitted that it was her fault. She should have ended it before it begun.


    ___


    It was Desmond''s turn tough his butt off. He fell off the couch, allowing himself to look ridiculous just because he wasughing at Liam.


    "What the hell happened to your face?"


    It was a familiar conversation. The other time, their positions were switched and Liam was the one looking ridiculous on the floor,ughing at Desmond for being pped silly by Zaria.


    "That woman is the devil. In fact, everyone around Zaria is a devil."


    Desmond burst into another fit ofughter.


    "Lucy Roatta? The queen of devils. Natalie, who is now her friend, yeah, her too." He ticked the list of sullenly. "Don''t get me started on Ximena."


    When he saw how hard Desmond wasughing, he frowned. "Is that how you offer your friend constion?"


    "You do look like crap. What did she do to you anyway?" He continued, barely covering up hisughter.


    Liam ignored him and grabbed a drink from the cer, which he offered Desmond. The duo had be friendlier with each other ever since the former stopped pursuing Zaria. After all, they didn''t think it made much sense to fall apart for a woman who would never change her mind when it came to choosing between the two of them.


    "There is a mole in thepany." Desmond made a sudden change of the topic, realizing that Liam was not willing to talk about Ximena. At least not yet.


    Liam settled down in his seat and downed his scotch. "I''m betting the rest of your bank ount bnce that it''s Zeus."


    "That was fast." Desmond raised his eyebrow. "What does this have to do with my bank ount? Never mind. I ruled Zeus out.


    If he were a mole, he would be doing it for Lucy. Does Lucy need a mole when investigation is her forte? That, and the fact that Zaria¡­"


    "Is the exact reason why you would never suspect them. But hear me out." Liam ced his ss aside. "What if all this was a n? Zaria, Lucy, then Zeus? You just found out that they are part of the Su family. Could this be rted to them?".


    "No." He was certain of it. "The Sus hate them nearly as much as they hate us. They would never be on the same team."


    "We have to hire an investigation team." Liam suggested.


    "That''s what I came to tell you. Don''t be too spooked if you see unfamiliar employees around thepany."


    "All employees are unfamiliar." He stood up and looked out through the window.


    Desmond immediately knew that he was thinking about Ximena again. He stood to pat the other''s back.


    "If she likes you, you will see the signs. If she doesn''t, there isn''t anything you can do that will change her mind. It has toe from her."


    "Thanks for the life advise." He groaned. He didn''t want to hear anything about the possibility of Ximena not liking him. Why would she dress up for him if she didn''t like him?


    He would have thought he was overthinking it and she was merely dressed up because she wanted to, but it was too obvious. It was not the dress, but the way she acted in it, that made him certain of her feelings. She was tantly seducing him at some point. Besides, the dates they had gone on together, the nightly video calls¡­


    Did they all mean nothing?


    Even if they did, he was certain that she was not repulsed by his kiss. She had even kissed him back. It was the word he said that made her snap. Baby.


    What was up with that?

 Chapter 216 - Mole (1)

    <h4>Chapter 216 - Mole (1)</h4>


    Preston and Fort Group, the following day.


    When Zaria arrived, she was met with a baffling sight. There were unfamiliar men in the lobby and although they had employee badges on their chests, they didn''t look like any of the recently hired employees.


    She looked around and tried to keep her calm before she entered the elevator. If her eyes were not ying tricks, one of the unfamiliar employees was a man she had seen before, when she was still a journalist. Something wasn''t right.


    When the elevator doors opened, she caught sight of Liam heading for Desmond''s office.


    "Hey, Liam!" She waved a hand and called after him, hurrying to catch up.


    "Hey." He turned to smile at her but turned around after a second, which baffled her. Why was he acting strange?


    "Did thepany hire new employees?" She asked.


    He was about to answer her when another elevator dinged, so he made something up. "They are already employees of Preston and Fort Group, and have been transferred in from the British branch.


    "Okay." She knew he was bullshitting but didn''t call him out on it. "I''ll let Desmond brief me."


    She walked past him and stopped when she caught the look on his face from the corner of her eye.


    "What happened to your face?" She asked, finally understanding why he was hiding it.


    "Nothing. I bumped into the wall." He cursed inwardly.


    She turned, looking him up and down skeptically. "That''s so brutal of her. I mean, the wall. You didn''t try to do anything inappropriate to her, did you?" She was merely teasing him, but the thought of something inappropriate suddenly reminded her of his conflict with Ximena.


    Bloodlust filled her eyes. "It was Ximena, wasn''t it?"


    He once again cursed the fact that she was so smart. Actually, it didn''t require brains to guess that Ximena was behind such a violent act. Everyone knew that she was a devil. And since Zaria had already figured it out, there was no use hiding it, especially since he knew that she would tell her about it even if he bluffed.


    Instead, he grabbed the chance to seek some ideas from the woman who understood Ximena best.


    "This is not the best ce to discuss it." He nced at the elevators.


    "Not the best time either, I have a meeting in half an hour." She nced at her wrist even though she didn''t own a watch.


    "Then I''ll give you the short version. I can''t handle waiting until evening." He moved closer and dipped his head to briefly exin his encounter with Ximena, leaving out the explicit parts.


    He thought she would tell him what to do but when she red daggers at him, he froze.


    "I didn''t do anything wrong, I swear. She is the one who kicked me out after pping me." He vowed.


    She was not having any of it.


    "Liam Preston, I warned you. Do you remember what I said would happen to your balls if you made her sad?"


    "I didn''t make her sad. At least not deliberately¡­ I''m trying to figure it out too, so I know what to do. Jeez! Can you not bring up my balls in this conversation?" He had goosebumps from how fast she had morphed into a devil.


    Luckily, Zeus came to his rescue by leaving Desmond''s office.


    "Hey there, Mr. Preston." He greeted, with the most sarcastic tone.


    It was a mystery what Zeus had against him but he would always act like he owed him a billion bucks. Nheless, Liam wouldn''t say no to being saved even if it was by a hateful employee.


    "Good morning, princess." He greeted Zaria, when he realized that Liam had no intention of returning his greeting.


    "Good morning." Zaria offered a smile and walked away, but Liam was going in the same direction as her.


    "He is too friendly to you. Are you sure he doesn''t have feelings for you? He also calls you princess at every turn." He threw Zeus under the bus just to keep Zaria from thinking back to the topic regarding Ximena.


    She turned with a slight chuckle. "Of course he loves me. He is my brother."


    Liam was speechless. To think he would forget such a thing.


    ¡­


    Desmond gave the same exnation that Liam did, so the other employees would not get nervous.


    He exined the situation to Zaria in his office.


    "Does mother know?" She asked when he told her the details.


    "She doesn''t yet. I was thinking of not telling¡­"


    "She is the COO of Preston and Fort Group. She deserves to know what''s happening in herpany." She cut him off.


    "I know. But she is still a suspect." He leaned back in his chair. "I don''t have any reason to suspect her, if that''s what you think I mean. I just want to keep this information between the three of us. It''s safer that way. Everyone is a suspect until the culprit is caught."


    She assessed his and Liam''s words and sighed. "Everyone''s a suspect, and that should include Liam and I. It should also include you, because who knows? It''s not impossible for you to use the information from thepany you own with your friend to create your own empire. Oh, and I could potentially still have desire for vengeance. Yet, you told Liam and me. You suspect my mother, don''t you?"


    He took a deep breath. "Not her, but the Su family which she is part of."


    She narrowed her eyes but shrugged it off. "I had no idea that there was a mole but I know that there is a suspicious employee in thepany. I''ve been monitoring him."


    "Him? Wait. You didn''t tell me?" He probed.


    She nodded. "The walls have ears, Mr. Fort. Now if you''ll excuse me, my boss needs me." She stood.


    He grabbed her before she could realize that he had left his seat.


    "What now?" She asked, almost snapping.


    "You have been distant. Did I do something wrong?" He circled his arms around her.


    "No." She pulled away and left.


    She couldn''t say it was his fault. Lucy had given the Fort family every reason not to trust her in the past. In the present, she was the leader of a syndicate and the daughter of an insane family who would do anything to get what they wanted. It was normal that she would be a prime suspect, but that didn''t mean it didn''t make her sad.


    She considered telling Lucy about the mole but chose not to. They were going to inspect The Regal Hotel, so she picked up her files from her office and joined Lucy in her car.


    "Honey, are you alright?" Lucy asked, touching thetter''s forehead to check for a fever.


    "I''m fine." She forced a smile.


    "That''s not true. I spoke for a while and you didn''t hear a word of what I said." Lucy tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "If this is about the mole, don''t worry. I have a lead."


    She didn''t even need to ask how Lucy knew about the mole situation. If she wanted to find something out, it would be a walk in the park¡ªwhich was exactly why she ruled her out as a suspect.


    "I''m certain that it''s the Su family." She spoke.


    Lucy didn''t look shocked but she was curious. "How did youe to that conclusion?"


    "Have you forgotten what they did before? They would endanger the life of an innocent woman and a four year old just to get dad in trouble. Oh, and mine too.


    If making Preston and Fort Group crumble will devastate me, I wouldn''t put it past them to do such a thing."


    Lucy couldn''t deny any of it and she was ashamed. She took her daughter''s hand. "I promise, I will not let Nathaniel or any of his underlings hurt you."


    "That''s your father." Sheughed.


    "And your grandfather, but you call him Mr. Su." She huffed, and they both cringed. Being rted to him felt like a jinx.


    By the time they arrived, Zaria was feeling slightly better, and she realized that she had snapped at her boyfriend for merely breathing. She should apologize to him. What was wrong with hertely? She was more irritable than usual and would go off at the slightest provocation.


    "Come on, let''s go.." Lucy exited the car first and waved her over.

 Chapter 217 - Mole (2)

    <h4>Chapter 217 - Mole (2)</h4>


    By the time they got back to Preston and Fort Group, Zaria felt as though she had done an entire day''s worth of work. Her mind was all over the ce and she felt sozy it was unbelievable. In the afternoon, she was almost dragging, which is why she went to the pantry for a drink.


    She had just finished making her coffee and pouring it into her cup when Natalie grabbed it out of her hand.


    "Don''t."


    "Natalie?" She was surprised that thetter was here.


    "I tried to call you a few times but you were too focused on making your coffee." Natalie smiled subtly. "But you shouldn''t drink more of it. I have a feeling that you are so tiredtely because of the amount of caffeine you had in a short period."


    Stating her hypothesis, Natalie disposed of the coffee.


    "You could be right." Zaria thought about it. "What are you doing here anyway?"


    "I''m seeing Lucy in a few minutes." Natalie responded, resting her back against the refrigerator. "Do you want to watch a movie with me this evening?"


    "I don''t know about that. If Devonte is among the cast, it''s a hard pass." She spat out, making thetterugh.


    "You hate him so much, don''t you?"


    "I can never forgive an asshole for ruining my friend''s life." She felt less aggressive after taking it out on Devonte even in his absence, so she patted Natalie on the shoulder on her way out. "We should get going."


    Natalie grabbed a blueberry muffin from the refrigerator, which she knew would be there from her knowledge of Desmond. She gave it to Zaria before they each went their way.


    ¡­


    Lucy joined the impromptu executive meeting with Natalie in tow, making a few heads turn in surprise.


    "This is Natalie Sparks, a new partner of Preston and Fort Group." Lucy introduced her, before Natalie waved and briefly said hello.


    "What''s the meaning of this?" Zeus couldn''t keep himself as calm as everyone else. "The Sparks family are our biggestpetitors. What are you doing, bringing their heiress to our private meeting?"


    Lucy pulled out a chair for Natalie before she sat next to her instead of on Desmond''s right, on the spotbelled COO. She looked at her son with a gentle smile. "If you don''t know the meaning of the word partner and what they represent in Preston and Fort Group, you can look it up after the meeting." She then nced at Desmond who was now opposite her. "Des, shall we?"


    He couldn''t get what Lucy was up to either, but since he trusted Natalie and thetter was bound by the partnership contract, he ran his eyes among the attendees and started the meeting.


    He had brought a team of private investigators to look into the odd urrences at thepany. He did not exin to them the details of the leaked information but gave them a brief exnation.


    "We are going to introduce them as employees transferred from another branch." He exined, and it finally made sense to Zaria what Liam had told her in the elevator earlier.


    The investigators introduced themselves as Jameson, Audrey and Dimitri.


    "I hope the three of you get answers soon, and have fun during your stay here." Desmond said, trying neither sounding stern nor friendly.


    As soon as the meeting ended, Zaria was the first to leave and she did so unusually fast, as if her chair was on fire.


    "You''re in a hurry." Someone spoke beside her. She turned to the side and smiled subtly at one of the investigators who had caught up to her. "Jameson, is it?"


    "I can''t believe you like his name more." He teased with way too much ease. "I''m Dimitri." He offered his hand for a shake.


    "Oh, sorry. I got a little mixed up." She walked slower, letting him walk beside her towards the elevator.


    "I''d excuse you for murder." He humorously expressed that he was not offended, trying to focus ahead of him. "You know, I was beside myself with joy when I was summoned here. I''ve always wanted to work with Preston and Fort Group. But now I''m d I don''t."


    "Why not?" She frowned.


    "I wouldn''t get any work done if I had to see your face every day. It''s so beautiful it should be illegal." He flirted, making Zaria speechless in awkwardness.


    Behind them, Natalie couldn''t help throwing a teasing look in Desmond''s way. Dimitri was having a little too much fun.


    Before she could roast him, he quickened his footsteps and grabbed Zaria just as she made a step into the elevator. He held her protectively and red daggers at Dimitri who had stopped, baffled, at the door.


    "When I allowed you to have fun, that did not include hitting on my woman. Keep your ws off." He roared.


    Dimitri held his hands up slightly in surrender. "Oh, sorry. I didn''t know she was taken." He averted his gaze back to Zaria. "See youter, beautiful."


    He was definitely not about to give up.


    "I will gouge his eyes out if he dares to look at you." He growled.


    "What was that?" She pulled away from his arms. The elevator had left without her and she wanted to get to the office as soon as possible. She was annoyed.


    He cupped her face, still puzzled by her mood. "Baby, what''s going on? Is everything alright?"


    "I just need some time alone. See youter." She hopped into the elevator that Natalie had taken and since he was going down while they went up, he couldn''t follow her.


    ¡­


    At first, she thought she was just annoyed because she had been tiredtely but it didn''t take long to realize that all the annoyance she felt was aimed towards Desmond. She didn''t have any qualms interacting with other people and her mood would make a turn for the worst if he appeared in her vicinity.


    She couldn''t figure it out so she decided to sleep it off, but not before cooking hers and Theodore''s favorite meal at home.


    Like all the other times, they prepared the ingredients side by side and engaged in idle chat.


    "What do you mean there''s a mole?" He asked when she exined the matter to him.


    "That''s what we all think of the information that is somehow leaked to the Su Conglomerate. There is no way it''s a coincidence. Anyway, Desmond brought investigators." The name rolled off her tongue and tasted bitter as it left. She ignored it.


    "What''s wrong with them?" He asked, because they had dived into the topic when she stated that she needed F&P Media''s private investigators to help her with a task.


    "There''s nothing wrong with them. I know it''s just the first day and I have not even given them a chance but I think it''s going to rile them intopleting the job fast if they realize that they are not the only team on the job."


    "I''ll have a word with them." He promised, pouring oil over the dough he had just kneaded. "Just so you know, I would advise you to give it a week before throwing in another team." He added.


    "Okay." She looked over at the dough he was pping for no apparent reason. "Is that part of the recipe?" She chuckled, going over to p it with him for fun. They bothughed, making a game out of it.


    It was all fun and games until Desmond called.


    She grabbed her vibrating phone from the pocket of her apron and flung it against the wall.


    Theodore was speechless for a moment.


    "Okay, there has to be a reason for that. Why would you break your phone over a phone call? Who was calling?"


    She buried her face in her hands as she shook her head. "It''s Desmond. I don''t know, dad. He didn''t do anything wrong but I just¡­ I can''t stand him for a second."


    Theodore searched for the pieces of her phone and when he nced at them, he realized that it was ruined so he disposed of them and turned back to her. "When did this start?"


    "A few days ago. Give or take, three?" She counted them on her fingers.


    Theodore was silent for a while as if he was deep in thought. A smile formed on his lips and disappeared just as first. He was acting odd, making her frown.


    "What are you thinking about?" She prompted.


    He cleared his throat and turned serious. "You know, when your mother was pregnant with you, she couldn''t stand me."


    Sheughed it off. "What''s that got to do with anything? Wait. No way.. No."

 Chapter 218 - Mole (3)

    <h4>Chapter 218 - Mole (3)</h4>


    "There is no way you mean that." She turned to nce at Theodore. "Wait. You don''t mean that, right?"


    "Honey, calm down." He held both of her shoulders. Thest thing she could do right now was calm.


    "Please tell me you are joking." She demanded, even though she knew that he was serious about his spection. She didn''t even wait for him to speak before she rushed upstairs and locked herself in her room.


    Theodore followed her and knocked softly. "Zaria."


    She neither heard the knock or his voice, her mind going crazy with the possibility. She was pregnant? She tried to remember how long ago she had herst period and the thought of it made her head hurt.


    "How could I be pregnant?" She pulled at her hair as she paced the room in distress.?It was definitely a dream. It had to be, or she was having a hallucination and it would be over with a snap of someone''s fingers.


    That was not what she got.


    "If you don''t open the door, I''m giving Desmond a call to tell him the good news." Theodore threatened after knocking for what felt like an eternity and not getting a reaction from her.


    Zaria heard the threat with a jolt and hurriedly opened the door. "You can''t do that."


    "I will if you don''t tell me what''s wrong." Theodore cupped her face in concern. "You are not a child, Zaria. You are an adult and so is Desmond. The two of you decided to be in a rtionship with the intention of getting married someday. What''s wrong with you getting pregnant?"


    "I don''t want kids." She looked at him pitifully and looked away. She waited for him to tell her that she should have used protection if she didn''t want kids. He didn''t, thankfully.


    "Tell me the truth." He insisted, not believing a word of what she said. "It''s about Desmond, isn''t it?"


    She chose not to answer him, but he took it as a yes nheless.


    "Are you going to take a test?" He asked.


    "Dad," She purred, feeling awkward. "That''s not the kind of thing you discuss with your father."


    "There is no such thing between a father and a daughter. I need to know about such important matters. If you need me, how would I know if you hid it from me?" He argued, and she felt emotional.


    "I thought you were going to scold me."


    "I would never." He hugged her, and she was d that she would have him on her side if things went south.


    "Ximena just called me. She is worried about you." He added.


    "Oh my God! She must have called and couldn''t get through to me." She suddenly remembered her broken phone. "Can I please use your phone to call her back?"


    "If you break your phone, I''m not going to give you mine." He warned sternly. Her response was to look up at him with teary puppy dog eyes. He couldn''t stand it. "Fine. I''ll give it to you this once."


    ¡­


    "Are you trying to kill me with worry? What happened to your phone?" Ximena screeched as soon as she answered the call.


    "Can youe over, Xim?" She was on the verge of tears for some reason. Ximena must have guessed as much from her voice, because she lowered hers.


    "Of course, honey. I''ll be there in a sh." She promised, and she really arrived in a sh.


    Zaria was trying to exin everything to Theodore while trying to make him understand things he thought were her childish fears when the doorbell rang three times in a row.


    "That must be Ximena." She shuffled off the couch where she was sitting with Theodore and rushed to open the door.


    "Slow down." Theodore warned again. Zaria was yet to take the test but he seemed to have subconsciously believed that she was pregnant.


    "Zaria! What''s going on? What happened?" Ximena hugged her as soon as the door was opened. "Are you alright?"


    "Yes. I''m alright. Just a little tired." She smiled helplessly and pulled her friend in.


    "Uncle Theo, is everything okay with Zaria?" Ximena asked Theodore who looked displeased, obviously not believing her friend.


    "Yes, I''m alright for the millionth time, Xim." She answered for him and pulled Ximena towards the staircase. "We will be in my room, dad." She wiggled her fingers in a dramatic sign of goodbye. That was code for "Let thedies handle this, we''ve got it."


    As soon as they got to her room, Ximena pushed the door closed and locked it, then dragged Zaria to the velvet couch and sat her down, crossing her arms like a figure in authority. "Spill it."


    Zaria chuckled. "I did. You tell me. What happened between you and Liam?"


    Ximena narrowed her eyes on her, and Zaria recoiled. "I''m really alright, Xim. I promise. I was just overwhelmed and it made me break things. My phone fell victim. But I''m okay now. I promise." She lied.


    "Oh Zaria." Ximena sat beside her, half believing her lie. "It has never been like you to break things when you feel distressed. Did anything happen?"


    That made her feel worse. She had not been herselftely. She was probably just hormonal¡ªif she was actually pregnant¡ªand there was no way to say that to Ximena. She didn''t want to hurt her feelings.


    "So, I will feel much better if I have something fun to listen to. Like you and Liam." She nudged.


    Ximena chuckled at her roundabout way of changing the topic.?"If you say so. But Liam and I have nothing interesting going on."


    "So you have something boring going on." Zaria teased her.


    "I wish we had something. Anything. I wouldn''t care whether it would be boring or remotely fun. I would be ready to explore it regardless."


    "That''s not how it seemed. I met Liam and he had an entertaining mark on his cheek." She tried not to sound like she was prying too much. "If my guess is right, you are responsible for the palm print."


    "I couldn''t control myself." Ximena looked embarrassed.


    "You may have to learn how to control your temper. Clearly." Zaria pulled her legs up under her and looked like she wanted to grab a bucket of popcorn. "Was it something he did?"


    Ximena shook her head. "I don''t want to be with him knowing that one day it will have to end."


    "You are not the one who decided that. Fate does." Zaria berated her.


    "I know that. But I already know what fate did to make me unable to be with him. Why would I continue to waste my time, Zaria?"


    "That''s not¡­"


    "Family is an important thing to every man. Sometimes, it is even the most important. Every man will want to marry a woman who willplete him, with whom they will have a family together with kids and pets." She sighed. "Liam evidently wants a family. How can I be with him even while knowing that I will never be able to give him one?" Shemented.


    Zaria facepalmed. Just how was fate twisted? Ximena wanted to be a mother but couldn''t, while she was probably going to be one even though she was certain that her boyfriend was not ready for kids. The irony.


    She was not against having kids. That was definitely not what was bothering her. It was the fact that the timing was so wrong. With Nathaniel still lurking, how could she be certain that she and her baby were alright? Besides, how would Desmond take the news? The possibility of him preferring that she had an abortion hung at the back of her mind, eating her up inch by inch.


    "Hey, you zoned out again." Ximena called her out.


    "Sorry, I got distracted." She looked at Ximena and felt even guiltier. Her friend had never hesitated to open up anything to her, yet here she was, hiding something so important from her. But how could she bear to tell Ximena what she suspected, and possibly shatter her entire being into pieces?


    No matter what, Ximena''s feelings were the most important. She was certain that Ximena would be happy for her if she was actually pregnant but she had to reveal it in the least emotionally damaging way possible. Of course, she would show a bump if¡­ "Urgh, I want to die." She groaned at the thought of it.


    _____


    AN.


    What do you think? Will Ximena be happy for Zaria, or will she be jealous/hate her?

 Chapter 219 - Godmother

    <h4>Chapter 219 - Godmother</h4>


    "Are you sure you are not hiding anything?" Ximena asked in response to Zaria''s groan that seemed to be out of the blue. When thetter nodded, she did not believe her but she took her word for it nheless.


    "I know what we both need. A night out at the club?" She suggested.


    "No!" Zaria eximed, then immediately realized that she had overreacted. "I mean, no. I have work to do tonight and I will need to be sober for that."


    "Okay." Ximena did not believe a word she was saying but she did not push it. "Then I''ll bring you some decaffeinated coffee to drink while you work." She headed for the door.


    "Thank you." She smiled. As soon as the door shut behind Ximena, her blood ran cold. Why would she offer her decaffeinated coffee?


    When Ximena came back, she had a mug of coffee in her hand and Zaria wondered where she had gotten decaffeinated coffee out of the blue.


    She set it on the table and sat on the couch next to the confused Zaria.


    Thetter held the cup hesitantly.


    "I would never want to hurt you. I know what caffeine can do to you in case you are pregnant." Ximena remarked, knowing why she was confused.


    Zaria''s eyes darted to her. "How did you¡­"


    Ximena pointed at herptop that was on the bed. The screen had turned off but Zaria understood immediately. Before Ximena arrived, she had been searching for possible reasons why a woman''s period might bete, aside from pregnancy¡ªand if those reasons could cause behavior changes as well.


    She bit the inside of her cheek. "Xim,"


    "I know. And I understand why you didn''t want to tell me." Ximena took both of her hands.


    Zaria felt even more ashamed of herself. "I didn''t want to hurt your feelings."


    "I know. But Zaria, you know that I would never be sad about you having kids, right? I hate the fact that I cannot be a mother but that doesn''t mean your life has toe to a halt because of it." She lectured her. "If I were to lose my eyesight, would you cover up your eyes so I don''t feel sad about the fact that you can see?"


    "That''s not the same thing." Zaria sighed. "It''s not fair."


    "No it''s not."


    "I''m sorry." She looked up to meet Ximena''s gaze. Thetter was truly not angry with her. If angels did exist, Ximena would be one of them.


    She had lost her fertility years ago, when she decided to donate her eggs. In an unfortunate twist, she could not be a mother herself even though she had helped someone else have babies. It was a sore topic for her but apparently, it didn''t make her jealous of her friend.


    "Are you thinking of confirming it?" Ximena asked, pulling Zaria out of her thoughts.


    "I''m not ready." She confessed. While she had already made a firm guess, she didn''t want to confirm her suspicion until she had a word with Desmond. Crap. How was she going to bring it up?


    "You know that I''m here for you, right?" Ximena reminded her.


    "I know." She hugged her emotionally. "I hope he doesn''t ask me to get rid of it."


    "Oh honey." Ximena patted her back. "Do you think that''s a possibility? Because I''m certain that Desmond will be overjoyed."


    She could only hope so, but the only way to find out was to wait and let him know the following day.


    "Could you stay over tonight?" She asked, to which Ximena nodded. Thetter then grabbed a pair of matching nightdresses from Zaria''s closet and changed into one. They both liked to believe that they would have the exact same kind of sleep overs if they were sisters.


    They climbed onto bed and turned off the lights, after which Zaria closed her eyes and tried to catch some sleep.


    "Hey, Zaria." Ximena spoke all of a sudden.


    "Mmh?"


    "If you are pregnant, I''m fighting to be the godmother." She dered.


    Zaria smiled into the darkness. "Of course. It would never be anyone but you."


    ___


    Since she had not eaten dinner in the end, Zaria was the first to wake up and the first thing she wanted to do was raid the refrigerator for any leftovers. When she found a food storage dish with chicken wings, she warmed them up and dived right in.


    "You are not going to treat that as breakfast, are you?" Theodore asked from the door, having just arrived to cook.


    "Dad, you''re awake." She waved hello at him with a half-eaten chicken wing held between her fingers.


    He was relieved when he saw her looking so cheerful. "Someone had to make breakfast." He sharply stopped himself from spilling the rest of his statement. "Is Ximena awake?"


    "She''s snoring the morning away. I changed the time on her phone''s rm." She devoured the rest of her wing. Ximena had been working too hard. She needed some rest or her brain would no longer function.


    Theodore seemed to understand the situation because he sighed. "I knew that Preston guy was not a good person."


    "I''m not saying he is good or anything, but you would never know until you hear the entire tale from the horse''s mouth." She remarked.


    "I don''t care if I hear it from the horse''s or falcon''s mouth. If I ever see him, I''m going to punch the living daylights out of him for hurting such a kind woman." He annoyedly grabbed an apron to drape around his waist.


    She chuckled dryly. Poor Liam.


    She packed her blueberry muffin as well as the sandwich that Theodore had insisted on her carrying to work after having her eat pancakes and milk. He was definitely trying to let her know that she should eat for two. It was also insane that he had managed to pull it off, but he had hired her a chauffeur so she wouldn''t drive to and from work.


    Would he be disappointed if she took the test and found that she was not pregnant? She didn''t want to think about it. The elevator arrived at her floor and the first thing she did was look for Desmond. He had already arrived and was going crazy with worry.


    "Zaria?" He rushed over to her when he finally saw her. "What happened to your phone? I had to call your dad."


    He was berating her, and he had every right to do so.


    "I''m sorry. It broke." She didn''t have the strength to tell him how or why it broke¡ªor figure out why Theodore didn''t tell her that he had called.


    He hugged her without probing. "I''m d you are okay. I was worried about you." She hugged his shoulders silently.


    "Are you alright? You have not been yourselftely."


    "I''m fine." She lied. The nerves in her stomach did not give her away, luckily.


    He studied her and knew that she was not alright but he did not insist on it. Who was to say that she would not explode if he insisted on finding out what was wrong?


    "Well, uh¡­" She started, and stopped when he looked at her. Ximena had said that disliking kids didn''t automatically mean one would not be a good father. Even so, she couldn''t get the words out.


    "I wanted to ask you out on a date tonight. I''ll clear your schedule if you don''t mind." She looked up to meet his gaze.


    "Of course." His eyes dimmed. Why would she ask him out after acting like she hated him for days? Was she going to break up with him?


    He felt as though his heart had been stabbed from the mere possibility of it. It was the only thing that made sense no matter how he thought about it, but he still remained slightly hopeful that there was something else¡ªeven though he felt like a clown for it.


    He knew that this dinner was probably the one that determined his life or death but there was nothing he could do to stop her if she really wanted to break up with him.


    "Zeus is out today. Do you mind filling in for him?" He asked when she was about to leave.


    "I will." She rushed out before she could break down in front of him. She sat at her desk and started off by reading his emails, deleting the unnecessary ones and forwarding the important ones. Her hand stopped when she saw the subject of one of them, from a sender called Ang.


    "I miss you"


    ____


    AN


    Sorry for thete update, and thanks for being patient XO


    The next chapter will be up tomorrow. Crazy busy month is over so I have resumed daily updates <3

 Chapter 220 - Angela Who? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 220 - Ang Who? (1)</h4>


    Her eyes bulged in shock. Who would send that to Desmond, and via email? Perhaps it was a system generated email from a site he had unsubscribed? She knew the answer even without having to go searching. It was not some site. Would they be crazy to send that kind of email?


    She checked the sender. Ang Agur. She had not seen the name before but it gave her chills. Was it a woman who was obsessed with Desmond?


    She scoffed at the thought. There were more women obsessively pining for Desmond than could fit in a cruise ship¡ªjust within the city. Ang Agur must be one of them.


    So she did what she would for any other email that had no business appearing in Desmond''s inbox. She deleted it. That was just a few minutes before another email came in from Ang. She must be quite the persistent one, Zaria thought as she selected the message for deletion. What if it was important?


    She clicked it open reluctantly, knowing she might just bump into some love letter meticulously written to seduce her boyfriend. No one wanted to see that, but it would be troublesome if she made him miss out on important information just because her jealousy was acting up. She reluctantly opened the email and the content was more baffling than the previous one.


    It was a picture of a woman and Desmond holding hands.


    "Do you miss me as much as I do?" She read the caption at the end aloud.


    "Fucking hell." She pped her forehead, blood draining from her body. No way.


    There was no way this was real. But no matter now she thought about it, the woman in the picture had to be Ang and the man was evidently Desmond. The meaning of it was ring right in her face but she didn''t have the courage to acknowledge it.


    She made a billion excuses for Desmond being with her in the same picture. Maybe he took her as a friend but she thought too much of their closeness.


    This was the first sign that she was in denial of what was going on around her but she didn''t care. What else was she to think? That Desmond was cheating on her? He would never do that, would he? She was still giving herself reasons to believe that he would never cheat on her when a more believable picture was sent in.


    This time, Desmond''s hand was around her waist. They must have just left an event, because she was wearing an evening gown while he donned a perfectly fitting tuxedo. His head was tilted to look down at her while she said something in amusement. His gaze¡­


    She shut her eyes but when she opened them, nothing had changed. It was still that fiery, deeply in love gaze. She was familiar with it and the thought that it was for another woman gnawed at her insides.


    Her hand flew to her stomach. What if one of the reasons for him not wanting kids was because of Ang?


    "Let''s find out this evening at dinner." She whispered about the date she had set up with him, her eyes widening when she realized that she was treating her stomach like it definitely had a little life growing inside it. She suddenly hoped there wasn''t one.


    The rest of the day was a blur as she kept herself busy even when she didn''t need to be. She reorganized her files over lunch and ignored the takeaway that Desmond had an intern drop off. If he cared so much, why couldn''t he drop it off himself?


    She was probably acting like a bitter jilted girlfriend but she didn''t care until Lucy pointed it out.


    "You are not even showing. You can calm down. By the time it''s obvious, you will have figured out what you want to do." She remarked in the evening when Zaria was preparing to leave.


    Thetter paused midway through arranging her stationery and looked at Lucy, who was leaning against the shut door. Zaria looked at the door that separated her office from Desmond''s, then back at Lucy in shock. "Showing what?"


    Lucy''s response was to point at her daughter''s stomach with her chin.


    "I''m not expecting." Zaria spoke sternly like she was about to snap.


    "You think you are." Lucy shrugged. "It''s obvious from how different you have been acting all day. I noticed that you checked the ingredients of every snack at the pantry before you ate them."


    "Mom¡­" She massaged her temples.


    "I''ll let you be." Lucy said, much to her relief. Her expression dimmed as she stepped closer to Zaria. "But you have to be careful. The Sus have not given up and neither has Alyssa. The former will not care that it is their great grandchild in there and if Alyssa spared you because you are carrying her first grandchild, hell would freeze over."


    "I didn''t expect them to." It was one of the things that worried her. However, if she was going to be a mother, she would not give her baby up out of fear. She wouldn''t do anything to hurt it even if it was because of Desmond''s wishes orck thereof.


    Her choice to not take a test baffled Lucy but she could only rein in her curiosity. Zaria was currently a time bomb ready to explode.


    ¡­.


    She had been unable to choose the perfect venue all day so she let Desmond decide. As expected, he chose a home-cooked dinner on his terrace and had his chef prepare a variety of her favorite meals.


    She stared at the garlic pasta in her te and wondered whether it was alright for her to eat it. It probably wasn''t, so she reced it with white rice.


    Misunderstanding her gesture, Desmond felt sour. Did she dislike him so much that she would no longer eat the food he served her?


    "Do you dislike the food?" He gently asked, trying not to soundpelling.


    "No. I''m just not in the mood for garlic tonight." She stabbed her fork into her food with more force than was necessary. Lack of appetite was an understatement. She felt nauseated, and the reason was bing more obvious by the second.


    "The chef specially preparedsagna. He said his wife likes to eat it on their anniversary every year so he made some for us too." He announced, his tonecking the excitement it usually had.


    "I don''t want anything with cheese either."


    "You love cheese. Especially mozzare." He pointed out. "Are you¡­"


    "Not on my period." She cut him off. "That''s thest thing I want to talk about."


    That sounded odd in so many ways that he contemted her words for almost an entire minute. What did she mean?


    "You don''t have to think about it too much." Sheughed, but she didn''t sound amused.


    His heart pounded against his chest. First, she had been ignoring him and treating him like he didn''t exist, then she called him out for dinner and didn''t look in the slightest bit happy to be present. This was definitely the set up for a break up. What would he do if she actually wanted to call it quits? What would he say to make her stay?


    If she was hell set on leaving, she wouldn''t stay no matter what he said. He was painfully aware of that.


    So he changed the topic. "I have ns for my birthday banquet that I would like your help with."


    "You decided to throw a banquet?" She was puzzled. That was unlike him.


    "I made it into apany banquet so everyone coulde with their family or friends." He lied. He had juste up with it to buy time.


    "That''s going to be humongous. You do realize it, right?" She frowned.


    "I do. I think it''s a good idea to ease the tension. Everyone is always walking on eggshells around me."


    "If you say so. I will do what I can to help." The words sounded sour. She could be doing another woman''s work and she wouldn''t even realize it.


    Their gazes collided and she couldn''t keep it in anymore. She took a deep breath and blurted the question that had been bugging her all day. "Who is Ang Agur?"


    His hand stopped with a spoon halfway towards his mouth. The obvious shock on his face gave the answer before he could state it.


    "Shit." He cursed under his breath but she heard it.


    She swallowed a hard lump. Did she still need a verbal response?


    ______


    AN


    The next chapter will be up tomorrow.


    To get chapter announcements within 5 minutes of publication, join my discord server.. The tinyurl link is in my profile.

 Chapter 221 - Angela Who? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 221 - Ang Who? (2)</h4>


    She studied Desmond as he ran a hand down his face before looking at her like he was at a loss.


    "Zaria,"


    "Don''t." Her voice broke. "I just wanted to know who she is. You didn''t expect me to ever find out, did you? Is that why you are shocked?"


    "What? No." He was even more shocked. "She is my ex-girlfriend of five years ago and to be honest, I didn''t think she would evere up in any conversation."


    "Is that why you are shocked?" She asked. She obviously didn''t believe it.


    He shook his head.


    "The fact that she managed to get through to you is what shocked me. You would never learn about her on your own unless you went digging." He ced his hands on the table nervously, knowing where this had emanated from. "And if you went digging, you would not think that there is something between her and me."


    She blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"


    He stood up and circled to her side, crouching beside her chair and cupping her face. "Ang and I broke up five years ago and since then, we have not had any contact. Absolutely none."


    She looked at his serious face and unconsciously trusted him. Seeing the relief in her eyes, he was relieved too, but he remained in the same position caressing the sides of her face. "How did you even find out about her¡ªin a way that made you think we were still together?"


    She exined the email and the photos, which made him frown. She knew he was holding back his anger even though he didn''t say a word to express it.


    "I promise you, I have never been with any other woman since we got together. I''m telling you this because it''s an Ang now. Next time, it could be a Bertha or a Chloe. Heaven knows, whoever sent Ang to find you might also be thinking that if she fails to sow discord between us this time, they could send a Rosaly to do the same job."


    She puffed out augh. "Are all those women your ex-girlfriends? There are so many of them and it''s remarkable that you remember all of them."


    "No. These are random names." As long as the point was home. He was relieved when she didn''t look angry about Ang anymore, so he took his seat.


    "It does make sense." She thought of only one woman who might know many or all Desmond''s exes, her, and also know that she often handled his emails. It had to be Alyssa.


    He was thinking of the same person because he facepalmed. "She will only ever give up when she has exhausted all her tactics unsessfully."


    "I will not let her get to me." She reached out to caress his face. "I''m sorry for jumping into conclusions so fast."


    "Don''t be. I''m relieved that you didn''t break up with me."


    She found his words odd. "Break up?"


    He bit the inside of his cheek, still feeling some of the nervousness he had been feeling all week. "You have been ignoring me. Then the morning after your outburst that made you break your phone just because I called you, you asked me out for dinner and arrived looking like you wanted to kill me." Heined. "I thought you didn''t love me anymore and had decided to call it quits."


    "Can you not?" She gazed down at the man who was now kneeling on one knee, ying with her hands as if that was supposed to change her mind in case she had the mind to leave. He sounded like a toddler clinging to his mother who had just returned from a long day of work, pleading with her not to leave him again.


    "Zaria,"


    His tone made her feel guiltier about the childish way she had acted all week.


    "I''m sorry. I couldn''t understand what was wrong with me either. I just couldn''t be in the same room with you without wanting to burst into tears." It sounded even more childish when she said it out aloud.


    He looked like he had question marks all over his mind at the peculiarity of her statement.


    So, she smiled and took his hand, which she slowly slid up to her knee.


    "This is not the best time, ce or way to say it but I can''t have you continue to think that we are breaking up." She pulled his hand further under his confused gaze and only stopped when itnded on her stomach. "I think I might be pregnant."


    She fell silent as she watched the news sink in. He let go of her stomach and stood up.


    "You''re pregnant?"


    "I think so?" Her heart sank.


    "You''re pregnant!" He punched the air in excitement.


    "I haven''t¡­"


    "Woohoo! I''m going to be a dad!" His happy dance erupted before she could tell him that she was yet to have a test. She gazed at him as he danced around and hoped that the test would be positive. She couldn''t imagine how hurt he would be if he learnt that he was not bing a father. She didn''t have the heart to burst his bubble. Not when he returned to his previous kneeling position and pressed his ear against her t belly to listen to his child kick. Excitement had made all the knowledge from his health sses fly right off into the air.


    When he finally stopped dancing and jabbering on about how happy he was to be a father, they cuddled on the couch in the living room and she finally had the chance to ask him, "Don''t you dislike kids?"


    He was evidently taken aback. "Huh? Since when do I¡­ wait. What makes you believe that I do?"


    "You said it." She frowned at how fast he had forgotten. "When we had just started dating and you talked about Leo, you said that he was still mad at you for not attending his daughter''s third birthday, and that you didn''t go because you couldn''t stand the thought of a gazillion little girls all around you."


    He chuckled. "That''s because Leo was probably trying to invite the entire city''s worth of kids. He loves children a little too much." He pulled her even closer to him, so her back was pressed against his chest. "But no matter how much I dislike having so many kids together, that doesn''t mean I will not enjoy ying princess dress up with my daughter and her friends, hosting her birthday banquets¡ªI mean, parties¡ªor dropping her off for camps and sleepovers.


    She yed with his fingers which were dangling before her. He was way too excited. "What if it''s a son instead of a daughter?" She was curious.


    "Then we can y ''knights'' and drive his cars and trucks all over the ce. We will turn the house upside down with all the sword fights." He could almost picture a little boy as he imagined it.


    That was her cue to take the test. She knew that if she let his belief that they were having a baby strengthen without being certain of it herself, it would be unfair to both of them. So, she ordered a test kit and had it delivered at her house.


    Desmond wanted her to stay over but she insisted on going for the sake of the test. Besides, she had to tell Ximena and Theodore what Desmond''s reaction was or they would be worried sick.


    It was not surprising in the slightest that she found both of them sitting in the living room. Theodore was ying with Des while Ximena idly threw darts at the target she had set up near the window.


    "Zaria''s home!" She jumped when she heard her footsteps.


    "Hi." Zariaughed as her friend collided into her in the form of a hug.


    "I saw the test you sent over. Are you finally going to do it?" Ximena asked, earning a yful smack on her shoulder.


    "You checked my package, didn''t you?"


    "It''s the delivery service! Why am I to me when they wrapped the package in a see through film?" Ximena pointed at the console table where a box of pregnancy test kitsy.


    "Uh¡­" Zaria cringed at the said privacy that the store promised.


    "Hurry up! Pee on the stick!" Ximena grabbed the box in a flurry and shoved it into her hands before dragging her towards the staircase.


    "Okay! But you don''t have to be so crass about it." She shook her head and headed upstairs. Behind her, Ximena crossed her fingers and while Theodore didn''t say a word, she was certain that he was silently praying and hoping he was going to be a grandfather soon. If her mind was not making it up, even Des looked happy, as though he was looking forward to weing a new human in the house.


    If she was being honest, she hoped for a positive more than anyone. She had never thought about wanting or not wanting kids but after putting everything into consideration, she couldn''t wait to be a mother either.


    She hurried up the stairs and only stopped when she entered the bathroom with the kit in her hand.


    ____


    AN


    Sorry for thete update. The next chapter will be up in 24 hours and 5 mass release chapters will be published on Sunday.


    ¡ªDo you love adorable kids? Check out another of my books, [The Ultimate Chance] and give it a try.. Tap the ''about'' info of this book and scroll down to ''Author''s other books'' to find it.

 Chapter 222 - Angela Who? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 222 - Ang Who? (3)</h4>


    A soft knock on the door pulled Zaria out of her thoughts.


    "Zaria?" Came Ximena''s worried voice. "Are you alright in there?"


    She blinked her tears away rapidly and rushed to the door, stopping to wipe the drops that had seeped from her eyes before pulling it open. As expected, Ximena was driving herself crazy with worry along with Theodore and Des.


    "I''m okay." She reassured them with a broken voice.


    "Just okay?" Ximena''s question was a mutter. It was clear what she hoped for. When Zaria didn''t answer her, she felt like she was going crazy. "Come on. Put me out of this misery, will you? Am I bing a godmother?"


    "And am I bing a grandfather?" Theodore added worriedly, trying to read his daughter''s expression.


    She broke into a sudden smile and jumped into their arms with nearly enough force to knock them down. Ximena steadied her.


    "I''m pregnant. I can''t believe it either." She held their hands in disbelief, wondering if it was just a dream.


    "You just made me the happiest woman on earth." Ximena hugged her again, before hugging Theodore and Des. "Did you hear that, Des? She''s going to have a baby."


    "Zaria," Theodore''s eyes welled up. "Congrattions, princess."


    The father and daughter embraced emotionally. Des slotted himself between their legs to share the joy and Zaria picked him up, cuddling him close to her chest.


    "Are you ready to eat something now? Because I''m not going to let you starve my future child just because you are not in the mood to eat." Ximena looked at Zaria authoritatively, making thetterugh.


    "Have you be the food police now? I ate at Desmond''s." She patted her friend''s shoulder. "Don''t worry. I would never starve your godchild."


    She dashed back to the living room and sat on the couch to calm down, but she was anything but calm when she noticed Theodore''s gaze on her. His eyes seemed to follow her every movement and just like Des, he was following her like a shadow.


    "Is everything okay?" Sheughed at his antics, feeling embarrassed from how he was looking at her. It was almost as though he was seeing someone else through her.


    Theodore shook his head and nodded immediately. He was clearly distracted.


    "It still feels like yesterday." He mumbled, barely audibly.


    "Yup, this is going to be awesome." Ximena, who was making a fruit sd for Zaria at the side, rushed back to sit near her friend to listen to what she knew must be yet another distant memory of Theodore''s.


    She was right. Theodore had a smile as he reminisced. "It was not long after our wedding. I had just gotten back from work when Lucy jumped into my arms, in tears, and told me that we were going to have a baby."


    "Aww that must have been so lovely." Ximena hugged Zaria''s arm excitedly.


    "It was." He smiled emotionally. "The months leading to our baby''s birth were the loveliest. And when I finally met our Zaria, I burst into tears. She was so small, and I vowed to protect her with my life. How could a human be so tiny yet mean the whole world to me?" He looked at his daughter lovingly. "Yet, after what feels like only a few days, she is making me the happiest man on earth. Again. I''m a grandpa."


    His words expressed his disbelief. He pinched himself to prove that he was not in a dream.


    "If you go on, you are going to make me cry." Zaria dabbed at her eyes, wondering how Lucy would take the news.


    ___


    "I''m going to be a grandma?" Lucy spun in surprise. "Wait. You''re serious. I''m going to be a grandma." She hugged the pillow to her chest, realizing that Zaria was not joking. Needless to say, she took the news exactly the way Zaria expected her to.


    It had been Ximena''s suggestion to give Lucy a customized pillow, with the words "see you soon, grandma" written on it. Thetter was hugging it like it was her precious grandchild.


    "Yes you are." Zaria pulled the pillow out of her hands. "I''m sorry to break your moment but we have a meeting to get to."


    "What''s that got to do with my pillow?" Lucy expressed her displeasure at theck of her pillow.


    "You are not going to parade it around and let everyone know that your child is expecting, are you?" She asked.


    Lucy thought about it and realized that once Zaria''s bump started to show, the employees might put two and two together and find out that she was her daughter. She reluctantly left her pillow so they would go to the meeting.


    They were in time and Desmond arrived a few minutester, having rushed in from another meeting outside thepany. He apologized and took his seat, then started the meeting, but not before shooting his girlfriend a loving look.


    She coughed to hold back a smile and was somewhat happy that they were not sitting near each other during the meeting.


    "The Regal Hotel is officially a disaster. We have already tried our best at marketing, almost impacting other departments negatively while at it, but the results are still unfortunate." The Marketing manager, a middle-aged man, reported, shooting daggers at Zaria who was the one to acquire the hotel on behalf of thepany.


    "If you im to be doing your best, yet you do not get the desired results, then you are clearly not doing much." Desmond fired back to protect his girlfriend.


    "We are doing all we can, sir. But there is no way to save a project that was sold off for being on the verge of copse." Argued another employee. "This is affecting the performance of our other hotels, sir." He added.


    "This is why we are having this meeting in the first ce." Lucy chimed in, before turning to Zaria. "Miss Williams, your employees seem to think this problem was caused by you. Do you have any suggestions to fix it?"


    Zaria cursed inwardly, because she didn''t. She had been unable to get to the bottom of it until this morning and had to think on her feet now that she had been called out in a meeting.


    "I checked the customer reviews and realized that there are very few positive ones that mention the view. On the other hand, a huge chunk of the negative ones mention the boring view of the city."


    "Miss Williams, you must be misunderstanding our role. We are not in charge of changing the outlook of the city." Remarked the marketing director, finding it absurd that she would believe that was what customers thought.


    She shrugged in response. "Customers have their own peculiarities. Why they focus so much on the view, I couldn''t tell you for sure, but I do know that there are many artists and designers who draw inspiration from what they see. Since it is a problem that has been raised by our customers, we should solve it to give more satisfaction and I have just the idea."


    She paused, almostughing at the wild thought of demolishing the Regal Hotel and building it in a different location.


    In actual fact, she knew that it was one of Nathaniel''s blows. All the view-rtedments were made by his trolls, because he knew that there was nothing that could be done about the fact that Regal Hotel had nothing interesting to look at outside it. Or so he thought.


    "We could rece all the windows in the suites with one way high definition screens. This way, everyone will get a view of what they want. The feeling will be less magical if we let them know that what they are seeing or hearing is not from real nature, so we can instead have the guests fill in short questionnaires on arrival to get a feel of their interests. If they do realize that what they are seeing is an illusion, they will be impressed by how realistic it feels and that might even boost the ratings." She concluded, having thought of the details on the spot.


    ____


    AN


    As part of motivation, I like listening to music while writing. So I made a Spotify ylist and I won''t mind having music suggestions from my readers.. If you are interested, let me know in thements and I will share the link for you to add songs you like.

 Chapter 223 - Angela Who? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 223 - Ang Who? (4)</h4>


    "It''s a great idea, Zaria." Lucy praised her.


    "Thank you."


    "Write a proposal including the budget and period it would take toplete the instation and send it to me. I can only approve of it if it''s actually worth the time and resources." Desmond added, trying not to praise her. Thest time he praised her for an excellent presentation in a meeting, rumor flooded thepany about her only getting acknowledgement because she supposedly had tricks up her skirt.


    Thest thing he wanted was to make her everyone''s enemy, especially since they already knew about their rtionship.


    She nodded, immediately starting to note down what she would need to find out.


    When the meeting ended, she checked her phone for messages when she went to the bathroom. As expected, Desmond had sent her a text message, asking her to meet him in his office. She had a guess of what it was about and while it was an unfortunate topic, they would have to discuss it sooner orter.


    Skeleton was standing near his desk when she got in, puzzling her. Why was he here?


    "Have a seat, honey." Although he was offering her a ce to sit, he pushed away from the desk to give her space to sit on hisp, and patted it to make it obvious what he was suggesting.


    Skeleton freaked out. "Can you please be professional here? You can leave the part where you sit on each other and make out for when I''m gone and the two of you are on your own."


    "You don''t have to be so crass about it." Zaria waved him off and sat on the leather chair on the other side of the desk. She had not intended to sit on Desmond''sp, of course.


    "What do you have there?" Asked Desmond, as he pointed at the USB stick in Skeleton''s hand.


    "This." He held the USB stick up and ced it on Desmond''s desk. "It''s the evidence of the shocking discoveries I made. One of them is the fact that Ang was not ordered to send the email by Alyssa."


    "What are you saying?" Zaria was puzzled. "It''s not Alyssa? Are you certain that you are not making a mistake?"


    "I am. I thought it was her and I kept an eye on her, only to find out that she is not the mastermind. She is just a pawn and all she did was give Nathaniel the information he needed about you."


    "Nathaniel." She spat hatefully. Of course it would be him. And to think she had once admired the elderly man and respected him, thinking he was a great person.


    "You are his granddaughter and may not believe this but he is out to destroy you." Skeleton pointed out.


    "Of course I know he is out to destroy me." She muttered. Ever since she found out that Nathaniel had tried to bring harm to Theodore just because Lucy had returned and he suspected that they might reconcile, Zaria knew that she was not out of his list of people he was capable of harming.


    "Alyssa told him about Ang and the kind of impact her meddling can cause." Skeleton added, pointing at the USB stick. "This is evidence of their meetings."


    Desmond didn''t make a move to check it out, since he had already suspected it. On the other hand, Zaria reached for the USB stick. "Maybe they discussed something that could give us clues of their ultimate n? I don''t believe that email was the end of it."


    "Nathaniel wants to hurt you by destroying your rtionship with Desmond." Skeleton spected, to which Zaria shook her head.


    "I don''t think that''s it. If he has investigated me, then he knows that destroying my rtionship with the people I love is not as easy as having a few one-sided messages sent via email. And if he investigated Desmond, he would know that he is not the kind of man to easily get trapped in a woman''s charm. He is not going to make Ang try and throw herself at him."


    Desmond smiled at her words.?"I didn''t know your evaluation of me was so high, babe. You have good taste."


    "Don''t be too full of yourself." She berated him with a chuckle, but she knew deep down that she would never want to be with a man who could easily fall for traps of seduction.?Who would want that kind of partner?


    "There is something else. And I don''t think it''s only about me being forced away from the man I love." She guessed.


    "Does he know about you¡­" He was about to ask if Nathaniel knew about her pregnancy but it couldn''t be a reason, since Zaria only found out after Ang''s email. His eyes widened at his spection and when he met Zaria''s gaze, he knew it was also the thought that crossed her mind.


    "Breaking me and Desmond apart will only help him get what he wants¡ªwhich is to push away the people capable of supporting me if he were to strike me down."


    "That''s what I''m afraid of." Desmond ran a hand through his hair. "I would never turn against you no matter what, but we can''t say the same about everyone else."


    "Natalie, Ximena, Lucy and Zeus?" Skeleton asked.


    "Ximena would never betray me." She defended her friend confidently.


    "Neither would Natalie. She values friendship too much to be used against her friend. I don''t think Lucy and Zeus would be used against you either. But what I suspect is that Nathaniel would want to turn you against the people who would support you instead of it being the other way round." He grabbed her hand over the desk and held it in both of his.?"Which is why, honey, I need you to promise me something."


    "What?" She asked.


    "Promise me that no matter what happens, you will not make a decision about us on your own."


    She had no idea what he meant but it was a reasonable request so she nodded. "I promise."


    "Find a room already, you two." Skeleton shook his head at them.


    "Keep an eye on Alyssa and an even closer one on Nathaniel."


    "You got it." He dashed off, escaping the scene that was threatening to unfold before his eyes.


    ___


    "Pearl Resort. This should be it." Liam pulled over into the parking lot of the resort and looked at the address he had been given. His mother had sent him on an errand and he had reluctantly agreed, just to escape having to hear an earful of nagging. She had brought up the topic of marriage so he dashed off with the address she had written down for him.


    He got out of his car with the address card in hand and followed the direction boards to the elevator, entering the floor number when he got in. A feeling of tension rose in his stomach, which he chalked up to fatigue. He had downed more cups of coffee in thest twenty four hours than he probably had in the week before, just so he could get his work done. What he was feeling must be a side effect of too much caffeine, which he promised himself not to take for the next one week.


    The elevator arrived and he followed the address card to the Japanese restaurant, and went to the table where his mother was supposed to meet her friend.


    She was odd, he thought. She had talked about purchasing cosmetics, but she neither wanted to pick them up at the official store, nor did she want to let the owner deliver them at her home. She preferred to pick them up at a restaurant and her reason was as unclear as her intention of having her son go on her behalf.


    Liam frowned when he thought of how coincidental it was. The person she was meeting was a young woman with long ck hair and¡­


    Fuck.


    He cursed when he realized why his mother didn''t give him a picture and made him rely on the meeting spot and time. He was halfway through running his hand through his hair when the woman walked in. He was mesmerized by the sight of her.


    She was wearing a tight ck skirt paired with an emerald blouse and had her hair in soft waves. Ximena Morel. She was indeed carrying a box in her hands with an MB logo.


    "I should have known it was you." She remarked when she saw him clearly.


    "And you didn''t?" He snapped back at her, believing that it was no coincidence for her. She probably knew that his mother was setting them up to meet.


    "Mrs. Preston insisted that she wanted to meet here despite me telling her that the goods could be delivered to her house. She also insisted that it had to be me delivering it instead of anyone else for security and privacy reasons. I should have realized that she wanted to make me meet her son." She huffed. When Mrs. Preston called to tell her that she would not make it but her son would pick the goods on her behalf, she should have guessed that the said son would definitely be Liam.


    "Are youining?" He asked, relieved that the woman his mother was setting him up with was Ximena.


    "What do you think?"


    _____


    Author''s Note.


    Happy New year darlings!


    As a new year''s gift and because I''m rejoining win-win after so long, I will send coins as a reward to the first two readers who leave ament on this chapter within 24 hours. Spamments do not count.


    (nk gifts and emoji, "I''m first" , "Exp", etc count as spam.)

 Chapter 224 - Cupid

    <h4>Chapter 224 - Cupid</h4>


    Song rmendation: A million dreams¡ªElenyi, Cayson Renshow.


    ___


    She rolled her eyes and turned to leave, and he grabbed her hand before she could walk past him. "What do you what?" She demanded spitefully.


    "I want to have a word with you." He tightened his grip around her wrist. "Are you going to sit down peacefully for us to talk, or would you prefer it if I dragged you into a room and locked you in so you wouldn''t have a choice?"


    She scoffed. "Are you threatening me?"


    His lips curled in a smirk. "If it gets me what I want, I don''t see why not."


    This man was unbelievable. She opened her mouth and closed it without saying a word. "Fine. What do you want to talk about?"


    "That''s not how it works, Xim." He taunted.


    "What exactly do you want?" She was tired of this man''s antics.


    "Let''s deliver the cosmetics to my mother, shall we?" He suggested. "I''m sure she will be happy to see you."


    "I''ll pass."


    He grabbed her arm so hard that she almost stumbled, enraging her.


    "What''s wrong with you?" She wanted to p the hell out of him.


    His response was to try to pull her out of the restaurant with him, making the box in her hand drop.


    "Shoot. Is everything going to be okay? Is there anything fragile in there?" He asked as he picked it up.


    "I''m afraid the makeup set will not withstand the fall." She exaggerated, even though she was certain that nothing would break, thanks to the packaging she had used. "I will need to go back to thepany to get a new set and of course, you are paying for this." She shoved the box back into his hands.


    "I''ll apany you." He offered, making her frown. She didn''t want hispany, okay? All she wanted was to get away from him and he was not making that easier in any way.


    "I don''t need thepany of the man who is hell set on destroying my brand, thanks."


    "You mean our brand." He raised an eyebrow to remind her that he was one of the owners of Morel Beauty.


    She was in disbelief. "Get over yourself, Liam. You are just a shareholder. You should stick to the role of a shareholder and stop trying to take advantage of your position to pin me down."


    "I''ll not need to do so if you simply stop being stubborn and give me a chance to say what I need to say." He shifted the box to his left hand and held her waist to lead her out.


    She reluctantly entered his car just so she would get rid of the man once and for all. Of course, her willingness made him believe that he still had the chance to change her mind.


    "What do you want?" She asked when he started driving.


    "I''m not good at talking while driving. You need to understand me, Ximena." Heined.


    She rolled her eyes, knowing that his car had an autopilot function. Besides, he was a chatterbox driver and this was only an excuse to make her apany him to his home. She couldn''t figure out what the hell he was trying to do until they arrived at his home and she saw his mother dash out through the door to meet them excitedly.


    "You are back, Liam! And you brought Ximena!" She was in disbelief.


    "Mrs. Preston, I only came along to ensure you received your package in the same condition it was when I handed it over to Mr. Preston." She exined her actions, which made the womanugh.


    "That''s a way of putting it, I guess. And don''t call me Mrs. Preston. Just call me Ember. It''s my nickname."


    "Ember?" She was puzzled. She didn''t remember her full name but she was certain that it was nowhere near Ember.


    "She will cause a volcanic eruption when she is angry." Liam offered an exnation.


    "Get something to do darling, will you? Leave thedies alone." She shoved her son aside thanks to her excitement to see Ximena.


    "Come on. Let''s get something to drink." She eagerly invited Ximena into the house and dragged her to the kitchen.


    Liam watched their interaction and his brows knitted in puzzlement. How the hell did the two women even meet? They had nothing inmon and didn''t look like they couldpliment each other in any way. He couldn''t figure it out but he was certain that no matter how they met, it was not coincidental.


    He went to the kitchen for a snack, only for his mother to roll her eyes at him.


    "Are you here to snatch Ximena?"


    "Of course not." He opened the refrigerator to grab a tub of ice cream.


    "Good. Because I''m not letting you have her any time soon." She was eager to send him off yet again.


    Ximena watched the interaction between the mother and son with a gentle smile. The two bickered like siblings and somehow she was jealous. If only her mother could be this friendly to her. She wasn''t asking for the pats that Liam received when his mother was done teasing him, or the random kiss on his cheek when he joked about hating her. All she would ever have asked for was a little friendliness.


    She smiled bitterly as she pulled herself out of that kind of thought. It didn''t matter and she had long decided not to care about her family. It was not worth it.


    "How did the two of you even meet?" Liam couldn''t stop himself from asking.


    "Forget it. Are you jealous that I''m close to the woman you disregarded?" She deliberately made an annoying remark to make Liam drop it, but that only made him certain of his spection. She had investigated him and found out about Ximena.


    Not that he minded it, but he knew why she had tried to make them meet each other. He was going to fill his ears with reasons why he should be with her. Not that he minded but¡­


    "Xim, I just remembered that I didn''t make my bed. Let Liam show you around as I do that really quick." She spoke and dashed away before either of them could react to her words.


    "I bet the whole of Morel Beauty that her bed is perfectly made." He huffed.


    She knew this too. It was not the first time someone had tried to hook her up with a man. It just happened to be the first time that the cupid in question was the man''s mother.


    "You wanted to speak to me. I guess this works for you." She crossed her arms.


    "Yes." He closed in on her and held her shoulders. "We were childish before. We shouldn''t have let things end the way they were." He shut his eyes. "I''m sorry for not considering your feelings when I walked out."


    "It''s not your fault. Considering I practically screamed at you to leave." She swallowed, finding it off that he was apologizjng when it was all her fault.


    "There are things that can''t go back to how they used to, Liam." She pulled his hand away from her shoulders.


    "What things? Our rtionship?" He demanded.


    She stepped away from him. "We had no rtionship. What we had was¡­ I don''t know. A fling? Anyway, it had to end and it''s for the best."


    "It will never be for the best when both of us are hurting, wishing things were different."


    "I don''t wish things were different." She denied his im.


    "Well, I do. And I know you care. You like me." He hated that they were having this conversation in his parents'' kitchen. He had wanted to bring it up in the car but knowing Ximena, she might just get off the car to evade it.


    "I don''t like you." She bit out defensively.


    "You don''t?" He feigned shock as he closed in on her. She moved back but before she could escape, he pinned her against the wall behind her. She was trapped between his body and the wall and pushing him didn''t work as he didn''t budge an inch.


    He traced her face with his forefinger, his intense gaze shing with hers. Her heart raced as his fingers worked their way down her neck, deliciously tracing circles on her skin.


    "Liam, you¡­"


    Her words were cut off by his kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth and she weed it, her body going limp in his arms from the intensity of his kiss. His arms circled her waist and when his hand slid under the hem of her skirt, she jolted.


    "She is noting back." He whispered over her lips, making her rx. He kissed her again, this time slowly and sweetly as his fingers slid up under her skirt. She parted her thighs to give him ess. He stroked her skin gently.


    "Xim," He breathed her name heavily. She was out of breath when the kiss broke and when he called out her name, she looked up to meet his gaze that was filled with just as much need as she felt down her body.


    Her back was pressed against the wall as he flicked her core through her panties. She felt embarrassed to be doing this in his parents'' kitchen but it felt so good that she didn''t care. He pushed the wet fabric aside and pushed his finger into her, covering her mouth with his other hand. He pulled his finger out and pulled away from her with a smirk.


    "You im not to like me.." His gaze darkened. "How can you exin the wetness between your legs then?"

 Chapter 225 - Birthday Present

    <h4>Chapter 225 - Birthday Present</h4>


    She straightened her clothes and red at the man before her, still infuriated by the fact that he had turned her on just to prove a point. "Liam Preston, I think you skipped too many of your health sses."


    "What do you mean?" He fought the urge to grab her and kiss her again.


    She walked over to the counter, grabbing the tub of ice cream he had gotten from the fridge and bringing it to him since it was what he hade for. "I''m a woman with a normally functioning vagina. If a man touches me with my consent, of course my body will respond to his touch. That doesn''t mean I have feelings for him."


    "If you put it that way," He was no longer in the mood for ice cream if he was not going to eat it with her.


    "I guess this meeting is over." She headed for the door.


    "Ximena." He called after her, setting the ice cream which had started to melt aside to follow her. She stopped without turning to face him, and he assumed it was because she didn''t have the guts to speak while looking into his eyes.


    "You better think carefully before you make a decision. You can''t go back on your wordter." He warned. "No matter how much I love a woman, I will not appreciate her making a clown out of me by going back and forth denying and admitting to her feelings."


    She blinked with a forced smile, her voice almost breaking. "I know. You don''t have to worry. I have no feelings for you, Mr. Preston. I hope we can keep a professional attitude around each other henceforth." She walked off before he could say something that would make her cave.


    "In your dreams. In your fucking dreams Ximena!" She heard him shout behind her.


    She hugged her arms as she ran as far as she could from the kitchen, trying not to let her eyes water. She was not going to let herself cry over a man. She was too strong to do that.


    She bumped into Ember on her way out and the two almost toppled since they were both wearing high heels.


    "Ximena, you are leaving?" She asked, startled.


    "I have other things to do." responded thetter, trying to walk past her.


    "But we haven''t had our drink and Liam hasn''t shown you around." She attempted to convince her to stay, wondering what her son had done to make her want to leave in such a hurry.


    Ximena swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I appreciate the kind gesture, Mrs. Preston, but I really have to go. Thank you for having me here."


    "Xim, wait!" Ember could only go back to the kitchen in frustration after being unable to stop her.


    "Really?" She red at her son who was ying with the tub of ice cream at the kitchen counter.


    "Don''t scold me." Liam ignored her presence.


    She leaned against the granite counter to face him. "I brought her right into your home yet the best you could do is let her leave? You had the chance to let her know how you feel!" She nearly screeched.


    "It''s not worth it." He retorted.


    "What?"


    He let out a breath slowly. "No matter how much I like a woman, I don''t want to be treated like I don''t exist. I''ll pass." It was uncertain whether the words were for her or himself, and she could see it in his eyes that they hurt him.


    "As you wish. I just wanted you to pursue your happiness." She gave up meddling in her son''s love life. He had tough luck and it was probably going to give him a huge blow this time. The thought of it made her pull him into her arms and kiss his face.


    "I''m not a child anymore, mother."


    "There isn''t an age limit to when I can embrace my son."


    ___


    On the other hand, Ximena spent the rest of her days working. When she left the office, she busied herself until she ran out of things to do, and dashed for her friend''s house. Zaria was like a sister to her.


    She had rang the doorbell when she remembered that her friend was pregnant and shouldn''t worry about too many things.


    "I''ll just enjoy herpany and not tell her anything." She noted to herself.


    The butler opened the door and Zaria was already rushing over to meet her.


    "Xim! I was not expecting you." She hugged her joyously and pulled her into the living room. "You came at the right time."


    "Hold on. I''ll get something from the car." Ximena hurried back and returned with a makeup set, rendering Zaria confused.


    "You gave me a new set just a few days ago."


    "I modified these specifically for pregnant women. It will protect your skin more." She handed the set to her.


    "I love you even more now." Zaria thanked her for the new set and pulled her upstairs to her room. She was about to show her the gift she made for Desmond when she noticed thetter''s mood was unusual. She ced the set on the vanity and held her shoulders. "Did something happen?"


    Since she had decided not to talk about it, Ximena feigned a smile. "I''ve just been thinking a lot. Desmond''s birthday party is this Saturday, right?"


    "Yes."


    "I was wondering what kind of dress you should wear. You know, a beautiful one, sexy yet elegant enough, that will show off your curves without revealing the good news before you announce it."


    "You have the best taste. I''ll leave it to you." Zaria patted her shoulder. She knew Ximena was hiding something but since thetter was notfortable enough to reveal it, she dropped the subject too.


    "Do you trust me so much? What if I made you wear a gunny sack?" Ximena joked with a sinister smile.


    "Then I''d dly grab hold of your hand and let the whole world know that my stylist is the owner of Morel Beauty." Retorted Zaria, chuckling at Ximena''s expression when she realized what that would mean for her reputation.


    "Why are we still friends?" She exaggeratedly puffed her cheeks.


    "No idea."


    For the rest of the evening, they watched a movie and talked about her choice of Desmond''s gift, and their subject slowly drifted to random gossip. Zaria knew that her friend was upset so she asked her to sleep over, and thetter was happy that she would not have to face her inner ghosts on her own tonight. At least, that was what she thought until Zaria fell asleep.


    It was almost 1am and all she could think about when she closed her eyes was Liam. She knew that she had been unfair to him but she was hurting too. She had never been one to believe in fairy tales with happy endings but it was much better to enter a rtionship thinking it wouldst forever than knowing there was no future in it. If he got together with him, what would happen if he ever wanted to get married and have kids? She would definitely have to tell him the truth that would make him break up with her.


    Her hand traced down her stomach. It had never mattered before but now¡­


    She hated to think about it. She forced the thought out of her mind and all she could rece it with was the feeling of his hands feeling her up. He had kissed her as though he was eager to im her as his own, and it had been sweeter than ever.


    The man was a phantom, she concluded in her mind. He was determined to take permanent residence in her mind and she was not going to let that happen.


    ___


    On Saturday, Zaria delivered a file in Desmond''s office along with her proposal. Zeus, that unreliable man, had once again taken a day off and she could only stand in for the highly confidential matters that they didn''t trust anyone else with.


    "The proposal is done. It will take two weeks to install the screens."


    "Keep it in the vault." He instructed her. With the mole still lurking who they were yet to catch, it was likely for someone to snoop around and therefore safer to keep everything away from reach.


    She entered the code and ced the proposal in, before turning back to him. "Do you think Nathaniel will make a move tonight?"


    "I can''t put it past him." He tapped his pen against the surface of the desk. As if on cue, his phone vibrated with a call from Alyssa.


    They exchanged knowing nces before he answered the call.


    "What do you want?"


    "Can''t I give my son a call? It''s your birthday. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday." Alyssa sounded annoyed at his tone.


    "Your message has been delivered. I should hang up now." His thumb hovered over the screen.


    "Wait. Actually, there is something else." She interrupted.


    "What?"


    "I''m aware of how far we have drifted from each other. I''m your mother, of course I care about you." She paused, dramatically feigning emotion. "I know about the birthday banquet you organized, to which I was not invited. Don''t worry. I will not crash it. But I will send you a birthday present."


    When the call ended, he had a deep frown on his face which made her raise her eyebrow.


    "What did she say?"


    "That she will send me a birthday present."


    She gave him a puzzled look. "Yeah.. I have a bad feeling about that."

 Chapter 226 - Engaged To Desmond

    <h4>Chapter 226 - Engaged To Desmond</h4>


    That evening.


    The banquet turned out to be better than Zaria thought. She had nned it with the help of the nning department and she couldn''t wait to see Desmond''s reaction upon his arrival.


    She knew that there would be friends and partners attending with their children so she had specifically opted for a resort with a swimming pool so the children would have fun while the adults turned a birthday banquet into a business setting to make allies. It couldn''t be helped with all the tycoonsing in one ce and it would be too boring for the young ones.


    She had decided to spend more time on the kids'' side of the banquet so she wore a simple A-line dress and low heeled sandals for ease of movement. Ximena had made her wear a rabbit ear tiara on her head for fun and it looked quite cute paired with her outfit.


    "It''s Zaria!" A little girl yelled in the crowd of kids and in the next second, all the kids gathered at her feet to say hi. "Zaria!"


    "Hello there." She chuckled. She had never even met any of them but she gave each a hug. She only recognized one of the girls, whom she had not seen in a long time. "Laia, you came too."


    "I''m d I did. Daddy said he wasing so I tagged along." Responded the little girl, licking a lollipop with her tongue.


    "I''m d you came too. I missed you." She crouched to the girl''s level to hug her again, and that prompted the other kids to curiously touch her tiara. They were so lovely, she thought.


    "Zaria, did you bring Des with you?" She asked excitedly, then turned to her friends to announce, "Zaria has a puppy. He is super cute."


    "Really? Show us!" The little friends looked around curiously. She showed them the pictures on her phone.


    When Desmond arrived, the first person he wanted to see was, obviously, his girlfriend. He searched and asked around until he learnt that she had gone to the swimming pool. When he finally saw her, she was surrounded by little kids, girls touching her hair in a clumsy attempt to braid it and boys ying with her phone. There were at least eight of them and he was amused.


    "I didn''t know you were so good with kids." He walked over to her with a ss of fruit juice in hand.


    "What do you know? Sometimes like terms attract." She subtly touched her stomach in a meaningful gesture.


    "That, they do." He offered her the ss, which made Laia notice him. She let go of Zaria''s hair that she was trying to tie a ribbon onto and hugged his knees. "Desmond!"


    "Hello princess." He picked her up.


    She hugged him with her little arms and asked, "Are you really getting married with Zaria?"


    "Who told you that?" He chuckled.


    "Daddy." The girl thought about it with her tiny finger in her chin. "He said that he was attending Desmond''s birthday banquet tonight. When I asked who Desmond was, he reminded me that you are Zaria''s boyfriend. And when I asked what a boyfriend means, he said that it means you want to get married like him and mommy."


    Desmondughed at her innocence. She was so adorable. If it would not make Leo kill him, he would have been tempted to steal her away to be his daughter. Well, he didn''t need to do that anymore since he had his own childing soon.


    "Can I tell you a secret?" She whispered close to his ear. When he nodded, she cupped her hands into a funnel by his ear. "I think Ashton and Doll will get married too. He asked her if he could be her boyfriend."


    He was amused by how much the child knew. Leo should probably have his son talk about such matters away from her earshot.


    "The banquet is about to start. Do you want toe into the hall?" He asked.


    The girl nodded so they went back, with Zaria being followed by her new group of little friends. One girl was particrly active, running as fast as her little legs could take her to walk in step with Zaria. When she realized that the girl was trying to catch up, she slowed down and held her small hand. The girl turned and smiled. For a moment, Desmond was stunned. That little girl looked familiar.


    They and arrived at the banquet hall so he didn''t try to figure out who her parents were. After the opening speech, he started mingling with the adult guests as the kids bugged Zaria for snacks. Heaven knew what made them think she was in charge of snacks but she brought them some.


    He watched with a loving gaze as his girlfriend interacted with the kids at one end of the hall, giving each other equal attention. If they were to have many childrenter, she would be a good mother.


    It was still hard to believe that he was a father. If someone hinted it to him earlier, he would have brushed them off for joking. However, he couldn''t help feeling on top of the world. Eight months suddenly sounded like forever.


    His phone rang just as a business partner gave him a toast and he excused himself to answer it when he realized who the caller was.


    "What do you want?" He asked Alyssa, who was not wee to give him a call.


    "What else? I wanted to remind you that I have sent your birthday present." Before he could hang up, she added, "It''s going to be the most beautiful and unforgettable present of your life. I promise."


    When she ended the call, the bad feeling from earlier bubbled up his stomach again. Alyssa was definitely up to no good. What the hell was the most beautiful and unforgettable present of all time?


    "Are you okay?" Zaria was beside him before he could recollect himself.


    "Yes." He lied. When she gave him a skeptical look that called bullshit for his response, he conceded. "Fine. Alyssa really sent the gift she promised. She said it was going to be the most beautiful, unforgettable gift." He answered.


    She frowned. That sounded oddly eerie. What was the woman nning to do?


    "That''s certainly not how she has ever described any gift in my life. Whatever she is nning,"


    "Maybe it''s a woman." Zaria guessed.


    "What? How did you evene up with that?" He was puzzled by her train of thought.


    "Instinct. A woman can be considered beautiful and if she were to get together with you, you would never forget it." What she didn''t add was, she had a feeling it was not just going to be a random woman. She patted his shoulder. "Just stay away from the rooms. Maybe she is nning to set you up by making you stumble upon a woman in skimpy clothing? I wouldn''t put it past her to do that kind of thing."


    "I hope not." He ran a hand down his face.


    "Hey, Desmond. Are you okay?" Natalie asked, who had not seen Zaria from where she was. "Oh, Uhm, did I interrupt?"


    "No. It''s okay." Zaria beckoned her over and exined the situation.


    Natalie frowned deeply. "Based on the current turn of events, look out for that skank. Ang."


    Realizing that she was not the only one who thought of Ang, Zaria became worried. Would that woman really crash the banquet?


    "Let''s not worry about it. We only have to increase security and she will not be able toe in if she wants to." Zaria reassured the two and made the call for the security checks to be stricter.


    She then pulled Natalie aside for a chat.


    "Do you know Ang for a long time?" She asked.


    "We used to be friends." Natalie shrugged like she couldn''t care less. "She fell in love with Desmond and thought I would be against it so we lost contact. Anyway, she had be a toxic friend so I didn''t reach out either."


    Zaria had a worse feeling. If Ang had been that close to Desmond then there might have been other ways to bring her into the banquet. What if she came as someone''s plus one? It was possible, and she was yet to voice this out when a woman took up the stage. Her fears intensified when she looked over to see a familiar woman in a silver gown, who had taken up the mic as well as everyone''s attention. They had miscalcted.


    "Good evening everyone, I would like to introduce myself." A sweet voice filled the speakers.


    Zaria recognized the woman on stage as Ang Agur without having to be told. She looked a little different from the woman in the picture but that was probably because the picture had been taken years ago. She was here to crash the party!


    She made a call urgently. "Turn off the mic!" She ordered Zeus, but it was toote as Ang was already speaking and no one was making a move to stop her. If Desmond did, it would cause chaos and if she and Natalie rushed over, it wouldn''t make a difference with how far they were.


    "I''m Ang Agur, Desmond''s fianc¨¦e." She announced.


    "The nerve of that woman!" Zaria gritted her teeth.


    The worst was yet toe.


    "You must all be wondering, if I''m Desmond''s fianc¨¦e, what about Natalie Sparks?" She smiled like she owned the world. "That''s not a real engagement. It never was. His real fianc¨¦e has always been me, and we have a daughter together.. She turns five this year."

 Chapter 227 - Love Is Blind

    <h4>Chapter 227 - Love Is Blind</h4>


    Desmond''s lips twitched at how eager Ang was to cause trouble. She had probably been promised tons of benefits if she was even making up such a thing as a child.


    She was unbelievable, not that he had ever expected anything good toe out of her after what she did six years ago.


    ___


    Six Years Ago.


    Natalie stared at her friend who was pacing the room restlessly and she felt restless. "Okay. Spill it already. You are making everyone anxious." She prompted him.


    "He definitely knows that." Liam slumped into the couch as he waited for Desmond to gather his wits. Out of the blue, he had called his close friends¡ªLiam, Natalie, Leo and Evan¡ªfor a meeting. They couldn''t guess what he was going to discuss with them no matter how they tried to.


    "Are youing out of the closet?" Liam guessed, earning a re from everyone else.


    "What? I was just making a guess here." He defended himself.


    "It''s about Ang." Desmond finally spoke, his voice revealing just how nervous he was.


    "Don''t tell me you want to break up with her?" Evan was the second to make a wild guess that earned him a re.


    To prevent his friends from going crazy with the strangest guesses, he sat before them to exin what was happening. "I''m going to propose to her."


    The room went silent for a while before the men took turns pping his shoulder to congratte him.


    "That''s a huge step! Tell me if you need any help nning a proposal." Evan offered.


    "Olphire''s infamous casanova definitely knows how to please women with shy things." Leo remarked, aiming a jab at Evan. "But if you want a proposal that she will never forget because it was so meaningful and hit the right spot in her heart, don''t hesitate to find me."


    "Is there a difference?" Liam asked curiously, making the others give him an odd look.


    "Of course there is a huge difference. You can please a woman without leaving a deep impression. On the other hand, if your proposal proves how much you love her, she will never stop loving you." Leo, who had just turned into a love guru, gave his opinion.


    Liam didn''t doubt it. "The man who has the ability to tame Shera ck must have several tricks up his sleeve. Desmond, should we start nning for the proposal right away?"


    "Of course."


    He nodded before ncing at the silent Natalie. Everyone followed his line of sight to the silent woman and Liam couldn''t help expressing his curiosity. "Are you so touched by their love that you have no words?"


    "Hell no." Natalieughed. "You are kidding, right?"


    "What do you mean by that?" Desmond was a little annoyed by her tone as she asked the question.


    "You are not really nning to propose to Ang, are you?"


    "Natalie!" Evan jabbed her to shut her mouth. She didn''t.


    "Desmond, I know you love her but¡­ love is not all that matters where marriage is involved." She warned.


    "Says the woman who has dated the same man for four years and has vowed to be his wife in future." Evan ridiculed sarcastically, earning a jab in his side from Liam.


    "This is not about me, okay?" Natalie red at him. "This is about our friend, who is falling into a trap."


    "I am not falling into any trap and I don''t appreciate you calling Ang that." Desmond expressed his displeasure at her choice of words.


    "Yes you are. And that''s exactly what she is so no, I''m not sorry about my choice of words. Ang Agur is a heartless woman who cares about nothing but wealth."


    Liam couldn''t get her point. "That doesn''t make her a bad person or a trap as you say. Leo''s girlfriend is also¡­"


    "Please don''t drag my girlfriend into this, thanks." Leo retorted.


    Natalie looked at the two men and waved her hands. "This is not about Shera. While the whole world knows her for caring about nothing but wealth, she works hard to get it on her own. Ang, on the other hand, is a parasite who will want to suck you out of everything you have. She is only with you for money." She frowned in disgust. "She was my friend for the same reason. I know this is not something great to hear about your girlfriend but that''s how she really is."


    "I don''t care if she wants my wealth. I can work hard enough to make sure shecks nothing." Retorted Desmond, and Natalie wanted to p some sense into him.


    "Are you being serious right now?"


    "Forget it Nat. It''s not a bad thing for a woman to love luxury. Besides, love is blind." Evan hinted at Desmond''s reaction.


    "If a man wealthier than you offered better benefits, what would stop her from going for it?" Natalie huffed in frustration and stood, grabbing her bag. "Love is blind, deaf, and stupid sometimes. But I''m not going to sit here and watch my best friend fall into a ditch because of this ridiculous blindness. Watch me open your eyes in one week, Desmond. I will gouge your eyes out for them to see if I have to." She stormed out, and a hush befell the room.


    "She sounds terrifying." Evan squeaked.


    "Leave it to Natalie to protect her friends at all costs." Liam added, while Leo tried to make his presence unnoticeable.


    "That sounds like jealousy to me. Say, do you think Natalie''s rtionship with her actor boyfriend is fake? Because I don''t think a real one canst that long. Besides, she refuses to reveal his identity no matter how much we pry."


    "A real rtionshipsts forever, blockhead." Leo knocked Evan''s head with restrained force. He ignored theining man and turned to Leo, "Natalie cares about you as much as she would care for her brother. Her prejudice against Ang couldn''t be baseless. Maybe you should dy the proposal and look into Ang a little more?"


    Desmond ran a hand down his face in frustration. He didn''t want to look into his girlfriend without her knowledge and besides, he didn''t think there was any need to do so. On the other hand, Natalie had never been unreasonable and even if she hated Ang for how their friendship had ended, she would not want to disrupt their rtionship for no reason.


    ____


    The present.


    "Ha!" A chuckle filled the hall. Liam joined Ang on stage,ughing his ribs out. "You almost got us. I can''t believe this is the birthday prank you mentioned before."


    Ang rolled her eyes at him but before she could speak, Liam grabbed her hand. "Come on. Let''s see what you got for his present. It better be good enough to make up for the heart attack he almost suffered."


    Zeus chose that moment to cut off the mic, in case Ang retaliated. She was not so crazy as to cause more drama since no one would believe her words, so she left the hall with Liam.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, Desmond walked back to the perplexed Zaria. She was still standing in the same position, not having moved an inch.


    "Sweetheart, she has been driven out." He said in relief.


    She evaded his touch. "Why didn''t you tell me that you have a daughter?"


    "Because I don''t. She made it up." He exined, relief washing over his face when she believed him.


    She led him away from the banquet hall, to the swimming pool. The kids were swimming and sshing around as the lifeguards watched them, so they would not interrupt them.


    He sat on a bench beside her. "I didn''t tell you everything about my rtionship with her in the past because I didn''t think it was important, but now, I think you should know." He started, then exined everything up to the day he told his friends about his n to propose.


    "Natalie didn''t think it was a good idea to propose. She threw a fit and left the room in anger. At that point, I was torn in between her and Ang. Only one of them was telling the truth and I didn''t know who to believe. Sometimes I thought Natalie was overthinking things. Until she returned a weekter, with pictures to show me."


    "Pictures?" She probed.


    "Ang was cheating on me with different men."


    Zaria ced her hand on his shoulder. "I''m sorry."


    "I''m over her." He smiled and took her hand. "Natalie forced me out the door to show me more evidence since she thought I didn''t believe the pictures she had shown me. She took me to the house I had bought Ang, the one that would have been our marital home if we were to get married. We went at the right moment, when she was discussing her next moves with her parents. It turned out she was not even in love with me. She was using me for my money and without my knowledge, she had been stealing from my bank ounts."


    "That sucks." Zaria hated the woman even more.


    "Not as much as you suck, Zaria Williams." A female voice cut them off. Zaria rolled her eyes when she realized that Ang was back. She had already caused enough chaos and the guests were specting the truthfulness of her words versus Liam''s. What else did she want? She didn''t bother turning, but Desmond did.


    He was intending to tell her off but he stopped, bbergasted when he saw the little girl at Ang''s feet. It was the little girl he had found familiar earlier, the one who had been clinging to Zaria.


    He finally realized why he had thought that way. The girl looked a lot like Ang. Was she¡­


    Ang''s words confirmed his horror.


    "Rosaly, say happy birthday to daddy.." Ang smiled sweetly.

 Chapter 228 - I Want To Play With Daddy

    <h4>Chapter 228 - I Want To y With Daddy</h4>


    The longer Zaria studied the little girl before her, the more she was convinced that she was Desmond''s daughter. She took after him in so many ways for it to be fake.


    She stared at her boyfriend in shock. He had just denied having a child with Ang. To think that she had actually believed him. She wanted to ask him a billion questions but couldn''t do that in the child''s presence. Instead, she forced a smile.


    "I''ll just make sure the guests are alright. If you''ll excuse me."


    "Zaria!" He reached out to take her hand but she shook him off.


    "D-daddy?" Rosaly muttered shyly when he turned to leave.


    "Your daughter is speaking to you. Are you going to disregard her?" Ang asked before he could take a stop, and his brain finally snapped.


    "Why on earth would you do this?"


    "Do what? All I did was bring your daughter to you." She feigned innocence, which irritated him all the more.


    With Ang''s prompt, Rosaly stepped forward to give him a little gift box. "Happy birthday, daddy." As soon as he took the box, she scurried back to hide behind her mother. Desmond red at Ang who must have made her think that he was scary.


    "Rosaly, do you want to y with Laia?" He asked, and the little girl ran all the way to the swimming pool where the other kids were.


    The woman before him smiled bashfully as though she couldn''t wait for them to have some alone time since Zaria and Rosaly were out of the way.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about her before?" He demanded, straight to the point without beating around the bush.


    "You broke up with me." She made it out to be his fault. He couldn''t believe the nerve of this woman! Would he have broken up with her if she had not been a maniptive, cheating girlfriend?


    When she met his enraged expression, she seemed to remember why they broke up so she switched up excuses. "Let''s face it. I found out after we broke up. You would have asked me to get rid of the baby if I told you that I was pregnant."


    His lips twitched. He probably would have, but that would only be because he would not believe her and would not want her to manipte him with a lie. But if he knew that she was really carrying his child, he would never have asked her to abort it!


    She crossed her arms, validating her excuse. "I wanted to keep my baby. Not because it was the only memory I had of you but because I''m not a heartless woman. I would never want my child dead. I did all I could to protect her and that included keeping her away from you."


    He didn''t believe any of her bullshit. "Why didn''t you tell me after she was born? I was not going to make you strangle her, was I?"


    "I did not want you involved in her life." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Don''t get me wrong, Desmond. It''s not because I hated you. I didn''t. I loved you." She took a deep breath dramatically and her voice broke when she spoke out the next words. "I would never be able to make it up to you for what I did. I thought the best thing I could do for you was not disrupt your life. I knew you wanted nothing to do with me and if Rosaly was going to make you have to marry me, especially with the kind of parents you have, I preferred to keep her away."


    Her sobbing excuse was ridiculous. He couldn''t believe that when she did things "for the best of others" in the past, he would believe her. His mind had truly been fried as Natalie put it.


    "Since you hated to disrupt my peace, why did you choose to disrupt it now?" He asked in ridicule.


    "Rosaly needs a father. I''ve been a good mother but it doesn''t keep her from wanting a father." She sighed sadly, and he didn''t believe her excuse in the slightest.


    Alyssa would not have promised an unforgettable gift if the entire situation was real. It was a plot and there was no way he would be convinced otherwise.


    He looked back at the ying kids and focused on Rosaly who was sshing water at a little girl. "I want to do a DNA test."


    "Well, as you wish." She shrugged as if that would prove that she was not lying and had nothing to hide.


    He was lost in a trance looking at the girl who was supposedly his daughter. The DNA test would be superficial since he already knew from his gut feeling what the results would be. Rosaly must be his daughter. Otherwise, there was no way to exin why he felt such a strong connection seeing her for the first time. It was different from holding his friends'' children. It should have made him happy but unfortunately, her appearance had changed so many things.


    "Don''t you want to follow your girlfriend? She looked upset." Ang smiled brilliantly.


    Meanwhile, Zaria had rushed all the way to the restroom and pushed the door open with force. Natalie was on the other side and was almost hit by the door.


    "I''m so sorry. I¡­" Zaria''s voice broke as she burst into tears, which she had been holding.


    "Are you okay? What happened?" Natalie shut the door after pulling her in, and held her shoulders. Zaria broke down in her arms and all Natalie could do was rub her back and wait for her to calm down. It didn''t take long to make a guess. Was what Ang said true? Did she really have a child with Desmond? If it was unproven, Zaria would not be so devastated.


    "She looks so much like him. Like both of them." Zaria sniffled when she started to calm down.


    "Did she bring her?" Asked Natalie, to which Zaria nodded.


    "I''m sorry you had to find out about it this way. But I didn''t know Ang was pregnant when she and Desmond broke up. It could all be made up."


    "I don''t think so." She pulled away to wash her face in the sink. "I asked him earlier and he imed not to have a child with her. I was so stupid to believe him."


    "Hey, don''t think about it too much, okay?" She hugged her again. "He probably thought he didn''t, because he didn''t know either. If he did, he would never have hidden such an important thing from you."


    That was not what mattered here. Whether or not he knew, Rosaly did exist. What now? Was she going to be the woman who keeps a child and her father apart? She would never bear to do that! But if she broke up with him so he would be with his daughter, what about her baby?


    "Zaria?" A knock resounded on the door at the same time as Desmond called out. "Are you in there?"


    "Get lost, jerk." Natalie roared. If he had not gotten together with that woman, would any of this happen? She was mad at him, because a considerate woman would have told him about the child in private and let him choose the right time to tell his girlfriend. His choice of a girlfriend in the past was what was making Zaria so broken now. Besides, she was pregnant and didn''t need to be stressed out.


    Desmond was taken aback by the outrage. "Nat, Zaria is in there, right? Please open the door."


    "This is the women''s restroom." She fired back.


    Zaria had to smile at that. She pulled out some paper towels and dabbed them at her wet face, before discarding them. She then headed for the door. "Thanks a lot, Nat. But we have to have this conversation some day."


    "Well, good luck." Natalie opened the door and they both got out. She left the two in the hallway and headed back to the banquet hall.


    "So, is she your daughter or not?" She asked, straight to the point.


    "Zaria," His mouth felt dry. He didn''t know what to tell her.


    "Should I take that as a yes or no?" She leaned against the wall, staring at him hard.


    "I''m going to take a DNA test."


    She smiled at his words, but there was nothing about it. "What if the resultes out positive? What happens afterwards?"


    He ran a hand down his hair. The worst thing he could ever do was abandon his child. This applied to both Rosaly, if she was his, and the child Zaria was carrying. Besides, he didn''t want to leave his girlfriend. It was going to be difficult but he had to make a decision as soon as possible.


    ¡­


    Ang answered a call soon after Desmond left.


    "I did what you asked."


    "Good. The benefits will be worth it, I promise." Responded Alyssa, who sounded overjoyed.


    She smirked. She was chasing after the said benefits. It was already good enough to watch the drama unfold.


    "Mommy?" Rosaly tugged her dress. She was all wet from swimming, making Ang frown.


    "Let''s get you dried up. We have to go."


    Rosaly looked bummed. "But I want to y with Daddy. Laia and the others are going to ask their daddies to crown them with tiaras. I want to ask Daddy too."


    Ang had no idea what she meant and zero interest to understand, so she brushed it off. "You are going to miss it out this time.. But when your daddy and I get married, you can have him crown you whenever you want."

 Chapter 229 - How Kind Of You

    <h4>Chapter 229 - How Kind Of You</h4>


    Desmond reached a hand out to touch Zaria''s face but she evaded it.


    His heart broke. "Zaria, things may have changed now that I''m probably a father, but I don''t want to lose you. Our rtionship doesn''t have to change."


    It didn''t. She knew this, but she also knew that the only way for them to be together was for her to ept Rosaly''s existence. Knowing Desmond, he would want to fight for her custody. Was she ready for a little girl to think of her as the reason why her family could not be together?


    "Let''s talk about it when the results are out." She stepped away from him. It was her way of evading the truth but he humored her.


    "You must promise me that no matter what, you will not leave me because of Rosaly." He demanded.


    "You can''t just ask that of me!" She scoffed.


    "I can and I did!" He fired back. "If you want to leave me because you don''t love me anymore, I can ept that. But if it''s because of someone else, I will not let that happen. And Rosaly definitely qualifies as someone else."


    "Are you kidding me?" She huffed, and his serious expression proved that he was not kidding. The man was trapping her. She brushed past him and left.


    He sucked in a breath and dug into his pants pocket. He held the blue velvet box he had just taken out in his hand andughed at himself in ridicule. A few meters down the street, there was a regal hotel that had earned the title of the most romantic hotel in the city. It was the tallest and gave a beautiful view of the city at night, and had a romantic VIP chamber on the rooftop. Tonight, he had booked the VIP chamber. He had nned to ask her out after the banquet and propose to her in the most romantic ce in the city. Who would have thought that Ang woulde waltzing back into his life and bring with her a daughter to change everything?


    "I really don''t have any luck with proposing, do I?" He spoke to the velvet box as if it could hear him.


    ¡­


    The day before.


    "Are you looking for Zaria?" Theodore asked Desmond who had just entered his office. He frowned when he remembered that the man who should know where Zaria was during the day was not him but Desmond. "Is she alright?"


    "Zaria is perfectly fine." Desmond took a seat when Theodore pointed his hand at the leather chair opposite him. "I came to speak to you about something."


    "Get to the point."


    Desmond revealed his intention to propose to Zaria. He thought Theodore would be excited to wish him luck but on the contrary, the man was expressionless.


    "Do you really think it''s a good idea?" He asked.


    "I don''t see why not." Responded Desmond. "Zaria and I love each other and we both know that we are good for each other. Besides, we are soon-to-be parents now and I think it''s best to give our baby aplete family. I''m sure she thinks the same way."


    Theodore did not flinch. "That''s not the point. Your past is dark. You still have too many pending issues. I suggest you solve these first, instead of pulling my daughter with you into a ditch."


    "I will never let any harm befall Zaria." He vowed.


    "Of course you wouldn''t. If you insist, go ahead and propose to her."


    Desmond smiled bitterly as he reyed Theodore''s words from the night before over and over. He didn''t have his blessing. He should have listened.


    His phone rang, pulling him out of his thoughts.


    "It better be something important." He growled at Liam who had called.


    "You ungrateful jerk. Ang is about to leave the banquet."


    For a while, he didn''t understand why that should concern him. When he realized what he had nned to do, he yelled "got it" into the phone and made a beeline for the exit.


    When he arrived, Ang was trying to talk her way out.


    "Ang." He called, and she turned with an eye roll.


    "Did you order them to stop me?"


    "We still have business to finish."


    When Rosaly heard his voice, she excitedly ran to him. "Daddy!"


    He hesitated, looking down at the cute girl. He suddenly didn''t know what to do with her. It was awkward, especially with the girl holding out her arms to be hugged. He quickly realized this and picked her up. His heart stung at the thought that he was holding his daughter for the first time when she was already so old.


    Without a word, he turned to leave.


    "Where are you taking her?" Ang screeched.


    "Stop her." He ordered the guards, who blocked the yelling Ang as he headed to the elevator.


    "Daddy, are we going to y?" Questioned the girl a few seconds before she asked, "Why was mommy shouting? Is it because you didn''t eat your vegetables?"


    "No." He found it odd that the girl would think refusing to eat vegetables warranted getting yelled at. He didn''t want to deliberately give her a bad impression of her mother so he changed the topic. "We are going to meet a friend."


    As soon as the elevator opened, a nurse greeted them. "You must be Mr. Fort. I''m Victoria, Mr. Preston told me to meet you here."


    Rosaly immediately grabbed onto Desmond''s clothes, whining in fear.


    "Hi there sweetie, you don''t need to be scared. I''m not going to inject you." Victoria smiled kindly, but Rosaly''s hands only loosened a little.


    Desmond rubbed her back. "It''s okay. She is only going to check your cheeks."


    "Really?" She was relieved when Desmond assured her, so she let him bring her to a room where she opened her mouth with Victoria''s instructions. When the nurse got the mouth swab, she gave her a lollipop for being a brave little girl.


    "The results will be out on Monday. Shall I send them to your home address?" She asked.


    "Send them to my office." He turned to leave.


    Ang was beside herself in fury when she learnt what Desmond had gone to do. "I could have sent you her sample. You didn''t have to traumatize her like that!"


    He gave her back to Ang, his eyes full of warning. "Don''t do anything you shouldn''t."


    "I have no idea what you mean." She shrugged. When she turned to leave, Rosaly stuck her hand out to reach for Desmond.


    "Daddy, are youing with us?"


    "No. Go home with mommy." He didn''t know how to exin to her. He knew that the girl must be confused because her friends'' parents lived together.


    The girl tilted her head in confusion and asked, "But other daddies go home with us."


    "Rosaly!" Ang roared, having been unable to stop her in time.


    On the other hand, Desmond''s back stiffened when he processed her words. "Other daddies, Ang?"


    "Doesn''t every father live with his child? She is confused about it but don''t worry. I will not force you to live with us." She brushed it off as an ordinary situation.


    Even so, he knew that it was not what the girl meant. It sounded like she was talking about her other daddies. Was Ang so irresponsible as to introduce multiple men to her daughter as her fathers?


    He had been reluctant to separate a child from her mother earlier but if this was the case, he would sue for Rosaly''s custody as soon as she was proven to be his daughter.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Zaria stumbled into the house feeling exhausted. She had cried in the bathroom for a long time, wiped her tears and redone her makeup in the car. Theodore wouldn''t suspect anything.


    But when he saw her, he was startled. "Zaria? Why are you back?"


    "I don''t understand. Is there any reason why I should note home?" She frowned.


    "No. That''s not what I meant." Theodore got out of her way. "I just expected you to stay over at Desmond''s. You have not been that close to each othertely."


    "Of course." She pressed her lips together.


    He was even more confused. Did she say no? Why was the situation so different from what he thought? When he peeked at her finger and didn''t see any engagement ring, he concluded that the proposal either didn''t happen or she said no.


    "Princess, you know you can tell me anything, right?" He coaxed when he noticed the emptiness in her eyes, which shattered his heart.


    She had intended to keep it to herself and not worry him but as soon as he asked, her tears came gushing out yet again. "He has a daughter."


    "What?"


    "His ex girlfriend showed up with their daughter." She buried her head in his embrace and exined everything to him.


    "Oh princess."


    He let her get herself together before asking, "Is that why you rejected him?"


    "How did you know?" She sat up straight.


    "You reek of heartbreak. The kind which is only ever a result of cutting ties with the one you love." He flicked her forehead.


    "So you are the heartbreak expert now, huh?" Sheughed at his new superpower through her tears.


    He chuckled. "Maybe. Anyway, did he decide to leave you to marry his daughter''s mother?"


    "No." She bit her lips. It didn''t change a thing.


    Theodore raised an eyebrow. "So, you are making the decision for him. How kind of you to push your man into another woman''s arms even if it breaks his heart."


    ____


    AN


    Mass release tomorrow (5-10 chapters, 12:00am to 11:59 pm GMT+8)

 Chapter 230 - Chance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 230 - Chance (1)</h4>


    "That''s not fair." Her eyes dropped.


    Theodore flicked her forehead for being stubborn. "The world is never fair. At least notpletely. Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself for the well being of others but at other times, you have to be selfish. If Desmond takes you up on your offer and marries his ex-girlfriend to be with his daughter, what will happen once my grandchild is born?"


    Her hand slid down her stomach. "I can take care of my child."


    "Without their father, right? You will have switched positions with Ang." He reminded her.


    "I¡­" She averted her gaze. She had not thought about it that way.


    He ran a hand down her back. "I know what you are scared of. You just don''t want to be a step-mother, right?"


    She remained silent, neither agreeing with him or denying his im and he took it as a yes.


    "Do you remember Sofia?"


    She was taken aback by the sudden change of topic and it took her a while to process his question.


    "Sofia, the Latina woman who was your friend in the past?"


    "Yes." He confirmed. "Well, about that, she was not just my friend. She was my girlfriend."


    "Huh?" That was shocking, but why was he mentioning it now?


    "She was a good person. Kind, beautiful, and most importantly, she loved you. I had long known the kind of person she was before letting the two of you meet so I was certain that she was not faking her love for you. She really did adore you and would treat you well."


    "Okay¡­" She didn''t remember much about the woman but the memory of their cheerful times together was still intact.


    "She really ticked all the boxes." He continued, making her wonder where he was going with this awkward topic. "And the cherry on the top is that her family was ready to ept you as well. It was going to be a business marriage and I would gain everything I needed from it. Especially a loving mother for you¡ªwhich I knew you needed more than anything."


    "Why didn''t the two of you get married then?" She asked, suddenly finding it strange. For a while back then, she had also wondered whether Sofia would be her step mother in future but out of the blue, she had stoppeding over.


    Theodore let out a deep sigh. "Your mother, Lucy."


    "Huh?"


    "I couldn''t forget her. I tried my best but no matter what, I woulde boiling down to my feelings for her. I soon realized that I was not just finding it hard to move on after her departure. I never wanted to move on in the first ce because I loved her so much."


    "Dad¡­" Her eyes watered.


    "It''s been twenty-three years Zaria. If I were to marry another woman back then, it would be unfair to her. My heart would never belong to her." He concluded, and her view of him once again shattered. For years, he had made it sound like Lucy was the devil he wanted to get over.


    "But now that she is back and it''s clear that she still loves you too¡­ow!" She rubbed her forehead that had been flicked by him again.


    "This is not about your mother and me. It''s about you and the pain you might cause your man by leaving him."


    "I understand." She grabbed her phone to make a call.


    His phone was off. After trying a few more times unsessfully, she concluded that he probably needed some time to himself to process the shocking news he had just received, and decided to meet him on Monday.


    __


    She saw his car in the parking lot when she arrived at work, much to her relief. She had bugged Natalie for news about him and thetter had let her know that he was alright, but she would only calm down after seeing him. The elevator ride felt like a train ride to Luxenville and when she finally got off, the first person she bumped into was Ang. What a way to start a Monday morning.


    "I want to see Desmond." The woman demanded, and Zaria wondered who had let her into the executive floor. She wouldn''t be surprised if the woman threw Desmond''s name around as her fianc¨¦ who was also the father of her child, and threatened to fire whoever got in her way.


    But she was not going to cave to such tactics.


    She cast Ang a nce. "Do you have an appointment?"


    "Are you kidding me?" Angughed in ridicule, especially since she knew who Zaria was. Alyssa had already told her that she was the shameless woman who would get into a rtionship with her very engaged boss, which intensified her hate. "So I need an appointment to see my fianc¨¦. Are you implying that if my daughter wants to meet her father, she would also need an appointment?"


    "Considering you are on this floor and Desmond has not let you into his office, yes. You need an appointment to see your ex-boyfriend." She emphasized on thest word to remind Ang of her ce.


    This audacious woman!


    "Do you know who I am?" She growled, only for Ang to chuckle as though she was a joke.


    "Of course, Miss Agur. I know who you are. And I also know that if I deny your entry to Desmond''s office, you are not going in even if Liam Preston or Lucy Roatta allow you. It''s in my employee contract. Do you want to take a look?"


    Ang huffed in anger. She despised the woman before her but she also knew that she couldn''t underestimate the authority of executive assistants in Preston and Fort Group. Not to mention, this was Desmond''s girlfriend and she might intentionally block her entry out of spite. So she reluctantly lowered her voice.


    "Look. I''m here because Rosaly''s DNA test results have been sent over to Desmond."


    "Last I checked, he could read perfectly well. Unless the test report was written in anguage he doesn''t understand?"


    She had had enough. Her hands flew to her hips. "Listen to me, whore! I was just being polite. This is a matter regarding my family and you have no right to interfere! And what you are doing right now is overstepping your boundaries."


    A chuckle escaped Zaria''s lips. "Rx, I don''t want to be involved in the matters of a woman who needs a DNA test report to know who the father of her daughter is."


    She left the fuming Ang in the hallway and entered her office. Locking the door behind her in case Ang went crazy and tried to follow her, she used the door between the two offices to get into Desmond''s.


    "Hey." She whispered when she saw him. He was holding a sheet of paper which she guessed to be the DNA test report.


    He put it aside. "Zaria,"


    She didn''t need to ask anything. His expression was enough response. "Should I say congrattions?"


    He looked up at her as she walked over to him. "You can say that. But only if you are ready to listen to my exnation."


    She smiled. "I''m listening."


    He was in disbelief for a moment, as though he had not expected her to give him a chance. He waited for her to sit before he spoke. "Rosaly is indeed my daughter." He took a deep breath.


    "I looked into Ang and ording to reports, she didn''t abuse Rosaly in any way. I don''t have a reason to take her away aside from my own vengeful selfishness, but I don''t want to do that to Rosaly. She''s innocent in all this."


    "What do you want to do?" She asked calmly, and he was uncertain whether to continue. Was she really okay? Deciding to answer since she asked, he continued, "I have decided not to fight for full custody of her. We can share her custody instead. She can live with her mother and over the weekends, someone can pick her up toe over and stay with us." He carefully studied her expression. "If you want to be part of her life, that is."


    She weighed his response and couldn''t think of a better way to handle this. He must have thought of how ufortable it would be for her if she personally went to Ang''s to see Rosaly or pick her up, so he chose to have someone else pick her up. He was quite thoughtful, she had to give him that.


    "But what if I don''t want to be part of her life?" She asked, purely out of curiosity.


    The disappointment in his eyes was clear but he didn''t voice it as he didn''t expect her to ept his daughter who had basically popped out of nowhere.


    "And why exactly would you want to be away from her?" He asked. "Is it because you don''t like the idea of getting close to a child you didn''t know about, or because you just don''t want to?"


    "To keep things peaceful." She bit her bottom lip. "Desmond, I would never take my frustration out on a child. But if I''m going to continue dating you, I don''t want to be thought of as the woman who broke up a happy family."


    "That''s not what happened." She frowned that she would even think of it that way.


    "That''s not what happened, but it''s what is going to be on her mind. The woman dating your father who is not your mother is often the one at fault." She retorted.


    It was a sensitive topic for her, so he didn''t want to push her buttons. He remained silent for a while figuring out what to do. "Do you want to give her a chance? Maybe spend some time with her and if you don''t like her, I will make sure there is enough distance between the two of you." He suggested.


    __


    AN


    Sorry for the dy, I only finished my household chores a while ago.. The first mass release chapter will be up in 3 hours.

 Chapter 231 - Chance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 231 - Chance (2)</h4>


    Minutes passed in silence and he tried not to disrupt her. This was a huge decision after all, and it would be best if she had enough time to think about it. But that didn''t stop him from feeling anxious. He was literally at the edge of his seat as she sighed and looked like she was about to speak, only to close her mouth without saying a word. Just when he didn''t think he could hold it anymore, she finally spoke.


    "I''ll have to think about it."


    He nodded. "I understand. Take your time and you can tell me once you have considered it." He was somewhat relieved even though she had not said yes to his proposition. This meant she was not entirely against the idea and thought it might be worth a shot.


    "Zeus and I are going to switch positions in a few weeks." She swiftly changed the topic back to work.


    "That''s a relief because I miss my feisty executive assistant." He grinned, before his face fell serious. He picked up a brown envelope. "Zaria, there are things you should know."


    "Okay?" His tone rendered her nervous.


    "Don''t be nervous. It''s not fatal." He attempted to ease her anxiety in vain. "Do you remember the Fort Resort project that was set to kick off in March?"


    "The aquarium?" She asked and he confirmed by nodding, so she nodded too. "Yes. What about it?"


    "An identical aquarium is being set up by the West Conglomerate." He dropped the bummer.


    "You''re kidding right?" Sheughed. When he shook his head solemnly, she was puzzled. "How could that be? Even if they are going to set up an aquarium, how can it be identical to ours? We didn''t reveal the n publicly. Obviously, that would be insane¡­" She stopped speaking when she realized that he was staring at her as though waiting for her slow brain to realize what was happening.


    "Wait. Was our n stolen?"


    "Unfortunately, yes."


    She was enraged. "What are those private investigators doing? It''s been so long and I don''t see any sign of a mole being sniffed out. Instead, all I see is more secret information getting leaked. What the hell?"


    His frustration mirrored hers. "It disappoints me too. Moreover, this time all the evidence points towards you."


    Sheughed it off as though it was a ridiculous joke. "Why would I be a suspect in the first ce?"


    Realizing that his words had almost made her misunderstand, he quickly rified. "Not in my eyes. I would never suspect you of doing such a thing but technically, I''m supposed to think that way ording to Nathaniel''s plot. He specifically chose a n that you were in charge of before leaving to your intern, and gave it to the West Conglomerate."


    "So you are supposed to think that I''m getting back at you for having a child with Ang by selling off an important project?"


    "Apparently." He confirmed her guess, making herugh in disbelief. Nathaniel was quite the persistent one, wasn''t he?


    ¡­


    At the door.


    The two had left the door semi-opened again, Lucy thought with an eye roll. They were lucky that this was the executive floor and unless the security waspromised, no one aside from the executive employees would go close enough to his office.


    But she had overheard everything and her expression darkened. Nathaniel Su!


    She nced down at her files and decided to discuss the content with Desmondter. She had something more important to do.


    "Mo¡­ Ms Roatta, are you heading somewhere?" Zeus asked when he bumped into Lucy in the hallway, knowing that she had a meeting soon.


    "To protect my daughter and grandchild." She threw him a vague answer and left, her chest heaving with rage. She had given Nathaniel too many chances but he had paid no heed to her warning. So, he shouldn''t me her for being ruthless.


    _


    That evening, Desmond intended to pick Rosaly up from school so he would tell her the truth. His investigation revealed that she went to Anoix Academy, which was somewhat a bummer. Whether or not he was her biological father, he couldn''t pick her up if he was not in the child''s school documents. Considering the fact that Ang had hidden her away for five years, it was not hard to guess the oue if he were to show up at the school.


    So, he had no choice but to give his ex-girlfriend a call. It was the most difficult call he had made in thest six years.


    "Desmond, I can''t believe you actually gave me a call." The woman on the other side sounded overjoyed and in disbelief. "You still have my cell phone number."


    "Cut the crap." He bit out. He had retrieved her contact number through Skeleton, not that it mattered. "I am going to pick Rosaly up this afternoon. Give Anoix Academy a call and let them know."


    The line went silent for a while before Ang started sobbing. "She is my life, Desmond. You can''t take her away from me. Please."


    "If you don''t give Anoix Academy a call, I will show up in the administration office with the DNA test report and use you of forcefully keeping her away from me. At the very least, they will let Rosaly decide who she wants to go home with. Do you want to take a bet?"


    "You heartless man!" She yelled and hung up, and he knew he had seeded.


    They both knew that Rosaly would choose to go back home with her mother. After all, they had been together for all these years and she loved her mother. However, it was uncertain what kind of emotional damage it would cause the little girl, knowing that she couldn''t freely be with her father. Of course, if Ang didn''t relent, he would have retreated. He couldn''t bear to hurt Rosaly.


    It was for the same reason that he couldn''t fairly win if he fought for her custody. As long as Ang had been a good mother, the chances of him winning simply based on the fact that he had been deprived of the rights of a father were nearly negative.


    "You are in deep thought." Zaria waved a hand in front of his face. She had only left for a while and came back to her boyfriend nked out with his phone in hand.


    "I''m going to pick Rosaly up from school this afternoon." He reported.


    "That''s thoughtful of you." She remarked.


    He searched her expression for any sign of difort. When he didn''t see any, he sighed in relief. "Do you want toe with me?"


    "It''s not a good idea. You should pick her up first and get to know her before you tell her about your girlfriend."


    She was right so he didn''t insist. Even so, he had to give her a reminder. "If you ever feel ufortable about anything¡ªand I mean the slightest form of difort¡ªyou have to let me know, okay?"


    She nodded, her mind finally letting reality sink in. She might be a stepmother soon. She suddenly didn''t know how to react to the realization.


    "I''ll meet up with Natalie this evening. She has an idea on who the mole might be." She touched his shoulder as though asking for permission.


    He pulled her to sit on hisp. "Don''t work too hard, okay? I''ll pick you up when you are done discussing."


    Hence in the afternoon, he drove to Anoix Academy with all sorts of thoughts in his mind. He had never imagined himself picking up a child, his own child, from school. It felt surreal. In the sea of little girls and boys, he caught sight of Rosaly, dragging her schoolbag tiredly beside her friends as she searched around. Had she been told that he was picking her up?


    He didn''t need to ask. When the girl spotted him, she let go of her school bag and ran all the way to him, jumping into his arms as soon as he crouched to hug her.


    "Daddy!"


    "Hi there. Was school exciting?" He tousled her hair.


    Her face scrunched up. "I''m so tired. I want to sleep."


    "You can sleep once we get home." He instructed a bodyguard to get her school bag and turned to head back to the car.


    "I can''t sleep yet. I have to go to Ballet ss."


    She didn''t sound happy about it.


    He yfully pinched her cheeks. "If it will make you less tired tomorrow, you don''t have to go to Ballet ss today."


    "Really?" She was pleasantly surprised.


    "Really. Now let''s go home and get you to sleep, okay? I''ll call your instructor and let them know that you will not be going." He wondered why she had to go to a ballet ss outside school. If his memory of Anoix Academy served him right, they had regr dance sses and ballet was among them, just not on a professional level.


    He was yet to ask her this when Ang blocked their path.


    "I don''t know why you are here but I''ll warn you once, Ang¡­"


    "Des, please listen to me." She was on the verge of dropping to her knees. "I only showed up with Rosaly under someone''s instructions."


    "I know that." He deadpanned.


    "I wouldn''t have agreed if I knew this is how it would turn out." She sobbed. "They assured me that you would not want to be involved with her! Actually, I didn''t want you to be in her life. I still don''t want that. All I want is to be with my daughter."


    She nced at her daughter who was drifting to sleep on Desmond''s shoulder then at the man who was looking at her spitefully.


    "Can you not take her away from me? Please. You can assume she doesn''t exist and this will be for the good of all of us. After all, you don''t want to have a stiff rtionship with your girlfriend for being a father either."


    ____


    AN


    What do you think of this deal?


    A. Perfect! Take it quickly, Des.


    B. Ridiculous!


    1/5 or 10

 Chapter 232 - Chance (3)

    <h4>Chapter 232 - Chance (3)</h4>


    He studied her expression for a sign of this being a joke she hade up with. When he found none, he burst intoughter. "Are you out of your mind?"


    "I really mean it. Give her back to me and I promise, you will never see her again." She insisted stubbornly.


    He wanted to knock some sense into her dumb head. She must be under the influence of some crazy drugs to think up such nonsense. "Who told you I disliked my daughter and don''t want to be in her life?"


    Her eyes widened in shock. "You¡­"


    He raised a hand to shut her up. "Get out of my sight. Don''t appear before me again if you still want to be part of her life." He threatened, his underlying meaning clear. If she appeared before him again, he would take Rosaly away from her permanently.


    It was not a trivial matter and she didn''t doubt that he could do that out of anger.


    However, his response shocked her. Didn''t Desmond hate kids? Why would he want to take one away permanently? She frowned deeply when she recalled the only time they discussed the topic, when she had suggested getting off her birth control so they would have a baby, and his response had been that he wanted nothing to do with children. What was that about? Her brain turned in possibilities. Was it because he just didn''t want to have a baby with her? Then the joke was on him.


    She was still reeling in shock when a female bodyguard approached her. "I''m sorry ma''am, but I''ve been instructed to search you."


    "How dare you!" She wanted to p her but was no match for a highly trained bodyguard.


    "We cannot ignore the risk of you taking pictures to tarnish Mr. Fort''s reputation. Excuse me.


    She gritted her teeth. Desmond dared to humiliate her now, huh.


    "Just you wait." She spat angrily.


    "Sir, I didn''t find anything suspicious." reported the bodyguard when she went back to the car.


    Desmond hummed in response without tearing his gaze from the sleeping Rosaly. She was snuggled up against him with her hand tightly grabbing onto his clothes. Maybe that was just how kids slept, he thought, gently prying her hand off so it wouldn''t get cramped. He had expected Ang to try and use their meeting as a chance to rile Zaria up. Luckily, she didn''t, but he didn''t let down his guard. There was no way to guess that woman''s next move and it was better to be safe.


    When they arrived, he gently took his daughter out of the car. He had tried not to wake her but she opened her eyes thanks to his movements.


    "Daddy, where is this ce?" She asked as soon as her mind cleared. This was not her home.


    "This is where I live." He answered, wondering whether she wanted a toy or a snack. What did little girls like?


    While he hurriedly googled what to do with a little girl, thetter was curiously taking everything in.


    "Daddy, why is this clock so big?" She asked, pointing at the grandfather clock at therge wall clock that nearly covered the entire wall.


    "Because I wanted a big one?" He wasn''t sure what exination would make better sense. As expected, his answer only made her more curious.


    She tilted her head to the side. "But why such a big one?" She continued asking, and he was helpless. He had almost forgotten. If kids had a trademark, it would be the questions they ask.


    "Well, I don''t know. I thought it was beautiful."


    "It is really beautiful." She remarked and went on to ask a gazillion other questions about random things, before she yawned. "Daddy, I''m hungry."


    "What do you want to eat?" He tapped her face, and she was puzzled by his question.


    "I get to choose?"


    The excitement in her eyes told him that something odd had been going on her entire life. Was it such a big deal?


    "Yes. What do you usually eat for dinner?"


    The mention of dinner made her eyes droop. He patted her head and waited for her to make a choice.


    "Can I have pasta, just this once?" She asked. He took note of her trembling little body and wondered why she would think it was a risk asking him that.


    "You like pasta? I''ll make you some." He promised, before remembering that he was a rookie in the kitchen. It would probably be a miracle if he didn''t burn down the entire kitchen. After three unsessful attempts, he conceded and called his part time chef to do it. Meanwhile, Rosaly was beside herself in excitement.


    "Come here." He grabbed her halfway through her sprint across the living room and sat her down. She cocked her head curiously.


    "Do you like pasta very much?" He probed, finding her response earlier bizarre.


    She nodded. "Mommy won''t let me have it."


    Of course. He knew it had something to do with Ang and quite possibly some dietary restrictions. "Why not?" He asked, trying not to sound harsh.


    "Because ballerinas can''t be fat."


    Why in the world would a little girl have that kind of thought in her mind?


    He wanted to interrogate Ang but knew that it would only cause damage. If she was half as toxic as he was starting to think she was, she would punish the girlter if he asked about it.. On the other hand, it was quite possible that he was being overly sensitive. He would have to investigate it.


    After dinner, where the girl had managed to scarf down two servings of pasta since the rare opportunity had presented itself, he gave her his tablet to y with as he went to pick Zaria up.[1]


    ¡­


    Two hours ago.


    "Zaria, here!" Natalie waved when she saw Zaria walk into the restaurant.


    Zaria rushed over and gave Natalie a hug. "Hey, are you doing okay? You look dull."


    "I''ve not been leaving the house much." She brushed it off with an excuse.


    Zaria knew she was lying right away. Since when did staying indoors make anyone look sad and have swollen eyes? Although she had done a good job with makeup and it was barely noticeable, Zaria could recognize a swollen eye even under dark colored goggles. Nheless, she didn''t probe. The woman probably had a lot going on, especially after her break up.


    "You said you had a clue about the mole?"


    "Yes." Natalie called for the menu. "You may want to prepare yourself psychologically for this."


    "I hate you so much!" Zariained. The warning had just made her anxious.


    "Don''t hate me yet. I''m sure you should hate the mole instead."


    "Is it someone I know?" She had a bad feeling about it.


    "People you know, to be exact."


    "Okay. Put me out of this misery, Natalie." She grabbed the menu out of the other''s hand to make her talk.


    "Liam and Ximena."


    An entire minute of silence passed.


    "Yeah, that can''t be right." She giggled through her words.


    "It is, Zaria. I saw Ximena with my own eyes. And she is in cohorts with Liam. She couldn''t pull it off on her own and you probably wouldn''t tell her such secretive information so she bugged Liam instead."


    "And why exactly would Liam betray his ownpany?" Her voice raised in disbelief.


    "Because he is in love with her." Natalie whispered, and when she saw the clear disbelieving look in Zaria''s eyes, she sighed. "I know this sounds crazy, but you won''t believe the kind of things people do for love."


    "I know. But I also know that Ximena would never do that kind of thing." She insisted.


    "Do you trust her that much?"


    "With my life."


    Natalie was speechless for a moment. "I saw her leaving Preston and Fort Group building on Sunday. It''s such an odd day and when I asked whether you were in your office, she said she had no effing idea where you were. The point is, she was shocked to see me."


    "And why does that make you believe she was doing something wrong?" Zaria couldn''t understand.


    Natalie took out her phone, found a picture and showed it to her. "Is this the type of folder that''s only used for confidential, executive files?"


    She nced at the pink folder and nodded. It was part of how they ensured Desmond and Liam got to read the most important documents first.


    "I saw Ximena carrying one when she left the building. She is neither an employee of Preston and Fort Group, let alone an executive one. We both know that these files don''t get into anyone else''s hands for privacy reasons."


    Zaria was confused. Why would Ximena get ess to such a document? Even so, she still couldn''t believe that Ximena would betray her. Something strange was going on.


    She trusted Natalie too, so she grabbed her phone and made a call.


    "You finally remember that I exist." Ximena''s tone was full of displeasure.


    Zaria cut the chase since it was an important matter. "Xim, I want to ask you about the folder you were carrying when you bumped into Natalie."


    "What folder?" Ximena sounded puzzled.


    Zaria looked at Natalie with a raised eyebrow. Her hypothesis was right. Something strange was going on.


    ____


    [1]... Think of it as two times the amount of pasta you would serve a child. Not adult servings.


    What do you think is going on here?


    A. Ximena is feigning ignorance/innocence?


    B. Natalie is lying?

 Chapter 233 - I Thought You Trusted Me

    <h4>Chapter 233 - I Thought You Trusted Me</h4>


    Natalie raised her eyebrows curiously. Signalling with her forefinger for her to wait, Zaria pushed Ximena for answers. "A pink folder with a Preston and Fort Group stamp on it.


    "Oh," It seemed to ring a bell. "That sounds like the folder you left for me to give to Liam. I''m yet to kill you for making me meet up with him. Thanks for reminding me."


    If she was confused before, she now felt like her brain had gone through a grinder. "Ximena, are you alright? When did I ever tell you to give a folder to Liam?" Most importantly, she wouldn''t even leave the office with such an important folder in fear of losing it. Why would she give it to Ximena?


    Ximenaughed like it was a ridiculous joke. "Are you serious? Didn''t you leave it to your intern secretary because you were too tired to continue waiting for me? I think your hormones are causing amnesia."


    "By the way, what did you want to tell me?" She probed. For some reason, she was convinced that Zaria indeed called her to thepany.


    Zaria was speechless for a moment before she gathered her brains to spin an excuse. "I don''t remember. I''ve been dealing with too many things at the same time and it slipped my mind."


    "Let me know when you remember, okay? Give me a call and tell me no matter what time you recall it, in case you forget it again."


    "Okay. See youter." She hung up before her brain could officially explode and took deep, calming breaths before facing the curious Natalie.


    "This is definitely a set up. Ximena thinks I had my intern secretary give her a folder for Liam."


    "Why in heaven would she assume that?" Natalie was confused too.


    "I don''t know. But we have a clue."


    Natalie studied her seriously. "Assuming Ximena is not ying with your mind and she is really telling the truth, then there is something wrong with your intern secretary." She spected.


    "Looks like this meeting was not in vain after all. We have hints." Zaria smiled. A moment ago, she had wanted toment about how all that had happened was them falling into yet another trap of the enemy.


    She fiddled with her phone absent mindedly. "So basically, someone used my phone to make Ximena think I was calling her on Sunday, then my intern secretary gave her a folder. It could either be the folder containing the missing document, or an empty one. I''m betting on it being empty because the actual document ended up in the West Conglomerate."


    "Then Desmond texted me and asked me to meet him urgently at a specific time." Natalie tapped her chin while deep in thought. "I didn''t think anything of it."


    Zaria found it suspicious too. "What was Desmond''s reaction when you showed up?"


    "He said he had forgotten about calling me over and would tell me if he remembered the reason. At the time I was so mad at him for wasting my time that I stormed off. But now that I think about it, I''m starting to believe that he didn''t even intend to call me in the first ce. Maybe someone else used his phone to send me that text message and deleted it."


    "It was a set up all along. I was supposed to see Ximena." She concluded, recalling that when she arrived, Ximena had been stopped and was being interrogated by a security guard. It had looked reasonable at first, since Ximena was not an employee of Preston and Fort Group. But why would she be stopped and interrogated while leaving thepany instead of before getting in? Perhaps someone had deliberately ordered the security guard to stop Ximena and buy time for Natalie to arrive.


    "This was well nned. And we are dealing with multiple moles here." Natalie had to admit when she put everything together.


    "Damn, my head hurts." Zaria massaged her temples.


    "Then don''t think about it anymore." Natalie ced their order.


    "The DNA results came out." Said Zaria, in an attempt to change the topic.


    "And?" Natalie looked up at her curiously.


    "Rosaly is a Fort." She was waiting for Natalie''s reaction and it was just as she expected.


    "No surprise there." Remarked Natalie, who also thought the DNA test was just going to prove the obvious.


    "Right?"


    "Does it bother you?" Natalie asked.


    "No.?If I knew he had a daughter before we got together, I wouldn''t reject him. Not necessarily because he is a father, at least." She tapped her finger against the table nervously. "It''s just¡­ I don''t even know how I''m going to be as a mother. I can''t be sure that I can be a good mother to my baby. As a step mother, would I even make it?"


    "Of course, Zaria." Natalie was almost puzzled that she would be fazed by such a thing. "You are excellent. You treasure the people close to you and are very kind. There is nothing about you that would make your child or stepchild wish to change."


    "You are not just saying that because we''re friends, right?" Zaria chuckled, but she was serious.


    Natalie ced her hand on hers. "Oh Zaria. How I wish you would see yourself the way I see you. At least just this once."


    "Thank you." Zaria smiled at her words. It was all the reassurance she needed.


    When their food arrived, Zaria immediately dug into her vegetable sd and gushed at how delicious it was. The topping was just right. After babbling for an entire minute on her own, she finally noticed how absent minded Natalie was.


    "What are you looking at?" She waved her hand in front of her eyes.


    "Nothing." Natalie dug into her food but barely ate a few bites. Her eyes were definitely ying tricks on her. Otherwise, there was no way she could exin having such a horrible illusion as seeing Devonte at the door. That devil should never appear anywhere near her, not even in her dreams. She sighed when she realized that calling him a devil even in her imagination was taking a toll on her. He was the man she had loved for over a decade after all, and insulting him was no different from insulting her judgment.


    "Your boyfriend is here. I should make myself scarce." She announced when she saw Desmond walk in. Before he could reach the table, she dashed for the restroom.


    Desmond chuckled in amusement when he saw how fast Natalie had scurried away. He circled Zaria''s chair to her side and kissed her cheek. "I don''t think I bite."


    "Now that is a white lie, Mr. Fort. You bite alright. A lot." Her gaze reflexively dropped to his lips as she spoke, making her flustered.


    "That only applies to you." He ced a gentle kiss on her lips. It was meant to be an innocent peck but as soon as he had a taste of her lips, he couldn''t stop himself. He kissed her passionately, using his lips to express just how much he had missed her. Her feelings mirrored his. She pulled him against her and dug her fingers into his hair, responding to his kiss with just as much emotion. Her heartbeat elerated when his hand slid to the small of back and his thumb teased circles against her body.


    His other hand caressed her thigh. When he teased the hem of her skirt, she stopped his hand with a flushed face. He broke the kiss and looked at her probingly as if asking what was wrong.


    "Des, this is a restaurant."


    "Right." He pulled away to get himself together. "Shall I drop you off at home?"


    "I''ll go to Xim''s." She grabbed her purse, which he took to help her carry. He footed the bill and helped her to the car.


    He had managed to control himself but as soon as she sat down and he caught sight of her slightly exposed thighs, he slid a hand over for a touch.


    "You are driving." She reminded him, even though she couldn''t wait to touch him either.


    "I don''t have to drive." He responded, but she didn''t give in to the temptation of getting naughty in the car. It wouldn''t be funny if they were seen.


    He could only keep his hands to himself with much difficulty and drop her off at Ximena''s. When they arrived, he pulled her in for a passionate kiss before letting her go up.


    "Call me tonight, okay?" He asked, and she nodded her promise.


    He was reluctant to head back to the car. He had only got to be with her for a few minutes and it sucked that he couldn''t convince her to go home with him. She would definitely say no to that, considering Rosaly was staying the night.


    Meanwhile, Ximena stuffed Zaria with fruits as soon as she arrived.


    "I''m stuffed already, okay?" Sheined for the umpteenth time.


    "Really? Then have a slice of mango." Continued Ximena, and Zaria shook her head.


    "Tell me the truth. Are you plotting to make me explode?"


    "Why would I do that?" Ximena guiltily put the fruits away. She knew Zaria was going to ask her about Liam and had wanted to distract her, which ended in offering tons of food.


    "Do you still have the text message I sent you, asking you toe over to the office?" Zaria asked.


    "I do. But why do you need it?" Zaria didn''t immediately answer her question and realized after a while that there was no better reason for wanting to see it. So, she exined the mole situation.


    Ximena''s eyes widened before she burst intoughter. "Please tell me you didn''t think I had stolen that folder?"


    "Xim,"


    "I thought you trusted me.." Ximena sounded hurt.

 Chapter 234 - Flirting With A Sparks

    <h4>Chapter 234 - Flirting With A Sparks</h4>


    "Of course I trust you. I just need to know what time the text message was sent so I''d know who used my phone."


    Ximena was perplexed. "You didn''t send me the text?"


    Zaria shook her head and she was worried. If Zaria''s phone had been hacked into, then the text would have been deleted already to erase the evidence. If this happened, would Zaria still trust her?


    She took her phone out and unlocked it with trembling hands, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw the conversation was still intact.


    "Here. You told me to pick you up at the office because you were feeling tired and needed rest. Well, at least that''s what the phone thief typed.


    Zaria read the conversation over and over. Ximena had responded with a gazillion questions asking if she was okay, if she needed anything and if she wanted to be brought food. All the questions had gone unanswered, and the sender had insisted that they wouldn''t be waiting for too long.


    "I didn''t see any of these." Zaria frowned as she tried to remember what she was doing at around the time when the messages were sent.


    "This should be the time when I was in the library, reading. I had left my phone in my room to charge."


    "That''s it. Someone used it and deleted the conversation afterwards." Ximena concluded.


    "I''ll deal with this. I''m sorry I involved you in my mess. This is all because Nathaniel Su is trying to strike me down and you were implicated for merely existing."


    "That''s not your fault." Ximena took her phone back. "But doesn''t Nathaniel like you? He seemed to like you a lot after your first meeting in Luxenville."


    "That''s before he found out that I''m his granddaughter by the man he hates most."


    Ximena''s jaw went ck. "Okay, that''s hats down the most shocking thing I''ve heard all month. Seriously, your life has more shocking twists than soap operas."


    "Tell me about it." She smiled sadly. If only she could have a normal family. In the past, she had always wished to have a normal family with both parents in it but only after growing up did she realize how lucky she was. At least she had a father who loved her, unlike many families where the parents were either always fighting or didn''t have time for their kids. Besides, Lucy loved her as well and so did Zeus. The only downside was that they didn''t live together, but that didn''t make her adore them any less.


    Ximena watched her friend''s expression change and made a mental note. If she ever crossed paths with that old fart, she would teach him a lesson he would never forget.


    When Zaria got back home, the first thing she did was summon a maid. "Hey, do you know who cleaned my room yesterday?" She asked.


    "Yesterday was my turn but Tiffany did it for me. Miss, is something wrong?"


    "No. I just wanted to know." She went to the kitchen where the maid called Tiffany was doing the dishes. She looked scared as though she had seen a ghost. It was definitely her guilty conscience striking her.


    "Miss, are you hungry? I''ll warm up some food for you." She hurriedly dried her hands.


    "No, it''s okay." Zaria leaned against the kitchen ind. "When you cleaned my room yesterday, did you dust all the surfaces and furniture?"


    The maid''s face tensed up but she covered up with a smile. "Yes. I made sure to disinfect everything. Was the room dusty?"


    "It was spotless. However, did you see my phone and earplugs?"


    "No, Miss. I''ll look around the house to find them for you." She offered, making Zaria''s lips twitch.


    So, she had cleaned every nook and cranny but somehow didn''t see her phone that was charging on the nightstand? Concluding that the culprit must be Tiffany, she resorted to trapping her.


    "My phone went missing. Did you steal it?"


    Tiffany panicked. "No, miss. I would never do such a thing to you! Your phone was still on the nightstand when I left your room."


    It took her a few seconds after blurting out to realize what she had just done. She looked at Zaria in panic. "Miss¡­"


    "It''s good to know." Zaria walked out feeling furious. She had always treated them well. To think that one of them would betray her. But then again, kindness didn''t guarantee loyalty and perhaps the allure of money was just too much for her to take.


    She didn''t want to fire Tiffany too soon. She would eventually, but she wanted to see if the girl would contact her backer. If she did, she would probably be asked to do something else before leaving. That would be her chance to catch her in the act with sufficient evidence to hand her over to the police.


    Stealingpany documents was not a trivial matter and since the maid took part in it in an attempt to frame Ximena, she should enjoy the consequences when they caught up with her.


    "You okay there, Princess?" Theodore asked his daughter who had almost bumped into him on her way upstairs.


    She looked up and hugged him. "Yeah. I''m just exhausted. I need to rest."


    "Go ahead. Good night." He kissed her forehead and watched her as she took the turn that led to her room. If Desmond was stressing his daughter out, he would have a word with him.


    ___


    The following day, Natalie went to Preston and Fort Group following Lucy''s call. s, thetter had to rush to a quick meeting so Natalie had to wait.


    She considered finding Zaria for a chat but didn''t want to distract her from work, so she sat in the lounge and used the chance to continue with her own work. She was reading a report from the marketing director when a man invaded her line of sight. She nced at his pants that were before her and looked up, growing when she saw Zeus smiling down at her. This was Lucy''s son if her assumption was right, and she was disappointed that it was him for reasons she couldn''t exin.


    "Are you disappointed that it''s me? Were you expecting someone else?" He grinned with a hint of mischief.


    "Not that it''s any of your business." She got back to work and ignored him. That was his cue to sit on the couch next to her.


    "At least I''m handsome enough to be worth your disappointment. Are you sure you don''t want to give me a second nce?"


    Was this man being serious? She shot him a sidelong nce. "First of all, you should be at work right now instead of evading your responsibilities and leaving everything to Zaria. Second, I don''t flirt with men younger than me so knock it off."


    "Not even if they''re handsome?" He inched closer. Clearly, he had missed everything she said except the part about him being younger.


    Her brows knitted. The man probably had no limits. However, there was no way she would flirt with her new partner''s son! It was awkward on so many levels. Besides, she was not in the mood to flirt with anyone.


    "Is Ms. Roatta back?" She changed the subject.


    "She is finally speaking to me without being snarky." He winked and feigned seriousness when he read the impatience in her eyes. "She is. She just asked me to let you in. I''ll walk you to Her office."


    "Thanks, but I know my way." She walked away fast, and Zeus pressed a hand against his chest. "They are just as feisty as they are beautiful."


    Natalie discussed with Lucy and when she was done, she was about to leave when Zeus walked in after walking once. "Mr. Fort would like to discuss something with you in his office." He reported to Lucy, then turned to Natalie with a starstruck expression. "Ah, beauty, you are here too. Are you sure you really don''t want to have a meal with me?"


    "No." Natalie was bbergasted. Who would flirt in the presence of their mother? This young man was quite a piece of work. "Ms. Roatta, I''ll give you a call this evening." She promised and made herself scarce.


    Lucy locked the door as soon as Natalie left and red at her son. "What was that?"


    "What was what?" He feigned innocence.


    "Don''t y dumb with me. Are you trying to hit on Natalie?" She interrogated.


    He looked lovestruck. "Why not? She''s beautiful and smart and...basically every man''s dream."


    "Then take your ridiculous dreams to the grave. You cannot flirt with her, do you understand?" She warned.


    "Why not? Is it because she is from the Sparks family?" Zeus was stubborn. "But you are close to her too. This means you don''t hate her just because you hate her family. Why should I stay away from her?"


    Lucy wanted to knock some sense into him. "Because a Roatta cannot get close to a Sparks. Even if it''s a fly from the Sparks family you have to stay away from it."


    ____


    AN


    Zeus X Natalie¡­ ship or no ship?


    What about Natalie X Devonte?


    Note: This is just a random poll and it will not change the course of the story.


    PS. I promised to send coins to the firstmenter on around first (I guess? My brain is a jumbled mess). I only remembered it today and I can''t find the chapter I said this on.. If you qualified, send me your user ID in thement section or on discord/Instagram dm.

 Chapter 235 - Stalker

    <h4>Chapter 235 - Stalker</h4>


    Leaving Preston and Fort Group, Natalie had a nagging feeling that she was being followed. At first she chalked it up to her paranoia but when she saw a shadow creep up behind her when she left her car to get some snacks, she made a sharp turn. As she would expect, the shadow disappeared when she turned and that only confirmed her guess. She was indeed being followed. There was no other way to exin why the person behind her hid away.


    She called her mother''s number while in the store and reported her suspicion. She had thought that at the very least, Ava would send bodyguards to take her home. She thought wrong.


    "This is all because of your stubbornness. Doesn''t your father always ask you to take bodyguards wherever you go?" She reprimanded her.


    Natalie rolled her eyes. She had never followed Owen''s instructions because the said bodyguards were meant to spy on her and report to them. How could she allow her privacy to be disregarded? of course, none of that mattered anymore when she felt her safety was in jeopardy.


    "Why don''t you just send someone over and discuss thister?" She asked, to which Ava scoffed.


    "None of this would be happening if you had listened to us and gotten married to Desmond. But no, you just had to be stubborn. Are you happy now that he has a kid with some random hussy and is dating another?"


    "Mother!" She lost her temper. "I don''t care how you treat me but Zaria is my friend and for all I know, she is a respectable woman. If you call her that one more time¡­"


    "She''s a hussy and Desmond chose her over you. What about it?" Ava continued in her snarky tone. "What does she have that you don''t? Magic in her panties?"


    Natalie hung up in embarrassment. She didn''t have to be a mother to know that the normal reaction should have been to ask if her daughter was doing okay and then sending over someone who could protect her.


    "That''s a perk of having parents who value money more than their child, I guess." She sighed. Sometimes she couldn''t help but ask herself whether her parents were truly in love. What if they had been forced to be together and she was a result of that, and in turn they hated her for being the straw that made them unable to call it quits? She wouldn''t be surprised, but she didn''t think it was an excuse to be an asshole to one''s kids.


    So she dialled the number of the only other man she thought of as family. Unfortunately. Desmond''s phone didn''t go through.


    She thought of Zaria but was it really okay to worry her?


    She considered getting into her car quickly and rushing to her apartment but that might just serve to let the stalker know where she lived. She couldn''t lead the stalker to the police station either, They could simply wait for her to leave the police station and resume following her. She knew better than to trust the police in Olphire with her safety.


    With no choice left, she gave Zaria a call.


    "Hi, I hope I''m not interfering with your work."


    "I just took a break." Zaria lied. "Is everything okay? You sound worried."


    "I think I''m being followed." She revealed, since Zaria already knew that something was wrong. "Maybe I''m just being paranoid but to be certain, could you deliver the message to Desmond?"


    "Desmond is in a meeting. I don''t think it will be okay to interrupt him. How about I send someone to take you home? I''ll let Desmond knowter." She suggested.


    "Okay. That will be great." Her words sounded bitter, majorly because her new friend was more caring than her own family. "Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it. Share your location with me and stay there if it''s busy. If there isn''t anyone else, move to a ce with more traffic." She instructed, and soon after she sent her current location, she received a message from Zaria stating that she had sent over a strong man who could fight off whoever tried to harm her.


    She was calmer now, walking around the store to choose snacks as though nothing was wrong. It turned out, she shouldn''t have rejoiced too early. Because Zaria sent Zeus.


    She wanted to p her forehead when the young man showed up.


    "I''ll be your knight in shining armor today." Came the cheesy pickup line which she ignored.


    That got a reaction out of him. "How could you be so ungrateful? I''m here to save the day but you won''t even give me a second nce?"


    "Then I''ll have to thank you for saving the day."


    "Yes. You can easily do that by going out for dinner with me tonight." Zeus grabbed the chance to ask her out.


    Natalie scoffed. "If that''s the attitude you use to lure women, you will never get a girlfriend."


    "The only woman I want as my girlfriend is you." He responded flirtatiously. It was not for no reason that he had insisted on rushing over when Zaria mentioned that she wanted to send someone on an errand involving Natalie.


    "Well, I don''t want to be your girlfriend. Get that in your head, blockhead." She turned to pay for the snacks she had chosen.


    "That''s so heartless of you. I really like you." He insisted.


    She sighed and looked at him as though she was looking at her wayward younger brother. "It''s normal to have a crush. You don''t have to be with every woman you crush on. It will fade away when you give it time."


    He remained silent for the rest of the way. Despite buying her more snacks and groceries, carrying everything to her car and apanying her all the way to her apartment, he didn''t say a word to her. She guessed that it was probably about the conversation they had earlier so she didn''t probe.


    When they got into the elevator, he couldn''t keep his calm anymore. "Natalie, I may be younger than you but that doesn''t make me immature."


    "I didn''t say that."


    "You implied that." He interrupted. "By treating my feelings as a passing fling that''s somehow rted to my age, what did you mean by that?"


    The hurt in his eyes was too real for her to ignore. She hadn''t thought that it would be that serious.


    "Zeus, I know better than anyone that one can be seriously in love at a young age. I wasn''t even eighteen when I fell in love and¡­" She sighed. She had not wanted to talk about her rtionship. "I stayed in love for an entire decade. I''m not looking down on your feelings. I just don''t want to lead you on when I know that I will never feel the same way for you."


    "Is it because of that actor?" He asked.


    She was yet to answer him when she saw the said actor in front of her apartment.


    "Is cupid trying to mess with me right now?" She facepalmed.


    "Speak of the devil." Zeus'' lips twitched.


    Natalie felt Devonte''s gaze on her as she walked over in step with Zeus.


    "Natalie, can we have a word?" He asked, shooting a re at Zeus.


    "I have nothing to talk about with you." She ignored him and walked past him to open the door.


    He grabbed her hand. "Just one minute. It''s important."


    "Zeus, I''ll see youter, okay?" She dismissed the young man while using the chance to make him give up on her, then turned to Devonte who was once again locked in a ring contest with Zeus.


    "It better be something worth my time." She crossed her arms at her chest.


    "It is." He nced at the bags of grocery that Zeus had ced at the door and wondered whether she would help him take them in.


    "Speak." She prompted impatiently.


    "I''m going to the US in a couple of weeks." He started, and she didn''t look interested.


    "Good riddance." She shrugged in disinterest.


    He knew that she wanted nothing to do with him but he didn''t expect it to be that awful.


    "I came to say goodbye and report something."


    He had surpassed the limit of her patience so she turned to leave.


    "I overheard something important about you." He called after her.


    "I don''t want to hear it." She dismissed.


    He grabbed her hand and pinned her against? the wall faster than she could fight back.


    "If you don''t listen to this, a life will be lost. Probably your own!" He insisted.


    She looked up at him, taking note of their posture. He was holding her hands above her head the exact way he used to do while teasing her. She had just started moving on. Why was he poking at the wounds he inflicted?


    "I can''t say it out here. Someone might hear." He lowered his voice.


    She pried her hands out of his and stepped away. "You cane in. Buzz off as soon as you say what you need to."


    He epted the condition and carried her grocery in.


    "Nathaniel Su has people following you." He revealed.


    So she was indeed being followed earlier.


    "I overheard them n out their move. They know that you spend a lot of time with Zaria. They are going to make you get into a fatal ident that they will pin as Zaria''s fault." He exined.


    Her eyes widened, Who would do that? "Where did you get that?"


    "We had a business deal that was in the negotiation stage.. I was heading to his office when I heard this."

 Chapter 236 - The Ghost Ready To Haunt Devontes Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 236 - The Ghost Ready To Haunt Devonte''s Dreams</h4>


    "I see. Thank you for letting me know." Natalie stood to head for the kitchen to organize her groceries.


    "Thank you? Is that all you have to say?" Devonte followed her to ask. She stopped halfway towards the fridge.


    "What do you want me to tell you, Devonte? That I''m so grateful you saved my life that I''m about to dedicate myself to you? Hell no, I am grateful but that''s it."


    She took out the fresh produce from the stic bags and washed as she organized everything in its designated container, all while wondering why Devonte was still in her kitchen.


    "Actually, there is a reason why I left. I had no choice." He started. She didn''t speak but he continued, "And it''s the most regretful thing I have ever done in my life."


    Natalie did a dramatic turn with a smile of ridicule. "What happened to the fans you treasure so much? Did they desert you?"


    "No."


    The mention of fans made her eyes sting. He had once told her that no matter how many fans he had, she was the fan he cared the most about and the only one he loved. Such a cheesy line, to think she had fallen for it.


    "Look. You are looking at your greatest antifan. I would get lost if I were you. Don''t tempt me to take a video that will ''entertain'' your fans so much that they will unfollow you." She threatened.


    He looked unfazed by her threat and continued standing before her, waiting for a chance to exin his part of the story. She turned around to continue washing her apples.


    "To be fair, Devonte, you are not the victim here. I loved you. I gave you all my heart."


    "So did I! I Love you. I still love you and my heart still belongs to you." He grabbed her hand and turned her around, looming over her with his six foot height.


    "No, it doesn''t. I don''t want it." She said in all confidence. "When my parents forced me to go on blind dates and get engaged because of their own selfish reasons, I did not ditch you. I exined the situation to you and assured you that I would break away from their chains. I worked hard to do just that. It was the most difficult period in my life and I shared it with you. I let you be part of my life at my lowest. Even when everything was crumbling down.


    Yet you¡­" She angrily wiped away the tears that were about to fall from her eyes. "I actually don''t care what happened. All I know is that when things got hard, you chose to leave me. Devonte, I''m not a woman who tries to solve problems by running away from the people who would want to help me. And I don''t think I deserve a man who does."


    "Nat," He reached to wipe her tears.


    She pped his hand away. "Leave."


    She was in his arms in a tight hug before she could process it and when she tried to fight him off, he didn''t budge.


    "Don''t insult what we had for an entire decade and some by sexually harassing me." Her voice was firm.


    He let go of her, his face full of shock. "I''ve heard more hurtful words from you but sexual harassment? Is that what you think this is?"


    "That''s how you ssify initiating physical contact with someone who clearly doesn''t want it. If you don''t leave now, I''ll get awyer and actually sue you for that."


    He didn''t want to make a bet with her. She was treating him with the same coldness she treated people she was not close to. He couldn''t say that he didn''t deserve it.


    The sound of the door shutting was like thest straw that was holding back her tears. She crouched on the floor, wiping bouts of tears away. That was the man she had loved for literally forever and now he was gone. It was real this time. There was no turning back.


    Putting away her already soaked handkerchief, she blinked away the rest of her tears. It was for the best. A man who did not recognize the worth of a decade-long rtionship would never treasure a life-long rtionship.


    ¡­


    At the lobby.


    Devonte was on his way to the parking lot when someone blocked his path. This was the man who had apanied Natalie earlier, who she had called Zeus. The onlyughable part was how mismatched they looked.


    "Do you need something, kiddo?" He huffed. He was already in a bad mood after what had just happened.


    "Who are you calling kiddo? Be careful who you upset in Imperium. It might just be the ghost waiting to haunt your dreams." Zeus leaned against the wall. "You are Jupiter, aren''t you?"


    "It''s none of your business who I am." Retorted the man.


    "Of course it is. I want to know what''s so good about you that Natalie is so hung up. That, and I also want to teach you a lesson."


    "Go ahead." Devonte walked past him to head for his car.


    "In five fucking hours, Sartun, you will know who not to mess with."


    Zeus wiggled his fingers at his opponent''s windscreen. "The clock is ticking, Uranus. Tick-tock."


    "Ticking away the time left for you to live." Devonte started the car and got away from the young man''s insanity.


    Zeus seemed to recall a detail that made him scrunch up his face. Wasn''t Jupiter the actor that Zaria liked so much? There was definitely something wrong with her eyes. Scratch that. There was something wrong with women''s eyes. How could they like a scumbag like that? It infuriated him even more when he recalled that the said scumbag had an advertisement contract with Twilight.


    "Don''t tell me all the women that matter have fallen for that idiot." He cursed. Well, not anymore. Because the clock was ticking. Tick-tock.


    ¡­


    "Zeus, please tell me you are not behind this." Zaria pped thetest issue of Moon Media''s entertainment magazine on Zeus'' desk the next morning.


    "Behind what? I don''t understand what you are using me of." Zeus sipped his coffee while enjoying the turn of events.


    Zaria was furious. "Last night, a certain hacker took it upon themselves to cause the screens to malfunction in all the cinemas that were screening "Gxy." And it''s all because the main lead of "Gxy" is Jupiter. Do you happen to know who the said hacker might be?" She asked pointedly.


    "I have no idea what you are talking about." He feigned innocence.


    Zaria wasn''t buying it. "A little birdie told me that you were hanging around Natalie yesterday and you met head on with Jupiter. Is this also a lie?"


    Zeus knew that there was no point denying it since Zaria would investigate and know everything anyway.


    He shot up from his seat and clung to her toin. "Sis, he was really annoying. All I wanted was to teach him a lesson for trying to steal my Natalie away."


    Zaria was taken aback. Steal his Natalie away?


    "Don''t be ridiculous. Natalie is not anyone''s property. And if my memory serves me right, no one would like you if you hurt the people they love."


    "The people they love¡­" Zeus repeated the words and each of them sliced through his heart.


    Zaria didn''t say anything else because she was speechless. How did Zeus even do it?


    Hundreds of thousands of fans had booked tickets for the movie all around the country. However, thanks to Zeus'' meddling, all the screens had glitched for a solid hour. Fans were furious and most of them demanded to have their money returned.


    The most baffling fact was that the fans were not just raging at the movie production team. Most of them had aimed their insults at Devonte. She knew that someone was definitely leading them to yell and curse at the actor and it had to be Zeus. She couldn''t put it past him to hack and turn theirments into insults against their star. He was quite¡­


    "Take them down." She ordered.


    "I don''t want to." Zeusined. All he did was teach his rival a lesson. What was wrong with that?


    Zaria crossed her arms, looking him down in anger. "You have to. Have you forgotten what kind of trouble we are dealing with right now? Are you trying to give the Sus someone else they can she against us?"


    "You think they will use Devonte?" Heughed. That useless actor was only good on the screen and nowhere else. Right. He wouldn''t even be good on the screen anymore once he was done with him.


    She shot him a look. "You can never overlook anything. Now take down thosements and don''t do that kind of thing anymore. Take your rivalry with Devonte in hell. I don''t care how you do it but do not involve Preston and Fort Group or our family in this."


    The thought that Nathaniel could let the producers know who had done this made her shiver. If they knew that their movie had been jeopardized so badly by one person, they would want to retaliate. They already had enough enemies to deal with. Who would have thought that Zeus was so unreasonable?


    ____


    AN


    Did Devonte deserve it?


    A No one deserves to have their career potentially ruined


    B. He deserved it and more


    C. Zeus went too far.


    Also, I just realized the discord link is not working anymore. It redirects you to webnovel profile.. Don''t use the tinyurl link, I''ll post the link that works in my webnovel profile.

 Chapter 237 - Date

    <h4>Chapter 237 - Date</h4>


    Hoping that Zeus would clean after himself and not let anything be traced back to him, Zaria went to Desmond''s office with all the evidence she had found regarding the mole.


    He went through the information and couldn''t help feeling annoyed. "Those useless investigators. You have done a much better job than them. If I knew, I would have let you handle this from the word go instead of wasting money and time hiring them."


    She smiled. "d to know I can help you save money."


    "Skeleton ran checks on many of the employees to see if there is anyone who could potentially get bribed." He reported.


    "That''s so much work." She was exhausted just thinking about it. "And not just that. I''m starting to have a feeling that the private investigators have been bribed too."


    "You think so?" He found her assumption odd.


    "Maybe I''m overthinking it. But I found it strange that the supposed highly qualified team that has helped solve several top notch cases has been unable to uncover anything significant all this time. On the other hand, we, who are not primarily investigators, have found out so much just by using logic."


    "That''s a point to consider, yeah." He rubbed his chin and went through her report again. "Do you think you could get any evidence? It doesn''t have to be real evidence."


    "What do you mean?" She didn''t understand.


    "The point is to kick the intern out. We already know that she has a hand in this matter. It doesn''t make a difference whether the evidence is real or fabricated but there has to be something tangible toy her off."


    Her eyes widened. Fabricating evidence to fire anyone was heartless. Even so, she couldn''t me Desmond. It would be insane to wait around for the intern to do something more significant just so they could get irrefutable evidence or catch her in the act.


    But firing her was not the only thing on Desmond''s mind.


    "I bet she will not have the courage to go running to Nathaniel. She will contact her counterparts and ask them whether they are experiencing the same challenge."


    "That''s a good point." She smiled.


    "Keep a close eye on her once you have fired her." He instructed.


    "I will."


    "Make sure this stays between us. No one is to know that we are employing other investigative measures. Not even the COOs." He added, and she nodded. This meant she couldn''t use Zeus'' help bugging the intern.


    At the thought of that, she smiled at her own genius idea. She could ask Zeus for a bug. She didn''t have to tell him what it was for, only that she needed to have full control of it and he was not allowed to snoop.


    "Zaria," He called before she could step out of the office. She turned while still holding the doorknob. "This weekend, I will take Rosaly to the amusement park. Would you like to join us?"


    She thought about it briefly and nodded this time. "Sure."


    He was relieved. "Saturday at 10am. I''ll pick you up."


    She nodded and couldn''t leave his office any faster.


    He reclined in his backrest as he stared at the door that had closed behind her. Things would never be the same between them. He didn''t need to be told that by anyone but it still hurt. How he wished Rosaly was his daughter with her instead of Ang. The woman was no longer trying to cause trouble but her mere existence was a hex.


    ¡­


    Zeus looked like he hadnded a jackpot when Zaria showed up in front of him again.


    "Do you need my help with something, sis?"


    "I didn''t know I could only find my brother if I needed his help." She gave her brightest smile.


    "You know, sometimes I wonder what kind of sister you would be if our roles were reversed and I was the older one." He sunk into thought, imagining a younger Zaria. "You would probably be cuter and I would dote on you to the heavens."


    "You can still dote on me. There''s no age limit to that." She blinked.


    "You have a point but hey! Who are you and what did you do to Zaria?" He recoiled in horror. Zaria would have already smacked his head for that remark. This cute side of her was oddly terrifying.


    "I just don''t want to fight with you anymore." She took a seat. "After all, you are now an uncle."


    "You are using the baby to guilt trip me." Heined but was still ready to listen to whatever she had to say.


    "Do you have any of those bugs that can be used to track someone''s location and listen in on them?" She asked.


    "I knew it! You wanted something from me all along." He used her.


    "Are you going to whine about it all day?" She facepalmed. "Do you have them or not?"


    "I do, but you have to pay for them." He crossed his legs at the knees while looking at her as if he had finally managed to pin her down.


    "How much do you want?" She had expected him to ask for payment so she had brought a cheque and was ready to write a figure on it.


    "You are kidding, right?" Heughed out loud. "You are facing one of the world''s best hackers and the best in Olphire."


    "The best in Olphire, would be the original user of the alias Zeus, who we both call mother. Don''t try to swindle me." She rolled her eyes at him.


    "Fine. I''m second best. I will surpass her some day but anyway, I can rob banks if I feel like it. If I need money but I''m toozy to work for it, I can steal it from money transfer websites and the users wouldn''t even know it."


    Her jaw went ck.


    He didn''t stop at that. "Fine. That''s working for it too. And there are other ways to make money. What makes you think I''m in need of money?"


    "Treat it as selling a bug, can''t you?" She was helpless with him.


    "Try something else." He demanded.


    She was furious but she had no choice. "Fine. What do you want? What would attract the attention of second-top-hacker Zeus?"


    "That''s better." He ced his hands on the desk. "Help me set up a date with Natalie."


    "I''ll do no such thing." She was puzzled. Was Zeus actually interested in Natalie? It had sounded like a joke before but it was bing more and more serious.


    "Your loss. Then I don''t need to help you with this." He gave one of those smiles that Zaria found infuriating.


    "Just a date, right? Fine. But do not regret it."


    Zeus didn''t need to hear anything else after Zaria agreed. He was overjoyed. "Your bug will be delivered to your office shortly. Don''t forget about the date."


    Zaria left his office feeling like she had lost a few brain cells. She gave Natalie a call and asked if the other was busy in the evening, and if they could have ice cream together. Natalie agreed before hanging up.


    "Sorry Nat." Zaria chuckled at how hrious it was going to turn out. It would be a good enough surprise if Natalie didn''t p Zeus and throw water in his face for making advances at her after destroying Devonte''s reputation. She was suddenly tempted to ask Ximena out so they would watch the drama unfold.


    ¡­


    After leaving the office, Zeus rummaged through his closet in frustration. The noise alerted Lucy, who rushed over to check if he was alright.


    "Is everything¡­" She looked at the suits and ties strewn all over the floor and was baffled.


    "What''s going on?"


    "Mother, it''s great that you are here. Help me pick an outfit for a date." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the room to help him choose.


    She nced at the pile of suits carelessly strewn all over and didn''t know what to tell him. Didn''t he know to handle them with care?


    "What kind of ce are you going?" She asked.


    "Ice cream." He responded urgently.


    "I see. What about the woman? What''s her personality like?" She picked up a shirt and inspected it.


    "She is gorgeous. I think of her as a queen. A courageous queen who knows what she wants and won''t stop at anything until she has it."


    She frowned. If she was not overthinking it, that description¡­Natalie ticked all the boxes. Was it because Zeus liked women like Natalie or was he just hung up on her? Because if he was actually going out with Natalie, she would have no choice but to force it to an end. The two of them could not be together no matter what.


    "Mother?" Zeus probed.


    "Don''t go for suits and whatever. Dress casually." She advised.


    "But why?" He didn''t understand.


    "Because a woman like that is probably used to seeing suits left and right. One casual attire will be a breath of fresh air especially while having her ice cream, don''t you think?"


    "You have a point." He excitedly grabbed the shirt that his mother had chosen.


    "Bring her back for dinner, okay?" She asked.


    Zeus was even more confused. "This is the first date. Literally the first date, and you want to meet her?"


    "Why not? I would love to know this woman who managed to turn my son into a love-stricken teen. She must be lovely."


    "She is." Zeus agreed.


    Lucy forced a smile.. Intuition still told her that it was Natalie, even though she hoped not.

 Chapter 238 - Putting On An Act

    <h4>Chapter 238 - Putting On An Act</h4>


    Recalling his mother''s reaction when he let her know that he was going after Natalie, Zeus knew it was not the best time for them to meet.


    "It''s just a first date, mother. She hasn''t even agreed to be my girlfriend. Don''t you think it''s too soon to meet the parents?"


    It was reasonable. Lucy agreed with the point, and it had been a trap of sorts all along. She knew that if the woman was Natalie, they had clearly met before and Zeus would not be too reluctant to let them meet. His reaction might mean it was someone new. But one couldn''t be too certain with matters rted to Zeus so she pushed a little.


    "It doesn''t matter to me. But in case she thinks I''m a creep for wanting to meet so early, maybe you could just show me a picture of her?"


    "I''ll see youter, mother." He changed the topic swiftly to make her leave, which confirmed her suspicion. How could this happen?


    ¡­


    Traffic was crazy in Imperium in the evenings. He had not forgotten this but it had slipped his mind. He should have gone over to the ice cream parlor right after leaving the office. The fact that he had taken ages dressing up had contributed to his tardiness. He waste for his first date! Not even his handsomeness could save him this time. He could only hope that she didn''t get a bad impression of him.


    Natalie was sitting at the corner table when he arrived. She was ying with her phone and had a smile on her face. He could give anything to see her smile more often.


    He walked over and cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked up unsurprised.


    "I had a feeling it would be you."


    He didn''t know whether to be scared or ttered. He pulled a chair for himself and sat down. "And you still came."


    An evil smile ghosted her lips. "If I didn''te, how would I collect evidence to beat the crap out of Zaria?" She had a feeling Zaria was up to this kind of thing. It was so out of character for her to ask her out and tell her what to wear while at it. Zaria had said to wear a cute dress but instead of that, she wore a pair of shorts and the simplest top she could find. However, from Zeus'' gaze, what she had thought of as dressing down didn''t have the intended effect.


    "I feel like that''s not the only reason why you agreed to meet." He observed.


    "You are right." She admitted. "Do you want to order a sundae? It''s on me."


    He frowned at her offer. "I will never let a woman pay for me."


    "What a different view from mine. I don''t think it matters who pays." She drew a circle with her finger on the table as she chose her words. "I''ll get straight to the point. I appreciate your feelings for me. You''re a¡­"


    "Don''t." He knew what she was about to do.


    She didn''t drop it. "But you really are a good guy. I just don''t feel the way you do and I never will. I only think of you as a brother¡ªliterally¡ªand I don''t want to lead you on.


    "So you prefer to give me the good brother card." Heughed like it was funny even though it wasn''t.


    "Well, uhm¡­"


    "I get it." He smiled and she knew that it was a forced smile. Even so, it would hurt him all the more if she said anything in constion. Perhaps it made her heartless to admit but she felt relieved after letting him know what she thought of him.


    "Can we have ice cream as these weird friends or siblings then?" He asked, to which she agreed. He noticed that she had the same preference as Zaria when she ordered the exact ice cream Zaria loved¡ªone part blueberry and one part vani with caramel and chocte shavings. No wonder they got along. It was the most awkward twenty minutes of her life while he was heartbroken. When they were done, he walked her to her car and leaned at the side of it.


    "Can I kiss you?"


    "What?" She stopped, still holding the car door open.


    "Just this once. Since you are rejecting me anyway, it shouldn''t matter much, right?" He closed in on her adding, "There is no other way to be certain that you don''t have feelings for someone. If you get grossed out or feel nothing, I''ll be convinced that you really don''t like me."


    She stepped back. "I don''t need to prove my feelings to anyone."


    He watched as she entered the car and stepped away from her car so she would drive off¡ªtaking with her a piece of his life.


    ¡­


    Natalie drove aimlessly around the city. She was neither in the mood to go home and didn''t have anywhere specific that she wanted to be. If only Zaria had made real ns with her, then she would have someone to hang out with.


    She stumbled into a bar before she realized it. It was probably the only ce that would keep her from thinking about things she should forget. With her shorts and simple, cotton top, it was not a surprise that she stood out. Most of the women here were in sexy outfits and sky-high heels and although hers showed some skin, she looked out of ce.


    She sat by the bar and was yet to order a drink when a man slid to the stool beside hers. "Hey beautiful, can I buy you a drink?" He offered a smile.


    She turned to reject him but stopped when she saw his face clearly. "Hey, I think I know you."


    "You do?" He looked amused. "You probably saw me on the silver screen."


    "Silver screen." She burst outughing. "Wait. Are you an artist of sorts?"


    "Close enough. I''m an actor." Answered the man.


    No wonder she found him familiar. That sculpted face with a five-o''clock shadow and domineering emerald eyes definitely belonged in a dreamy romance movie.


    "I''m not sure if upation is the first thing I want to talk about when I meet a beautiful woman but now that we''re on the topic, do you mind telling me what goddesses are usually doing when they decide to grace the earth with their presence?"


    She chuckled. "I''d tell you, but I''m more interested in what Greek god actors do outside of the silver screen."


    "Try to pick up the goddesses who won''t reveal their upations."


    They bothughed at how silly the topic had gotten.


    "So, is your name out of your ''to-tell'' list as well?" He asked.


    "Call me Belle." She decided not to reveal her name.


    "Your parents sure know what name is fitting, don''t they? I''m Rnd. It''s nice to meet you." He offered his hand.


    "The pleasure is mine."


    When Rnd saw the bartendere their way, he ordered her a drink of his choice.


    "Rosemary and bitters mimosa, really?" She looked at him like he was an alien.


    "That''s my choice for you. If you don''t like it, I''ll let you pick our next drinks, how about that?" He offered.


    Natalie had to give it to him. This guy was smooth. She had initially not intended to drink with anyone. She would simply drown herself with whatever pleased her and go home on her own. There was something about Rnd¡ªprobably the fact that he was an actor¡ªthat made her want to drink with him. It was unfair to him that at the back of her mind, his upation was the only thing that attracted her to him. However, they were just drinking and nothing else.


    "How about you forget your sorrows for tonight?" He spoke out of the blue.


    "What?"


    "You look sad." He pointed out. "Do you want to talk about it?"


    It was a tempting offer and she grabbed it. "I may have fallen too hard for a man I shouldn''t have seen as anything more than an idol."


    He probably didn''t understand what she was going on about because his expression remained nk.


    "Don''t tell me you fell for an actor." He frowned after a few seconds.


    "Is it wrong?" She pushed.


    "Not wrong but a stupid move if you ask me."


    "I know." She forced a smile. She had just gotten burnt thanks to her own options and a reminder of that was thest thing she needed.


    "I''ll have five tequs, thanks." She signalled to the bartender.


    "You cannot do that." Rnd was horrified.


    "I can and I will." She downed the first two tequ shots as soon as they arrived. The bartender had probably seen too many shocking things to be puzzled by a woman switching from flirting to downing drinks in under a minute.


    "What were we discussing just now?" She asked in a slight slur.


    "Uhm, I think we were about to curse out the asshole who broke your heart." Rnd guessed that it was probably time for him to leave her, but would she be alright, drinking on her own?


    "Oh right, yes. Screw the asshole. Why don''t we talk about something more interesting?" She focused her gaze on him, giving him goosebumps.


    "Like what?"


    "Ruining his damned life. It will totally be worth it, don''t you think?" She had an evil glint in her eyes which was terrifying.


    "Yeah, I''m not going to be part of that." Rnd gave up.


    "Actors¡­" Natalie huffed. "He was just putting on an act all along.." She burst into tears.

 Chapter 239 - The Wrong Guy

    <h4>Chapter 239 - The Wrong Guy</h4>


    "Do you want me to help you forget him?" He offered, leaning closer. "He is a scumbag who dares to bring tears to such beautiful eyes. He doesn''t deserve to be in your mind."


    She pushed him away, smiling through her tears. "No thank you. Two wrongs don''t make a right."


    Rnd was speechless. Did she just imply that he was the wrong guy?


    "Your loss, Be. But if you change your mind, you can look for me." He slid his business card across the table, making herugh.


    "You are quite the risk taker, aren''t you? What if I''m a paparazzi in disguise? I could twist around the truth and get some perfect headlines out of this little encounter."


    "You can''t be one of those. I know one when I see them." He scoffed.


    "But I can still sell your personal contact number to the media. I''m sure there are tons of agencies trying to get into your personal space and well, I could get revenge on actors." She smiled with a hint of a threat, which only made him burst outughing. "I''ve met many people and you are definitely not one to kill someone for another person''s mistake."


    "I don''t know if that should be a good thing. Thank you, nheless." She didn''t intend to ever contact him but pocketed the business card just in case.


    Rnd had just left when her phone rang. Why was Liam calling her? She was almost nervous picking it, since they rarely called each other.


    "I lost my wallet." Heined on the phone.


    "Hello to you too. This is the Wallet Finding agency of Imperium, Be Sparks speaking. Wait. Sorry, Be does not exist but she can help you find your wallet if you exin why the hell you are not calling your parents for that kind of thing." She was tipsy and soon after she spoke the words out, she pped her forehead. Liam must think she was crazy. He definitely did, because the line went silent for a while before he spoke again.


    "I froze my cards but it will take time to get new ones. Could you please pick me up?" He asked.


    "Not interested. Ask Desmond." She threw him an answer, which made him groan.


    "I don''t want to poke that devil. He must be with his girlfriend or daughter or both."


    "You are an idiot. Don''t you think you are calling the wrong woman? You should be using this chance to spend time with your beloved."


    It was a careless response, but Liam thought it was an excellent idea.


    "You are a genius. Thank you!" He eximed.


    "Don''t mention it. Be Sparks is always ready to help."


    On the other end, Liam was confused. What in the world had Natalie smoked?


    Never mind. He had to get Ximena to pick him up.


    The woman had blocked him long ago, so he could only call Zaria. She would definitely help him out if he acted pitiful.


    He must have been riding on a ton of good luck because when he called, Ximena was next to Zaria. It was not difficult to convince her to pick him up. All he had to do was say that no one could help him out but Zaria, and he didn''t think it was safe for her to wander about on her own.


    The woman fell for it and agreed toe.


    He was still reeling in happiness, checking his phone every few minutes while waiting for Ximena''s call when a young woman, probably not a day older than twenty, approached him.


    "Hey, you are Liam Preston, right?"


    "No. I''m not. You got the wrong person." He denied his own identity, knowing that the girl was probably seeking gossip.


    She looked embarrassed. "Oh no? But you look so much like him! You are so handsome. Can I take a selfie with you?"


    "Can''t. I''m not a public figure." He thought the girl would leave , but she was persistent.


    "That''s a bummer. Then can I hug you at least?"


    Were young women so brainless these days? What would happen if he was a psycho killer or a potential kidnapper and she gave him a hug out of the blue? He could use the chance to kidnap her since in the eyes of anyone who would witness it, they knew each other well enough to hug. He was yet to voice this out when the young womanunched herself into his arms. Of course, Ximena would choose this moment to arrive.


    "Sorry I''m¡­ just a big fan. I''ll get going." She scurried away just as Ximena closed in.


    She nced at him and didn''t say a word but he knew he had to exin.


    "Ximena, she¡­" He started.


    "You don''t need to exin yourself to me. I''m not your girlfriend or anything." She interrupted, in the words that stung the most.


    Although she had already dismissed him, he proceeded to exin. "She''s a crazy fangirl. I didn''t willingly hug her. I was in shock too."


    "You are more careless than her." She rolled her eyes. "What if she was not a fangirl but someone who wanted your life?" Her hypothesis was extreme but it was not entirely impossible so that could not be overlooked.


    "I''m d you came to pick me up." He smiled.


    "Don''t mention it. Anything to make sure Zaria doesn''t go out at night." She led the way to her car. "Since you lost your wallet, why didn''t you call your parents or chauffeur?" She asked with a frown.


    "My phone went off." He responded, and didn''t need to nce at her to know that she was frowning as her brain processed all the loopholes in his answer. She burst outughing.


    "Fine, you caught me." He admitted. "I just wanted you to meet up with me. You have been ignoring me."


    She didn''t know what to say to that so she continued walking. "I''m sure you don''t actually need a ride, right?"


    "I''ll call my chauffeur." He took out his phone, only to turn it off before he looked defeated. "I guess lies do eventually catch up on us. I''m out of battery."


    "Use mine." She handed out her phone.


    He swiftly unblocked his number and dialed a few digits before once again feigning defeat. "I can''t remember all the digits of anyone''s contact number."


    "You should know where your car is parked, right? You can walk there." She took back her phone.


    "I do but it''s at my vi. I asked the chauffeur to go back after dropping me off and I''d call him to pick me upter."


    She had to hand it to him. Creating sure win situations for himself at all costs must be one of his innumerable talents.


    "Fine. I''ll drop you off." She let him enter the car.


    He was overjoyed but he didn''t let it show in fear that he would be kicked out. He estimated that he had twenty minutes to convince her to go out with him. It was a long time but when it came to her, nothing left his mouth. He stared at her for most of the ride and when they were just a few miles away, he had to say something.


    "I have a few suggestions for Morel Beauty. Do you mind discussing them?" He asked in all fake seriousness.


    "Right now?" She slowed down, almost as if she didn''t want the ride to end either.


    "No. I have too much work to do right now." He threw in an excuse. He didn''t have any suggestions. It had been a way to get her to agree to a meeting but if he had time, he woulde up with one. "How about tomorrow? We can discuss over dinner."


    "I will be too busy tomorrow. The only day I have free is today." She challenged, making him wonder if she had seen through his bullshit.


    In case she hadn''t, he couldn''t risk letting her get suspicious so he bit the bullet.


    "I can squeeze in some time right now if you don''t mind."


    "I don''t." She pulled up in hispound. She was unfamiliar with his vi, since he was the one to go to her apartment ever since they met. His vi was everything like she expected. Grand with intricate decor and a humongous library that took up nearly half of the second floor, where he brought her to discuss. She knew that he liked reading but he wondered if he really read all these books or was just addicted to the scent of paper.


    He had his butler bring tea and freshly baked cookies which he ced on the small round table. She sat opposite him and waited for whatever he had to say, which was probably some made up nonsense.


    "In a few weeks, I''ll return to Preston and Fort Group." He announced.


    "I see. But why did you even leave in the first ce?" She wondered. It was clear that thepany had skyrocketed ever since Lucy stepped in and temporarily took his ce but why did they need to do that? Lucy could have contributed in other ways if all they wanted was Twilight''s influence.


    "It was all for Ms. Roatta and Zaria to bond." He picked up a cookie at the same time as she reached for one, and their hands brushed against each other.


    She withdrew hers and wanted to pinch herself when her face warmed in embarrassment. How could such brief contact make her blush? This was the man who had practically touched her boobs before.. She blushed even harder at the thought of his touch.

 Chapter 240 - Little Demons, Unleashed

    <h4>Chapter 240 - Little Demons, Unleashed</h4>


    Liam was racking his brains for something to say when his phone saved him by ringing. He had turned it back on since Ximena knew he was faking the low battery and it had rang at the right time.


    "Oh, it''s Desmond. He mentioned that Rosaly wanted to say hi to me." He smiled, looking forward to speaking to the girl who would probably be his goddaughter unofficially.


    "Rosaly?" Ximena raised an eyebrow at the name.


    "Desmond''s daughter." He exined briefly and answered the call. Sure enough, it was Rosaly and she wanted to video call. Liam epted the video call request with permission from Ximena.


    "Hello princess."


    The girl waved at the screen with her pencil in hand, which made Liam smile dotingly. "Are you doing your homework?"


    "I just finished. Daddy helped me."


    Liam held back augh. Desmond helping a little girl do her homework, now that was something one didn''t get to witness every day.


    He talked to her briefly because it was almost her bedtime and he didn''t want to keep Ximena waiting, so the call ended 0retty fast.


    "I still can''t wrap my head around the fact that Desmond has a daughter." Ximenamented.


    d that she was opening up to talk about something else, he chimed in. "Right? But fatherhood suits him. He has always wanted kids." Just not with Ang, he thought. It was ironic that the woman he least wanted to have kids with just happened to be the one to bear his first child. He couldn''t put it past her to deliberately skip her own pills considering what a scheming woman she had turned out to be.


    "It''s not that." Ximena was annoyed. "It''s the thought of what it means for Zaria."


    "What are you talking about? I know you are worried for your friend but you don''t have any reason to be. They are still together and well, Rosaly is still young and not like he is getting back together with Ang or anything."


    "I would rather have him get back together with Ang." She sighed.


    "Why would you say that?" He was shocked by her remark.


    "I mean, think about Zaria''s situation. She''s going to be stuck stepmomming all her life."


    She didn''t look pleased by the thought, which made him even more curious about her thoughts.


    "It''s not necessarily a bad thing, right? There''s a chance that Rosaly and Zaria hit it off or even love each other. It doesn''t always have to be your biological child for you to love them. It''s why adoption is a thing."


    "Adoption¡­" The word triggered something in her that she hadn''t realized she was ready to face. Since they were on the topic, she took the chance to casually ask, "Would you adopt a child instead of having one of your own?"


    He remained silent for a while as if it was a difficult question. She was about to dismiss it when he finally asked, "And why would I need to adopt? If my wife and I can''t have kids of our own, or if a friend or rtive can''t take care of their kid and puts them up for adoption?"


    Her hands trembled and she pushed them under the table all while trying to maintain a straight, nonchnt face. "What if your wife can''t have kids even using IVF? On the other hand, you can have kids and really love them. What do you do in this kind of scenario?"


    "Uhm¡­ if there''s a reason why surrogacy is not an option, adoption will be a great choice." He finally answered.


    She had been studying his eyes the entire time for signs of bullshit. In case he was lying to her to make her think he was a great guy or some other creepy reason. However, he was not. His response was casual like he was talking about his favorite snack.


    "Don''t you want kids of your own? What if your parents pushed you for a biological child to take over the family business, for instance?" She pushed.


    "No. And, if I adopt a child, that''s my child in every way that matters. They are entitled to everything my biological child would have and if anyone has a different opinion, they can fuck off. But why are we having this discussion?"


    "I was curious." She hid her smile by biting her lip. How could she have been so mistaken about Liam''s opinion? For the first time, she was happy to be proven wrong. She didn''t mind adopting kids either so why the hell did her infertility bug her so much before?


    "I''m a little hungry. Do you have anything edible in your fridge?" She asked.


    It was out of blue and had his mind spinning for a while before he pointed a finger in the direction of the kitchen. "Raid any section of the kitchen you like. Bring some snacks for me too."


    She smiled at hisst order and dashed for the kitchen, where a maid immediately showed up.


    "Ma''am, do you need anything? I''ll help you get it."


    "No. I''ll just check the fridge." She opened the humongous fridge that could probably store more food than she could eat for a couple of months and grabbed ice cream. She had just made a discovery. Between his choice of snack at Ember''s house and the tubs filling an entire section in the fridge, it turned out that Liam loved ice cream. Probably more than anyone should, but it made her mind run wild. Would he want to lick it off her body? Or maybe, she should be the one licking it off his.


    She blinked away the dirty images forming in her mind and grabbed a frozen yoghurt for herself, a tub of vani ice cream for Liam and a packet of spicy chips from the shelf which they would share.


    The man was waiting for her in the living room and when he saw her, he almost couldn''t recognize the random multiverse dimension he had travelled to. Why in the heavens was Ximena smiling her way out of his kitchen with snacks in both hands and looking like she couldn''t wait to cuddle with him and watch some melodramatic rom movies?


    Not that he enjoyed getting ignored by her but shouldn''t there be some sort of warning before things took such a huge change?


    "I thought you''d want this. If you don''t, I can bring you something else." She ced the ice cream on the console table.


    "I like it."


    He opened the lid and took a scoop on a spoon, shovelling it into his mouth as she stared. She caught herself licking her lips while staring at his and turned away.


    ''Get a hold of your hormones, Ximena!'' She yelled mentally at her inner demons. They had probably been unleashed as soon as they learnt that he might not mind her weakness.


    However, having an opinion and actually epting the situation were different matters. One could be ready to be with a woman who is unable to have kids but once they found out that it is impossible, they may have cold feet and want to back out. On the same wavelength, he might have a specific requirement but end up treasuring a woman who is nothing like the type he wanted. It was too soon to make a conclusion.


    "Do you want to stay a little longer?" He grabbed her by the waist, daring to ask since she was in a good mood.


    s, she rejected him.


    "I can''t. I left Zaria on her own and I should get back to her." Although she said no to him, he could tell from her suddenly ragged tone that she, in fact, would have loved to stay.


    "But Zaria is not a child anymore. Surely she can handle some alone time?" He protested.


    "Not when her brain is going off on random tangents. Besides, I promised to go back to her as soon as I dropped you off and that''s long overdue."


    He didn''t push his luck anymore. "Okay."


    She finished her yoghurt and it was the most agonising cup of her life. Liam was practically stered against her and she could neither push him nor move away. She didn''t want to. His close proximity did things to her body that she would never admit to him. What was more torturous than having a Greek god beside her and not being able to touch him? Paired with the ice cream fantasy that was crossing her mind at random, it felt like a won battle when she finally finished her snack.


    "I should get going." She announced.


    "I''ll drop you off?" He offered, to which sheughed.


    "I drove here. Remember?"


    "Of course." He cleared his throat, walking her to the garage.


    "Ximena," He called as she headed for her car. She turned and looked him in askance. "Will you¡­call me when you''re home?"


    "I will." She promised before she could stop herself.


    He was overjoyed and didn''t bother to hide it.


    "Goodnight, Liam." She waved a gentle hand and turned to open her car door.


    A hand mmed the door closed in the next moment, nearly startling her out of her skin. She would have screamed if she hadn''t heard his hurried footsteps approach.


    She turned to reprimand him, acutely aware of the fact that she was now trapped between the car and him. "Liam, what are you.."


    Her words were swallowed into his mouth as their lips shed.. He held the back of her head and kissed her as passionately as he had wanted to since he saw her biting her soft lips earlier.

 Chapter 241 - Gained A Cousin

    <h4>Chapter 241 - Gained A Cousin</h4>


    Her body felt weak from his kisses and all she could do was melt into him. She held onto his shoulders, parting her lips to give his tongue ess to her mouth. She moaned lightly when their tongues collided.


    "Liam," She whispered, breaking away from his lips.


    He let go of her, rubbing her slightly swollen lips with his thumb. "Sorry. I didn''t¡­ I couldn''t stop myself."


    Even though that was what he said, he was definitely not sorry in the slightest.


    She straightened her dress. "What can I do? I guess my lips are just too irresistible."


    They shared a gentleugh.


    "Yeah. So you can''t me me for not being able to stop myself from kissing them, can you?" He was relieved that she was not offended.


    "Fair point. I''ll be on my way." She tucked her hair behind her ear.


    He gazed down at her intently as she opened the car door and stepped in. "Don''t forget to call me."


    She responded with a smile and drove off, still in disbelief. What the hell just happened?


    ¡­.


    "Let me get this straight. You went to Liam''s house with the intention of putting him in his ce but ended up having snacks together and kissing passionately in the garage?" Zaria was one step away from grabbing a bucket of popcorn when Ximena told her what had happened.


    "Don''t look at me like that." Ximena rolled her eyes, gathering her legs up so sitfortably On Zaria''s bed. She looked away from her friend''s probing gaze. "Who can me me? He''s just too handsome."


    That,ing from a woman who saw men as nothing but punching bags, was a surprise. "I''m d there is finally a man who can make you say that."


    "Don''t remind me. I just didn''t think anyone was worth my time in the past." She grabbed Zaria''s hand in excitement. "Hey, I have to thank you. If you didn''t force me to pick him up, I wouldn''t have found out how wrong I was about him."


    Zaria was relieved too, knowing that her friend once again had a chance at happiness. She feigned contemtion for a while. "Should I put that on your tab?"


    "Go right ahead. Whatever pleases you."


    "That will be three favors to add on what you owedst time." She dramatically wrote it down in her phone notepad as though she would actually hunt Ximena down for the favors.


    "That, right there, is swindling." Ximena pointed a finger at her phone screen. "You might as well rob a bank and it will be the same thing."


    "Good idea." Zaria put down her phone and leaned in to whisper. "Hey, what bank should we rob?"


    Shaking her head, Ximena climbed off the bed to tuck the other in. "That''s enough lunacy for today. My godchild needs rest."


    "You only care about your godchild these days. You don''t even love me anymore." Zaria sulked dramatically.


    Ximena was helpless. "Okay drama queen. You know that I love you more than anything, right? Goodnight."


    "Aren''t you sleeping over?" Zaria asked when she noticed that Ximena wasn''t making a move to grab a nightgown but was instead putting her things together to leave.


    "If you don''t mind¡­ never mind. It will probably be best if I''m at my own ce for that kind of call." She was embarrassed thinking of what an innocent phone call could turn into if it was with Liam.


    "Got ya." Zaria winked. "You can use the guest room tonight. You will have all the privacy you need for that kind of call. Also, don''t forget to wear something sexy under that dress in advance. Though he might find you sexier wearing nothing."


    "Zaria!" Ximena was bbergasted by her friend''s unfiltered mouth.


    Zaria burst intoughter. "Go Julliet!"


    ___


    The following day, at Preston and Fort Group.


    Zaria studied Desmond closely as he scribbled his signature slowly.


    "You really trust me that much? Aren''t you scared I might sell off everything you own and make away with your wealth?" It was almost baffling that he would let her learn to write his signature.


    "You are smarter than that." He chuckled. She was fast to learn and after just a few tries, she had managed to make a duplicate of hisplex signature.


    "If I knew this was so easy, I might have be an actual swindler." She giggled as she made another signature on the document she had brought, which was a fake contract that she had printed.


    "Do you think everyone will let you?" He was amused by her way of thinking.


    "No. But there''s such a thing as bugs and secret cameras, isn''t there?" She winked suggestively and he had to give it to her. She was Lucy''s daughter in every sense of the word.


    "Am I really doing this?" She held the contract to her chest with slightly trembling hands.


    He pulled her to hisp, knowing what she was worried about. "She will not dare report anything to HR. Not when you are an executive employee and she knows at the back of her mind that she did something wrong." He assured her. "Remember, you can''t always do the right thing in business."


    "What a piece of advice to give your girlfriend, Mr. Fort." She teased.


    His hand crawled up her back in light strokes. "Well, you can''t exactly stick to being a goody two shoes. That will give you nothing but more problems to deal with."


    "Fair enough." She had to agree with him. She slid off hisp. "I''ll get it done right away."


    She was reluctant for her to leave but work had to get done so he let her go.


    "Erika!" Zaria called the intern through the inte as soon as she was back to her office.


    The young woman rushed into her office. "Yes Miss Williams?"


    Zaria looked down into her files, remembering what she was about to do. "Do you care to remind me who this contract is addressed to?" She held the fake contract up.


    "It''s addressed to the CEO. Mr. Fort." Erika responded. She had fallen for Zaria''s trap, mistaking the fake contract for one she had brought to Zaria earlier.


    "I see. Once he reads it, if he finds the terms satisfactory, who is to sign it?" Zaria prompted.


    "Uhm¡­ Mr. Fort?"


    "I thought so too." Zaria put it down and faced the young woman. "Since you know better than anyone who it was addressed to and whose signature should be at the end page, why did you sign it?"


    Erika''s eyes widened. "What? Miss Wiims, I didn''t do any such thing."


    In response, Zaria flipped the document to the end and tapped her finger against the signature. "Take a look. What''s this?"


    "This is Mr. Fort''s signature." Erika was just as confused as Zaria intended her to be.


    "Well?" Zaria looked at her quizzically. "This contract has only been in your hands. Which ghost of yours thought of herself as a good samaritan to save the CEO''s time?"


    "I didn''t sign it." She insisted.


    Zaria crossed her arms with a cynical nce. "So you are implying that I did it."


    "That''s not what I meant! Miss Williams, I really didn''t¡­"


    "You are fired." Zaria interrupted.


    Erika was on the verge of tears. "Please give me a chance to investigate this and find out who really did it." She pleaded.


    "In other words, you were not careful enough. You let someone else have ess to a confidential file intended for the CEO?" She used Erika''s words against her, rendering the young woman speechless.


    "An intern''s job in thispany is to gain experience and learn everything that''s required of them. It was not in your job description to make such huge matters into your own hands."


    "Miss Williams, I can''t afford to lose this. Please give me a chance." She fell onto her knees.


    "Then you shouldn''t have done something wrong. Get out of my sight." Zaria ordered. When the woman hesitated, she narrowed her eyes. "You are no longer an employee of Preston and Fort Group. Would you rather be escorted by the guards?"


    At her words, Erika scurried out of the office.


    A few minutester, Desmond crept up behind her. "Done?"


    Zaria nodded. "Time to follow her. Luckily I set this up."


    She opened a window on herputer which disyed Erika''s movements. She dashed out of thepany in tears and when she was two streets away, she leaned against the wall in an alley and took out her phone to make a call.


    "Who is she calling?" Zaria wondered aloud. She zoomed in but from the angle of the bug, she couldn''t see the screen of Erika''s phone.


    "Grandfather, I got fired." Erika cried.


    A knock resounded on the door and it opened faster than Zaria could switch windows. Luckily, it was Zeus. She didn''t wait for him to speak before grabbing him over.


    "Zeus, good timing. Check the following call, quick." She pushed him into her seat and gave him brief details. The call onlysted a few seconds and was over before Zeuspleted his check.


    His fingers froze at some point and he stared at the monitor in shock. Zaria peeked and couldn''t make head or tail of the myriad of codes on the screen so she nudged him.


    "Zeus?"


    "We just gained a cousin." He ran a hand through his messy hazelnut hair.


    She was horrified. "What the fuck are you saying? You don''t mean¡­"


    "Yes.. She was speaking to Nathaniel Su and she called him grandfather."

 Chapter 242 - Mistresses And Bastards All Over The Place

    <h4>Chapter 242 - Mistresses And Bastards All Over The ce</h4>


    Long chapter iing


    .


    .


    "Maybe she could be adopted or something." Zaria made a guess. She couldn''t think of Erika as Nathaniel''s granddaughter no matter how hard she thought about it. It just made no sense.


    However, Zeusughed at her statement as though she was a jealous child acting out after finding out that she had arger family than she thought. "You just don''t want to be lumped together with her, right?"


    She huffed at him. "I don''t know about that. Do you want to be lumped together with her? As her beloved elder cousin?"


    "Ew, of course not!" He looked like he was on the verge of barfing, making her roll her eyes. Who was the dramatic one, exactly?


    Desmond cut in before the siblings could grab each other''s throat out of mutual frustration. "Do you think Erika was sent to thispany by her on purpose because Nathaniel had wanted to use her from the word go?"


    Zaria thought hard about it. "When exactly did he find out that I was his granddaughter?" She thought back to their first meeting in Luxenville, where the elderly man had dramatically asked about her parents'' names and surnames.? Considering how much she resembled Lucy, it was highly likely that he had thought about their striking resemnce and considered the possibility that I could be his long-lost daughter''s child. Could that be the time when he investigated her background?


    "Erika came to thepany after my meeting with Nathaniel. However, I looked into her family background before hiring her and she is an orphan. She grew up in foster care until she was sixteen, when her family put her out on the streets. She is definitely not Nathaniel''s biological granddaughter."


    Zeus pondered, pacing? around the office lightly. "That''s unless she was his granddaughter to begin with, and one of her parents was his long lost child."


    "How many long-lost children does he have, exactly?" It was baffling. But this was Nathaniel they were talking about. If he was the kind of father that Lucy described, it would be shocking if any of his children was still in contact with him.


    "The right question should be, does he have any child who is still in contact with him?" Zeus asked the question that had just crossed her mind. "I mean, no one wants a father who wouldn''t even let them fart without his permission."


    When Zaria red at him for his choice of words, he cleared his throat. "ording to mother, he had mistresses and bastards all over the city."


    "Yikes." She frowned in disgust.


    "Calling a random man "grandfather" is creepy, don''t you think?" He added, more convinced that Erika could in fact be the daughter of one of Nathaniel''s innumerable bastards.


    "Maybe he found out that his granddaughter just happens to work for thepany he wants to destroy. I mean, what are the odds?" Zeus was almost impressed by the coincidence.


    "I still want to talk to mother about it." Zaria decided. Lucy was currently in a meeting with Natalie so she would find herter to discuss the matter.


    ___


    Meanwhile, Natalie had been discussing random ideas with Lucy but she still couldn''t figure out what the woman before her was up to. One had to note that Lucy and her were not close enough for small talk, no less during working hours.


    "You said you had a proposal for me." She probed.


    "Yes. Do you want a cup of coffee?" She offered. When Natalie nodded, she poured them each a cup from the coffee machine that Zaria had ced in her office for convenience.


    Natalie took a tiny sip of hers while waiting for the woman to speak.


    "I''m creating a new application, Dawn. I want you to own it." Lucy spoke.


    "Is that some gift of sorts?" Natalie was puzzled. It was odd in every way. Why would Lucy want to give her a gift, and even if she did, why would it be an application called Dawn?


    "Not exactly." Lucy responded to her doubt by letting her have a look at the desktop version of the application on her desktop. "You will be working for me. You only need to handle the management side of things."


    Natalie was baffled the more she looked at it and in the end, she shook her head. "I don''t understand. Dawn is quite simr to Twilight. Besides, what''s with the name? Twilight and Dawn? Don''t get me started on how the logos are opposites." She observed that Twilight had a tiny setting sun in its logo while Dawn had a tiny setting moon. " Aren''t you giving yourselfpetition?"


    "That''s exactly what the purpose of Dawn is." She sipped her coffee with a slight smile. "Theparison will get people talking. It''s a great way to know what our consumers need. Of course, everyone will be waiting for me to sue the owner of Dawn for copyright infringement and follow the news closely."


    "What happens if Dawn thrives better than Twilight?" She wondered aloud.


    "After all the publicity, I''ll buy it back as part of Twilight. Dawn focuses on different fields from Twilight anyway, and I was going to add said fields to Twilight someday after all."


    Natalie was baffled. So, from the word go, she was going to expand Twilight. But instead of doing that directly, she wanted to cause such a huge drama just to give herself publicity. "Yeah. You are wicked."


    "Am I?" She let out a softugh.


    Natalie knew that there was no use dwelling on the fact that Lucy was using the unsuspecting media so she dropped that fact. "You are trying to use me so tell me, why do I need to coborate with you on this? What''s in it for me?"


    "I know about your startup. If you want, I can fund it." She tempted her.


    Natalie was not moved in the slightest. "If I''m going to start apany, I would be prepared for whatever it takes, don''t you think? I have enough money for that."


    Her words earned her a meaningful giggle from Lucy before thetter tore apart her argument. "Money which you earned working for your family. You know better than anyone that you don''t want to be entangled with your family in any way, even if it''s financially. Besides, you were going to start saidpany with your boyfriend¡­I mean, ex-boyfriend, who you no longer want anything to do with. What will you do now? Ask your best friend, Desmond, to fund it?" She didn''t give Natalie time to defend her move. "Come on, Nat. He is a businessman. He is not going to do anything that doesn''t give him maximum profit and that''s not going to be the best deal for you. Not to mention, he has a girlfriend now."


    Natalie facepalmed. This was so much like Lucy. Create a problem where there is none and offer a solution for it.


    "You don''t trust me." Lucy observed.


    "Like I should." Natalie frowned. "Why would anyone in their right mind trust a tycoon like you?"


    "Should I take that as apliment?"


    Natalie crossed her arms defensively. "You and my family are not in the best rtionship. How can I be certain that you are not trying to lure me into your trap?"


    "What would I gain from that?" Asked Lucy, as though it was an outrageous usation even though they both knew that it wasn''t.


    "How would I know? Maybe your n all along is to sue me in the end. It could help you get revenge against my family for whatever they did to you." Natalie pointed out directly.


    "I have a reason to believe that this is exactly why contracts exist." She picked a stack of paper from the folder tray and pushed it in front of her. "Besides Natalie, the grudge between your mother and I is in the past. I won''t pretend to have forgiven her but I won''t go after you because you are her daughter either."


    It was unsettling hearing Lucy talk about it that way, and it evoked her curiosity. "What kind of grudge?"


    "None that should be your concern." Dismissed the older woman.


    "Touch¨¦." Natalie read through a few uses of the contract and when she saw the severe consequences for any party who would breach it, she was convinced that Lucy did not intend any malice. "I''ll think about your deal after reading all the uses of the contract."


    That was a done deal, so Lucy moved to the next topic. "There is something else I need to talk to you about."


    "What may that be?" Natalie looked up from the papers.


    "My son."


    What an odd topic, Natalie thought. "Well? What about Zeus?"


    Lucy intertwined her fingers as though this was thest thing she had ever wanted to have to discuss. "You are a reasonable woman, Natalie." She started. " And by that, I mean intelligent and smart. On the other hand, my son is reckless. There are things he may neither understand nor want to understand."


    This was one of those infamous topics that every woman hated, thought Natalie, and she went straight to what she knew must be Lucy''s point. "So you want me to stay away from him."


    Lucy did not deny it but didn''t directly admit it either. "It''s not that I dislike you. Hell no." She exined. " If I were to choose a daughter-inw for myself, I would choose you over anyone else."


    "Actually, I''m not sure I want to be the daughter-inw of the businesswoman I find scheming." Sheughed it off like a joke but Lucy knew she was offended.


    "We would make a good team. I mean, who supports a man more than his wife does, right? I would definitely want a woman I can trust beside him. And I would do everything to help you if you need it. But that can''t happen, unfortunately."


    Natalie was initially uninterested in the topic and couldn''t be bothered to react, but Lucy''sst words made her spine go rigid.


    "Why?" She asked. "If you like me so much that you think of me as a potential daughter-inw and partner, then why do you want me to stay away from the man who could make that possible?"


    Lucy remained silent for a minute too long, and Natalie took that as refusal to answer her question. She gathered the rest of her stuff and shoved the contract into a folder before grabbing her bag. "Then I''ll be on my way. Don''t worry. I have no ounce of feelings for Zeus and definitely no intention to get together with him."


    ___


    AN


    Why do you think Lucy is adamant to tear Zeus and Natalie apart?


    The next chapter will be up in 3-4 hours.

 Chapter 243 - Skeleton Contest

    Zeus entered the office barely a few seconds after Natalie left and from his expression, he was well aware of the conversation that had happened between the two women.


    "Do you have anything to say?" Lucy asked, feigning ignorance even though she knew what her son was fuming about.


    Zeus shut the door with more force than necessary before angrily confronting his mother. "It''s one thing to try and teach me how to live my life. Why did you me this on Natalie? It was my choice to like her and she has nothing to do with it!"


    "I didn''t me your choices on anyone." She returned to working as though she couldn''t see him anymore, upsetting the young man all the more.


    "I have every right to know why I can''t be with Natalie."


    Lucy rubbed her temples. "Now Zeus, don''t me your inability to win a woman''s heart on me."


    "Are you implying that if I win her heart, you will let us be together? Do you promise to keep your distance and stop trying to separate us?"


    Lucy took a deep breath, looking up at her son. "As your mother, I have to do my best to let you know what is wrong and what is right. If you want to listen to me, that will be for the best. But, if you want to yap about how controlling I am, go ahead. But you have hands, Zeus. And you have aputer. You can go searching for answers if you feel the need to."


    "Why can''t you tell me since you already know?" He asked stubbornly.


    "Because there are things I just can''t tell my child. It breaks my heart."


    Zeus was done with his mother''s mysterious responses. "I came here to ask if it''s possible that grandfather has another granddaughter that we don''t know about."


    "Why would you ask that?" Asked Lucy, to which Zeus filled her in on what they had discovered about Erika.


    "Who knows the ways of men?" Lucy shrugged indifferently.


    "I''ll take that as a yes." He suddenly couldn''t get out of her office any faster, as though it was a ticking time bomb that could explode on him.


    "What did she say?" Zaria asked when he got back to her office.


    "It seems like we know practically nothing about our dear grandfather. Do you think we should pay him a haunting visit?" He suggested.


    "Better not. We need concrete proof and the exact reason why Erika has never been known to be his granddaughter."


    "Actually, that''s not necessarily important." Desmond spoke for the first time in a while. He had been sitting at the side the entire time, deep in thought while the siblings schemed.


    "What do you mean?" Asked Zaria.


    "What the public wants is drama. Whether or not it''s true. who really cares?" He shrugged.


    "You have a point." Zaria agreed. "Even if the truth were to be revealedter, there is no redemption for a grandfather who did not take in his biological granddaughter after the death of her parents, letting her wander about in different foster homes."


    Hence, explosive rumors filled the news articles the following day. It was unbelievable that the self-proimed epitome of kindness, Nathaniel Su, had such ugly skeletons in his closet.


    It was ironic that while he participated in several charity organizations that were intended to better the lives of orphaned children, he disregarded his own kin. The news might have been exaggerated but thements were worth it. Most tycoons didn''t care about such news but everyone would want to avoid unnecessary scandals and hence, a ton of the Su family''s deals were put on hold, causing them tremendous losses in just a day.


    Zeus fanned the mes by using trolls to create more dramaticments which made Zariaugh when she read them.


    Disgusted Sloth¡ª [I can''t believe any of you thought Nathaniel Su was a kind person. That man is the devil in disguise! He paid the hospital bill for my wife when she had postpartumplications from the birth of our son. At the time, I couldn''t help but marvel at how kind one could be. I thought he was an angel from heaven.]


    Mysterious¡ª [@Disgusted Sloth isn''t that an act of ultimate kindness?] Commented another user.


    Disgusted Sloth¡ª[Of course it was! He was saving the life of his mistress to ensure she took good care of their son. Their son, who I thought was mine for ten months!]


    Zariaughed aloud when she read thement. "Really? I didn''t know you had a wife and a son." She teased Zeus.


    "Anything to get them talking."


    She had to admit that he really did get them talking. There were private ounts revealing that the users had been servants of the Su household and had been harassed in more ways than anyone could imagine.


    The post was taken down within twenty four hours, but that was after most of the damage was done. An unknown user revealed all the dirty deals that Nathaniel had made in the past, detailing all the evidence they could find. As if that was not enough, yet another headline made its way to the top two dayster.


    ["My ''beloved'' father tried to kill me by drowning." Nathaniel Su''s daughter, Lucinda speaks up.]


    Zaria was at home when she saw the explosive headline and the article below it, detailing the ordeal that one of Nathaniel''s long-lost daughters had to face. Apparently, she rejected the suitor that her father wanted her to marry, which enraged him into trying to kill her.


    She looked up at Theodore who had just left the kitchen. "Dad, could youe for a moment?"


    He was worried when he leaned over to check out what she was showing him. "Is everything okay, princess?"


    "This is mother''s story, right?" She asked. "She is Lucinda, isn''t she?"


    Theodore was stumped. He didn''t know that Lucy had been through such a thing. It was certain, however, that Lucinda was Lucy and that was something Nathaniel was capable of doing.


    "Why would she say it out in a forum?" She was still confused.


    "She must have been fed up by all the trouble she has caused you." He pulled her into his arms, feeling enraged himself. If he had evidence to prove it, he would let the whole world know what a scumbag Nathaniel really was.


    "I didn''t know the two of you suffered so much." She rubbed his back to soothe him, which made him want tough at her antics.


    "We are over it."


    Although that was what he said, she noticed the gloom in his eyes. He missed Lucy and hated Nathaniel for tearing them apart.


    "If you had a chance, would you¡­" She peeked at him. "Would you and mother get back together?"


    It was as though something had snapped in him. He waved her off. "That''s enough curiosity for the day. Get to the dining room for dinner.


    ___


    Lucy had not intended to handle things in this manner but ever since she released the tidbit about Nathaniel''s murder attempt on her, she had received innumerable phone calls from media agencies wanting to interview her and get the truth about what really happened.


    She didn''t mind this oue either. However, Zeus had other thoughts about it.


    "Mother, you can''t forget that you have skeletons in your closet too! If you want to unveil his, what would happen if he retaliated and uncovered yours?" He was worried.


    She didn''t think there was anything to worry about. "If he wants to uncover the skeletons in my closet, we can go on a skeleton contest and see who wins. I''m pretty sure he has a thousand more skeletons than I do."


    "Just so you know, I am not supportive of this idea." Zeus raised his hands in surrender and let her go nheless. He would never be able to stop her if she wanted something anyway.


    Lucy checked herself out in the mirror before spraying a tiny bit of floral perfume onto her neck. She had done her hair earlier and loved its volume. It felt good to look younger and she couldn''t help being in a better mood.


    She figured that Theodore would be out of F&P Media so she didn''t bother to go to the agency. Instead, she grabbed the cookies she had baked and went to his home, realizing upon her arrival that it was already a half past nine. What awkward timing. Yikes.


    Zaria opened the door in her pajamas and indoor sandals.


    "Mom?" She was pleasantly surprised to see her.


    She hugged her daughter and rubbed a hand on her back. "How are you feeling?"


    "Are you worried that the news will affect me? Don''t worry about it. I''m fine." She continued holding onto Lucy''s hand. "Come in. It''s cold outside."


    Lucy let her take the cookies from her hands and awkwardly walked in. Would Theodore be asleep?


    She didn''t need to ask. Slow footsteps announced his arrival from upstairs.


    "Lucy? What are you doing here?" Theodore was just as puzzled.


    "I just wanted to check on Zaria. The news must have taken a toll on her." She lied before adding a wisp of the truth. "That, and I wanted to talk to you. About F&P Media."


    "By ''you'' I mean both of you." She added, shifting her gaze between the two of them.


    "Uhm," Zariaughed inwardly. Who would want to talk to her ex husband who still loved her at half past nine while dressed like she was going on a date?


    "Unfortunately, I''m kind of sleepy. Maybe we can talk tomorrow?" She made an excuse to leave.


    "Well, this has to be done tonight. It will be toote to discuss tomorrow." It was the truth but it sounded odd.


    Zaria waved her fingers at them as she made a beeline for the staircase "Then I''ll let the two of you discuss and dad can fill me in tomorrow."


    She wasn''t certain they heard her, and she looked over just in time to catch Theodore checking Lucy out. She coughed in embarrassment.. She wasn''t needed here anymore.

 Chapter 244 - Skeleton Contest (2)

    Sitting in the kitchen with Theodore was nothing like Lucy would ever expect. He had made them each a cup of hot cocoa and they sat across from each other, enjoying their drinks and cookies.


    "You still love baking." He remarked, mentally adding that she was excellent at it too.


    "I often do it for Zeus. If you want, I can have him bring you and Zaria cookies once in a while." She suggested without thinking too much of it.


    "That would be great. Though it would be even better if you brought the cookies yourself." Flirted Theodore, and Lucy didn''t know how to respond to it. She offered a smile and sipped her hot cocoa, cradling it between her hands.


    "You said you wanted to talk about F&P Media." He asked.


    "Yes." She looked at him oddly. "You know about what has been happening to the Su family, right? My father''s name getting thrown around in articles for his past crimes and all that."


    "I do." He looked at her curiously.


    "Aren''t you interested in the news?" She expressed her curiosity,


    A frown settled on his face. Interest was an understatement. There wasn''t any media agency that wasn''t trying to be the first to get to the bottom of the Su family''s scandalous revtions. Everyone was trying to either interview Lucy or Nathaniel and it was almost impossible for her to ept any of their invitations with how low the odds were. How could he not be interested in it?


    However, "I have already had my fair share of the repercussions caused by messing with the wrong families. I do not intend to make a simr mistake for the rest of my life."


    She chuckled but knew that he made sense. She had known how horrible it had been for him when Desmond decided to sue F&P Media for meddling into matters rted to the Fort family. She would never forget how hard it was for her daughter to find a job afterwards.


    "Well, I''m offering myself to you." She looked at him and he almost choked.


    "What are you saying?"


    "If you want to interview me, I''m in for it." She smiled.


    He mulled over her words and was confused. "Why would you offer yourself up for an interview with F&P Media? I have confidence in the potential of my agency but I also know that you have innumerable options from already sessfulpanies."


    "I only want F&P Media." She insisted. "I only trust you. Do you want to interview me?"


    He smiled even though he knew he was overthinking her words. "Sure. But I can''t be the one interviewing you on live television. I''m part of your story, you know."


    "Right. It would be odd." She twirled her nearly empty cup. "We can do a written interview first."


    "What kind of effect do you intend to achieve?" He asked, realizing that she was not just giving answers to the public. She probably wanted to drag Nathaniel''s name through the mud all over again.


    "I want everyone to know what a scumbag he is. At least to the point that no one in their sane mind will want anything to do with him."


    He nodded. "I see. But within the time frame you want, a live interview will have a more dramatic effect. I''ll personally write down the questions you want to be asked and make sure these are the only ones you will be asked. "


    "I can do with that." She inched closer. "However, we have to do this tomorrow."


    "I guess that can be done." It was an unexpected pie from the sky for F&P Media. He had scheduled an interview with an actress for the following day, only for the woman to bail out on them. Who would have expected that she would be reced by the mysterious tycoon everyone wanted to know about, Lucy Roatta? The contrast was insane.


    "It''s a short notice to inform our followers of your uing interview but I guess everyone is waiting for you so it''s going to be easier." He took out his phone and logged into thepany Creszone ount before putting up the announcement. He was yet to log out when the night owls startedmenting and expressing their excitement.


    "So many people want to know you." He remarked.


    She smiled ever so slightly. "Are you jealous¡­of them?"


    He was taken aback and she knew when to stop. "Well, I''d like to be asked what I think of all the rumors circting online about my father, why no one knows that I''m his daughter and¡­" She changed the subject, letting him know what she wanted to reveal the next day.


    "Lucy," He half-whispered her name when they were done, and she was preparing to leave. She turned to look at him.


    "I would like to thank you for this. It means a lot for F&P Media."


    She smiled up at him. "You don''t need to. It''s for Zaria and my grandchild."


    "Well, I still benefit from it so, thank you."


    "You''re wee."


    He took the empty cups to put them on the sink but she was in his way, and didn''t seem to make head or tail of his words when he told her so. She continued standing in his way, smiling until he couldn''t help himself anymore. He inched closer and closer to her face until a groan from the door startled them into jumping away from each other.


    "Get a room, you two!" Zaria closed her eyes in mock disgust.


    "Aren''t you asleep, princess?" Theodore moved further away from Lucy who looked like she wanted to dig a hole to hide in.


    "I forgot to refill the water jug in my room and came down for some. At the wrong time, I guess." She held up a ss jug. "You didn''t see me, I didn''t see anything." She hurriedly refilled her jug at the dispenser and hurried back up as though the kitchen was on fire.


    He chuckled and ced the cups on the sink before holding a hand out to Lucy. "I''ll see you to the guest room."


    "Huh?" She was taken aback by the sudden offer.


    "I mean, it''s already sote at night and not the right time for anyone to be driving around on their own. You can sleep in Zaria''s room if you don''t want the guest room. She will definitely be happy to have you."


    "That''s a tempting offer but I must go back and prepare for the interview." She turned him down.


    "That''s okay." He led the way out. "Is it toote to mention how beautiful you look?"


    "I don''t think it is."


    It was colder outside, and Lucy shuddered when the cold breeze hit her skin. She sneezed, merely seconds before Theodore''s jacket settled on her shoulders.


    "I still think you should have stayed over but since you insist on leaving, you should be warm at the very least."


    "Thank you." She hugged the fluffy jacket, feeling warmer instantly.


    ¡­


    News spread like wildfire in Olphire but news regarding Imperium aristocrats was like an explosion. It was shocking that the number ofizens awaiting the interview surpassed any other. Lucy had received countless private messages from friends asking her whether she was really airing her family''s dirtyundry in public and she had one answer for all of them¡ªshe should have done this ages ago.


    Nathaniel gave her a call an hour before the time of the interview. "What are you doing?" He asked.


    She was already on her way to F&P Media and couldn''t be bothered with him. A sinister smile ghosted her lips. "Exactly what you wanted me to do, father."


    Thest word was said out with vengeance, and she hoped it would be thest time for her to call him that. She hung up on him and drowned herself in her thoughts through the rest of the ride to F&P Media. To her delight, Theodore was there to receive her.


    "Are you really sure you want to do this?" He asked her when they were on their way to the studio.


    "Positive." She ced a hand on his shoulder. "I should have done this twenty-eight years ago. My cowardice caused you, Zeus and Zaria to suffer for so long and if I stay silent for any longer, my grandchild will suffer the same fate. So thank you for giving me this chance, Theo."


    Theo. It had been ages since she called him that and it made him just as happy as it did in the past. He tried not to bounce on his heel as he walked her to the studio.


    "Good luck." He whispered to her when she walked in and sat on the couch, even though she didn''t need any.


    She smiled back at him and went though the interview questions to ensure none was missing and none had been added to it. They were all dramatic questions, much to her advantage.


    When the interview that had been nicknamed as "the skeleton contest" by theizens went live, the host introduced Lucy before firing off the first question on the list.


    "Everyone has been waiting to hear you speak up, Ms. Roatta, but they are all curious of one thing. Why is your surname Roatta?"


    Sheughed like it was a simple matter. "Obviously, because I don''t want to breathe the same air as that of a heartless man, let alone have his surname."


    The host was baffled. "But if he has been heartless to you all your life, why are you only speaking up now?"


    Her expression turned solemn. "Well, everyone has a day when all the skeletons in their closet just break out and march into the limelight, right?"

 Chapter 245 - Skeleton Contest (3)

    "There''s a ton of truth in that," Remarked Bailey, the host. She shifted in her seat as she went for the killer questions. "Do you mind getting us out of this grief of curiosity by telling us your story?"


    "What do you want to know?" She asked.


    "You previously revealed that your father attempted to murder you. Could you tell us how this happened?" Bailey probed.


    "dly." Lucy smiled, knowing that Nathaniel was probably watching and was seething in rage. "I was only a young woman at the time and my parents wanted me to marry the son of their business partner. They knew that I hated it but still¡­ Why would a young woman''s words matter to a selfish couple? Maybe it''s because they never really liked me from childhood, or because I was against his idea of ruining a slum for his own selfish gains."


    "What triggered him to try and kill you?" Asked Bailey.


    "I fell in love with a man he thought was way below my social status. It was not unexpected that he would think that way, and I had already made preparations. I was ready to leave the family if he didn''t allow his daughter to marry a man below his own status for fear of losing his reputation."


    She paused, swallowing past a lump. She had thought that she was over everything that happened in the past but recalling what she and Theodore had been through, hate surged through her veins. "I did leave the family but that was not enough for him. Trying to kill my husband was the least he did. Once he learnt that I was pregnant with my husband''s child, he dunked my head into the bathtub to kill my baby."


    Bailey was shocked speechless. Would a father really do that?


    "Why didn''t you report this?" She asked.


    "Nothing woulde out of reporting a man who had the police in his pockets and the potential to ruin my life forever. I could only focus on making the most out of my life so he would no longer have anything on me."


    It was sad, Bailey had to admit.


    "You mentioned that he ruined a slum. Can you borate this?"


    Lucy was d to, and she went ahead to reveal all the details that she knew, including the fact that the said slum was sold to Nathaniel illegally. She was hell set on tearing apart the Su family''s empire that had been built using unorthodox methods.


    "I''ve been getting questions since you mentioned the man you fell in love with, and your fans want to know if this man is Theodore Williams." Bailey questioned, and Lucyughed lightly.


    "There isn''t anything that can escape the eyes of the Inte, is there?" She chuckled, not denying the im.


    "So that means that the lucky man is Theodore Williams after all. After winning the heart of the beauty, he worked hard and became the CEO and owner of the infamous F&P Media." She added before asking, "If my sources are right, Theodore Williams has a daughter, Zaria. And I just checked out a picture of Zaria and she looks a lot like you. Is she your daughter?"


    Lucy smiled in response and no other answer was needed.


    "It turns out that Zaria Williams, who exploded into poprity a few months ago for the article she published about Preston and Fort Group, is Theodore Williams and Lucy Roatta''s daughter! What a mega twist!" She dramatically eximed.


    Lucy smiled dotingly. She no longer needed to hide Zaria away. In the past, she had refrained from letting anyone know about their rtionship in fear that Nathaniel would find out and make a living hell out of Zaria''s life. However, she didn''t care anymore. She had already done everything she could to be able to protect her family and Nathaniel could go to hell if he wanted to.


    "Rumor has it that Zaria is dating Desmond Fort. Is this true?" Bailey probbed. Of course she would use this chance to try and ask about Zaria.


    Lucy shook her head. "I have no idea. Okay, scratch that. Zaria''s dating life is none of my business and I don''t wish toment about it."


    "Fair enough." Bailey moved to the next question. "Are you and Theodore going to get back together?"


    "What do you think?" Lucy skirted around the question as though she wanted to keep it a mystery."


    "Well, since you fought so hard to be together, it will only make sense if you get back together. You are too strong for your father to get in your way now." Bailey hypothesized like a fan girl.


    To that, Lucy smiled mysteriously. "That''s an interesting way to put it. I wonder what Mr. Williams thinks about it." To be fair, she didn''t know either. Did she want to be with Theodore again?


    "I''m certain Mr. Williams would be thrilled." Bailey pushed a little more. She knew this because rumor had it that Theodore had remained single for so many years after his divorce because he still loved his ex-wife. When she thought about the coincidental tidbits of the interview, she wanted to squeal at how much they secretly loved each other. There were innumerable agencies seeking to know the truth about Lucy and trying to invite her for interviews, yet she chose F&P Media which didn''t even dare to ask her.


    "Your fans have innumerable questions about you. Do you wish to answer them?"


    Lucy thought about it and shook her head, not intending to put herself on the spot. "I will answer them on my Creszer." She promised.


    "Then I will move to my final question for the day." Bailey nced at her tablet. "You are a tycoon that everyone looks up to and you definitely know that. By revealing your past on live, aren''t you afraid of what would happen to your own reputation? What if no one wants to work with you after learning that you would tear apart your own family for their deeds?"


    It was a reasonable question and Lucy didn''t need to think about her answer. "I only work with partners I consider trustworthy and truthful. Anyone who has ever been involved in shady deals is off my list as soon as I look them up. If anyone were to dismiss me for telling the truth and putting an end to years of bullying, then they were never on the same page as me to begin with, and wouldn''t have worked with me even under different circumstances."


    The interview wrapped up and when Lucy checked out thement section, she was not surprised. Nathaniel had tried his best to have trolls throw inments calling her names for being insensitive and giving a one-sided story that was definitely full of lies.? Luckily, she was prepared for this. As soon as she got hold of herptop, she uncovered the IP addresses of all the negativementers and revealed them on one screenshot captioned, "What a coincidence that everyone who dislikes what I did today lives in the same ce, down to the house number."


    She left the studio enjoying the explosion she had just caused on the inte.


    "You are done." Theodore met her in the hallway.


    "I am. Thank you." She took her jacket back from him.


    For some reason, he was exceptionally happy. She wondered whether it had to do with the fact that she had just set a me under the butt of the man he hated the most.


    "Zaria is here." He announced, and before she could respond, Zaria rushed over and jumped into her arms.


    "Mother!" She was no longer scared of calling her that.


    "Honey, I can finally call you my daughter without any fears." She tousled her hair.


    "Right? That calls for a celebration and Zeus and I know just how to do that." She grabbed onto Lucy''s hand and turned to take Theodore''s in her other hand, leading them away."


    "They look like a happy family." The employees gossiped when they saw them happily leave thepany.


    Once they were out, Zaria let go of them and linked their hands out of the blue. "I''ll check if Zeus has arrived."


    Theodore shook his head, watching her skip away.


    "She did this on purpose," Lucy was amused looking at her hand in his..


    "Do you mind?" He asked, to which she shook her head.


    As expected, Zaria didn''t have any intention to return. They figured out what to do and knowing that the party must be real, made their way back home. As soon as they arrived, the maids let them know that Zeus wanted them to go to the dining room.


    The naughty duo, Zaria and Zeus, had made the dining room into a setup for a romantic candlelit dinner for two. Scented, rose-shaped candles made a trail around the table, on top of which there was a bouquet of red roses. This was no celebratory party. It was a date.


    "Are you enjoying your evening, sir and ma''am? Is there anything you would like to eat?" Zeus appeared in the doorway, d in a waiter uniform,plete with an apronbeled "Theo, Lucy". When did they even prepare this?


    "You look like an actual waiter." Lucy smiled. "Maybe I should buy a restaurant and employ you."


    "I''ll take that as apliment, ma''am." He bowed slightly. He was too much into the act.


    "I''ll have your specialty." She yed along.


    Zeus turned to Theodore. "What about the gentleman?"


    "I''ll have what the beauty is having." Theodore answered, and when Lucy shot him a look, he shrugged in his defense.. "I''m only humoring him."

 Chapter 246 - A Spectacular Performance

    "Zaria and Zeus specially madesagnaing right up!" He cheered and hurried out of the room, where the couple exchanged nces.


    "Can he cook?" Asked Theodore, because his son was way too yful. He couldn''t be pegged as the type to enjoy a homemade meal or make an effort to cook it.


    "I would outright say no but this is Zeus we are talking about here. He is full of surprises." She reached for the bottle of wine. "Do you want some wine?""


    "I should be the one offering you some and I''ll take that as a yes." He picked up the stem sses and poured wine into their sses.


    "Since our kids prepared this specially for us, we should not disappoint them."


    "Truer words have never been said." She clinked her ss with his before they both downed their wine. ''


    He gazed at her and asked, "Your fans were curious to know what would be of us now that the truth is out. What do you think?"


    She scoffed. "That''s not the kind of question I expected you to ever ask. Don''t you know what I feel for you, Theo?" She looked into her empty ss. "There''s just so much involved but if it was my choice, you know better than anyone what I would do."


    "I''ll take that."


    ¡­


    Once they had their romantic dinner thanks to Zaria and Zeus, they got to enjoy a special violin performance by Zaria. They were both pleasantly surprised.


    "I didn''t know you could y the violin so well, princess. When did you even learn?" Theodore gushed.


    "I picked it up in college." She bowed slightly after her performance.


    "You are so good at it, honey. Thank you for the performance." Lucy rubbed her head before settling next to Theodore, The two looked glued to each other, making her wonder whether they had made up.


    Her role as cupid was done, so she winked at them. "I''ll get out of your hair now." She skipped to her room,ughing when she imagined Theodore''s expression once he learned that his room now looked like a honeymoon suite. In her defense, it had been Zeus'' idea and he was also the one to execute it.


    Once she got to her room and locked the door, she made a video call to Desmond who was waiting for her.


    "Did you finish it?''" He asked as soon as the call connected.


    "They enjoyed the performance." She reported jovially.


    "Of course they would. You look beautiful." Heplimented her. She was wearing a white dress that made her look like a blooming flower. Her hair was straight today, and it fell down her back with not a single strand out of ce.


    "Thanks." She pulled out the sheer scarf around her neck and threw it aside before flopping onto her bed.


    "I want to tear that dress off of you." He expressed his naughty desire, staring at her chest area. While he had to admit that she looked way more innocent than she actually was today, he still found her seductive. Perhaps it was true that one saw what they wanted to see.


    She ced her phone on the stand on her bedside table so she didn''t have to end the call to change into her pajamas.


    "Are you going to perform a strip tease for me?" He grinned when he saw her lift her dress to take it off.


    "Actually, that''s a good idea." She winked. She had not thought of it before but now that he mentioned it, she angled the phone to face her closet and walked over to it, then pulled her dress off slowly while swaying her body ever so slightly. Once it was off, she reached behind her back to unhook her bra.


    "Zaria!" Desmond groaned on the phone, and that was her cue to take things even farther. She slipped her bra off and shimmied out of herce panties, throwing them behind.


    "Is that¡­" He sounded breathless. "Panties on my screen?" She heard him exim and turned to see that her aim had been a little too perfect. They hadnded on the phone screen with a section of it hovering over her phone screen, which meant that Desmond was having a spectacr view.


    "I''ll take it off once I''m done." She promised, her hands finding her boobs.


    "Okay but stop doing that." He pointed at her, She was driving him crazy.


    "Doing what?" She feigned ignorance with a chuckle. He cursed, and that was a cue to find her pajamas.


    She knew what she wanted to wear but bent to look for it in the lowermost drawers of her closet. After rummaging for a while, she rose back up to grab it from the top drawer. "There you are."


    She turned to check out on her boyfriend who was getting the short end of the stick. Lust clouded his eyes and he didn''t even try to hide it. Not that he needed to.


    She wore her pajamas with him watching and climbed into bed before grabbing her phone from the stand. .


    "I''m so tired, honey. I''ll go to sleep now, okay?" She yawned.


    "You will be the death of me." He groaned.


    "I''ll take that as apliment." She smiled innocently, as though she had not just shown her boyfriend everything he was missing before dressing up as though nothing happened. It was bound to be a long night for him.


    ___


    On Saturday, Desmond picked Zaria up at the agreed time like clockwork. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts today, because they had chosen to go to the amusement park with Rosaly. She had a colorful basket in her hands which he looked at curiously.


    "Snacks for ROsaly. If she would like some, of course." She peeked into the backseat and then at him with a slight frown. "Is she noting?"


    "I decided to pick you up first so the two of you would meet before going to the amusement park." He opened the car door for her and closed it once she was in.


    "Good idea." She fastened her seat belt, then hugged her basket nervously.


    "Are you nervous?" He ced a hand on hers.


    "Yes. What if we don''t like each other?''"


    "You don''t have to." He leaned over to kiss her. "You are not obligated to feel anything for her. Just be yourself."


    She nodded, but the thought was still worrisome. If she and Rosaly couldn''t stand each other''s presence for a heartbeat, would he have to pick sides? She hoped it wouldn''te to that.


    She mulled over it the entire car ride and apparently, she was overthinking things. Rosaly dashed out as soon as she heard her father''s car pull into the garage and she was out of the house by the time they made it to the door.


    "Why aren''t you wearing your shoes?" Desmond asked, only to be ignored.


    "Zaria!" Rosaly zed to her excitedly.


    Zaria was taken aback. "You know me?"


    She nodded, her eyes lighting up. "You are Laia''s friend. The one who has a puppy named Des, almost like my daddy''s name."


    Zaria''s lips curled upwards. Well, that was because said puppy was named after your daddy. She thought but dropped it.


    "I brought you snacks." She gave the basket to her. Rosaly cheerfully rummaged into it and tore open the packet of chips after expressing her thanks. At the side, Desmond was just about toment about how a puppy was more popr than him, but now it seemed that he couldn''t hold a candle to a packet of chips either.


    "Let''s get in the house." He suggested, and they followed him in.


    The living room was a hellish mess. It had happened before but he was still used to having his space in perfect order with not a single thing out of ce. It still felt odd seeing the aftermath of Rosaly''s games but it brought a smile to his face as one of the things that proved this to be true.


    He took Zaria''s hand to help her onto the couch without stepping on a barbie''s head.


    "Zaria, do you want to y house?" Rosaly looked up at her with pleading eyes.


    "Of course." She had not expected this, but she took her ce on the carpeted floor and sat, crossing her legs. Rosaly was in disbelief but she soon got over it.


    "Can you be the mommy? I want to y the doctor." She grabbed a toy stethoscope.


    "Sure." Zaria picked up a barbie.


    "What about me?" Desmond asked from the side.


    Rosaly thought about it with her head cocked. "Can daddy y the game too, Zaria?"


    "I don''t see why not. He can be the annoying neighbor."


    "Hey!" Heined, but the duo wasughing too hard to want to change his role. It was alright to be the neighbor, but why did he have to be annoying?


    "Alright then. I''ll annoy the crap out of you." He sat down too, earning a smack on his head from Zaria. "What was that for?"


    "Language." She warned.


    Time flew past as the trio yed. What had started as a game of house ended in beauty contests where Zaria would try different makeup looks on Desmond and have Rosaly judge the performance.


    "I knew this was a trap." muttered Desmond.


    When it was time to leave, Rosaly clung to Zaria''s hand. "Will you y house with me again? I don''t like ying by myself."


    "I can y with you again when I don''t have to be at work." She promised, though she wondered why Rosaly had to y by herself. Didn''t she have friends?


    "Do you have many friends?" She asked casually.


    Rosaly shook her head. "Only Laia. I want Jessy to be my friend too but mommy won''t let me."


    "But why not?" She probed, even though she had no clue who Jessy was.


    "Because her family is poor, unlike us."


    Zaria was speechless. When Rosaly dashed off to drink her juice before their departure, she looked for Desmond and found him in his room.


    "I think you are doing the wrong thing, letting Ang continue to raise Rosaly."

 Chapter 247 - Friends

    "What are you talking about?" Desmond was taken aback by her sudden words.


    She shut the door behind her and walked over to him. "Des, why did you let Ang continue to have her custody in the first ce?" She asked. He remained silent and when she realized that it was probably because he thought his answer might upset her, she held his face in both of her hands. "It''s okay. You can tell me anything."


    "I don''t think there is any reason why I should take her away. While Ang is a bad person, she is a good mother and Rosaly loves her. I can''t bear to take that away from her." He ced his hands on hers. "Love, if this is about boundaries¡­"


    "It''s not." She slid her hands off his face with a slight frown, wondering if he would believe her. "I''m not just saying this to incite you into taking her away from her mother or anything, but I really don''t think she is teaching Rosaly the right things." She exined her conversation with Rosaly earlier, which Desmond thought about deeply.


    "Well, that''s a difference in views and many people think that way. It doesn''t have to mean she''s a bad parent." He responded.


    She was a little disappointed. "You really think so?"


    "There are tons of parents who don''t want their kids to associate with kids of a lower social status than them. It''smon, but that doesn''t make it right. I would like Rosaly to grow up into a woman who appreciates what she has but doesn''t look down on those who don''t." He continued, and she agreed with him on that.


    "I think that''s the right thing too." She cracked her knuckles. "I don''t think she ever has anyone to y with either."


    "I think so too." He admitted. "I wanted to bring this up with you once you werefortable but since you brought it up yourself, it makes things easier."


    "What is it?" She looked up at him.


    "I would like you to investigate Ang."


    "Okay, but why do I need to do that?" She didn''t understand.


    "Because I can''t trust anyone else with that kind of information." He grabbed his jacket and car keys.


    "Okay, but that doesn''t exin why you need information about Ang." She probbed, following him out the door.


    He paused for her to catch up before taking her hand. "There has to be a reason why Ang doesn''t want me in Rosaly''s ;life and it has nothing to do with being sorry for ruining my life. Heaven knows she would jump on this opportunity to try and get me to pay for child support or something along the lines. It''s odd that she wants me out of the picture and she will definitely lie if I ask about it." Not to mention, thest thing he wanted was to have a conversation with Ang unless he really had to.


    "I see. I can do that." She winked to let him know that he needed to ''bribe'' her. He leaned down and kissed her lips, kissing her again and again every few steps.


    "Zaria and Daddy are kissing! Shame, shame." Rosaly closed her eyes. Zaria burst intoughter. What goes around doese around.


    "Are you ready to go?" Desmond asked to distract her.


    "Uh huh. I''m wearing shorts, just like Zaria." She held up her arms to show off the clothes she had changed into, which was a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt of almost the same shade of purple as Zaria''s. Desmond looked at them adoringly. It seemed that there was nothing to worry about when it came to what Rosaly thought of Zaria. This made things easier.


    "The two of you look beautiful." Heplimented them and led the way.


    Since it was the weekend, the amusement park was buzzing with activity. Innumerable families had brought their children to y. Rosaly was the most excited of them all. She couldn''t wait to drag Zaria to the face painting stall.


    "Zaria, what are you getting? I want to be an angel." She pointed at an angel face painting excitedly.


    "Then I''ll be a devil." Zariaughed mischievously and really had a devil painting. She ced a devil ear tiara on her head to match the red and ck themed face painting and Rosaly was in awe.


    "Devils are so beautiful."


    "Only devils who are Zaria." Desmond slipped a hand around her and was about to ask what Rosaly wanted him to be when the girl grabbed Zaria away.


    "There''s cotton candy! Let''s get daddy to buy us some."


    "I''m right here, you know." He waved for their attention, but the duo were too busy rushing for cotton candy to care about him.


    Desmond, who was sidelined by his girlfriend and daughter, was speechless.


    ¡­.


    When evening came, Zaria and Rosaly slumped into the backseat of the car tiredly. Zaria couldn''t go on many of the rides and had watched Rosaly for the most part,


    They had dragged him to buy them ice cream and whatever other snacks they wanted, and his arms were full of their purchases by the time they were done. He checked on them when they entered the car. "Are you both alright?"


    "Yes!" Rosaly cheered.


    "We would be even better if you yed us some music." Zaria winked, and Rosaly agreed. Heunched his spotify and let them each select the songs they wanted.


    Soon enough, all he could hear was them singing along to the songs they liked and so beautifully at that. They had several that they both loved and it was fun to watch and hear them. Well, he didn''t like being ignored but they were having a lot of fun so it was worth it.


    By the time they were home, Rosaly was fast asleep in Zaria''s arms. He looked down at her dotingly and asked Zaria if he should pick her up.


    "It''s okay. Don''t wake her." She whispered and got out of the car as Desmond held the door for her.


    "Where does she sleep?" She turned around to ask.


    "The room opposite mine." He spoke aloud and earned a re, making him correct himself and whisper out the same words even though she had already heard them.


    She put Rosaly in bed and tucked her in and was about to leave when the girl grabbed her arm in panic.


    "Don''t go¡­" She drawled out sleepily.


    Zaria''s heart melted. "I''ll be downstairs with your daddy. Take a nap, okay? We can y when you wake up."


    Rosaly nodded while still holding onto her like a treasure. "Do you wanna be my friend?" She cooed adorably, to which Zaria nodded.


    "Of course." She leaned over and kissed the girl''s forehead. She was about to apologize for crossing the line when she realized what she had done, but Rosaly happily asked her to do it again before she actually fell into slumber.


    "Is she asleep?" Desmond asked when she saw Zaria leaving Rosaly''s room. He remembered that she usually had trouble falling asleep soon after Zaria went upstairs with her and had dropped by to check on them.


    Zaria nodded subtly. "She is."


    He took her hand. "Thank you."


    "I didn''t do anything worth thanking me for." She was almost confused.


    "No, thank you for being so kind to her." He held both of her hands in his. "Thank you for trying to make it work."


    A gentle smile settled on her lips. "She''s a lovely child." She figured they would still be friends if they met under different circumstances.


    She looked up when she caught him staring at her, and she was confused. What was going on? A kissnded on her lips before she could ask. He pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around his waist. "You still have to make it up to me, okay? You spent the whole time with Rosaly today."


    "Are you jealous of your own daughter?" She tapped his nose. "How do you want me to repay you, Mr. Fort?"


    "Come with me." He opened the door to his room and pulled her in, pressing her against the wall and kissing her as he locked the door.


    "I missed doing this." He breathed.


    She grabbed his hand and ced it on her left boob. "So did I."


    He squeezed her boob as his mouth dove to hers but had to stop when she suddenly pushed him off her.


    "Zaria?" He was confused.


    "Sorry. I just¡­" She smiled and brushed it off. How could she tell her boyfriend that she suddenly felt nauseated? He definitely wouldn''t feel happy about it.


    "I remembered that I need to discuss something with you." She changed the topic and made her way to his bed.


    "I made a few calls earlier while Rosaly was ying." She started.


    "I noticed that. What were you doing, working on a day out?" He asked, ticking her side.


    "I had to." Sheughed. "The earlier we get information about Ang, the better."


    "What did you find?" He asked, settling beside her on the bed.


    "Nothing is what it seems. Ang is hiding many things and one of them is that when you broke up, she told three different tycoons that they were Rosaly''s father and has child support agreements with them. They each have visitation rights."


    Desmond frowned in realization. "That might exin why she doesn''t want to co-parent with me. How would she let Rosaly meet her ''dads'' when I have her over?"


    ___


    AN: The discord server link has been updated

 Chapter 248 - Convince Me

    "Scratch everything I ever said about Ang not being a bad mother.." Desmond ran a hand down his face in frustration.


    "I can''t believe that anyone would use their child in such a way." Zaria was still in disbelief from the discovery.


    "I can believe it. This is Ang we are talking about." He shrugged.


    "What are you going to do now?" She asked.


    "Get enough evidence." He looked at her with a sly smile.


    "You are going to fight for Rosaly''s custody with this evidence." She stated what was on his mind. "Aren''t you scared she might discredit you in court to make you ineligible for Rosaly''s custody?"


    "She can try that." He looked unfazed.


    She ran a hand along his thigh. "If you need help with anything, you know that you only need to say the word, right?"


    "I do." He slid a hand around her waist to pull her closer to him. Her hand that was still caressing him slid even further and she looked up at him as she ran her fingers along his crotch in subtle invitation. He responded to her actions by searching her eyes. "Would you like to stay over tonight?"


    "Convince me." She teased.


    He pushed her back to lie down and kissed her neck while gently parting her legs to position himself between them. "I''m going to spend all night doing that." He dly took the challenge and he would be sure to fulfill her wish.


    ___


    "I don''t want to go to mommy." Rosaly puffed her cheeks the following morning, refusing to get dressed. She clung to Desmond''s hand as she looked up at him sadly.


    He crouched to her level and gently asked, "Why not?"


    "I want to y with Zaria." She drawled, looking like she would burst into tears if her father said no.


    He picked her up gently. "You can y with Zaria a little more but after that, you need to go home, okay? Your mommy misses you very much."


    "I don''t want to!" She whined.


    Zaria, who had just freshened up, poked her head into the room. "Is everything okay?"


    "Zaria!" Rosaly flew into her arms with teary eyes.


    "What happened?" She coaxed the girl, who looked like she had been betrayed.


    "Daddy wants me to go back home. I don''t want to." She drawled tearfully, hoping Zaria would let her stay.


    It took a nce at Desmond to understand what was going on. It was a difficult situation. She teased the girl''s cheeks. "Why don''t you want to go home? Can you tell me?"


    When Rosaly nced at Desmond as though he was an obstacle, he was speechless. Was he the bad guy now? He left the room for the duo to have some privacy.


    Zaria put Rosaly down and waited for her to speak.


    "Mommy doesn''t like many of my friends. She will not let me y with you anymore." She pouted.


    So that was what it was about. Zaria''s heart melted as she hugged her. "Then you don''t have to tell mommy. It will be our little secret." She stuck out her pinky, which Rosaly happily crossed.


    She was more willing to go, so Zaria helped her pick out a dress. Just like thest time, she wanted one of the same color as Zaria''s. It made her curious about the girl''s preference but she didn''t ask. When Rosaly asked her to make her hair to look like her own, she obliged and pulled her ck hair into a bun, adding a cute butterfly clip at the side.


    "How did you get her to leave the room all dressed up?" Desmond was surprised when he saw them leaving the room twenty minutester, with Rosaly ready to go.


    Instead of answering him, they exchanged nces and said something about it being a secret, which he didn''t quite catch before they raced to the dining room for breakfast. They were definitely having a lot of fun.


    The couple had nned to spend the day togetherter, so Zaria tagged along to drop Rosaly off but didn''t leave the car. However, she got to witness a bizarre show as soon as they arrived.


    Ang left the house wearing a dress that left little to the imagination and when she realized that Desmond was personally dropping Rosaly off, her demeanor changed into that of a seductress. Zaria almost exploded when the woman tried to hug Desmond despite being ignored by him before. What was wrong with her? Couldn''t she see that Rosaly was still present?


    The thought of Rosaly gave her an idea and she immediately took out her phone.


    Desmond managed to shake her off and returned to the car looking frustrated. He knew what Zaria must have seen and opened his mouth to exin.


    "I know." Zaria cut him off. "I can''t me you for being so handsome that she can''t wait to get her hands on you."


    "Are you mad at me?" He asked, seeing her re out the window. If she were a witch, Ang would be up in mes.


    "Not at you. Just at the woman who dares to put her hands on my man." She grabbed his arm to inspect it. "Where did she touch?"


    "I would tell you, but I risk having my arm chopped away." He teased before getting more serious. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have given in to Rosaly''s request of having us drop her off. It won''t happen again."


    She watched as Ang sauntered back into the vi swaying her hips, deliberately giving a show to Desmond. "You cannotpletely ignore that kind of woman. We have to get her out of our hair once and for all."


    "We will be able to once I get full custody of Rosaly." He vowed. At first he had only wanted to win Rosaly''s custody by fair means. But after what just happened¡ªwhich would probably happen more often if he didn''t put an end to it¡ªhe no longer wanted to y by the rules.. He knew that it was a selfish thought but he would get Rosaly''s custody even if he had to lie about Ang.

 Chapter 249 - I Want You (1)

    "Where are we going?" Zaria asked when they left Ang''spound. She couldn''t wait to ditch the topic about his ex who still wanted him and move on to something that actually mattered.


    "You will know that once we get there." Was his mysterious response. She gave up trying to ask. He wouldn''t tell her even if she bribed him.


    He leaned over to kiss her cheek with a whisper. "It''s a beautiful ce."


    She didn''t doubt that. He had always put a lot of effort into their dates and she was certain that this would not be different.


    Even so, Isabe''s cottage was not what she had in mind when he promised that he had chosen a beautiful ce. More flowers had been nted since theirst visit, giving the whole ce a refreshing look.


    He had even set up a pic in the garden under arge tree.


    "Des, this is so beautiful." She gushed.


    "I''m d you like it." He was relieved. Her tastes had changed recently and out of the blue, she liked some of the things she hated before and despised many of her favorites. In the end, he''d have to ask for help from Ximena, who chalked it up to her being hormonal.


    She twirled around in the garden like a little girl before hopping back to him to pull him in to dance with her.


    "We don''t have music to dance to." He remarked.


    "That''s true, but we can dance to the music in our heads." She giggled and positioned one hand on his shoulder. "Come on, humor me."


    He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He took the lead and she naturally followed smoothly as though there was an actual song they were listening to.


    "What''s the song on your mind?" His words were a low whisper that made her heart pick up its pace and she answered him without thinking through it.


    "Atst." She looked up to meet his gaze. "How did you know there''s a song on my mind?"


    "Because there''s one on mine too." He let her spin. "Atst."


    "Really? No way!" She was pleasantly surprised but it had to be true. They were both a little out of tune but oddly, they were still in sync. It made sense now since they had the same song on their minds.


    "We arepatible." He took the chance to pry about her feelings. He already knew how she felt for him but hearing it was a different thing altogether.


    "This is the very ce where you first told me that you love me. Do you remember?"


    She stepped on his toes, rolling her eyes. "Everyone says that men have poor memory. It''s true."


    "Why would you say that?"


    She huffed. "You are wrong. That''s the third time I told you how I feel about you. The first time was in your office and the second, on our first date. You forgot about it."


    "I didn''t." He was smiling so hard that she couldn''t figure out what was so good about being reminded of the first time she admitted of having feelings for him. She would probably have found it amusing if she knew that it was a single word that made him feel on top of the world. She had said "how I ''feel'' about you. Not ''felt''.


    When they were tired, they sat down for a refreshing ss of juice and snacks. He had made chickpea sd sandwiches, shawarma wraps and pasta sds all of which looked mouth-watering.


    "Did you cook all of them yourself?" She asked as he set them up.


    "I used a lot of help from the chef." He didn''t take all the credit despite having spent a huge part of the previous night to get everything done.


    She had a taste of the sd doubtfully and her eyes lit up. "It''s delicious! I thought you sucked in the kitchen."


    "I suck in the kitchen alright." He spoke with an intense gaze at her, and she was embarrassed when she finally caught his meaning.


    "Your mind can''t get any dirtier, can it?"


    "Actually, it can." He teased. She shoved a fork of pasta into his mouth to shut him up.


    "I have an ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday. Do you want toe along?"


    He was pleasantly surprised. "Of course! I wouldn''t miss it for the world." He reached over the foldable table and caressed her stomach, speaking in a low voice. "I can''t wait to meet you."


    Her heart warmed. She held his hand against her stomach and pushed it lower. "You don''t need an ultrasound to meet our baby."


    He pushed the table aside and cupped her face, crashing his lips against hers. She wrapped her hands around him to pull him up against her body. He pried her lips open with his tongue and she dly gave him ess, letting him tangle her tongue with his. A sigh escaped her lips in ecstacy.


    Her heart picked up its pace as he gently stroked her skin while his tongue explored her mouth. She grabbed onto his hair.


    "Des," She whimpered.


    He broke the kiss while his thumb continued to trace her spine lusciously. "Should I continue?"


    Her response was tounch herself into his arms, nearly knocking him over. She melted into his embrace and he held her waist to support her while resting his back against the tree behind them. She straddled him, impatiently pulling at the buttons on his shirt.


    "Who has a dirty, impatient mind now?" He teased her.


    Her face reddened. "Shut up and kiss me."


    "As you wish, ma''am." He pressed his lips agaisnt her neck. Her skin was warmer and flushed with lust. "Should we take this inside the house?"


    She grabbed the sides of his shirt, her self control wearing thinner by the second. "I want you right now. Right here." She demanded without an ounce of fear or shame.


    ___


    AN


    The next chapter will be up in 5 hours. Sorry for theck of updates recently, I was too demotivated to write a word.. I''ll make up for the missed update days.

 Chapter 250 - I Want You (2)

    Desmond didn''t need to be told twice. He unzipped her dress and lifted it by the hem, pulling it over her head in one swift move. The little tease had worn his favorite bra¡ªa fiery red one that wascy and had a string of pearls outlining her boobs. Her hard nipples peeked through the cups, driving him crazy with lust.


    He pulled the straps down her shoulders and pulled it to set her boobs free, which he cupped in his hands and squeezed. She moaned from the intense sensation and ground her hips to rub her core against his hardness.


    He nearly ripped his shirt with the force he used to get it off his body and when their chests rubbed against each other with no obstacle between them, she was on edge.


    She grabbed at his belt and unbuckled it, pulling down his zipper to grab his hardness through his boxers. He groaned and pulled her down against him. Their underwear was down in a sh. Their lips connected for another fiery kiss as he positioned himself at her soaking entrance and lowered her onto him. The intense feeling knocked the air out of her lungs, making her moan against his lips.


    He hugged her tightly in his arms as he pushed into her gently from below, trying his best to control himself.


    "Don''t hold back. I''m not made of ss." She gasped agaisnt his ear when he elerated without needing to be told twice. He held her hair to keep it out of her face, looking deeply into her eyes as he made intense love to her.


    "Des, I''m¡­"


    "Come for me, Zaria. Come with me."


    Her name sounded like a spell on his lips. Her eyes shut as an earth shattering orgasm swept over her entire being. Shepletely let herself go to the tingling sensation and when she finally opened her eyes to meet his, she knew that he felt the same way.


    She slumped onto his body in satisfaction the feeling of his lips on her skin making her feel even more ecstatic. They hugged for a while and only let go when their legs started to feel cramped from the position they were in.


    "We should go to the house." He found her dress and helped her put her bra back on.


    "Good idea. I could really go for a nap right now." She pulled herself off of him, immediately missing the feeling of having him inside her.


    "I''ll be back inside you soon enough." He winked, which made her throw his shirt onto his face. Heughed as he put it on right before wondering why they were bothering to dress up when the clothes wouldn''t stay on their bodies for long.


    He held her waist all the way to the cottage but when he reached to open the door, his hand froze.


    "What''s wrong?" She looked over in worry.


    "I don''t remember leaving the door unlocked." He pushed it open, carefully shielding her as he peeked in. She nced over his shoulder and saw the woman at the same time as he did.


    "Grandmother. You scared us." He smiled at the woman sitting on the couch and watching a movie as though she had not just given them a fright.


    "Did I? I only dropped by because I knew my grandson woulde here and I wanted to meet Zaria." She shrugged as she looked over at them.


    Meanwhile, Zaria was on the verge of dying in embarrassment. How could she have let Isabe witness such a scene? Did she see anything? It shouldn''t be possible, right?


    "Hey Izzie," She smiled brightly as if she didn''t have the slightest idea what was unfolding and walked over to Isabe while trying to keep herposure.


    "I missed you." Isabe took her hands and held them. "Who would have thought that the next time I saw you, you would be expecting my great-grandchild?" She red at her perplexed grandson. "When were you going to tell me?"


    "Soon." He desperately wanted to hide the fact that he had been too excited to tell his family the news. His grandmother would chew his ear off if she knew.


    Luckily, she ignored him to chat with Zaria. "You are a beautiful woman and live a healthy lifestyle. My great grandchild will be adorable and healthy. Have you had your first ultrasound yet? Are you taking the required supplements?"


    The topic morphed to pregnancy and children, where the two women ignored him until Rosaly was brought up. As expected Isabe was furious.


    He had brought her favorite snacks but that didn''t save him from her scolding.


    "I don''t know what kind of man would get a woman pregnant and not know it until the baby is five. Heck, I don''t know what kind of man would be blinded by that kind of skank." She raged. If Zaria was not present, she would have given her grandson a two-hour long lecture. Back then when he was head over heels for Ang, Isabe hated the rtionship the most and tried everything to tear them apart. Of course, none of his methods bore fruit and the result was Rosaly.


    At the thought of Rosaly, she gently held Zaria''s hand. "Zaria, you don''t need to worry about his daughter. You shouldn''t ditch him because of her. He is actually a good man, you see."


    "I know, Izzie. I would never leave him for that." She beamed.


    Isabe was relived. "Good. If you don''t want her, I will take her custody so she doesn''t get in your way."


    "Thanks for the offer. But Rosaly is a good child and we like her." She was relived on behalf of Rosaly that they got along perfectly. If not, the poor girl might have had to stay away from both of her parents all her life. That would have been sad.


    Isabe didn''t have much toin about since Zaria thought Rosaly was a child she could get along with. After reminding them a gazillion times to send her the sonogram once they had it, she grabbed her bag to leave.


    "Izzie, you can stay with us for the afternoon." Zaria offered, to which the woman declined.


    "Thanks but no. I should leave you guys to have your fun. I might just end up with another great grandchild once the second is born." She winked.


    Zaria couldn''t be any more embarrassed. Just how much did she see and hear?


    "She didn''t witness much. She probably looked away when the scene became adult-rated." Desmond reassured her, knowing that no one would want to scorch their eyes by watching a couple.


    Nheless, Zaria''s face was red. "To think I''d disy such a scene to Izzie!"


    She was still thinking about it when he wrapped his arms around her, sweeping her off the couch. He nted a kiss on her lips. "Do you want to take a bath with me?"


    "Something tells me this is not just going to be a bath." She circled her arms around his shoulders.


    "Of course not." He lowered his voice with a grin of mischief.. "We are going to take a bath alright, but I''ll make unforgettable love to you after that."

 Chapter 251 - The Definition Of A Girlfriend

    The couple soaked in the bathtub with Zaria sitting in between Desmond''s legs and resting her head against his chest.


    "Rose baths are the best." She sniffed the alluring scent of rose petals mixed with that of the scented candles on the floor.


    "What about Desmond-vored baths?'' He asked with a tease.


    She turned to nce at him and chuckled. "Are you jealous of rose petals?"


    He didn''t deny the im. "I''m jealous of anything that gets so close to your skin." He picked a rose petal stuck on her shoulder and reced it with his lips. His fingers ran along her arms earning him a sigh of satisfaction from her. She turned around and pressed her lips against his in a heated kiss. He held her waist and pulled her against his chest as he savored her lips. They were soft and sweet and no matter how many times he had kissed her before, he wanted to do it even more.


    "We shouldn''t soak for too long." She whispered. She was starting to feel drained.


    He hummed in agreement and pulled her out first before he got out himself. She didn''t have the chance to wrap herself in a dressing gown before she got carried off into the bedroom. He put her down gently on the bed and buried his head between her legs faster than she could expect it. He took his time pleasuring her and just when she thought she couldn''t handle the tension anymore, he made sweet, gentle love to her.


    She rested with her head on his chest as they chatted about random topics. His phone rang on the nightstand and when he saw who the caller was, he panicked and looked at her.


    "Who is it?" She was curious when she saw his reaction.


    "Ang." He breathed. "I promise, I haven''t been keeping contact with her." He swore.


    "I know." She nearlyughed when she realized just why he was nervous. Was he afraid that she would misunderstand?


    "It could be Rosaly." She added, and he was visibly relieved. s, when he answered the call, the voice he heard was that of thest person he wanted to hear from.


    "Hey handsome. It''s been a while." She greeted sweetly.


    "If you don''t have anything important to say, don''t ever call me." He growled and was on the verge of hanging up.


    "Your daughter wouldn''t shut up about wanting to speak to you. Are you going to ignore her?" She taunted.


    "Put her on the phone." He ordered.


    "Oh, but she''s asleep." She teased, making him want to explode.


    "Don''t you ever prank call me again." He huffed in irritation and hung up.


    Zaria was confused at the side. "It wasn''t Rosaly?"


    "It probably was, but Ang changed her mind about letting us talk." He ran a hand down his face in frustration.


    "Then maybe you should get her an ipad orptop to video call you when she misses you. You can get her one designed for kids." She suggested.


    It was a good idea so he nodded. "I will get her one for her safety. However, in just a few weeks she will no longer have to miss me."


    She knew what he meant, He was going to sue for her custody.


    He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "I''ll not let her interrupt us anymore."


    "It''s okay. You didn''t willingly let it happen." She caressed his face.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Ang was annoyed when Desmond hung up on her. Rosaly had pleaded to give her father a call and when she finally agreed, the girl had fallen asleep on the couch!


    "Go to your room!" She ordered, irritated by her.


    Rosaly was startled awake. She rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Daddy?"


    Ang wanted to explode but she held herself back, taking a deep breath. "Daddy does want to speak to you. It''s unfortunate that he can''t."


    "Is daddy busy?'' She asked with her head cocked to the side. She knew that people didn''t want to talk or y when they were busy.


    Ang sat down next to Rosaly. "No." She sighed, looking sad. "It''s because the woman beside him wouldn''t let him."


    "The woman beside Daddy?'' Rosaly was puzzled.


    Ang nodded. "Her name is Zaria." She pulled Rosaly into her arms tofort her. "She''s not a good person, you see. She hates you so much that she wants to take daddy away from you."


    That was not true! Rosaly wanted to protest. Zaria was her friend and friends didn''t take things¡ªor people¡ªfrom each other. She wanted to voice this out but she had promised Zaria that their friendship was their little secret so she remained silent.


    Ang didn''t miss her expression. She was infuriated. Zaria, that witch! She must have met Rosaly already. If not, the girl would not look like she wanted to defend her. However, no matter how good she pretended to be, she would never hold a candle to the biological mother.


    "You know that mommy loves you, right?"


    Rosaly nodded.


    "I don''t want you tock anything. The most important thing to me is for you to have everything you need." She ran a hand down Rosaly''s back. "But what Zaria wants is the opposite. If you don''t believe me, you can ask her to let your daddy bring you and me to the zoo this weekend."


    Rosaly was even more confused and on the verge of tears. Ang was her mother but at the same time, she liked Zaria very much.


    Hence when Desmond picked her up from school on Wednesday, she couldn''t wait to meet Zaria.


    "Daddy, is Zariaing home with us?" She asked for the umpteenth time.


    His gaze softened. He had already asked Zaria to drop by but his daughter seemed too excited. Did she miss her that much? She had not even talked to him about anything else! As soon as the car pulled up and she saw Zaria outside through the window, her excitement spiked and she would have jumped right out if the car was not locked.


    "Zaria!" She ran to her friend as soon as the car door was opened.


    "Hey honey. I missed you." Zaria hugged her and kissed her forehead.


    She had nearly forgotten all about the question that Ang had reminded her to ask Zaria. Ang had specifically mentioned that she should ask when they were alone, so she dragged Zaria to her room to talk.


    "Zaria, can daddy go to the zoo with us this weekend?'' She asked sadly.


    It took Zaria a moment to realize that the girl''s attitude was off. Shouldn''t she be excited asking for that?


    "You mean, with you and me?" She probed to be sure. As expected, the girl''s eyes drooped.


    "With mommy and me."


    Ang freaking Agur! She inwardly cursed. She was totally using Rosaly against her.


    She crouched to the girl''s level and tried her luck probing further. "Why do you look so sad? Do you want to go?"


    Rosaly nodded and shook her head almost at the same time. "Mommy wants to go with me and daddy. I wanted to go with you and daddy." She responded honestly. Luckily, the little girl was too young to follow through with her mother''s scheme and was honest about what she wanted.


    "If you don''t want to go with mommy, you don''t have to." She stated, much to Rosaly''s relief. But the girl was still at a loss.


    "But Miss Hildegard said we should listen to our parents."


    Zaria smiled dotingly. "Miss Hildegard was right. But I''m sure she also said that you should be honest, right?" When Rosaly nodded, she added, "Your mommy will not know what you really want if you don''t tell her."


    Rosaly looked a little more relieved and hugged her, which broke Zaria''s heart. She was too innocent for the raging hate in the world of adults. If only Ang could leave her out of their feud. Obviously, that would be too unreasonable to ask of a woman who cared for no one but herself. She couldn''t let her own daughter off.


    It wasn''t unexpected for Ang to call again, asking to speak to her daughter. Desmond exchanged nces with Zaria and gave Rosaly the phone when he received her approval. Zaria wanted to know what Ang was up to and it wasn''t long before she did.


    "Go to your room." Ang ordered on the other side.


    When Rosaly left, Desmond sat beside Zaria. "Why did you say yes to that?"


    "If I said no, Ang would have used it to prove to Rosaly that I don''t want her to be with her parents." She told him about her conversation with Rosaly, which enraged him.


    "She is digging her own grave."


    "That, she is." Zaria crossed her arms.


    Desmond''s phone was set to auto record all calls so when Rosaly brought it back, he gave her some toys to keep her distracted.


    Rosaly looked at Zaria curiously before leaving. She asked, "Zaria, are you daddy''s girlfriend?"


    Was this another trap? She thought hard about it and nodded nheless. When Rosaly ran out of the room crying, she eyed Desmond''s phone in shock. What did Ang say to her?


    "Find out what Ang said. I''ll check on her." He gave her his phone and dashed to follow his daughter.


    Zaria couldn''t wait and immediately searched for thetest call before ying the recording.


    "Did you ask Zaria what I told you to ask?" Ang asked on the call.


    "Yes mommy." Answered Rosaly, her little voice shaking.


    "What did she say?"


    "She said¡­" there was a pause, probably because Rosaly had forgotten part of the conversation. "She said I should be honest for mommy to know what I want."


    Ang cursed on the other side. It was low but it was there. A curse, directed at a child.


    "I told you so. She couldn''t immediately say yes because she knows that you and your daddy will be close if we go together. She wants to separate you."


    She asked random questions before finally asking, "Do you know that Zaria is daddy''s girlfriend?"


    "What''s a girlfriend?" Rosaly asked curiously.


    Ang''s description was, as expected, misleading. "A girlfriend means that your daddy is going to leave his whole family to be with her. He will only love her and abandon everyone else to the day he dies. This means that daddy will only love her. Not you."


    Zaria was bbergasted. That was very close to the definition of marriage and it was mostly true, but Ang had deliberately worded it to make Rosaly believe that she would be abandoned by her father. How dare she! She couldn''t bear to listen to the rest of the recording but her gaze turned evil when she rewinded it to the definition.


    "Thank you, Ang.. For giving us the evidence we need to prove that you are not a fit parent."

 Chapter 252 - The Mistress

    "Rosaly?" Desmond called out to the little girl as he knocked on the door to her room. She had not locked it but he wanted to be certain that she was willing to see him.


    "I''ming in, okay?'' He spoke. She didn''t speak, so he gently pushed the door open and poked his head in. She was on the floor, pulling at a doll''s hair and crying. She neither seemed to notice nor acknowledge his presence. His heart broke seeing her like this and he wanted nothing more than to rip Ang into shreds. The heartless woman.


    Entering the room, he quietly sat next to her for a while until she finally realized he was there and turned to look at him.


    "Do you want to talk about it with Daddy?"


    She rubbed her fists across her eyes to wipe her tears, threw her doll aside and held out her small arms to be hugged. "I don''t want Zaria to be your girlfriend." She cried against Desmond''s chest once he held her.


    He knew without needing to ask that Ang must have lied to her about what would happen if Zaria became his girlfriend.


    "Why is that?" He asked nheless.


    "Because you will not love me anymore." She sniffled. "Daddy, I love you very much."


    "And I love you too. I will love you forever." He hugged her small body, his heart melting. Who would have ever guessed that he would have this kind of conversation with a little girl someday? When she calmed down and stopped crying, he looked at her seriously. "If you don''t want Zaria to be my girlfriend, she doesn''t have to be."


    "Really?" The girl was pleasantly surprised. .


    He gazed at her dotingly. "Yes. She can be my fianc¨¦e instead."


    Rosaly was happy about it but she wondered aloud with a finger against her chin, "What''s a fianc¨¦e?"


    He thought of the simplest way to exin it. "It means that Zaria will soon be my wife and you will see her every day."


    Not only would he love her forever, but she would also y with her best friend any time she wanted. Her eyes lit up at the news


    Overjoyed, she wanted to hurry and tell Zaria the good news.


    He stopped her before she could leave the room. "Hold on. You can''t tell her yet. Before she bes my fianc¨¦e, I have to ask her and it should be a surprise." He stuck out a pinky. "Secret?"


    "Secret." She excitedly crossed her pinky with his and grabbed his hand to run out of the room.


    "Let''s go back to Zaria." He let her lead the way downstairs. Zaria met them halfway through the living room, worry written all over her face.


    "Is everything okay?" She asked.


    "Zaria!" Rosaly jumped into her arms and she was relieved. This meant they had talked about it.


    "Do the two of you want to watch a movie?" Desmond suggested.


    Rosaly immediately jumped on the opportunity. "I want to watch Frozen!"


    Desmond groaned like he wanted to die.


    "What''s wrong with Frozen?" Zaria asked,ughing at him.


    "She made me watch it with her three times on the night she arrived." Hemented, which only made herugh harder.


    "At least she wants to do something with you." She dragged him along to watch Frozen with Rosaly for the forth time. She didn''t enjoy animated movies but oddly, she enjoyed the entire one and a half hours and even sang "into the unknown" with Rosaly on repeat. The little girl surprisingly knew the song word for word and could hit high notes with amazing ease. Desmond had been dreading the movie but he ended up recording them to listen to itter.


    He should thank Alyssa and Nathaniel no matter how much he hated them. If they had not dug into his past and found Rosaly, he wouldn''t be having these precious moments with her and Zaria.


    Dinner was ready soon and interrupted the duo from having makeup done to resemble disney princesses. They hurried to the dining room, dragging him along, and sat next to each other. They were more like best friends from different generations than a girl and her future stepmother.


    "What would you like to eat?" He asked, and was yet to get her answer when the housekeeper brought him an envelope.


    "Why would you bring my mail thiste?" His brows furrowed as he received it.


    "It wasn''t there when we checked for mail earlier," She answered. "It must have been deliveredter."


    He ripped the top of the envelope and opened the letter, scrunching up his brows when he read the content.


    "It''s a summon from the court." He said to Zaria.


    She was puzzled. "What? Why would the court send you a summon at such a time? Wait. Why would they even send you a summon to begin with?"


    He shot a meaningful nce in the direction of his daughter who was staring starry-eyed at the colorful pasta sd. "Ang is suing me."


    Following his line of sight, Zaria understood that Ang was suing him regarding Rosaly, but she still couldn''tpletely figure it out. "Custody?"


    When he shook his head, she was relieved. He passed the letter over to her, and when she read it, she snorted.


    "Are you kidding me? Why does she need to sue you for child support?"


    "Because she probably lost¡­" He stopped himself from saying something that wasn''t good reaching Rosaly''s ears and clenched his fists.


    "Daddy, do you like shrimp?" Asked Rosaly, and he had to force a smile.


    "I don''t. Do you?"


    She probably did, but she hesitantly shook her head. Zaria served her some with a smile, and she dug in cheerfully.


    The entire dinner felt awkward with him trying to understand why the hell Ang thought it was necessary to sue him for such a thing as child support. They were already co-parenting and he would naturally be willing to take care of his daughter''s needs. There had to be a reason why she felt it was necessary to involve the court without talking to him about it and it had nothing to do with wanting money from him.


    When dinner was finally over, he couldn''t wait to speak to Zaria. They let Rosaly y in her room before bedtime and went to his study.


    "Just when everything is going great, she throws yet another ticking time bomb at us." Hemented.


    She slumped onto the bean bag at the corner. "Do you think so? We both know it''s all because of the forces working behind her., right? She has been a pawn all along and is still a pawn for someone else."


    "She is, alright, but she wouldn''t do this kind of thing if money was the only benefit there was in it for her. She knows that I will not fall for it." He dismissed the possibility, and she was even more suspicious.


    "Can you guess what she wants?" She asked.


    "Revenge." He breathed.


    She was about to dispell his thought by pointing out that there was no way Ang could revenge by suing him unless the entire situation was leaked, but it sunk in before she voiced it out. "You are not the only one who has received this letter."


    "Probably not."


    They were not wrong. When they woke up in the morning, the inte was filled with gossip about Desmond''s messed up personal life. One of the top articles had mentioned that he had always been a womanizer and that he had been engaged with Natalie Sparks despite being in a rtionship with Ang Agur, and it was also revealed that they had a daughter together. The summon from the court was proof of the fact that they had a daughter he rejected from birth.


    As a side note, the article had dragged Zaria into the mess and called her out for dating her engaged boss despite knowing that he was a scumbag, and used her of threatening to break up with Desmond and destroy thepany''s reputation if he ever had anything to do with his daughter.


    "This is just crazy." Zaria nearly mmed her phone against the wall. "Why?" Does she enjoy destroying her own reputation just to drag you into the mud?"


    "She does''t care." He cracked his knuckles furiously. He raked his fingers through his hair in anger.. Merely a few hours after the gossip popped up, Ang posted a video with an exnation.

 Chapter 253 - The Mistress (2)

    Zaria was in her office when she watched the five minutes worth of nder before her lunch break was over.


    "I knew that he had another woman. A woman''s instics had never been wrong." Ang sighed, making Zaria want to drag her out of the phone and beat her up.


    "I didn''t want to say anything at first. You know, you can''t nag a man if you still want your rtionship to work. I tried my best to respect his wishes. I pretended not to know anything. But when I found out that the other woman was my best friend, that broke me into pieces. That''s right. My former best friend, Natalie Sparks. He was cheating on me with her.


    Don''t ask me howe I never suspected them. Of course I didn''t. I trusted her. I would cry to her whenever I couldn''t hold myself anymore. I would never have expected that while sheforted me for being cheated on, she was the one rolling around in bed with my man. Then he broke it off with me to be with her. I was heartbroken. I was still in disbelief when I learnt that he proposed to her."


    Zaria wanted to stop ying the video. However, there might have been hints so she continued.


    Ang looked at a loss, as though she was only exining this because everyone had forced her to. Her hair was a mess and her eyes swollen as though she had been crying.


    "I told him I was pregnant as soon as I found out." She wiped her fake tears. "Not only did he ask me to get rid of it, but he also denied being the father. He used me of ying around."


    "Bitch!" Zaria yelled in anger.


    "When Rosaly was born, I wanted nothing but for her to have aplete family, I had initially decided to stay away from that man but when I thought of my baby''s future, I tried to talk to him about it. You probably guessed it. He wanted nothing to do with her. Which is why after trying to negotiate child support with him for five years, I decided to get the court involved. I want my child to get the best kind of life and I couldn''t provide that on my own. I didn''t expect the letter to get leaked."


    "Of course you didn''t." Zaria exited the video. She would go crazy if she continued listening to that woman''s bullshit. She didn''t need to listen more to know that Ang had painted her as the mistress who broke them up.


    The thought made her frown. How would that be pulled off, exactly?


    An email pinged in herputer and she got back to work. She would listen to the rest of itter.


    s, the gossip raging in thepany was enough for her to know what exactly Ang had said about her.


    "It''s the mistress." A female employee whispered to another, loud enough for Zaria to hear.


    "Hush." Her colleague shushed her, but that didn''t stop the gossip.


    "So what if she hears me? If you don''t want to be called out for being a mistress, then maybe don''t open your legs for married men." The other rolled her eyes.


    Zaria ignored them but it wasn''t long before she heard yet another version.


    "Didn''t you hear what she said? She was so pitiful. Mr. Fort actually made her sleep with him just so he could donate blood to their daughter when she needed it the most. As if he had not tortured her enough, he started cheating on her with both Natalie and Zaria when they reconciled." A married female employee was furious.


    Herpanion, a guy from the IT department, looked at her like she was out of her mind. "Are you forgetting something? If he cheated on her with Zaria and Natalie, then she is a mistress too. He was engaged to Natalie. He was not cheating on her with Natalie but on Natalie with her and she allowed it. Moreover, she knew that they were engaged."


    "But they had a daughter!" The woman was even angrier. "And what about Zaria? We have all been made to believe that she had insane capabilities when in fact, all she does is bend over the boss'' desk!"


    "Don''t you know? Being beautiful is a talent. I''d totally want her if I were the boss."


    Zaria shot them a re and they shuffled out to head home. While she didn''t care much for the gossip, what she dreaded was the direction where the matter was heading. Everyone was going to me Desmond and hence, Preston and Fort Group might soon be on the receiving end of criticism. Maybe it didn''t end at that. Maybe it was just the initial attack and there were moreing.


    ¡­


    "Are you okay?" Ximena was sitting on her bed and as soon as she opened the door to her room, she met her halfway through the room and hugged her.


    "I''''''m fine. Why wouldn''t I be?''


    "Because Nathaniel is at work?" Ximena was worried about her. When Zaria sat down, she asked, "Do you perhaps need someone to raid Ang''s home and beat the living daylights out of her? Because if you do, I will dly fill that position."


    "I don''t think we need violence." Zariaughed at her suggestion. Ang would be out of luck if she tried to cause any more trouble because this time, Ximena would not ask before attacking her.


    "What do you n on doing?" Ximena asked.


    "I have no idea." She took out her phone to check how bad the situation was online. It was probably going to break her heart but she couldn''t stay in the dark without knowing a thing, It would drive her crazier than Ang''s video.


    As expected, there was new development. This time, Ang had answered innumerable questions from "mommy fans" of Rosaly and made sure to paint her as the evil woman in all of them.. She didn''t hesitate to lie about her threatening to make Rosaly''s life a living hell.


    Ximena was bbergasted. "I don''t understand. Isn''t she scared the reporters will go digging and find she is lying?"


    "There must be some twisted truth in everything she said." Zaria massaged her temples. Ang was not an idiot. There was someone supporting her, who was preventing the media from uncovering the truth and making them rely on her side of the story.


    Everyone knew she was Theodore''s daughter now. They would have bugged her for the truth if this was normal gossip. However, it was entirely a farce that was being controlled from behind the scenes.


    Ximena grabbed her phone when Zaria went to take a shower and called Liam even though she had never thought she would ask him for help in this lifetime.


    "This is about Zaria, right?''" He guessed, because he knew that she probably couldn''t initiate a conversation with him and the only person she cared about was Zaria.


    "How did you know? She teased.


    "I know you better than I know anyone. What do you want me to do?" He asked.


    "I''m guessing that if there is anyone who knows Ang well enough, it has to be you." She started.


    She didn''t need to exin her intention before he dropped the bummer.


    "Xim, I''m in the most awkward position here. If I were to say anything against Ang, that might just make Zaria look bad. I have known her for less than a year, after all, and she is indeed in a rtionship with Desmond. I can''t speak up for both her and Natalie, and if I were to speak up for Natalie, Zaria would appear to be the mistress."


    Ximena was exasperated. Ang had tied everyone down to her. Just how skilled was she in causing trouble?


    "Don''t worry. If Desmond speaks up, his words will definitely be more believable." He coaxed.


    "And why the hell has he not spoken up yet?" She was disappointed.


    "Maybe that''s because he is trying to trap Ang? I don''t know how he works either." He desperately wanted to move the topic back to them but he didn''t get any such chance as she had already hung up.


    ___


    Meanwhile, Natalie stared at the Creszone post made by Devonte and had mixed feelings.


    Devonte had just made their former rtionship public and revealed the fact that they had been dating in secret for over a decade, and her engagement with Desmond was a facade to keep her parents'' noses out of her business.


    What the hell was wrong with him? He was already in a difficult postion after the movie fiasco not too long ago and now he was involving himself with drama? Did he not care for his fame anymore?


    It would not be surprising if fans and the media looked into his past and uncovered¡ªand potentially twisted¡ªthe facts about their reloationship. She didn''t have much to lose. At most, everyone would think of her as a two-timer but that was only until Desmond proved that their rtionship was fake. On the other hand, he could lose fans if any of his words was misinterpareted.


    She thought about it and gave him a voice call on Creszone.


    He sounded pleasantly surprised when he answered it. "Natalie?"


    "I don''t need you to help me." She deadpanned.


    Seconds spoke before he finally spoke again, his voice breaking. "It''s the least I can do for you."


    She blinked away the emotions threatening to surface.. "I don''t need you topensate me for what you did."

 Chapter 254 - Depression

    "I know I don''t have to. I still want to." He spoke on the other side, infuriating her.


    "Natalie, I know that no matter what I do, I will never be able to make up for how you felt when I ended things between us. But Nat, I would like to do all I can to make you feel better, if you let me."


    She snorted. "Is this some kind of joke? You y with my feelings andter im to want to make me feel better? You are out of your mind!" She hung up on him, but that didn''t stop him from responding to all of his fans'' questions about their rtionship. He meticulously worded it to be his fault that they broke up. He was definitely doing it on purpose and probably thought it would win her over. He was wrong.


    "Don''t bother your esteemed self with my personal business. It''s none of your concern." She ended the call feeling enraged. She didn''t want to deal with him anymore. It was more important to dispel everything Ang had said. She couldn''t understand why Desmond was not saying anything and when she checked the current topments, everyone was scolding him for being a jerk and it was getting out of hand.


    Perhaps he was trying to buy time for something but just in case he needed her to exin anything, she wrote a brief article. Just when she was about to save it, Lucy called.


    "Ms. Roatta?" She answered the call curiously.


    "Can we meet tomorrow in the morning?" She didn''t give her an actual chance to decide before throwing a location. "8am, Le Perle. See you there!"


    When the call ended, Natalie was bbergasted. That was so much like Lucy. It was her way of ensuring the other person made time for their meeting whether or not they were nning to.


    Knowing that Lucy would bug the crap out of her if she didn''t go, she showed up at Le Perle at 8 am. The woman was excited to see her.


    "I''m d you made it."


    "d I saved your time so you didn''t have to drag me out of my apartment with some scary reason?" She joked and sat down at the table opposite Lucy. The woman had already ordered breakfast and it mostly consisted of what she liked. She had done her homework and it was probably for a reason that would require lots of coaxing.


    "I''m sorry I made you wake up so early. I just wanted to make sure we met before you went to work or you would be too busy to make time. Help yourself." She pointed at the spread on the table.


    Natalie nced at it then back at Lucy. "If you need to say anything, you don''t have to beat around the bush."


    "That would save us both a lot of time, wouldn''t it?" Lucy sipped her coffee. "Don''t give an exnation to the public."


    Natalie scoffed. "So I should simply let everyone continue misjudging me and thinking I was the woman who ruined the rtionship between my best friends. Got it."


    Lucy knew she was making fun of the matter. "I''m serious."


    It took a while for Natalie to believe that she really meant it, and it made herugh out loud. "Are you kidding me? And why exactly should I listen to you?"


    "Because it''s for the good of Dawn. nder is not necessarily a bad thing, you know. If it blows up, you will gain a lot of poprity once the truth is revealed."


    Natalie cut a piece of the sandwich while trying to figure out what the woman before her was really thinking. "You do know that poprity gained from this kind of scandal onlysts up to a week, right?"


    "Then we are going to use this week to put Dawn out there." Lucy shrugged.


    It seemed like Lucy was hell set on using her. When she thought about it, however, she realized that she would gain the most out of it. It was an exchange of money for her pubic image but in the end, she needed a strong supporter and there was no one more capable of helping her than Lucy.


    Nheless, she was suspicious. "If you wanted someone to fill in this position, you would get a lineup at the snap of your fingers. So why does it have to be me? Why are you trying to support me?"


    Lucy knew that none of that capability crap would be enough to convince Natalie so she went for the truth. "Because once upon a time, I was you."


    Natalie had heard a lot about Lucy in recent days so she knew about the Su family scandal. It was true that the two of them had a lot inmon but she brushed it off. "No. There is something else, isn''t there? And this is not about us having a mutual grudge against the Sparks family."


    "Rest assured that I will gain nothing from trapping you. But from working with you, I just don''t want you to live the kind of hell that was my life before."


    She was even more confused. "In what capacity are you protecting me? You are not my mother."


    "No I''m not." Lucy was consideringing clean when themotion at the end of the diner caught her attention. Two men were locked in argument and were nearly getting physical. Her brows rose. "Isn''t that Jupiter?"


    Natalie shot her eyes over and squinted them when she recognized Devonte in all his glory, grabbing his opponent by the cor. He was an actor too, and she had met him before. Rnd. She recalled his words from the night they met, which implied that he and Devonte couldn''t stand each other.


    "It''s just a jerk getting physical. Nothing to see here." She raised her cup of hot chocte and stopped when she caught Lucy''s gaze from above her cup. "What"


    "Nothing. I just couldn''t help thinking of how pitiful he is. He is canceling all his contracts. He contacted me yesterday to cancel hismercial agreement with Twilight and the cancetion fees will definitely put a dent in his life." Lucy explique.


    "What''s pitiful about that? He just isn''tpetent enough to go through the terms he agreed on." Natalie was indifferent, but Lucy''s shocked reaction made her think about her response. Did she say something wrong?


    "You two were dating, right? Up until a month or two ago, I presume?" She pried.


    It was none of her business but Natalie wanted to shut her up so she answered. "Yes. And that''s in the past."


    Lucy nced in the direction of the men, where they had been separated by security and Devonte was being shown to the door. She caught his gaze in the split second that he turned to re at his opponent, caught sight of Natalie instead, and his gaze softened. He mouthed her name but stopped himself from going over and obeyed the order for him to leave.


    She eyed the woman before her. "I know it''s not in my ce to say this but if the two of you were topletely end things, you would be sad too.? Especially if it''s for such a reason as him being depressed."


    Natalie gasped in shock. "What did you say?"

 Chapter 255 - The Reality That Broke Them

    Long chapter


    ___


    "I hate to have been the one to break it." Lucy sighed regretfully. She had thought all along that Natalie had ditched him for? his diagnosis from her reaction, she didn''t even know about it.


    "What do you mean by that? What depression?" She questioned, on the verge of grabbing Lucy so she would tell her everything.


    "I thought you knew¡­" Lucy studied her expression. "Are you sure you want to find out from me and not from him?" She confirmed.


    "Just tell me." She was on the edge of her seat.


    Lucy sucked in a breath. This couldn''t be easy no matter how simple she tried to make it. "Six months ago, I offered him a position at Twilight. I told him he could still keep his acting career and only work part time at Twilight. He rejected me."


    "What''s that got to do with anything?" Asked Natalie, who wanted nothing but the truth about Devonte''s medical condition.


    "A lot. I thought he wanted to spend more time with you so I didn''t push it. But he would talk to me about random things. I started noticing strange changes in his mood over time."


    "I noticed that too." Natalie''s eyes stung. "Sometimes he would be jubnt for no apparent reason for days, then he would be sad and say it was because he was too much into his movie character. I found it odd."


    "Then you understand me." Lucy found it easier to exin now that his changes had not gone unnoticed by his girlfriend. "When he finally had the courage to get help, he was diagnosed with bipr disorder."


    "Why didn''t he tell me?" Fury rose in Natalie''s chest. "He lied to me and wasn''t even apologetic about it! To think I was under the opinion that he had left me for his fame and career when all along it had been because of this!"


    Lucy was more shocked than Natalie was. Why would Devonte make it sound like Natalie had ditched him for being bipr when she certainly didn''t know anything about it? She was about to point it out when she remembered his exact words. "Why would she be stuck living with a man like me? Why should she marry me when her kids would potentially be bipr too?"


    At the time, she had asked about the custom ring he had ordered from Twilight to propose, which had Natalie''s name inscribed on the inside and which she was no longer certain he wanted. His response had made it sound like Natalie no longer wanted to be with a man like him but now that she thought back to his words, he was self-deprecating. She was suddenly regretting not talking about it with Natalie earlier.


    "He needs help, Natalie. He is already getting psychological help but he needs you too." She stated.


    Natalie dabbed at her eyes. Her nails dug into her palms when she clenched her fists and she spoke through gritted teeth, "No. He doesn''t need me."


    "What do you mean?" Lucy was perplexed.


    Natalie looked out the door where Devonte had been ferried a while ago. "Let''s be rational here, Ms. Roatta. He found out such a thing about himself and instead of opening up to his significant other, he decided to leave. Our rtionship didn''t mean enough to him." She knew it sounded selfish but she continued, "He chose this."


    "You do know that bipr disorder causespses in rationality, right? He made a rash decision that his normal self would probably never make."


    "Stop. Please." She cried. She didn''t want to hear anymore.


    Lucy stopped talking about Devonte and offered her a hug. "If you need someone to talk to, I''ll be there."


    Natalie nodded andunched herself into Lucy''s arms. She never would have thought that she would be on such a level of friendship with the woman she once found intimidating. Lucy let her cry her heart out and calmed her down.


    Natalie got back to eating her now cooled breakfast, her eyes going back to Lucy every few seconds. "My mother would never do that." She pointed Lucy''s blouse that was now soaked in tears at the shoulder, which thetter didn''t seem to mind. "She would never offer me a shoulder. She would be freaking out if that was her shoulder." She spilled as though her mouth had been installed with a motor.


    "Your mother is a selfish bitch, we all know that." Lucy didn''t mince her words against Ava.


    "Yeah." Natalie took in a breath. "Zaria is lucky to have you."


    The words made Lucy feel regretful. "Only in her adulthood. If only I had been there for her in her childhood too¡­" She ended the statement abruptly and smiled. "But hey, let''s forget the past, okay? You can have me too."


    "Huh?"


    She took Natalie''s hand on the table and held it. "Call me aunt from now on."


    "Aunt Lucy." The words sounded foreign on her lips. She didn''t have any aunt, at least none that she knew of. It was a relief to have one, especially since they shared so many interests. It felt as though their partnership had just strengthened as well after the heart-to-heart they had just shared.


    "Let me know when Dawn is almost ready for itsunch. I''ll announce it on my Creszone." She stated when they were on their way out.


    "I''ll let you know."


    ____


    Meanwhile, Zaria, Zeus and Desmond were racking their brains over what to do with Ang.


    "We only need one inconsistency with the story to prove that she was bulshitting." Zeus exined why he was ying the recording over and over.


    Desmond didn''t want to listen to ten minutes worth of lies at first but after hearing Zeus'' exnation, he did.


    "Tell me everything that is different from the truth and you have an alibi for." Zeus instructed.


    He was already frustrated.


    "I have never donated blood to Rosaly. The first time I met her was at my birthday banquet. Before that I didn''t even know she existed." He pointed out and added, "The night I supposedly proposed to Natalie was her birthday. She only had street snacks with Liam and me before running off with Devonte for a date."


    "That''s it." Zeus returned to hisptop and continued typing away fast enough to make his fingers appear to be a blur.


    Zaria watched him and let out the breath she had been holding. "Could you also check the leaked summon from the court, please?"


    Desmond caught her meaning. "Do you also think it''s fake?"


    She ced her elbow on the table before her. "Of course it is. There is no way the court would send a summon to the wrong address. And even if they identally did, it would be a confidential document with a security seal. It would never have gotten to you if someone identally received it and was nosy enough to open it."


    "That makes sense." Remarked Zeus.


    "She either forged it or had someone send a copy out to her. No matter which method she used, she is going to get in trouble." She nearly cheered.


    "And all this trouble is going to work in our favor. No one is going to deem a woman with the audacity to forge legal documents as fit to have custody of a child." A smile settled on Desmond''s lips. He had already contacted hiswyer.


    Zeus looked up from hisputer. "Okay but what about my sister''s reputation?" He reprimanded Desmond. "Do you have any idea what your "excellent" employees are saying about her?"


    "I will make sure they know never to mess with my girlfriend." He promised, but knew from Zeus'' expression that he still didn''t trust him.


    Luckily, thetter didn''t dwell on it and continued investigating. It wasn''t long before he had hacked into the hospital records.


    "Lucky guess." He winked. He had guessed that Rosaly would be taken to the hospital near Ang''s vi and he had been right.


    "What did you find?" Zaria stood to peek over.


    "There is indeed a record of Rosaly getting into an ident that required a blood transfusion three years ago." He exined, moving aside to make way for the couple to see the records.


    "This isn''t going to be good for us, is it?" Zaria was worried.


    "It will be the best news if we can find the actual donor." Desmond scrolled down and saw a name.


    "That''s it. Eugene Agur. Her uncle donated blood to her." He stated with a hint of relief.


    "I was wondering why the true donor didn''t speak up when Ang''s words are being talked about all over the city. It turns out, he is on her side. He wouldn''t rat his own sister out." She wondered whether it was possible to print out the hospital record.


    "That doesn''t necessarily have to be true." Zeus''s expression darkened.


    Zaria''s heart skipped a beat when she considered how they were supposedly going to make Eugine speak up against his sister.


    "Yeah, we are not going to do that." She dered.


    "You don''t have to be involved in this. I will do it myself." Zeus assured her.


    "We are not going to shed any blood even if we are dealing with a bunch of tricksters." She stated firmly. "What would happen if it was revealed that Eugine only spoke up under coercion?"


    "That will never happen. I don''t leave any traces behind when I do my work."


    She was not convinced. "I''m still ufortable."


    "We will listen to Zaria." Desmond wrapped an arm around her body. She smiled in relief.


    "Fine. I will print out the evidence for you. Will that be okay?" Zeus stated reluctantly.


    "It will be. Thanks, brother."


    As soon as the evidence had been printed, he checked to confirm that the doctors who treated Rosaly three years ago were still alive and in the hospital. It seemed to have been a recent scheme as the culprits had not thought of doing anything to the doctors.


    Zaria took a picture of the document and posted it on her Creszone with the caption, [I heard unpleasant rumors about my boyfriend so I went digging and look what I found! I hope the doctor who disclosed this lives long.]


    Zeus burst intoughter when he saw it. "You are totally the GOAT. If anything happens to the doctors after this goes viral, it will be obvious that Ang''s team is at work. At the same time, if nothing happens to them, it will prove that the record is true. Don''t forget that the hospital will be wary about such a record getting leaked and of a potential forgery. Ang will not be able to forge a record with Desmond''s name.? You just killed three birds with one stone!"


    "The same bird thrice." She corrected him, inwardly thanking him for reminding her of an important point. Just in case Ang made up such a thing as Rosaly having two donors, she added to her post, [My boyfriend''s blood group if AB +. Just saying.]


    At the side, Desmond was melting in happiness. Zaria had just admitted to the whole world that they were in a rtionship! She was even defending him!

 Chapter 256 - Unexpected Twist

    "How could this be happening?" Ang ended the call she had been on in panic, her heart racing. This wasn''t a possibility she ever anticipated. She had just received a call, informing her that Desmond was suing her for the custody of Rosaly. He did it without trying to talk to her about it!


    To be fair, he had every right to do that considering the method they had used on him, but none of them expected him to do so. Didn''t Zaria hate Rosaly so much? Why did she let him try to get Rosaly''s custody?


    ording to their n, Desmond would try to negotiate with her so she would pull down her video, and she would give him unspecified visitation rights. How could it turn to this?


    With no choice left, she went to meet Nathaniel.


    s, the man pped her across the face as soon as he saw her.


    "You useless wench!" He roared.


    "You have no right to call me that." She wanted to fight back but she needed his help so she sucked it up. After all, when she had Desmond wrapped around her pinky, she would get him to get rid of the old geezer.


    "I didn''t think Desmond would want Rosaly." She sobbed.


    "That''s because you are an idiot!" Nathaniel pped her again. Both her cheeks were red with the print of his palms on them. "I gave you instructions and none of them was to push him too far. But what did you do?"


    Ang puffed out a breath. He was not going to help her. "I will deal with this myself."


    She left Nathaniel''s house with a huff, reminding herself to be wary of him. Since he had failed at what he had nned which probably had a lot to do with Zaria, he might be scared that she would rat him out and hell know what he might do to ensure she stayed silent. If she knew it woulde to this, she would have done it all on her own from the start. However, it was not toote for a fresh start.


    When she arrived at Annoix academy, the kids were out ying or eating their snacks. She arrived just in time to see Rosaly giggling and picking something from a little girl''s snackbox, then recing it with one of her cookies. She had seen the little girl before. Laia Qin, a nightmare. It wouldn''t bode well for her if Laia was present when she met Rosaly. Luckily, parents and kids were not allowed to meet each other during learning hours so she snuck past to head to the office. Laia''s words reached her ears nheless.


    "Your cookies are so yummy. Did your mommy bake them for you?" Asked Laia.


    "Zaria baked them. She even made them into butterflies and bunnies." Rosaly responded cheerfully as she munched on the cookies. Ang wanted to explode. She should have known. Desmond couldn''t bake but he liked pastries. Did Zaria win him over just because she could


    cook some lousy food and bake some cookies? She could do that too, and more.


    "Miss Agur, why are you here?" The principal asked when Ang got to the office.


    "I would like to meet my daughter." She stated and weed herself to sit without waiting to be offered a seat.


    "It''s learning hours. Is there a reason why you couldn''t wait to meet her after school?" Asked the principal.


    "I have a flight to catch. Her father is picking her up this evening and I will not be able to meet her." Ang lied.


    "If that''s the case, you should have met her before school." The principal rejected her plea. She couldn''t make up such an excuse as Rosaly needing a regr medical checkup since she had already failed at the first attempt.


    "She is my daughter and I have every right to meet her when I want to!" She yelled.


    "I know that. But students this young tend to want to go home if they see their parents during learning hours. She will have a hard time focusing on her studiester." Exined the principal.


    Ang didn''t care. She stormed out of the office and since she already knew where Rosaly was, she rushed back to the field. The girls were now on a swing, and when Rosaly saw her, she ran over and hugged her.


    "Mommy?"


    She crouched to avoid being conspicuous. "I had toe and see you. Daddy wants to take you away from me." She feigned a sad expression.


    Rosaly was puzzled. "Why does daddy want to take me away?"


    Ang made sure no one else was listening before exining, "He doesn''t want me to be your mommy anymore. He will take you to another country and let Zaria be your new mommy. You will never see me again."


    Rosaly was caught in between tears and a smile. She didn''t want to be taken away from her mother forever but at the same time, she wouldn''t mind having Zaria as her other mommy.


    "But Jessie from my ss has two mommies. Can''t I have two as well?" She asked.


    Ang''s expression dimmed. Just what kind of spell did Zaria cast on her daughter to make her want her as a mother after meeting not too long ago?" She sucked a breath and feigned a smile.


    "I would love that. It would mean you are luckier than many of your friends who only have one mommy. But that''s not what your daddy wants. He wants me out of your life." She hugged her sadly. "If I can''t see you again, I will not be able to live anymore."


    Rosaly wrapped her small arms around her. "I will ask daddy to let me have two mommies. He gives me everything I want."


    That was not what she wanted.


    "He will not give you this. He only listens to Zaria. They will take you away and Zaria will pretend to love you at first. However, once she has a baby, she will only love the baby and hate you." She coaxed. "Come with me. We can be together and you will have another daddy who will never stop loving you."


    "I only want Daddy." Her eyes watered.


    "He will follow us if youe with me. Okay?" She held her in her arms, and was just about to leave the field when a teacher stopped her.


    "I''m sorry, you are not supposed to be here."


    "Why not? My baby is unwell and I was called over to pick her up. We only came here because she wanted to say goodbye to her friends."


    Rosaly''s dull eyes made it more believable that she could be unwell. However, the female teacher didn''tpletely believe Ang. She looked for her teacher, Miss Hildegard, and asked if any student from her ss had been feeling unwell earlier, and if she had called her parents.


    Miss Hildegard was rmed. "This doesn''t sound good. I have to contact Mr. Fort!"


    ¡­


    Ang floored the elerator as soon as she got into her car.


    "Did you book the flight?" She asked her brother over the phone. When thetter said that he had, she smiled in triumph. Desmond probably didn''t expect that she would leave faster than he could pick Rosaly up. She had brought a change of clothes for Rosaly so she would change out of her school uniform.


    There was no traffic at this time so she got to the airport in a sh. The ticket had been sent to her phone and her passport was in her handbag. She had enough money to buy them clothes and whatever else they needed once they got to Russia.


    She carried her daughter to the reception and luckily, she didn''t have to wait for long before the flight started boarding.


    The queue wasn''t long either. The heavens were definitely on their side.


    But just when she was nearing the gate of departure, she was stopped by security guards.


    "What''s going on?" She screamed when a bodyguard approached and tried to take Rosaly away.


    "What''s going on, don''t you know that better than anyone, Ang Agur?" An enraged masculine voice roared behind her. Tension washed all over her body. It was over.


    ___


    AN


    Privilege should be fully active now. I will update a few more chapters before reset for the mass


    release and more after reset.

 Chapter 257 - If You Like Kids So Much, Have Some Yourself.

    "Desmond." Ang whispered when she heard the familiar voice. She turned and sure enough, Desmond was standing right there, fuming. He would have hit her if he was a violent kind of man.


    "Did you really think I would let you get away?" He roared. He sighed in relief. He had made it on time. He had received a call from the school, informing him that Ang had made away with Rosaly despite being denied the permission and had mentioned catching a flight. Luckily, Zeus had managed to track down her location before she could get too far.


    "I can exin." She burst into tears.


    "Ma''am, if you are not going to check in, then leave the queue." A security guard politely reminded her.


    There was no point insisting on going when Desmond was already here. He would not let her go no matter what she said. So she let his bodyguard take Rosaly from her and approached Desmond with tears in her eyes.


    "I didn''t have a choice. You were going to take her away from me." She wailed, their argument earning them attention from passers by.


    "Was I? I was going to contend for her custody with you. Why did you immediately assume you would lose? Is it because you already know that you are an evil woman who is not fit to be a mother?" He did not shy off from the eyes of the public. Ang was using the public to gain sympathy but so could he.


    He took Rosaly from his bodyguard and turned to leave.


    "Can I say goodbye to her before you leave?" She pleaded tearfully.


    "No." He pushed her away from him. "You will never see her again."


    He was too focused on dismissing Ang and only realized the impact of his words when the girl in his arms burst into tears.


    "Mommy!"


    "Rosaly," He cursed inwardly. He shouldn''t have said it aloud. What would he do now? It was even worse to lie to her.


    "I want mommy!" She sobbed.


    "Did you catch up?" Zaria hurried over and ran to Desmond as soon as she saw Rosaly in his arms.


    "Rosaly, why are you crying?" She gently asked and shot a re at the sobbing mess that Ang had be.


    "Zaria!" Rosaly held out her arms and when Zaria took her, she cried against her shoulder. "I want mommy. Daddy said mommy and I will not see each other anymore."


    "Sweetie, don''t cry, okay? Let''s talk about this on our way home." She coaxed her.


    "You witch! Don''t you dare take my daughter away!" Ang yelled andunched at Zaria, only to be stopped by Desmond''s bodyguards. She strained against their strong arms. "If you want kids so badly, why don''t you have some yourself?"


    Zaria made a dramatic turn. "Don''t you know, I am already having one." She ced a hand on Rosaly''s back and sauntered away, leaving Desmond behind.


    "Just so you know, we are still meeting in court to battle this out legally." He threw the words at her and walked off to join Zaria and Rosaly. He knew that passers by loved drama and he had seen several of them with their phone cameras aimed at them, recording the incident. It was surprising that they had not been kicked out for causing a distraction in the airport.


    Once they were in the car, Rosaly stood on the seat to peek into the airport for her mother.


    "Rosaly, there is something daddy needs to exin to you." She held the girl to face Desmond. She didn''t want to, so she turned back to hug Zaria.


    Desmond was at a loss. If this was her reaction after saying that Ang would not see her anymore, just how much would she hate him once she understood the meaning of custody rights? He looked at Zaria pleadingly and she knew the meaning of his gaze.


    She hugged Rosaly. "Sweetie, do you want to go back to school?"


    Rosaly shook her head.


    "Then I''ll help you take a day off. We can go out to y together. Later, we can cook, watch a movie." She coaxed.


    "I want to watch Frozen." Rosaly''s interest perked up.


    "Of course. We will watch Frozen all evening and ignore Daddy." She tapped her nose.


    "Ignore me?" Desmondined.


    Zaria red at him to y along. "You upset my best friend. Of course we are going to ignore you."


    He smiled once he understood that this was her way of making Rosaly miss him.


    She held onto Zaria''s dress with her shoulders trembling in nervousness. "Zaria, will you hate me if you have a baby?"


    The urge to stab Ang intensified. Did she get off on distressing her own daughter?


    "Of course not." She promised. "If I have a child, I will love both of you. Friends love each other forever, right?"


    Rosaly was relieved and a smile finally formed on her lips.


    Zaria took the chance to tell her the important news. "Do you know what the best part is?" Rosaly shook her head and she continued, "If I have a child, you will have a brother or a sister."


    "Yay!" The little girl''s eyes lit up in excitement. "I want a brother! Then Laia will stop bragging


    about her brother to me."


    Zaria chuckled. When she was young, her friends would brag about their siblings to her as well.


    "Well, if you have a sister, you will have apanion to y with." She touched her stomach. "In about seven months, you will have a brother or a sister."


    Rosaly was so excited by the news that for the rest of the way, she prattled on about how she wanted to y with her brother and watch Frozen with him. She would bring him to school to meet her friends and share her snacks with him.


    Zaria, who was listening the entire way, hoped the girl would not be disappointed if she turned out to have a sister instead of a brother. She was certainly more biased towards thetter.


    ¡­


    It didn''t take long before the entire inte was talking about Ang, Desmond and Zaria. At first, Ang had manipted everyone to think she was a pitiful mother who had been snatched her daughter by a heartless couple but the more it progressed, the moreizens started to realize that she was in the wrong.


    Someone even leaked that Annoix Academy had banned her from its premises for potential child abduction and would henceforth only allow Desmond to pick Rosaly up from school.


    Zaria let out a sigh of relief when she read thest part. This meant Ang would no longer be able to steal Rosaly away. She was sitting on his bed while he searched for what to wear to their dinner with Rosaly. They had yed all afternoon andter, Rosaly had begun to miss her father and had agreed to have dinner out with him and Zaria.


    "You made this happen, right?" She asked, referring to Annoix Academy''s announcement. "There is no way a school will ban a mother from picking her child and even on the slight chance that they will, such news cannot leak on its own."


    "You catch up quickly." He praised her with a smile.


    He wanted this matter toe to an end as fast as possible so, although he''d had to pull strings, the court case wouldmence in a month instead of two.

 Chapter 258 - Its Nice To Finally Meet You

    How dare he humiliate her?! Ang had the urge to strangle Evan. s, she couldn''t do that when he was no less than a mafia king. Getting rid of her would take less effort than swatting a fly. It was exactly why she wanted him on his side¡ªbecause he was so powerful¡ªbut he definitely wasn''t going to be of any help. She picked up her bag and stood to leave, aware of the stares from the women in the room. They must be gloating in her predicament, not that there was anything she could do about it.


    "Wait." He called after her when she had reached the door. She had the urge to ignore him and leave. What if he was only calling her back to humiliate her further? It was a possibility she couldn''t ignore, but she also couldn''t ignore the possibility that he had changed his mind. He might not want to directly help her because of his friendship with Desmond but he might have just the right connections.


    So she turned to face him. What was the worst that could happen?


    "Come back here." He beckoned her over. She gritted her teeth and walked over although she was infuriated.


    He pointed at the side table for her to bring whatever was on it, and when she looked over, she couldn''t help ncing at him to confirm his intentions. Did he want her to bring him the boxes of durex on the table? What did he want to do with them?


    "Which vor?" She asked without an ounce of shame.


    "Isn''t there just one?" He looked amused by her words, which made her look at everything on the table again in doubt. When she figured it out, she wanted to dig a hole in the floor and bury herself in.


    "What crap are you thinking? I want you to bring the antibacterial wipes and clean out all traces of yourself. What, did you think I had changed my mind and wanted to sleep with you?"


    The women in the room couldn''t help giggling. The one on the pole almost tripped. How unprofessional!


    "Mind your business, will you? A stripper''s ce is to strip. Not watch what is happening andughing." She roared, taking it out on the woman. In response, she made a spin down the pole and winked at Evan, showcasing her generous boobs to him. "What do you think of myugh, Mr. West?"


    "Don''t be naughty, Lisa." He reprimanded, but he didn''t seem to mind her attitude.


    "Of course, beautiful women like to smile. Only ugly skanks think there''s something wrong with smiling." He remarked, humiliating Ang even further. He then deliberately left the room for his beauties to teach her a lesson. When heter learnt that they had pulled her hair and dunked her head in water to supposedly teach her "how to please Mr. West", he couldn''t help skipping over to Zaria and Desmond the following evening to brag and ask for praises.


    "I totally made a fool out of her! You should have seen her face." He exined with his nose in the air.


    Desmond was displeased. He had convinced Zaria to stay over for dinner and this guy had arrived before they could have their alone time. And he came just for this?


    "Don''t assume I''m unaware of what you feel for Zaria." He burst the yboy''s bubble.


    "What are you talking about? I would never try to take her away from you." He vowed. "But that doesn''t mean I wouldn''t jump on the chance to be with her if you mess up." Thest part was a mumble that earned him a re from Desmond.


    He recoiled to seek praise from the silent Zaria.


    "Zaria, Zaria, did I do great? Oh, I also recorded a video of her asking me to lie about Desmond to make him look bad in court."


    "Thank you." She stated. He knew from her curt answer that she was displeased about something. He didn''t need to ask, as she said it out.


    "If there''s a choice, I would never go for humiliating a woman in that kind of way. I can''t me you for doing it that way but no woman deserves to be sexually humiliated. Especially since she is Rosaly''s mother¡­Rosaly would be so sad if she knew that kind of thing happened to her mother."


    Evan was bbergasted. "Okay. Liam was right. You have be a totally different person now that you are expecting."


    She smiled at him. "Is that a request for a beating I hear?"


    "It was apliment." He said in his defense and shrunk away. "Since I''m not needed here, I''ll be on my way."


    Sheughed at him even after he had left. "He walks on eggshells around me."


    "It''s only natural that he acts that way. He once tried to steal you away from me."


    He sounded like he wasining, and she couldn''t help patting his head. "No one can steal you from me. I''m only yours."


    He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against him to kiss her. She pushed his chest. "Rosaly is still asleep." She whispered.


    "She can''t wake up soon." He assured her. The girl had yed a lot after leaving school and he couldn''t even wake her up for dinner.


    "That won''t do." She pecked his lips and stopped him from going further. "We can''t risk letting her witness things she shouldn''t. Let''s continue this in your room."


    He grumbled inint.


    She slid a finger down his chest, undoing a button of his shirt while at it. She bit her bottom lip while looking right into his eyes. "I''ll show you something pretty once we get there." She cooed.


    He swallowed a hard lump. How could she talk about the bedroom while giving him that kind of gaze? It didn''t matter what she talked about, with those eyes, he had the urge to tear her clothes off. He couldn''t focus on his food and kept throwing nces at her. When he couldn''t help it anymore, he dropped a spoon under the table. When he leaned down to pick it up, he slid his fingers up the inner side of her smooth leg.


    She shut her eyes as tingles went down her spine from his touch. He brushed agaisnt her skin in slow strokes and stopped just when she wanted him to continue. "Let''s continue this in my room."


    She red at him for turning her on but from his gaze, she knew he was doing that just because she had done the same to him. She pressed her legs together to ease the tension which only worsened instead.


    When he teased her thighs, she parted them to give him ess. He stroked her core through her panties that were already soaking at the center. He pushed the fabric aside and sunk a finger into her.


    "Are you sure you still want to wait?" He licked her ear with his warm tongue. She couldn''t stop a low moan from leaving her mouth.


    She dropped her cutlery on the table and their lips collided before she could stop it. He let out a low chuckle and carried her out of the dining room. Dinner would have to wait.


    ____


    Meanwhile, Ang was yet to give up. Since she couldn''t have her way with Evan, she decided to try the same trick with Liam.


    Considering the women he had liked in the past, she figured that he might like her too. She was a little simr to Samatha and if she had her makeup on right, he might not necessarily dismiss her.


    Besides, she might just use Rosaly''s predicament to win him over. Just like Evan, he didn''t immediately reject her when she said she wanted to meet up with him.


    She questioned their attitude. Why was it too easy to meet them? What if they were helping Desmond instead?


    She took a deep breath on her way to Liam''s house. There was no way to find out but to pay him an actual visit.


    The ride to his ce felt like she was going to hell. It was spooky and she couldn''t help feeling like something wrong was going to happen. She considered giving up a few times but braved it in the end. She checked herself over onest time before leaving the car.


    But as soon as the door opened to his living room, she came face to face with a woman. She was tall and beautiful, with ck hair falling over her shoulders. However, she was dressed like a ruffian and had an intimidating smile with her arms crossed.


    "It''s nice to finally meet you.." Ximena smiled evilly.

 Chapter 259 - Lets Have Breakfast

    It was one thing to suspect that something was wrong when Liam easily agreed to meet up but for this to actually happen, Ang was caught off guard.


    Ximena had dragged her right into the kitchen and shut both doors leading out, and was currently making a fresh pot of coffee. She was even offering cookies with a sweet smile as though they were long-term friends. The woman was creepy in every way.


    Ang touched her phone under the table but was yet to peek for the speed dial when Ximena caught sight of what she was doing.


    She dove right to the mini dining set where Ang was sitting and grabbed her phone. "We won''t be needing this. Let''s put it aside for now, yeah?"


    There goes all hope for survival.


    It didn''t take a genius to figure this woman out. Ang eyed Ximena from head to toe. She was enchanting, had a beautiful voice with a hypnotic feel to it but that would only fool men¡ªand women. Those who had not been trapped in a kitchen by her, at least. She fished the bacon out of the fridge and waved it at her. "I don''t know what you like to eat. Is this okay?"


    "That''s breakfast." The words slipped out of her mouth in disgust.


    Ximena pped the cold packaging onto the granite counter. "It''s 7am somewhere in the world." Her voice was sweet and coaxing for a moment before it turned ominous. "At the same time, it''s 10pm in other ces¡ªwhere some women think it''s the right time to sneak into men''s houses and seduce them when they think their girlfriends aren''t gonna find out." She smiled as though there wasn''t much meaning to it before she eerily added, "And 4am in some. You know, the hour when death often knocks at your door¡ªor the legitimate wife at the mistress''s, once she finds out what thetter has done."


    "What do you want?" Ang asked, her voice lowered in a tremble she didn''t realize was there.


    "Nothing. I''m not Liam''s wife." Ximena winked as if to assure her, all before making a dramatic turn and swiftly opening the knife cab. She checked out different sizes of knives under Ang''s watch.


    "Too short, too small¡­"


    "What are you doing in his house?" Ang questioned. "Does he know you have me imprisoned here?"


    "Perfect!" The knife that Ximena had chosen dropped on the floor in a way that made Ang''s blood freeze, before the former picked it and stabbed it right into the packaging of bacon. Ang''s breath cut off for a few beats as she broke into cold sweat.


    Ximena smiled sweetly. "Oops. I lose my cool sometimes in the face of flesh. You were saying?"


    "Nothing." As if there was anything one could say to a potential psychopath. She was definitely one, and a creepy one at that.


    She remained silent and let Ximena do what pleased her¡ªmaking coffee, serving her freshly made bacon and a cake slice, scaring the crap out of her by pointing the crap out of her by pointing the dessert knife right at her neck for a few beats before cing it on her left. It was annoying the hell out of her, but she knew better than to fight.


    She had never learned basic self defense moves and the woman before her was way beyond the level of untrained fighters. She was much stronger than expected of her graceful frame, and her swiftness nearly made her lose her dinner.


    "It appears you don''t enjoy your breakfast, Angie." She cooed.


    "You have the wrong idea! I love it very much." She stuffed cake into her mouth to prove her point. She hated strawberry vored cake much more than she hated bacon, and ck coffee was a nightmare. Ximena had given her abination of all. Was it a coincidence?


    "We can talk once you''ve had your breakfast." Ximena took her own seat far away from her, as if thetter was a gue. Ang was far from offended. She was overjoyed to be away from the demoness.


    "We can talk now." Ang demanded. When she saw Ximena''s expression darkened, she quickly changed her mind. "After breakfast is fine."


    "You are so cute." Ximena chuckled, before crossing her legs at her knees. She was idle, so she pulled something from her belt and started ying with it, spinning it against the table so fast it was a blur. Was that a gun?!


    A clear look at it made Ang swallow hard. If she ever got out of this alive, she was taking Rosaly and fleeing to the North Pole. Our South Pole. Wherever was far enough to never bump into this woman.


    "I take it you''re done?" Ximena''s gun came to a halt before she grabbed it and shoved it back to her belt, where it was covered by her leather jacket before.


    "Let''s talk about what a nightmare you have been to my best friend."


    "Desmond doesn''t have a woman for a best friend." And neither did Liam. Was this woman mistaken?


    Ximena looked unamused. "I thought a heart was all youcked. Turns out you don''t have a brain either. Poor Rosaly, it must be awful to have an awful mother." She clicked her tongue.


    "You have no right to tell me what kind of mother I am!" Ang yelled, the puzzle finally starting to piece. It must be Zaria! Angry psychopath or not, the woman was going to kill her nheless, so she might as well die after speaking her mind. "That bitch! Why is she so concerned about my daughter? She can have her own damn kids if she wants to! What, is she infertile or something?"


    Ximena''s eyes glinted. She shut them for a second at the reminder but when she opened them, all that was left in them was bloodlust.


    "Since you want this so badly, Angie, I''ll satisfy your wish."


    Ang was grabbed by her hair, unable to fight back against the strength of this monster in disguise, and by the time she figured out where she was being dragged to, she was choking on water that got in through her nose and mouth. She iled her limbs and scratched at whatever her hands could reach in protest.


    Ximena pulled her head out of the bathtub filled with water before pushing it right in.


    "Stop!" Ang cried out in a hoarse voice when she was pulled out and managed to breathe again.


    A pnded on her face. "Shut up!" Ximena was enraged. She should have cut her tongue off when she had the chance.


    Hurried footsteps heading for the open bathroom door were like the straw that Ang needed, and she screamed at the first chance she could get. "Help!"


    "Ximena!" Liam rushed in seconds before Zaria did.


    "Let her go!" Zaria was horrified by the scene she had just walked into. Ximena neither took notice of them nor their words, dunking Ang''s head right into the tub for the third time.


    "Liam, stop her!" Zaria yelled, but she didn''t need to because he was already halfway to her. He pulled Ximena away and right into his arms, giving Ang the chance to stumble out of the bathroom, coughing profusely.


    Zaria considered following her but chose to be careful¡ªif Ang knew she was pregnant, things might get ugly. So she held Ximena''s hand and let Liam stop Ang instead.


    "What was Liam thinking?" She facepalmed. "Never mind. How are you feeling, Xim?"


    "I want to kill her." Her eyes watered. It didn''t take long for Zaria to guess what had gone down. ording to Liam, Ximena was only going to threaten Ang and intimidate her into never returning. For her to actually try and drown her in the tub that was only meant to scare her, Ang must have said something that poked a sore spot at Ximena.


    Zaria pulled her in for a hug. "You can do that."


    "Seriously?" Ximena suddenly perked up as if she couldn''t wait to take up the chance.


    "Yes. And you''d earn a free ride to the police station and to prison." She added. She knew that Ximena didn''t mind going to prison if she did something like that, but she did. "You probably don''t care. But I do, Ximena. I can''t lose you."


    Ximena wrapped her arms around her friend. "I''m sorry. Everything was going on well and she would probably cower from all this but I let my anger get the better of me. All she did was point out that one thing."


    "You cannot me yourself." Zaria smoothed her hair. It had gotten disheveled from fighting and wet from Ang''s attempts at getting out of the water.


    "Let''s get you out of these wet clothes. Do you have anything to wear here?"


    Ximena stood still, not moving from her spot.


    Zaria took her hand. "It''s not your fault. It really isn''t. You cannot beat yourself up for it forever."


    "I know. It just made me realize that the sooner I tell Liam about it, the better it will be for us. If we were to get into a rtionship and his parents found out the truth, what would happen then?"


    "Ember would still adore you. She is a lovely woman." Zaria assured her.


    "And his mother nheless. Let''s be real. The Preston family is like a royal family. They will definitely want him to have a biological son, or sons. They will never let me get together with him if they know I can''t help with that. If he has to choose between them and me, he has a lot to lose."


    Zaria rubbed her handfortingly. "It will be okay. And I''m sure he will think so too."


    "Will Ang pin the me on you?" She steered away from the topic.


    "No. I took care of her." Liam answered, having just arrived.


    Ximena exchanged nces with Zaria. How much had he heard?

 Chapter 260

    260 Troublesome character


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Desmond asked when he arrived. Zaria had rushed over to stop Ximena earlier and had only told him what was happening while on her way to Liam¡¯s house.


    She melted into his arms as soon as he entered the living room, where she had managed to make Ximena sit and have a ss of milk.


    ¡°Yes. Though I can¡¯t believe he really let her meet Ang.¡± She facepalmed. What was Liam thinking?


    Or rather, he was not thinking at all. If was obvious even to the blindest idiot that if the two women met in the same space, a fight was bound to erupt and the end result didn¡¯t need much thinking.


    ¡°He can do anything for her as long as she says the word.¡± He grinned, not that he wasining. Ang would no longer have the courage to scheme so openly thanks to Ximena¡¯s threat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the two of you something to eat.¡± Ximena stood out of the blue and disappeared into the kitchen before they could react to her words. Liam was already there, and as soon as she saw him, she wanted to evade him.


    ¡°Ximena.¡± He stopped her from leaving by blocking her path.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± She dismissed the topic she knew he would bring up.


    ¡°I heard everything.¡± He insisted. ¡°Is that why you kept rejecting me? Because you were afraid of what my family would think?¡±


    .....


    ¡°Ember loves children.¡± Her voice broke.


    He pulled her into his arms, nuzzling his nose against her neck. ¡°Why does it matter so much? I already told you, all I care about is what we feel for each other. And you already know how I feel about you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± She remarked stubbornly, earning a yful p on her backside. His lips were on hers before she could utter another word. He held the back of her head as his tongue pried her lips apart.


    ¡°Zaria and Desmond are still here.¡± She whispered, trying to slow him down.


    He held her by the waist. ¡°They know better than toe into a kitchen with the two of us here.¡±


    She was wearing a pair of leggings that Zaria had been carrying around in her bag for emergencies, and his shirt, which was too big for her, and one side slid down her shoulder as soon as the first two buttons were undone.


    She followed his heated gaze down her chest. Her bra had been soaked through so she was wearing none. Her pebbled nipples were poking through the thin fabric. He licked his lower lip and she instantly knew what he was thinking. He was craving a taste of them.


    He pushed her against the wall, ripped the buttons open and held the left boob in his hand, gently rubbing her swollen nipple and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from letting the couple in the living room know just what was happening in the kitchen. He lowered his head and took the other one in his mouth, lightly grazing it with his teeth as his free hand found its way down her body.


    ¡°You are doing it on purpose.¡± She hissed.


    He chuckled despite having been caught. ¡°You are notining, are you?¡±


    She shook her head.


    His hands roamed her body in slow, tormenting strokes, leaving her feeling weak in the knees. He dropped onto his knees and held her thighs apart.


    ¡°Liam,¡± She breathed. ¡°Wait. Stop.¡±


    He stopped and looked up into her eyes pleadingly. ¡°I want to taste you.¡±


    ¡°Not here.¡± She straightened the shirt on her body. It was already hard enough to maintain her sanity with his hands on her. She was certain that if it was his tongue on her, she would not be able to take it. Thest thing she wanted was to make her friend a spectator to her orgasm.


    He stood back up and helped her button her shirt before running a hand down his hair to smooth it. He looked down at himself and she followed his gaze to the raging boner threatening to burst out of his pants.


    ¡°Well...¡± Her hands were itching to grab it.


    ¡°Looks like I have to meet our friends with a tent.¡± He joked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help with that.¡± She was on her knees before he could respond, her hands impatiently fumbling to undo his belt and pull his pants down at the same time.


    ¡°Ximena.¡± He warned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fast.¡± She managed to undo his belt, which was nothing difficult but it was annoying because it was in the way. His erection sprung out of his boxers as soon as she pulled them down and she held back a gasp. She had seen his hard-on enough times to know that he was big but out of his pants, he was even bigger.


    She licked his tip and that was enough proof to him that she would be fast. There was no way he wouldst longer than twenty seconds in that beautiful mouth with her tongue teasing him like that. She ttened her tongue and stroked his length from the bottom all the way up, all while locking her eyes with his. She swirled her tongue around his crown, earning a groan.


    ¡°Do that again and I¡¯ll explode in three seconds t.¡± He warned, and she chuckled before taking him in her mouth. He fisted her hair, thrusting his hips forward to her rythmn.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he slowed down and she knew he was close, and that was her cue to squeeze him with her lips. A guttural groan escaped his lips as he climaxed. She stilled until he had calmed down before she let him out of her mouth and got back on her legs.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Never been better.¡± She winked.


    A smile formed on his lips. ¡°That was better than any fantasy I¡¯ve ever had of your mouth.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°Did you just admit to getting off on thoughts of me?¡± Why was that even a surprise? He had admitted to wanting to touch her boobs within three days of meeting each other.


    His answer was obvious. ¡°What do you expect me to think about when I see those beautiful lips in burgundy lipstick? They are either busy kissing me in my thoughts or well...wrapped around my cock.¡±


    She wore burgundy lipstick once in a while, but she had no idea he thought that way of it. Should she put it on more often? She suddenly wanted to know what he would think of red on her. It was a bold color that she didn¡¯t like much on herself, but that was only because it was too daring. She pulled it off just as well as burgundy.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± He yfully jabbed her.


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering whether to wear red lipstick with my lingerie tonight.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She winked as though she had not just said that. ¡°Zaria must be hungry. You don¡¯t want to earn a beating from Desmond, right?¡±


    She did that on purpose! He hissed. Now his mind was full of her in a hundred possible sets of lingerie and red lipstick.


    ___


    The couple hurried out of Liam¡¯s house as soon as they were done eating. It was obvious what Liam¡¯s thoughts were filled with and they didn¡¯t think it would be fun to give the poor guy blue balls.


    ¡°Izzie, is Zariaing back soon?¡± Rosaly¡¯s distressed voice was the first thing they heard when they arrived. The girl was curled up next to Isabe on the couch.


    ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Zaria asked.


    ¡°Zaria!¡± Rosaly jumped to her feet and bolted to meet Zaria halfway through the room, holding her hands up to be hugged.


    Zaria picked her up and kissed both of her cheeks.


    Meanwhile, Desmond shook his head at his grandmother, who had insisted on being addressed as Izzie even by her great granddaughter.


    ¡°What? Are you jealous that Rosaly loves Zaria and me more than she loves you?¡± Isabe huffed. ¡°That¡¯s because you are a jerk.¡±


    ¡°How the hell am I a jerk?¡±


    Isabe dragged him away from the hugging pair. ¡°Do you have any idea that if your character is proven to be troublesome, you might lose in the battle for Rosaly¡¯s custody?¡±


    He was taken aback. That was still a possibility earlier but Ang was currently too scared to scheme after what happened between her and Ximena. She would never dare to do anything to mess with the judge¡¯s decision, not that she had enough influence to dream of that.


    However, Isabe was convinced that it was possible. ¡°Do you remember your second assistant at Preston and Fort Group?¡±


    He reflexively shook his head. Before Zaria, he had had at least twenty assistants. He could still remember the faces of some but their names were long forgotten, while he was certain that others were good as nonexistent.


    ¡°Mnie. The one you fired for throwing herself at you.¡± He pped his shoulder as a reminder.


    The name rung a bell but it was still blurry. ¡°I remember such an incident. But again, how many assistants have I fired for this exact reason?¡±


    Isabe rolled her eyes. Wasn¡¯t that because they always thought he was a womanizer? If he didn¡¯t have that kind of reputation, they would never have assumed that they had a chance with him. But now was not the time to scold him for his fabricated reputation in the past.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it seems. Some of those assistants have been telling a different story. You know, no woman would readily ept that she was turned down and fired. Instead, they make it sound like you came onto them and fired them when they turned you down.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s new about that?¡± His lips twitched. He knew that was what they said but ignored them.


    Isabe lowered her voice when she noticed Zaria walking towards them. ¡°Mnie wants to sue you for sexual harassment.¡±

 Chapter 261

    261 Can¡¯t keep my hands off


    ¡°Just what I need.¡± Desmond dragged his fingers through his hair, tousling it.


    Zaria took note of the tension and shifted her gaze between the two of them. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that can¡¯t be handled.¡± He took her hand, while Isabe dived for Rosaly and picked her up.


    ¡°My cute little great granddaughter. How about staying over at my ce tonight?¡±


    Rosaly was caught off guard by the sudden affection, her small hand reaching out for Zaria. ¡°But I want to sleep with Zaria. She promised to read me a book.¡±


    ¡°She can do that on video callter and you can sleep with her on another day. Come on.¡± Isabe didn¡¯t give her much chance to say no and went upstairs to pick her overnight bag. With the short time it took, she must have simply stuffed in random clothes, her school uniform, and toiletries.


    With ast hug and kisses from Isabe and Rosaly, the two were gone in a sh.


    ¡°That escted fast.¡± Zaria raised an eyebrow, watching through the window as Isabe¡¯s car left. ¡°Why did Izzy decide to take Rosaly away out of the blue?¡±


    He came up behind her and ced his hands on both sides of her waist. ¡°Because she knew how hard it was to keep my hands off you.¡±


    .....


    His hand slipped into her dress, making her take in a sharp breath and move away from the window, dragging him along with her. She roped her hands around his neck just as their lips connected, their bodies pressed against each other. His tongue felt warm and soft against hers, and her body felt tingly with need. It was almost unbelievable how fast he could turn her into a mush at his mercy.


    His length pressed against her stomach and she could feel it getting harder by the second. She pulled her lips away from his and pressed them against his neck. ¡°Are you ever not hard?¡±


    ¡°Around you? Nope.¡± cing his hands under her butt, he lifted her, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. He pressed her against the wall, her dress riding up to her waist. She grinded her core against his hardness as his lips kissed and teased her corbone.


    He pulled her off the wall briefly to unzip her dress and unhook her bra at her back. The sudden chill made her flinch slightly when her dress bunched up at her waist. The warmth of his body soon engulfed her, contrasting the cool wall.


    He took a deep sniff of her boobs, taking in her addictive scent and sighing in satisfaction as though he was starving for a taste of them.


    He ran the back of his finger up the swell of her left boob, flicking the hardened nipple with his tongue before he took it in his mouth. His free hand squeezed the other and she cried out in ecstacy. She fisted the hair at the back of his head, grinding her hips in an attempt to relieve the pressure pooling in her core.


    She peeled his hand off her boob and under his heated gaze, guided it down her belly and into her panties. He let out a soft chuckle and rubbed her throbbing core through her panties.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed, almost creaming his pants. He knew she would be wet but he didn¡¯t realize that she was this wet and ready.


    ¡°Can¡¯t stay dry around me, can you?¡± He teased her in her own words.


    ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s a desert down there.¡± He steadied her on the ground and ripped his shirt off, sending buttons flying seconds before his belt, pants and boxers joined it on the floor. She had seen him undress countless times but she still couldn¡¯t get enough of his body. Watching him peel his clothes off still sent warmth down her spine, making her wet her lips in anticipation as he gave his manhood a light stroke.


    He knew what she was thinking with that hungry gaze, but that would have toeter. He couldn¡¯t wait to be inside her.


    Her dress and bra had fallen off her body when she steadied, so he held the sides of her panties and she shimmied out of them. He kissed her deeply as he once again parted her legs and positioned himself between them.


    ¡°Do I need a condom?¡± He asked against her lips in a low, teasing tone, making her roll her eyes.


    He sunk into her in one hard thrust, knocking the air out of her lungs. He pulled out almostpletely and mmed into her again, trying to restrain himself to avoid hurting her. His face was buried in her chest, her moans of pleasure like alluring music in his ears. Everything around them was long forgotten, the air filled with the sound of skin pping against each other and the scent of their lovemaking.


    It wasn¡¯t long before her muscles clenched around him, seconds before she cried out as her orgasm coursed through her body in waves of ecstacy. He was not far off, quickening his thrusts and with a guttural groan, climaxing into her.


    He held onto her as they stilled their breaths, pressing soft kisses on her ears and face.


    Her legs were weak when they finally touched the ground. He scooped her in his arms and headed upstairs.


    ¡°The clothes-¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s worry about themter.¡± He kissed her slightly swollen lips.


    ___


    ¡°So, how are we going to deal with Mnie?¡± She asked, pulling her hand back into theforter. They were sitting on his bed, with him leaning against the headboard and her between his legs, both wearing nothing but theforter covering their bodies.


    ¡°We will not deal with her.¡±


    She tilted her head to look at him, to gauge whether he was serious. He was.


    Her lips parted slightly before she was able to speak. ¡°We are going to let her keep using you of sexual assault?¡± She frowned. He had just told her about the possible suit.


    He swiped his finger through the screen of his phone. ¡°Sci-fi?¡± He asked about her choice of movie for tonight. When she nodded, he selected the sci-fi tab.


    ¡°That¡¯s why they sent the email to grandma. Nathaniel wants me to react. Probably try to negotiate with Mnie-because whether I¡¯m innocent or not, such a suit will not bode well for me-and use those negotiation terms to pin a guilty conscience on me.¡±


    Her brows dipped. ¡°But if we let her go ahead and sue you, the court will never let a child live in the custody of a man who allegedlymitted such a crime as rape.¡± She sighed when she realized just why it was distressing. Nathaniel had created a sure-lose situation for Desmond. Way to go, bastard.


    She ced a hand on his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll contact Zeus.¡±


    ¡°There were no surveince cameras inside my office.¡± He swallowed.


    She paused for a second. ¡°Why would this be about your... wait. She used you of assaulting her on a day that she was in your office?¡±


    ¡°Discussing an urgent issue with one of the hotels when we were both working overtime but yes, that¡¯s the day she chose.¡±


    ¡°That bitch.¡± She was infuriated. If there was no camera in his office, she could spin whatever tale she wanted. Heck, she could even hire some false witnesses to im to have seen here out with disheveled-or torn-clothes and make up all over her battered face from crying.


    ¡°I would never...¡± He started, and she pressed her finger against his lips to stop him.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    If he was the kind of man to force himself on women, she would have been a victim ages ago. ¡°But the most important thing is not what I believe. It¡¯s that Mnie doesn¡¯t get to speak up.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± He asked. He already had Skeleton digging into Nathaniel¡¯s life for something they could use as leverage but he was curious when he caught her gaze. That was the look she often had when her pretty mind was spinning schemes no one would expect from her.


    ¡°First things first. Enjoy our movie.¡± She leaned back against his chest.


    He had selected one of thetest movies, but before the movie even started, his hand was between her parted legs and his fingers deep inside her as his thumb rubbed her clit.

 Chapter 262

    262 Let¡¯s make a deal


    The following day.


    As soon as Zaria woke up, she made a call to Zeus.


    ¡°It¡¯s so early.¡± The man grumbled sleepily.


    ¡°Sorry. I really need your help before you go to work.¡± She would not have woken him up, but she would spend most of her time in meetings out of thepany today. She would not be able to meet him.


    He relented. ¡°Fine. What do you need?¡±


    She briefed him hurriedly and he hung up just as Desmond crept up behind her.


    ¡°Hey. Did I wake you?¡± She rxed into his arms as he wrapped them around her.


    ¡°The rm did.¡± He took in her scent.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± She slipped out of his arms, and he immediately missed her presence. ¡°And you should get ready for work too.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Do I have to?¡± He groaned. They had watched two movies in a row the previous night, leaving them with only a few hours to catch some sleep. He was surprised that she didn¡¯t look tired in the slightest bit.


    She picked out clothes to wear and some for him, and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°Catch some sleep while I shower and make breakfast. I¡¯ll wake you up when I¡¯m done.


    While her offer was tempting, he quickly caught sight of something more tempting-or someone more tempting, to be precise. Soon after she entered the shower, he could hear her singing softly. He couldn¡¯t help himself.


    When the door opened, she didn¡¯t need to open her eyes to know that Desmond had decided to join her. She had a thickther of shampoo all over her head so she didn¡¯t open her eyes, continuing to work it into her hair.


    ¡°The shower is more inviting than sleep, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure is.¡± She heard his voice and guessed that he was behind her, probably closing in. Her senses were heightened now that her eyes were closed and she wanted to know where he was and what he was doing. Yet, he didn¡¯t seem to move an inch.


    ¡°Are you staring at me?¡± She guessed.


    ¡°Mmh.¡± He admitted, drawing closer. ¡°You are so beautiful.¡±


    He traced a finger up her back, making her almost jump as she had not realized how close he was. He took her hands off her hair and reced them with his own, massaging her scalp in slow, calming motions.


    ¡°That feels like heaven.¡± She hummed.


    ¡°I can massage other parts of your body too.¡± He teased.


    She didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°You can, but we need to get to work soon so not now.¡± That didn¡¯t stop her from enjoying the feeling of him washing her hair. When he was done, he rinsed it out and squeezed body wash onto her bath sponge, then he ran it down her arms and breasts as she closed her eyes. This was definitely a shower but it felt a whole lot like forey. From the throbbing between her legs, she knew that she had to be soaking and it had nothing to do with the warm water running down her body.


    She didn¡¯t need to ask about him either. His hardness was pressed against her backside, his breathing fast and heavy and his pulse racing against her back.


    She would have loved nothing more than to make love with him right there in the bathroom, but that would mean gettingte for her first meeting. It was too important for her to miss a single minute. In the end, she kissed him and had to kick him out so she could get other parts of her body washed aside from her boobs and belly.


    Her belly was nothing but a very slight curve which could easily go unnoticed, but she felt as though the world was inside it. And from his new ritual of kissing it several times every day and the amount of affection he gave it, she knew that he felt the same way.


    ___


    ¡°You must be Miss Foyer.¡± Zaria offered a smile to the woman opposite her, who she wanted nothing more than to rip into shreds. Mnie Foyer, the former executive assistant of Desmond, who thought it would be funny to randomly use him of rape. Or rather, she had been chosen for the role and she dove right in. How much had she been paid, exactly? Did she have any idea that she could ruin a man¡¯s life?


    It was unfortunate, but thew was much harsher to men in instances where sexual assault was the topic. It was not unheard of for women to get away with falsely using unsuspecting victims. Mnie-and her mastermind-must be depending on this.


    The woman looked nothing like one would expect of a liar. She was beautiful, with raven hair that fell over her shoulders and looked calm and innocent.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Zaria Williams?¡± She couldn¡¯t hide her surprise.


    ¡°I am.¡± Zaria pulled a business card out of her purse.


    Mnie gritted her teeth. ¡°I should have known.¡±


    She had received an email from F&P Media in the morning, inviting her for a private interview regarding the sexual assault suit against Desmond. She didn¡¯t think much of it but now that Zaria showed up, she remembered just who she was. Theodore Williams¡¯ daughter as well as Desmond¡¯s current girlfriend. She was not a fool.


    ¡°Are you here to pick a fight with me? Because if that¡¯s the case-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Zaria interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m here on behalf of F&P Media to interview you.¡±


    Mnie scoffed. ¡°In a restaurant? And you work for Preston and Fort Group.¡±


    ¡°Who said I can¡¯t help my father here and there, when I have the experience? That¡¯s why it¡¯s happening after office hours.¡± She sounded indifferent. ¡°Are you hungry? Would you like to order something to eat?¡±


    Mnie ignored her words. ¡°Let¡¯s end it already. If you are here to ask me why I didn¡¯t speak up in the past, it¡¯s a long story.¡±


    ¡°About that,¡± Zaria took out her tablet and swiped out its stylus. ¡°I need to know that but could you please start with the basics? Did you ever suspect he could do such a thing?¡±


    Mnie took a breath and assessed the woman before her. At least she looked and sounded professional. It didn¡¯t matter if she was trying to trick her into speaking up. The story would have gotten to her anyway, and if she didn¡¯t publish it, she would let another media agency get it.


    ¡°You know the kind of man Mr. Fort is. Cocky, narcissistic and powerful, and despite his insane arrogance, women can¡¯t help but fall for him. Who would think that he would need to use force on a woman?¡±


    Zaria¡¯s eyes darkened, and Mnie assumed it was because she was starting to see her boyfriend¡¯s true colors.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ever see the signs. And the worst part is, he used force, and a date rape drug, to make me beg him to do what he did. For a while, I didn¡¯t even know whether or not what he did to me was illegal. When I finally knew that it was, my new job was on the line.¡±


    Zaria noted everything down and looked up to ask, ¡°Did he fire you right after the incident?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She hugged her arms.


    Zaria raised a brow. She was definitely not prepared for this question. ¡°I see. But the only time you and him were in his office working overtime is three weeks before you were fired.¡±


    A sh of panic traced through Mnie¡¯s face but she was quick to hide it. ¡°That¡¯s because it didn¡¯t happen once. The second time it happened, he fired me.¡±


    Zaria held back a scoff. ¡°You are telling me that a man sexually harassed you and three weekster, you willingly went back to his office, behind a closed door with just the two of you?¡±


    ¡°He was my boss! What could I have done?¡±


    Zaria yed a video on her tablet and showed it to her. It was taken from a banquet, and the focus was on Mnie. Her face paled when she saw it y.


    Zaria smiled. ¡°Two weeks after getting vited, you couldn¡¯t help squealing in excitement when the culprit stepped into the banquet hall. Do you remember your ownment? That he was so hot that your panties were about to drop!¡± She whistled. ¡°Oh, I get it. You fell in love with your vitor. Or no, you were just rolling with the waves since the other women were saying that. You poor thing.¡±


    Mnie burst into tears, finally Realizing that Zaria was not here for an interview to start with. She was here to trap her. ¡°You are defending a snake! I was the victim at the time and who knows who the next victim will be? It could be you! Or that innocent girl he is trying to get custody of.¡±


    So this was her game y. Zaria¡¯s brows quirked. ¡°So you decided to speak up because you couldn¡¯t stand seeing him gain custody of a girl with such a dark past. How cute.¡± She nted her elbows on the desk. ¡°Would you like to watch a video of yourself? It¡¯s very interesting.¡± She lowered her voice dramatically. ¡°Of you on your boss¡¯s desk, legs parted, touching yourself as you screamed your boss¡¯s name, waiting for him toe in. And by ¡°boss¡± I mean the culprit.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t an ounce of shame on Mnie¡¯s face but she realized she was not winning. ¡°What do you want?¡± She gritted her teeth.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl.¡± Zaria cooed in a gentle voice. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Let¡¯s make a deal. When it¡¯s over, I will delete everything I have.¡± Her tone turned murderous. ¡°But if you try to y games with me, the whole world, including your boss, will know how beautiful you look under your skirt.¡±

 Chapter 263

    263 Wrapped around a tiny pinky finger


    ¡°How did you get Mnie to drop the suit?¡± Desmond askedter in the evening. They had made ns for dinner at his house, and Zaria had just arrived.


    She ced her handbag on the couch tiredly and kicked off her heels, then joined him on the loveseat. ¡°She did?¡±


    ¡°A few minutes ago.¡± He affirmed. ¡°Grandma just called me.¡±


    ¡°Well that was fast.¡± She curled up into his arms. ¡°I met up with her not more than an hour ago. Let¡¯s just say I dragged her skeletons out of the safety of her closet.¡±


    ¡°You must have dug out the most influential ones.¡± He praised with a kiss on her forehead. Not only had Mnie dropped the suit, but she had also agreed to pretend that it was still on, all while rejecting the hush fee.


    ¡°I¡¯m d she is out of the way. Or at least she won¡¯t cause any more trouble.¡± She let out the breath she had been holding. ¡°It¡¯s Nathaniel¡¯s turn.¡±


    ¡°Skeleton has him on his radar.¡± He slid his hand under her blouse, palming her breast through her bra.


    ¡°So then he really is the mastermind.¡± She let out a breath in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why would you apologize?¡± He frowned.


    .....


    She couldn¡¯t even face him with the immense guilt she was feeling. ¡°He is doing all of this to get to me. Or to my mother. I¡¯m not certain who exactly he is targeting but you are getting the short end of the stick for simply being in a rtionship with me. All this would not be happening to you. Ang would not have even showed up in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t know I have such an adorable daughter.¡± He countered.


    She wasn¡¯t in the slightest bit at ease. ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it... for now. You do know that you would have found out anyway, right? Even if it would take years. This is a child we are talking about. Something would bring you together no matter when.


    And you wouldn¡¯t be having women sue you left and right to tarnish your reputation.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± He ced his thumb under her chin to tip it up so she would look into his eyes. ¡°None of this is your fault. You are not to me for anything your family does. Not in the slightest bit, okay?


    And Nathaniel didn¡¯t send Mnie to sue me.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t?¡± She was taken aback. If Nathaniel didn¡¯t, then who did? Alyssa? Ang?


    His lips twitched. ¡°Mnie Foyer is an ambitious woman who simply saw an opportunity she couldn¡¯t surpass.¡±


    It made sense. ¡°So many people know about the suit. But what would she gain from suing you for rape?¡±


    ¡°Money.¡± He was d he hadn¡¯t considered it a possibility earlier. ¡°She was banking on the fact that I would never want such a charge to crawl into Ang¡¯swyer¡¯s file as a usible reason why I shouldn¡¯t be granted custody of Rosaly. It would take ages to prove my innocence-probably long enough to discredit me as a responsible parent-and she knew this. It would be safer for me to convince her to drop them.¡±


    ¡°By giving her money.¡± She bit out in disgust. The kind of things money made people do were repulsive.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about her anymore, do I? Since you put her in her ce.¡± A smile broke out on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. Zeus did most of the hard work.¡± His hand dug into her skirt and right into her panties.


    ¡°Wait. What are you doing?¡± She gasped when his finger came into contact with her wetness.


    ¡°Thanking you.¡± He hummed against her shoulder, muttering about missing her too much all day.


    s, the door opened and stopped him right in his tracks.


    She pushed his hand out of her panties in a rush and straightened her clothes right before Rosaly came bursting in through the door, with her school bag slung on one hand.


    ¡°Daddy! Zaria!¡± She ran up to them and threw herself into their arms, wrapping one arm around each of them and kissing their cheeks when Desmond helped her onto the couch.


    Isabe walked in moments after. ¡°She runs so fast! Sorry guys. I couldn¡¯t keep her distracted for too long. She was missing you.¡± Sheughed, taking in her grandson¡¯s look. He must have been interrupted by their arrival.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Thank you for taking care of herst night.¡± Desmond responded.


    Isabe rolled her eyes at him. ¡°How dare you thank me? She¡¯s my great granddaughter, okay? And I would have had the chance to spend more time with her if you hadn¡¯t been so brainless as to be unaware of the seeds you sowed.¡±


    ¡°Cut him some ck, Izzy.¡± Zaria spoke, but she wasughing at him for being scolded by Isabe. She pulled Rosaly onto herp.


    ¡°Did you miss us so much? We missed you too!¡± She kissed both of her cheeks, earning an excited giggle.


    The girl slid off Zaria¡¯sp and picked up her bag which she had dropped earlier, and then she dug into it to fish out colorful bracelets.


    ¡°I made friendship bracelets for you and daddy!¡± She chirped, holding up two beaded bracelets. She handed the purple one to Desmond, which had a ¡°Daddy¡± and a heart shape formed by the white lettered beads.


    ¡°Daddy, this is for you.¡±


    He looked down at the purple and white string of cuteness, his heart warming. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you put it on.¡± She excitedly took his big hand, which made hers look pint sized inparison, and put the bracelet around his wrist. When she looked up to excitedly show off her good work, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Isabe took pictures of the moment. The camera she often carried around had finallye to the best use.


    Rosaly then took Zaria¡¯s hand and ced on it the remaining pink bracelet with a ¡°Zaria¡± and a heart. ¡°Will you be my friend forever? Laia said that¡¯s what it means when friends give each other friendship bracelets.¡±


    Zaria picked her up and hugged her. ¡°For as long as I live, I will be your friend.¡±


    ¡°Stop it you two. Do you so badly want to see my ancient tears?¡± Isabe dramatically dabbed at her eyes.


    ¡°That would be catastrophic.¡± Remarked Zaria.


    Desmond went upstairs and when he returned, he had a little box which he gave to Rosaly. ¡°I have something for you too.¡±


    ¡°A gift? I love gifts!¡± She happily rolled off the couch to grab it from her father¡¯s hand and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw the bracelet inside.


    The women took a peek and their jaws nearly hit the floor.


    ¡°Desmond!¡± Isabe reprimanded.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zaria was shocked. Who gives a five-year-old a diamond bracelet at random?


    ¡°That bracelet is worth at least twenty thousand dors.¡± Isabe whispered while Rosaly was too focused on the gift.


    ¡°And?¡± He asked,pletely oblivious to the point she was driving at.


    Her brows shot up. ¡°For a little girl, that¡¯s ridiculously expensive, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s not even her birthday or anything. Don¡¯t tell me you expect her to wear that as a friendship bracelet.¡±


    ¡°What matters is that she likes it.¡± He shrugged her off.


    Isabe shot a pleading look at Zaria while he helped put the bracelet on Rosaly. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help with this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She smiled back. There was nothing wrong with the gift in itself, but she did think it was more reasonable if he gave Rosaly something less expensive for her to wear on a daily basis. It would be a miracle if Ang didn¡¯t rip it off her wrist to help her ¡°keep it for an asion that required it¡±.


    ____


    When Evan dropped byter, he was baffled and nearly horrified by the sight of a purple bracelet on Desmond¡¯s wrist. He had only ever seen him wearing ridiculously expensive diamond watches-and the golden watch Zaria had bought him which was his favorite. What was this out of character cuteness?


    ¡°Did Zaria make you wear that?¡± He pointed at the bracelet, bursting into a fresh bout ofughter.


    Desmond was annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s from my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Oooh.¡± Realization hit him and when he nced at the girl at the table, he finally understood. ¡°Pfft. This is why I hate being attached to women. They either think it¡¯s their job to organize your house into the order they like or put colorful bracelets on your wrist. You look like a princess!¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Desmond nearly kicked him off the dinner table. It was already bad enough that he hade at the time when he had nned to have a candlelit dinner with Zaria. How dare he mock him?


    ¡°Actually, I still want to know something. Have you started ying the knight for princess abduction games yet?¡± He teased, even though he knew that his friend was currently wrapped around Rosaly¡¯s tiny pinky. He would happily y whatever role she assigned him.


    After dinner, he made a call while Desmond preceded him to the study. Right after the call ended, he was attacked by a bundle of cuteness.


    ¡°Do you wanna y hide and seek with me?¡± She blinked adorably.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Rosaly hugged his legs, pleading with her puppy dog eyes. ¡°Pretty please! Zaria is busy and Daddy went to the study. And when daddy goes there, it means he cannot y.¡±


    He cleared his throat and was ready to reject her but when he met her sparkling, hopeful eyes, he relented. ¡°Just one round. And when it¡¯s done, you go to bed.¡±


    Then he closed his eyes and let her run to hide, and searched the whole living room while pretending not to see her tiny feet peeking beneath the curtain. When he finally caught her, she lured him into ying several more times.


    He shook his head and sighed helplessly. Little girls were fatal. No wonder Desmond was so charmed.

 Chapter 264

    264 Stalker


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Desmond asked as soon as Evan stepped in through the study room door.


    ¡°You can¡¯t wait to kick me out, can you?¡± He smiled mischievously but took a seat on the couch. ¡°Would you like me to stop the construction of the aquarium?¡± He asked.


    Desmond looked up from the drawing he was gushing at, which was a cute family drawing from Rosaly.


    ¡°If you cared so much about Preston and Fort Group, you wouldn¡¯t be asking me this.¡±


    Evan couldn¡¯t argue with that. He crossed his legs at his knee. ¡°To be fair, I didn¡¯t steal this project. It may have been handed to mypany with malicious intent but it¡¯s not my fault. The culprits on my side have already been dealt with.¡±


    ¡°But stopping it would not bode well for you.¡± Desmond read the words on his mind without having to think.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to break the bridges between us because of a simple project. It¡¯s not actually simple, but what do you think of selling it to me?¡± He suggested.


    ¡°I object.¡± The voice came from the door and the men both looked over. He had not felt the need to shut the door since it was just Zaria and Rosaly in the house, but he was still puzzled to see her.


    ¡°Zaria?¡± Evan shifted to face her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but this is a business discussion and although you are an executive employee of Preston and Fort Group, it would be better if you didn¡¯t meddle with this.¡±


    .....


    Desmond facepalmed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t speak to her that way if I were you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Evan shifted his gaze between the two of them, dreading when Zaria sat on the bean bag where she could see both of them clearly.


    ¡°I did not pull all nighters for an entire fortnight toe up with this project just to sell it. This project was meant to help Preston and Fort Group grow.¡± She crossed her arms over her chest, not allowing for negotiation.


    Evan didn¡¯t back down. He was shocked that the excellent project was designed by Zaria-not that he ever looked down on her. She just kept surprising him each time he thought he had her figured out.


    ¡°I understand that. Which is why I didn¡¯t sweep it under the rug.¡±


    She scoffed. ¡°I call bullshit. You had enough time to stop the project before it took off. You just didn¡¯t. Is that because you knew it was excellent and no one would have sold it to you willingly? Didn¡¯t you just grab the chance to ckmail us?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it ckmail.¡± He argued and looked to Desmond for help. Was he the boss here or was she? s, the look on his face made it obvious that he was leaving the final decision on this to his girlfriend.


    He took a deep breath. ¡°Look. You can name whatever price you want.¡±


    Zaria pondered for a long time. ¡°The golf course and co-ownership of The West.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? An entire golf course and my family¡¯s resort for an aquarium?¡±


    He was bbergasted that she even suggested it. The West was one of the most popr resorts in Europe, and it had been passed down generations of the West family. If he ever gave anyone the right to be a decision maker, his grandfather would have his head.


    Besides, the golf course was not much different.


    Zaria shot a reassuring smile at her boyfriend discreetly and focused her gaze on Evan.


    ¡°Then leave out the golf course. We can work around the resort. I will buy the required shares from you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still a stretch. Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± He dismissed, but she didn¡¯t drop it.


    ¡°Think about it. We can meet again once you make your decision.¡± She offered a kind smile.


    He stared at her for seconds before standing up and going over to Desmond¡¯s desk to grab a post-it.


    ¡°See you tomorrow. 6pm,at The West.¡± He scribbled down the floor number and time and stuck the note to Desmond¡¯s desk, his eyes catching a glimpse of the drawing he was gazing at earlier.


    The little girl had drawn circles for heads and sticks for the neck and limbs. The man was obviously Desmond and he couldn¡¯t figure out who the woman was, but he guessed it had to be Zaria based on how close they were. Rosaly was between them, holding their hands.


    The picture was so perfect that it made him reminisce about his own past. The expression was wiped off his face immediately as he turned to Zaria. ¡°Don¡¯t bete.¡±


    Then he walked out of the door and shut it.


    Silence shrouded the study for a while until she stood up to pick the sticky note.


    ¡°He actually agreed. There¡¯s a chance we can get ownership rights over The West. But why did he look like I shot an arrow through his wound?¡±


    He traced a finger down the drawing he had noticed Evan stare at. ¡°Because you shot an arrow through his wound.¡±


    ____


    Ever since Natalie learnt about Devonte¡¯s condition, all she wanted was to know the truth. She didn¡¯t know what would happen once she did. All she knew was that she had to find out everything.


    Asking him was not the perfect option. Since he had decided that he didn¡¯t want her to find out, he might be upset if he learnt that she already knew. And provoking him was thest thing she ever wanted to do. So, she resorted to hical means.


    She had learnt through Rnd that he was meeting the producer of his former movie to discuss the sequel so she waited in the parking lot, with the driver¡¯s seat reclined so far that it was hard to notice her, and with a packet of chips beside her.


    ¡°This is probably what stalkers do.¡± She muttered to herself andughed. It was not funny.


    After what felt like an eternity of waiting, he finally left the hotel. At least Rnd told her the truth. She had been worried that he lied to her. He had bugged her with questions about why she cared for his schedule so much and she ignored them.


    Devonte said goodbye to the middle aged man who left the hotel with him, who was probably the producer, and went to his car. Luckily it was too far from her position. She only had to dunk her head a little until he drove out.


    She waited a few beats and followed, immediately catching sight of his car when she drove out. She let out a sigh of relief when she managed to leave unnoticed. She had been afraid that a security guard would walk up to her and demand to know why she had gone to the hotel and not left her car.


    Devonte took a left turn and she followed, keeping some distance between them. When his car stopped, she slowed down and parked hers several cars away. She dunked behind it to watch him enter a building on the opposite street and rushed to catch up.


    She stopped at the reception in the lobby, out of breath. ¡°Hey, my boyfriend and I missed each other outside. There are many people. Did you see what floor he went to? He is wearing dark jeans and a blue shirt.¡±


    The woman at the reception gave her a deadpan look, calling out her bullshit. She slid her identity card across the reception table, with several folded bills under it. ¡°Please. It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    The woman cleared her throat and carefully pulled the bills out and returned the ID. ¡°Twelfth floor. He is a regr here andes to see Dr. Stanley.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± That made it easier for her to know where to go next.


    Dr. Stanley¡¯s secretary was a nightmare.


    ¡°Dr. Stanley cannot see you without an appointment.¡± She dismissed.


    ¡°Well, help me make one then.¡± Natalie nearly snapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. He is booked through the rest of the month. Maybe next month.¡±


    Natalie took a deep breath to stop herself from punching the secretary in the face. She had slid into the restroom when Devonte left the shrink¡¯s office and was certain that no one entered after him. She needed just a minute!


    She had the urge to throw her name around but while that would earn her the appointment and probably the co-operation of the shrink, it might just make it easier for Devonte to find out that she was here.


    ¡°Look. I know there is no one in there right now. I need just one minute.¡± She pleaded.


    The door opened and a man who looked to be in his early forties walked out, his nose in the air.


    Natalie grabbed the chance. ¡°Dr. Stanley! I¡¯ve been trying to meet you. Do you have a minute?¡±


    He was about to dismiss her when he saw her clearly. ¡°Are you from the Sparks family?¡±


    She smiled awkwardly. ¡°My surname...used to be Sparks, yes.¡±


    As if that was enough requirement, the shrink led her to his office.


    Initially she didn¡¯t want to use her identity but if it made him-and his staff-respect him a little more, she wouldn¡¯t lose the chance.


    ¡°What did you want to see me about? I assume regal families usually have private psychologists for whatever reason they think that¡¯s necessary.¡±


    Her mouth gaped slightly. This man was salty.


    ¡°I believe you are my husband¡¯s psychologist.¡± She started. ¡°He was here a moment ago.¡±


    ¡°Your husband.¡± He scoffed out augh. ¡°Are you talking about the movie star? I didn¡¯t know he had a wife.¡±


    ¡°Movie star?¡± Her eyes widened. Was itmon for psychologists to address their patients using their careers, and in such a condescending tone?


    ¡°I meet women like you every day. If you are here to ask for his records, you should know that I can¡¯t help with that.¡±

 Chapter 265

    265 The devil¡¯s spawn


    Natalie stared at the psychologist before her and couldn¡¯t make sense of anything. She had never had any encounter with a shrink before but everything about him seemed odd. As if to prove her point, she asked, ¡°What if it¡¯s an important matter that requires my husband¡¯s medical records? What if it¡¯s a matter of life and death?¡±


    She knew that if he was being professional, he would tell her to go through the right channels and exin what she needed to do. However, he smacked his lips almost dramatically.


    ¡°In that case, I can show you what you need to know about your husband. But you know what they say.¡±


    ¡°Scratch my back and I scratch yours?¡± She asked boldly.


    ¡°What? Why would you say such a thing?¡± He looked taken aback, but then he chuckled. He was messing with her. ¡°Look. I don¡¯t mean to make things hard for you but you realise that I could lose my job if the patient knew that I revealed his records. But, there is a way for you to ¡°identally¡± get them. Give me your address. We can discuss the other side of things there when I drop by to check on him on a day that he¡¯s out of town.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She was repulsed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. I will send the medical records to your ce with any reason. They will be in a white folder. You can then ess them with ease, seeing as you are his wife after all.¡±


    When she hesitated, he chuckled. ¡°You are not his wife.¡±


    She bit the inside of her bottom lip in shame. She had thought that it would be easier to get the records if she pretended to be his wife but it turned out, it wasn¡¯t that easy.


    .....


    ¡°You are the girlfriend he kept talking about then. The ex girlfriend.¡± He deliberately emphasized on ¡°ex¡± as if that proved a point.


    She stood up and grabbed her purse. ¡°Thank you for your time. I¡¯ll get going.¡±


    She left before he could say another word, but it was not lost to her that he would tell Devonte about their encounter. Of course, it would be the rigged version that would make her out to be the stalker.


    ¡°Just what I need.¡± She sighed in frustration. If only there was an option to rate psychologists. She would get her friends to one star the hell out of him. There was no way his services were any good with that kind of attitude.


    When she got to her car, Devonte¡¯s had already left. He must have only dropped by to pick something, since he came and left so fast. She frowned at the first possibility that popped in her mind. Was he on medication?


    It would make sense, but why was she feeling a dull ache thinking about it?


    She shrugged the thought off. She didn¡¯t like to see anyone suffer. That was it.


    Which was why before she left, she did a Google search on Dr. Stanley. The only results that showed up were about him being one of the best psychologists in the country.


    ¡°Yeah, I certainly don¡¯t want to see a psychologist in Olphire then.¡± She cringed. How could that man be one of the best?


    She continued checking through the results and found nothing about his family or past, which was strange. There was nothing on his social media ounts. It was almost as if he was trying to hide something...


    Which was not a big deal since she knew two people who could uncover all his secrets in minutes. But when she thought about them, she waved the idea off. Zeus was too busy with Preston and Fort Group at the moment. At the same time, she didn¡¯t want to identally lead him on. On the other hand, Skeleton had tasks too. She resorted to seeking the woman she didn¡¯t think she would ever ask for help-but who might just know enough about Dr. Stanley.


    _____


    ¡°Dr. Williams cannot see you right now. Pleasee on another day.¡± She received the same rejection message she had heard a bit too many times today.


    However, she knew that it was true this time. Dr. Williams was highly sought after all.


    ¡°Please tell her it¡¯s Ms. Roatta¡¯s niece. She will definitely spare me a minute.¡± She pleaded with the assistant, who gave her a skeptical look but picked up the phone on her desk to give the message. As expected, the assistant showed her to an office when the call ended.


    ¡°Lucy¡¯s niece, huh?¡± Kara¡¯s brows shot up when she saw Natalie. ¡°And it just happens to be you?¡±


    ¡°You would say anything to get where you want, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± She smiled awkwardly. She had lied more times today than she had in thest several months.


    Kara was unamused. ¡°Maybe.¡± She put on her zer. ¡°It better be something important. I just came out of a twenty-hour surgery and I think I¡¯m ready to crash into bed-or the floor, if you keep me standing here.¡± She joked.


    Natalie opened the door to head out. ¡°We can talk on the way to the parking lot. I won¡¯t take up much of your time.¡±


    Kara looked relieved, but she was still confused.


    ¡°I know you must be wondering what your enemy is doing here but... I can owe you this time. I need information about a psychologist.¡±


    Kara frowned at her. ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to know about all the psychologists in the world?¡±


    ¡°Only those that have worked in Grand View Hospital before.¡± She gave Kara her phone, where she had the results of Stanley. ording to his work history, he had worked here before.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Kara almost burst intoughter but cleared her throat instead. ¡°Listen. If you want to see a shrink, I can help you find a good one. I hate to say this about anyone but Stanley is the devil¡¯s spawn.¡±


    That much was obvious earlier but now that Kara said it, her heart sank. What was Devonte doing, going to him for therapy? Did he simply search for the best psychologists in Imperium,nd on his name on the search lists and book an appointment?


    The elevator dinged on its arrival in the lobby and the two women walked side by side to the underground parking lot, while Natalie took the chance to find out more.


    ¡°Do you mind telling me why you think he¡¯s evil?¡±


    Kara shot her a look. ¡°All you need to know is that if this man has anything to do with your mental well being, you are doomed. Can I go now? I really need to rest.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Thanks.¡± She smiled and waved goodbye. She and Kara were enemies for reasons beyond her knowledge. They had only crossed paths once-literally-and the doctor had red at her like she had murdered her mother.


    However, that was not as important as Devonte¡¯s health. Didn¡¯t he ever see the red gs when he chose Stanley? How long had he been seeing him?


    ____


    The following evening.


    ¡°That¡¯s too tight.¡± Desmondmented about the dress that Zaria was wearing.


    She had him on video call on herptop as she got ready for her appointment with Evan.


    She nced down at the dress that barely touched her curves and rolled her eyes. ¡°My great grandma would practically chew me out seeing me in this, okay?¡±


    Seeing that he indeed looked nervous, she took it off and swapped it for a floral A-line dress to humor him. She knew what he was worried about. Evan was a womanizer through and through. Now that she was meeting him alone, there was a chance that he would try to hit on her.


    She pulled her hair into a bun and secured it with a pin.


    On the screen, Desmondughed. ¡°That looks more like a weapon than a hair essory.¡±


    She feigned a frightened look. ¡°How did you figure out my secret n?¡±


    They bothughed, and she grabbed the documents she had ced on the dressing table. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now, love. Talk to youter.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you have a blue dress or something?¡± He called before she could end the call.


    She raised a brow. ¡°Are you sure you are not looking for excuses to see me undress?¡±


    His expression proved that she was right. She blew him a kiss. ¡°When I get back, I¡¯ll give you that kind of video call.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a promise.¡± He grinned. ¡°Hey, if Evan tries anything funny, you know where to kick him, right?¡±


    Her jaw dropped. Were they friends or enemies?

 Chapter 266

    266 Definitely an oddball


    The West was everything it was rumored to be and more. It was a beach resort with luxury cottages overlooking the sea. When Zaria arrived, it felt as though she was on a whole other. There was no way she was still in Olphire.


    A beautiful woman in a white business suit and red lipstick that matched her manicure received her.


    ¡°Mr. West will join you soon. Please wait here.¡± She led her to a gazebo outside one of the cottages, where she could see the sea clearly. It was nearly hypnotising.


    ¡°Would you like a snack while you wait for Mr. West? A blueberry muffin perhaps?¡± The woman asked with a kind smile.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°If you are not in the mood for one, I can bring you a sundae. Or whatever you would like to have. You name it, I¡¯ll bring it.¡± She paused and added, ¡°Oh, we also have wine with zero alcohol content.¡±


    Zaria was amused. They did a background check on her before her arrival, that was certain. It was a tactic she had used before but she was still awed. It was almost bordering on creepy but with that beautiful smile, there was no way any guest wouldn¡¯t feelfortable ordering whatever they wanted.


    ¡°I would like a muffin. Thank you.¡±


    The woman smiled and left, returning a few minutester with her muffin. It even had chocte chips sprinkled on top.


    .....


    The sun was just setting, leaving behind a canvas of colors she couldn¡¯t help snapping a picture of on her phone. It immediately became her new wallpaper.


    ¡°ording to policy, you have to delete that.¡± Evan spoke behind her, startling the crap out of her.


    She turned to re at him. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because you are not a guest here. You don¡¯t get to take pictures of anything.¡± He said in a teasing tone.


    No one had told her that. But she hadn¡¯t asked so it was fair.


    He took a seat opposite her with a smile. ¡°If you want, that can be corrected immediately.¡±


    She would definitely love to spend some time here with Desmond but at the moment, she hade for business. She dug into her bag for her tablet.


    ¡°Now. Why don¡¯t you rx a little? Let¡¯s forget about work for a moment.¡± He reached to take away her tablet, which she secured with a stern look.


    ¡°Fine. If you want to talk about boring business, be my guest.¡±


    Her eyes bore through him. Who would say that about their own property?


    As if he knew what was going through her mind, he straightened up. ¡°I¡¯m serious. This resort is nothing like it seems. If you don¡¯t believe me, order some food.¡±


    She frowned in confusion but when he gave her the menu, she browsed through and randomly ordered a meal. It arrived pretty fast and he was giving her a curious eye, as though waiting for herment.


    ¡°How is it?¡± He finally asked and didn¡¯t give her time to answer before adding, ¡°The truth, please.¡±


    She felt awkward. ¡°It looks great but to be honest, I think Desmond can do it better.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°And Desmond can¡¯t cook to save his life. That¡¯s the point, right?¡±


    She didn¡¯t understand. ¡°But The West is known for its delicious food too. Howe the guests leave such greatments if the real deal is much worse?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the food used to be great. Until the head chef was reced by a rookie.¡± He sighed in exasperation.


    ¡°He is my little sister¡¯s boyfriend and she wanted to help him earn himself a name so what does she do when her family owns one of the world¡¯s best resorts? She slots him right in!¡± He deepened his voice dramatically.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t make the final decisions, does she?¡± She asked, wondering why no one ever stopped it from happening.


    Evan reclined in his seat. ¡°Well, if you are your grandfather¡¯s favorite, you don¡¯t need to be the final decision maker. You just need to be cute.¡±


    She caught a hint of bitterness in his voice which he tried hard to conceal but failed. He must have a strained rtionship with his sister.


    ¡°If you prove to him that her decisions are ruining The West, he might listen to you.¡± She encouraged him.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± His lips parted slightly as he considered whether to borate. In the end, he decided to. ¡°It¡¯s much deeper than just the chef. Hell is breaking loose in the financial department. Do you know what happens when a guest shoves their food around on the te without eating more than a spoonful of it, and the chefes around to ask if there is something wrong with the food?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me he does that.¡± She facepalmed. She had been asked that by a chef before when she didn¡¯t have the appetite and it didn¡¯t end well. Apparently, it was insulting for her to not eat the food he painstakingly cooked and he demanded that his work of art be respected. He wasn¡¯t even kind about it.


    If the resort¡¯s chef used that kind of tone...


    ¡°It often ends inints and the only way to stop it from escting into bad reviews is to give those guests discounts for their stay. At least, that¡¯s the only way to get around it ording to my sister. I would do much better if I had the chance.¡±


    He was clearly frustrated. It finally made sense why he was usually found at the golf course and only focused on it. No one would want to work in a ce where their opinions were treated as trash despite being true.


    ¡°Is this why you don¡¯t want to let us have ownership rights?¡± She probed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t drag my best friend to hell with me, now would I?¡± He knitted his brows.


    That was a side of him she had never thought existed. He would rather suffer on his own than jump on the opportunity to let his friend take his ce in hell, as he called it.


    ¡°What if I still want it?¡± She asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The resort. What if I still want it?¡±


    He took a calming breath to stop himself from saying something mean. ¡°If you are trying to help Preston and Fort Group grow, this is not the way...¡±


    ¡°Have you checked out Regal Hotel?¡± She interrupted him mid statement.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it. It is all the rage now, isn¡¯t it?¡± He answered to humor her.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I do.¡± She swiped through her tablet for the information she gathered about Regal Hotel before it was acquired by Preston and Fort Group.


    ¡°I acquire hotels that are on the verge of copsing, remodel them and let Preston and Fort Group turn them into gems.¡± She swiped through two more of her projects, one of which was on the rise and another which was still in the renovation stage.


    ¡°The West is not on the verge of copsing.¡± He countered.


    ¡°It will be if nothing is done about your sister. Your grandfather is currently blinded. And so will your father.¡± She rubbed her temples. This was probably why it was a bad idea for family members to be co-owners of the same project.


    ¡°Those two need a wake up call and there is a better chance if an outsider were to step in.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He red in the direction of the kitchen. ¡°And this is why we keep business and pleasure separate. If you can¡¯t, pleasure always wins in the short term, only for both of them to lose in the long run.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more.¡± It wasn¡¯t always the case but there was a reason why workce rtionships were forbidden in mostpanies.


    He tapped the screen of his phone as if typing a message and a few minutester, a buff man in a ck suit brought a briefcase. Evan opened it and ced a stack of paper on the table.


    ¡°The contract. If you are satisfied with the terms, you can sign it.¡±


    She reached for it and opened it, looking up in shock when she read the summary. ¡°Are you letting me take your ce for a year to earn the shares?¡±


    ¡°You will get the shares only if The West makes 30% more profit.¡± He exined.


    She shook her head in confusion. ¡°Why would you trust me so much?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± He deadpanned. ¡°I just can¡¯t wait to see the old man¡¯s face.¡±


    She was shocked. So he was doing this to irk his grandfather. He was definitely an oddball.

 Chapter 267

    267 Off limits


    ¡°I assumed you wouldn¡¯t want this kind of deal to slide out of your grasp.¡± He peeked down at her meaningfully.


    She nced up at him. He was right. There was no way anyone would want to let go of this kind of deal, but, ¡°You know what they say about deals that are too good.¡±


    ¡°Interpret it however you want to.¡± He stood to leave, letting her take time to read the contract. ¡°You can send over the contract when you are ready. If you would like to spend the night here, this cottage is at your disposal.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer but I will go home.¡± Her smile stopped her from calling out his crap. If she were to spend the night here on her own, she would definitely have pany¡±.


    He didn¡¯t press the matter and let her go.


    ___


    ¡°There is no way he is willing to let me do this.¡± She exined the situation to Desmond when she gave him a video callter, reporting everything. ¡°He knows I¡¯m trying to acquire those shares for Preston and Fort Group. He knows that if I were to meet the requirements, he would be letting not just one but two people into his family business.¡±


    ¡°Getting that profit is probably much easier said than done.¡± He spected. ¡°Do you need my help?¡±


    ¡°I would ask for it but there are too many confidentiality uses that I might breach by seeking you for anything.¡± She rolled onto her stomach with her legs in the air. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m on my own now.¡±


    .....


    ¡°You have never been on your own. You have me.¡± He coaxed.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that I do. I¡¯m not sure I would have pulled this off on my own.¡± He may not even be aware that he had that kind of effect on her but he was part of the reason why everything felt so easy. Or rather, she was too determined for anything to be impossible. She looked up to him in more ways than she could count.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to push yourself hard. You must remember this. If nothing goes as nned, you still have me.¡± He reassured her, touching her face on the screen. ¡°Are you sure I shouldn¡¯t drop by for a minute? I hate that the only way for me to touch you is like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ste.¡± She reprimanded him before he could act on the idea. ¡°You need to get to bed early, you have a flight to catch early in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right.¡± He groaned. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just two weeks.¡± She tapped his forehead on the screen. He was going on a business trip that he couldn¡¯t postpone.


    Since they worked in the same building, they usually saw each other every day even if it was only for a minute or two sometimes. It had been long since they had been away from each other for longer than a few days, and she knew she would miss him too. s, she couldn¡¯t apany him. Lucy would be busier with him being away and by extension, so would she.


    ¡°I almost forgot an important matter.¡± He sucked in a breath.


    With that expression, she knew he wanted to ask her something he thought she would right away say no to. As if there was any request of his that she could reject.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Rosaly doesn¡¯t want to stay with grandma for two weeks.¡± He ran a hand down his hair. ¡°She says it¡¯s too long to be away from her Zaria and although she relented when I promised to ask you to give her video calls every night, she was sad about it.¡±


    ¡°The little girl is too young to start bottling up her feelings.¡± Her heart broke. It was probably because Ang would often yell at her for causing trouble if she expressed her feelings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think dad will mind having her around. If she likes the idea, that is.¡±


    ¡°You would have her over?¡± He was pleasantly surprised. He had wanted to ask her to drop by Isabe¡¯s whenever she was free. Her suggestion was unexpected.


    ¡°Yeah. I mean, why not?¡± She scratched her chin. ¡°Have you spoken to Isabe about it yet?¡±


    ¡°No. But I don¡¯t think she will have anything against Rosaly staying over at your ce.¡± He exined.


    She grabbed a notepad. ¡°Tell me what she likes eating, what she doesn¡¯t like, her allergies if she has any...¡±


    He looked at her and burst intoughter. She nced at the screen for long enough to know that he would not exin what was so funny so she dropped it.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He finally smiled.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t thank me. She is my friend.¡±


    ....


    As expected, Rosaly was excited to stay over at Zaria¡¯s. She jumped right into Zaria¡¯s arms when thetter picked her up from school. The teachers had already been notified of the arrangement so they had no questions about it.


    ¡°Laia, Zaria¡¯s here to pick me up!¡± She excitedly squealed for her friend.


    ¡°Are you really staying with Zaria?¡± The little girl came over, looking like she wished she could tag along.


    ¡°Yes. We can have sleepovers every day!¡± Rosaly wrapped her arms around Zaria¡¯s neck possessively when the other kids expressed their desire to join the sleepover. It was as though she was dering her off limits.


    When the two of them finally left Annoix Academy, Rosaly was beside herself with joy. She could barely sit still in the car and kept peeking out at anything she found exciting. It was a good thing that the safety belt was too hard for her to unfasten or she would stand on the seat to have a better view.


    When they arrived, Theodore was waiting on the living room couch with Des in his arms. When she told him that Desmond¡¯s daughter would be staying over, he had tried to hide his excitement but it was clear that he had a soft spot for kids.


    ¡°Rosaly, this is my dad. His name is Theodore.¡± She introduced, and was yet to get Rosaly¡¯s reaction when he held his arms out to her.


    ¡°You can call me grandpa.¡±


    Her jaw dropped. Was that really appropriate?


    Before Rosaly could get to Theodore, she was attacked by Des, who toppled her over to lick and paw her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t be scared. He is trying to...¡± Zaria didn¡¯t need to exin anymore as Rosaly grabbed the puppy and kissed his face to return the affection.


    Theodore and Zariaughed. Those two would get along like best friends in just a few days.


    ...


    It was a good thing that Rosaly got along with Des. The two yed endlessly on one side of the living room while she got her work done on herptop.


    There was a lot more going on in The West than Evan had let on. After running several checks, she finally found the root of the problem.


    Gabriel West, Evan¡¯s grandfather, was determined to keep the resort within the family and it turned out that Evan was an illegitimate child. While he was still a West by blood, Gabriel was convinced that he might destroy the resort out of spite for the family.


    She shook her head with a frown. The joke was on him, because the legitimate daughter was the one running the resort to the ground so desperately.


    She looked her up. Veronica West, a smart businesswoman ording to all the reports of her on the Inte. It was surprising, because Zaria had expected to get reports of a snobbish woman with princess syndrome and probably one who thought she was worth the universe. Her brother¡¯s opinion of her was clearly the lowest one could have of their sibling.


    She read the articles that imed her to be a hero on various asions,ing up with ideas that caused significant change in the family business and created tremendous profit. The inte had to be bugged or rigged, because there was no way a smart businesswoman would be unaware of how much loss her rookie boyfriend was causing for the resort. Love might be blind but it was not stupid.


    One of the two things was a lie. Veronica either had the inte results lie about her, or Evan was lying.


    But there was no reason for Evan to lie to her regarding something she would find out soon. Her brows furrowed.


    Unless... Veronica was deliberately trying to run The West to the ground.

 Chapter 268

    268 Ruffian in angelic clothes


    The more she thought about it, the more usible it seemed. But what would Veronica gain from ruining her own family business? It would have made sense if Evan was the one doing it and it could be chalked up to vengeance for how his mother was treated by the West family. When they found out that she had given birth to Evan despite being paid to abort the child, they took him away from her and threatened her loved ones if she were to ever try to make contact with her son. It was clear that Evan still hated them and would never forgive them.


    On the other hand, Veronica¡¯s life was perfect. She had everything she wanted and more. Whether it was her parents or her grandfather, they all doted on her like a precious pearl. There was no room for resentment in her heart. Or was there?


    ¡°Zaria?¡± A sleepy voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see a drowsy Rosaly with Des tagging behind her, and she was hugging her teddy.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You can¡¯t sleep?¡± She asked, and Rosaly agreed with a nod.


    It was expected, since it was an unfamiliar ce after all. Isabe had told her that it took a long time to get her to sleep when she went over to her ce. Picking the girl up, she carried herptop in one hand and returned upstairs with Des tailing after them.


    She opened the door to her room and ced theptop on her bed before putting Rosaly down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll read you a bedtime story, okay?¡± She coaxed.


    Rosaly nodded and sleepily picked a book from the collection that Zaria had dug up from the library earlier. The books were decades old but were still in good condition thanks to the care they had received.


    She smiled when Rosaly excitedly picked ¡®The princess and the pauper¡¯.


    .....


    ¡°When I was little, that was my favorite book.¡±


    Rosaly looked at the book then at Zaria wide-eyed, as though it was news to her that Zaria had once been a little girl too.


    She suddenly had a billion questions. ¡°Did you have many friends? Did you go to sleepovers at their ce? What were their birthdays like?¡±


    With a smile, she reclined against the headboard and let Rosaly lean against her, bundled up in theforter.


    ¡°I had two best friends, Ryan and Ximena. You will meet them some day. I went to many sleepovers at their ce and they came to mine. Whenever they came over, my dad would read us bedtime stories.¡± She narrated.


    Rosaly looked at the books curiously. ¡°What about your mommy?¡±


    ¡°Her name is Lucy. We work together.¡± She took the book and opened it. Rosaly couldn¡¯t wait to hear the story so she made herselffortable and listened to Zaria as she read.


    Halfway through, Zaria noticed her difort and helped her lie down, but Rosaly clung to her arm.


    ¡°Zaria, I miss mommy.¡± She whined.


    ¡°Oh sweetie.¡± Her heart broke. Ang might be a selfish woman with the worst intentions but she was still Rosaly¡¯s mother after all. In a new environment where neither her mother nor her father was present, it was inevitable that she would miss them.


    Soon after expressing her feelings, Rosaly fell asleep. On the other hand, Zaria was deep in thought. Rosaly would only continue to miss her mother but there was no way they could let them meet before the court made its decision. She couldn¡¯t put it past Ang to try and escape with her.


    She pressed her forefinger between her brows in contemtion. Could she really take it, seeing Rosaly sad and doing nothing about it?


    Knowing that she was getting nowhere by stressing about it, she picked Des and ced him beside Rosaly.


    ¡°Keep herpany, will you?¡±


    Then she sat at her desk and checked the time in Desmond¡¯s Zone. It was 4am, too early for him to be awake. He usually slept with his phone on silent so she sent him a text message instead.


    She was about to get back to work when her phone buzzed with a call from Ximena.


    ¡°Zaria, you need to help me!¡± It was almost a screech on the other end.


    ¡°Hello to you too.¡± Zaria teased. ¡°Where¡¯s the fire?¡±


    ¡°At my ce, at 5pm tomorrow. Actually, make that 4pm. You have toe!¡± She hung up before Zaria could respond.


    Zaria¡¯s jaw hung open, her response stuck at the tip of her tongue. She was going to ask what it was about and offer to help without being there in person. The drama queen must have known this, which is why she didn¡¯t give her the chance. What was she up to?


    She didn¡¯t have much choice. Luckily, Theodore wasn¡¯t nning on leaving the house the following day since it would be Saturday. She would have to persuade him to take care of Rosaly.


    ___


    ¡°This is your grand emergency?¡± Her jaw was on the floor when she finally got to see what Ximena was on the verge of screaming about the night before.


    On the bedy two burgundy dresses, one over the shoulder and sweet and another with a sweetheart neckline and only long enough to reach a few inches down her butt. At the side stood Ximena who was mulling over her options.


    Zaria narrowed her eyes on her. ¡°Okay. You have been a professional stylist for years. There is no way you would be flustered over what to wear. Spill it.¡±


    ¡°Spill what?¡± She feigned innocence, and gave up when Zaria looked at her pointedly. ¡°Fine. Liam asked me out. Can you believe it?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I can.¡± Zaria was not surprised. Liam had been looking at Ximena like she was the goddess of love. It would be more surprising if he didn¡¯t ask her out soon.


    Ximena was still giddy. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. I don¡¯t know what exactly he has nned. He did mention the amusement park but he also said there would be a surprise.¡± She prattled on like a teenager in love.


    ¡°This will do.¡± Zaria pointed at the sweet-looking dress.


    Ximena grabbed it and changed into it immediately, twirling in front of the mirror when she was done.


    ¡°Goodness. I look nothing like myself.¡± She gushed.


    Zaria chuckled behind her. ¡°Let me help with your hair.¡± When Ximena let her, she parted her long, ck hair and styled it in a french braid, pinning a ribbon at the end of it.


    ¡°Where did thate from?¡± Ximena asked about the ribbon. ¡°Never mind. Are you sure Liam will not bolt away when he sees me?¡±


    Zariaughed at her nervousness. The bold ruffian was long gone, and sitting before the mirror was a beautiful angel with happiness written all over her face. There was no way anyone could resist that smile.


    Zaria picked a burgundy lipstick that was of the exact shade as Ximena¡¯s dress, uncapped it and rubbed it on thetter¡¯s lips. ¡°There is no way he can run away. He loves you and when he sees you, he will fall deeper in love.¡±


    ¡°Love?¡± Ximena crinkled her nose like it was foreign concept. ¡°I know what you mean. I know that he likes me a lot. But love... that would be moving too fast.¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter? Whether you fall in love within five minutes of meeting or five decades of seeing each other, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Zaria argued.


    ¡°Okay, Miss Love. Help me pick my shoes, please?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zaria checked through the options and brought a golden pair just in time as Ximena¡¯s phone rang.


    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± Her face lit up with a smile.


    ¡°Go, go. Have fun!¡± Zaria ushered her out, dragging her back to spray on her the perfume that Ximena had forgotten before literally pushing her out so she wouldn¡¯t make her Prince Charming wait for too long.


    ...


    When Liam saw Ximena leaving the building, he nearly dropped the roses in his hand. While the color of her dress was bold, the design, paired with her hairstyle, made her look beautiful and innocent.


    Ximena... innocent?! It was not a word he thought he would ever use to describe her. Yet here she was, looking at him bashfully as she walked towards him. He met her halfway and held up the red roses.


    She held back a chuckle.


    ¡°What?¡± He frowned.


    ¡°Nothing. I just didn¡¯t peg you to be so cheesy.¡± Sheughed.


    His frown deepened.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She epted the flowers nheless, and took two steps toward the car before turning to nce at him over her shoulder. ¡°Hey, are youing?¡±


    A grin settled on his face. She might be dressed like an angel but she was still a ruffian.

 Chapter 269

    269 Ice dancing


    Song rmendation: Still falling for you-Ellie Goulding.


    ____


    When Liam mentioned an amusement park date, Ximena thought he was joking. She had never thought of him as the type to want to go to such a ce, so it was a surprise when he actually pulled up into the amusement park parking lot.


    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± He stepped out of the car and opened the door for her.


    She looked up at him and held back augh.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± He frowned at her.


    ¡°This is funny. You opening the car door for a woman and that woman being me?¡± She wiggled a finger between the two of them.


    ¡°What do you know? Love makes you do things that are so unlike you.¡± He grinned, but her face paled.


    Love?


    .....


    Liam was in love with her?


    She chose not to ruin the date by dwelling on the matter. Instead, she ced her palm into his. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m more used to bickering with you.¡± He chuckled and hooked her arm around his.


    The amusement park was bustling with activity, with kidsughing and ying and screams emanating from the roller coaster and falling tower.


    ¡°Do you want to try the carousel?¡± He nudged her arm.


    ¡°What do you think I am, a ten year old?¡± She rolled her eyes.


    Heughed, looking down at her. ¡°You may not be a ten year old, but I feel like we missed a huge chunk of our lives.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She slowed down.


    ¡°That year if you didn¡¯t run away and we became friends, we would go on a carousel ride together.¡± He leaned down to persuade her. ¡°Come on. Humor me.¡±


    ¡°Just this once.¡± She preferred more exciting rides and knowing him, he might have suggested the carousel just to get a rise out of her.


    To avoid waiting in line to buy tickets at every ride, he bought a pair of all-inclusive tickets and gave one to her. ¡°Next stop, bumper cars.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± She showed her ticket to the attendant and ignored him, mounting onto her horse. A bell signalled the start of the ride and soon, they were drowned in the voices of cheering and giggling.


    When it was over, she couldn¡¯t help wondering if the all-inclusive ticket could earn her another ride on the carousel. It was more fun than she had expected, not that she would ever admit it to him.


    ¡°I am not going to the bumper cars.¡± She insisted before he could suggest it.


    He smiled. ¡°Forget the bumper cars. I know just how to make a woman scream.¡±


    Her jaw dropped, and thedy near them blushed and scurried away with her hands blocking her son¡¯s ears.


    Their next stop was the haunted vi, which in Liam¡¯s words, was meant to ¡®liven up the atmosphere¡¯. By the time they made it to the exit, her voice was hoarse from screaming and her legs trembling in horror. The ghosts were props and disguised employees but they were scarier than the horror movies she had watched. She had nearly screamed her lungs off when she stepped on what looked like a moving bloody hand.


    Meanwhile, Liam must have enjoyed it more than her, what was with her jumping onto him every time a scare popped up.


    She wiped thin sweat off her forehead. ¡°Now I know where to bring Zaria for her birthday.¡±


    Liam tipped his head back inughter. ¡°Are you really her friend?¡±


    She ignored his remark and grabbed his hand. ¡°Come on! The roller coaster won¡¯t ride itself.¡±


    One terrifying roller coaster rideter, they finally settled for the highlight of the day-the ferris wheel.


    Being confined with him in an enclosed space had never crossed her mind but now that they were together, watching the beautiful city when the ride got higher, she couldn¡¯t help cing her hand in his. He was taken aback by her move but he didn¡¯t remark, grasping her hand with a content smile. A million thoughts sted his brain, of things they could do in this little enclosed space.


    He used his free hand to tip her jaw upwards so she would look at him. When their gazes collided, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. It was a gentle kiss but her heart quickened its pace. She inched to the edge of her seat and pressed her lips agaisnt his, returning his kiss with a deeper one. His hand circled her body to pull her closer to him.


    ¡°If you keep doing that, I will not be able to stop myself.¡± He warned subtly.


    ¡°What am I doing?¡± She blinked innocently, but her hands were telling a different story. She ran a hand down his chest until she reached his belt, which she tugged yfully. ¡°Have you ever made out on a ferris wheel?¡±


    His lips crashed onto hers and stopped her from teasing him any further. He had meant for it to be a quick kiss but when she moaned, his resolve flew out through the window, leaving behind uncontroble hunger.


    s, the ride ended before he could take things further.


    ¡°You knew it would end soon, you little minx.¡± His voice was hoarse as he used her.


    Herughter proved that he was right. He looked down at himself with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sh innocent kids with my boner. So you, the culprit, will act as a shield.¡±


    As soon as they got off the ride, he carried her, his arms supporting her knees and her back as he used her body as a shield. She wrapped her arms around his neck.


    ___


    After the amusement park date, she was prepared for whatever surprise he had in store for her. Even so, her jaw dropped when she finally saw it.


    ¡°An ice skating rink?¡±


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± He tilted his head to gauge her reaction, smiling when he saw how excited she was.


    ¡°Howe no one else is here?¡± She asked the question and immediately pped her forehead. ¡°What am I asking? Of course you own the damn rink, Liam-fucking moneybags-Preston.¡±


    ¡°Is it such a bad thing?¡± He chortled at her reaction.


    ¡°Not if I get to skate to my heart¡¯s content.¡± She was looking forward to it, but her expression dimmed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get changed.¡± He led her towards the changing rooms.


    Judging by his confidence, she guessed that he had brought her a change of clothes and ice skates. She was right. He led her to the women¡¯s changing room and gave her a bag.


    When she left the changing room in her skates and a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, she looked down at herself then at him.


    ¡°These are my clothes and skates.¡±


    A grin lit up his face. ¡°I may have sought a little help from Zaria.¡±


    She thought back to Zaria¡¯s surprised face when she mentioned the date and shook her head. ¡°The Oscars owe her an award for her impable acting.¡±


    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s slide along.¡± He let her lead the way to the rink.


    Zaria had mentioned to him that Ximena loved ice skating, but that didn¡¯t prepare him for the show he got to enjoy. He didn¡¯t expect that after a fewps, Ximena would be gliding all over the rink, dancing to ¡®Still falling for you¡¯ like a professional ice dancer. He was suddenly d he had reserved the rink for the two of them for an hour. At first, he had done it thinking she would prefer privacy. But watching her dance, he was certain he didn¡¯t want anyone getting to witness that. Especially not men.


    When the song ended, she did a set of spins he had only imagined possible with at least a decade of practice and threw herself into his arms.


    He caught her by instinct and steadied her.


    ¡°That¡¯s...wow. I didn¡¯t think...¡±


    ¡°That it would be so fun? Come. Let me teach you.¡± She pulled him back onto the rink. He already knew how to ice skate, so it was easy to teach him a few moves. He had never seen her so happy before. If only it were possible, he would freeze time so they would live this moment forever.


    After racing to their hearts¡¯ content, they glided off the rink and she dashed to the bathroom.


    She was starting to feel cold now that she was no longer dancing. She rubbed her hands together after washing them. When a young woman exited the bathroom stall next to the one she had been in, she smiled at her. ¡°Hey, do you know where the coffeehouse is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s down the hall.¡± Answered the young woman, but her gaze was on Ximena¡¯s lips. When she thanked her, the young woman returned her smile. ¡°Your lipstick is so pretty. Do you mind telling me what brand it is?¡±


    ¡°Morel Beauty.¡± Ximena couldn¡¯t help a smile. Her brand was skyrocketing in fame but she still felt proud of her hard work when women couldn¡¯t help asking what lipstick, liner or eyeshadow she was wearing.


    The young woman checked it out excitedly on her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll get one! My boyfriend will never be able to stop himself from kissing me.¡±


    ¡°Well, good luck.¡± She left the bathroom and went out in search of the coffee house. She got two cups of hot chocte, one for Liam, and returned to the rink to find him.


    s, before she got to the rink, her eyes caught sight of the young woman from the bathroom, holding Liam¡¯s arm and whining about something. The cups in her hand dropped, spilling coffee all over the floor.

 Chapter 270

    270 Enthusiastic reception


    The thud startled Liam and the young woman and they both looked in her direction. She picked up the nearly empty cups and ditched them in the nearby bin and walked to them, trying not to let her rage show on her face.


    ¡°Your boyfriend? The one you want to seduce with lipstick?¡± She red down at the woman who was a few inches shorter than her, making thetter want to shrink away.


    She wanted to nod but Ximena¡¯s gaze scared her into spilling everything. ¡°The truth is, I have loved him for years but...¡±


    ¡°You can stop loving him now. He is taken.¡± She hooked an arm around Liam¡¯s. The young woman scurried away, making Liam burst intoughter.


    She red up at him. ¡°Are you mad at me for sending away your little beauty?¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡± He wrapped his arm around her. ¡°You look cute when you are jealous.¡±


    Cute? Her brows furrowed. That was not a word anyone would use to describe her, but most importantly, ¡°Why the hell would I be jealous?¡±


    ¡°Okay. You look cute when you are ¡®not jealous¡¯.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and pulled away from him. ¡°I¡¯ll go get us some drinks.¡± She was only two steps away when she turned. ¡°On second thought,e with me. I don¡¯t want toe back to little girls sliding their hands all over you.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± He tailed after her.


    ....


    When he finally dropped her off at her apartment, it was nearly midnight. After skating several more rounds on the rink, they had gone for dinner at a barbecue restaurant andter had a few drinks before they finally decided to call it a night.


    He walked her to her door and waited until she found her key and unlocked it.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think this scene is familiar?¡± She asked, tilting her head to face him.


    ¡°It is.¡± He agreed.


    She turned around out of the blue, pressing her body against his. ¡°Do you want to reenact it?¡±


    ¡°You are drunk.¡± He peeled her hands off him despite her protests. Heaven knew how badly he wanted her but a drunk woman was off limits, even if she was only slightly drunk.


    She pouted. ¡°Fine, you party pooper. I¡¯ll go to bed on my own then. I¡¯ll be sure to scream out your name when I make myselfe.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    She slipped away, chuckling the whole way. A battle raged in his mind, between rationality and his needs. In the end, rationality won. It probably didn¡¯t matter to her but he would prefer it if they were both sober for their first time.


    ___


    The following day, Zaria was too tired to work so after having brunch, she curled up on her bed to watch a movie on herptop with Rosaly.


    Des was snuggled on Rosaly¡¯sp as though they had known each other all their lives. The sight made Zaria picture a perfect family with a loving husband, two kids and a loyal dog and a cat-or two loyal dogs.


    ¡°The Divas are gonna win!¡± Rosaly cheered. They were watching a musical movie and their favorite dance crew had topped the semifinals.


    ¡°Fingers crossed!¡± She cheered along, even while predicting the end after having watched a gazillion movies of the genre in her pre-teen years.


    Theptop screen suddenly went dead. When it lit back on, Zeus¡¯s face made an appearance. Zaria facepalmed.


    ¡°Hey, is that the judge? He is very handsome.¡± Rosaly pointed at the screen.


    ¡°No. That¡¯s just my brother. It¡¯s a video call.¡± She eximed and red at Zeus. ¡°Would you die if you made a normal video call instead of hacking myptop?¡±


    ¡°I had to. You were not answering my texts.¡± He shrugged and scanned the little girl by her side, wondering since when Zaria grew that close to Desmond¡¯s daughter. ¡°You have good taste, princess. Tell me, who is more handsome? Your daddy or me?¡± He swiped his hair off his face to reveal his attractive features.


    ¡°Daddy is strong and handsome.¡± She protested, making it clear that no one was better than her father in her little heart.


    Zeus pretended to be wounded. ¡°I¡¯m stronger than your daddy. I can carry you on my shoulder.¡±


    Her eyes lit up but almost instantly, she shook her head. ¡°Daddy can carry Zaria like a bride!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Stop teasing my friend.¡± Zaria waved the little contest off. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°We need to meet. It¡¯s urgent.¡± He got back to serious business and from his expression, he gathered that it was important and couldn¡¯t be discussed on call.


    ¡°Okay. Just...¡± She sighed sadly. ¡°I promised to stay with Rosaly today.¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t look disappointed when she heard that Zaria was leaving. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can watch with grandpa and wait for you.¡±


    Zaria¡¯s heart melted, while Zeus was bbergasted.


    ¡°Grandpa? That wouldn¡¯t be dad, right?¡± He was aware that Desmond¡¯s father was not in the picture and logically, there was no way Zaria would let Ang¡¯s family get close to Rosaly in Desmond¡¯s absence.


    Zaria confirmed his guess, making his jaw drop. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too fast? It¡¯s unfair! Hey, Princess, I¡¯m your uncle. You can call me Uncle Zeus.¡±


    ¡°And me, Grandma Lucy. Or just grandma.¡± Lucy popped her head into the room, arriving just in time as Zeus introduced himself.


    ¡°What are you doing here, mother?¡± Zeus whipped his head around, startled by his mother¡¯s sudden arrival.


    ¡°You are taking too long. Hi Zaria.¡± She wiggled her fingers at the screen before cutting off the call.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them. They can be crazy at times.¡± She had no way of exining her family¡¯s enthusiastic reception of Rosaly. It was almost as though they were certain she and Desmond would get married.


    But what if it didn¡¯t happen? It would be hard to exin to Rosaly why she could no longer hang out with Grandpa Theo, Grandma Lucy and Uncle Zeus.


    The thought of not being with Desmond gnawed at her insides and she stopped thinking about it.


    Theodore was excited to spend more time with Rosaly. It was evident just how much he liked her. The day before, he had spent most of his free time in the kitchen cooking for Rosaly and making her snacks and pastries. When he was not feeding her with delicacies, they were ying games she didn¡¯t think she would ever see him y again. It was no exaggeration to say that he treated her the exact same way he would treat the granddaughter he doted on.


    As Zaria left the house, he reminded her to be careful and immediately returned to y an abduction game with Rosaly.


    ...


    Zeus had already sent a car to pick her up. She recognized his ck hummer on the driveway and the chauffeur got out to open the door for her.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this extravagance?¡± She asked no one in particr.


    ¡°Mr. Roatta hopes you will befortable.¡±


    A smile curled her lips. Since when did little brothers dote on their sisters? She wanted to be the one to pamper and protect him but that was impossible considering her brother was Zeus. He was the gue everyone would want to protect their younger siblings from.


    When the car arrived at Zeus¡¯ mansion, she was in awe. It was more like a futuristic pce with advanced technology and security.


    ¡°Wee, Miss Zaria.¡± A robot butler received her when she got off the car, nearly scaring the crap out of her. She had heard of intelligent robots but had never met one in real life. When they got to the main entrance, a wave of the robot¡¯s hand was all it took for the giant doors to open.


    Another robot with the name tag ¡°Sven¡± bowed when she walked in through the doors, and she marvelled at its artiction.


    ¡°At your service, Miss.¡± It called in its voice. It must have been programmed to bring her drinks when she arrived, because it offered her a ss of fruit juice just as she got to the living area where Zeus was waiting.


    ¡°Show off.¡± She harrumphed.


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± He chuckled. ¡°If you want, I can modify your house too. I can also give you Sven as a bonus.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a bunch of metal at my service, thank you very much.¡± She took a seat. ¡°What do you need to talk about?¡±


    He reclined in his couch. ¡°Our dearest grandfather.¡±

 Chapter 271

    271 Discredit a professional


    ¡°I thought it would be something fun.¡± Zariamented. Spending the day thinking about Nathaniel didn¡¯t sound like a st.


    ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s going to be fun.¡± He winked and waited for Lucy to arrive. She had heard Zaria¡¯s voice so she came from the kitchen a minuteter, a frustrated frown on her face.


    ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll order something. The only edible thing in your brother¡¯s refrigerator is cheese. I wonder what he eats when he¡¯s here.¡± She shot a re at her son, who hummed as though she was not talking about him.


    ¡°We can order cheeseburgers.¡± Zaria suggested, immediately getting a resounding no from both Zeus and Lucy.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Sheined at their stern tones.


    ¡°If you are craving burgers, I¡¯ll make you some. Just to be sure of the ingredients.¡± Lucy offered and ordered the ingredients through the delivery app on her phone.


    ¡°You know, Sven can do grocery shopping. It¡¯s his new feature. He can even scan and pick out what you need and weigh them.¡± Zeus bragged.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he can, but the poor shoppers and employees can survive without the scare.¡± It was not every day a robot stopped by the grocery store and started picking out vegetables.


    Once she was notified that her order would arrive in twenty minutes, she sat down with the two of them to broach the topic.


    .....


    ¡°Zeus and I went digging for dirt regarding your grandfather and we did find something.¡± He started. ¡°You have estimated the past performance of Regal Hotel, right?¡±


    She nodded, wondering why it was being brought up. But she answered nheless. ¡°It wasn¡¯t doing nearly as great as you would expect of a hotel owned by the Su family.¡±


    ¡°Right. They have this excellent reputation after all. But if you investigated their hotel and casino, as well as every other business they own, you would notice the trend. They either made losses or their profits weren¡¯t anything like you would expect. A VIP room in the hotel-and-casino would cost slightly less than a regr room in Le Perle. And here¡¯s the thing. They are both five-star hotels. They call it coupons and discounts but the truth is, the quality has dropped too much since Nathaniel took over the business. No one is willing to pay that much for the diminished service.¡±


    Zaria¡¯s jaw nearly hit the floor. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. Howe none of these business has been run into bankruptcy yet?¡±


    ¡°Because he keeps injecting money into them.¡± Zeus answered.


    Her brow quirked. ¡°If you don¡¯t get any profit from your main business, where do you get enough money to keep it running?¡±


    Lucy shed a content smile. ¡°Now you are thinking on the same wavelength as we are.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but can you please just spill it? The suspense is killing me.¡± She urged.


    ¡°The businesses are making losses, but it¡¯s not because Nathaniel doesn¡¯t know how to run a business. He just doesn¡¯t have the time of day to care for anything that is not his underground firearm dealings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s illegal.¡± She gasped.


    ¡°Exactly. And it¡¯s not just firearms.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She shut her eyes in denial. She didn¡¯t have a close rtionship with Nathaniel but to think that her grandfather was one of the reasons why crimes were much easier tomit felt like a nightmare.


    ¡°I discovered this while investigating the mole at Twilight.¡± She continued.


    ¡°There is a mole at Twilight too?¡±


    Lucy nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, yes. I¡¯ve whisked him out. I don¡¯t have sufficient evidence of Nathaniel¡¯s deals yet. Which is why things are going to change in Preston and Fort Group.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± She probed with her gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to suggest working with him.¡± She revealed.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy.¡± She nearly snapped.


    ¡°I told her so.¡± Zeus seconded. ¡°Nathaniel will want me instead. What he wants is not his daughter, but a child of the man his daughter fell in love with.¡±


    Zaria red at him and grabbed Lucy¡¯s hand in desperation. ¡°Mom, he could hurt you.¡±


    Lucy cupped her face in her hands. ¡°I lived with him for two decades. I know how to tread in his path without getting myself killed.¡±


    She was still worried, but Lucy was not going to change her mind once she made her decision.


    ¡°Liam will be back in Preston and Fort Group as soon as I leave. My three month stay is almost over anyway.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Zeus whined.


    ¡°You can be Liam¡¯s assistant if you want. Desmond certainly wants his Zaria back.¡±


    Zeus groaned. ¡°I¡¯d rather be stuck with Desmond.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because you don¡¯t have to work for Liam. Why don¡¯t you go back to Nice and finish the task you left underway?¡±


    He pouted like an abandoned pet, making Zaria pat his head.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be scared, okay? You still have me.¡±


    He swatted her hand away. ¡°What do you take me for? A kid?¡±


    ¡°You were acting like one.¡± Zaria defended herself and dashed to hide by Lucy¡¯s side before Zeus could retaliate.


    Luckily, the groceries arrived and she no longer had to deal with the bickering siblings. She shut the door to the kitchen and left them to tear each other¡¯s heads off if they wanted.


    ___


    Meanwhile, Natalie was on the verge of burning a hole through the ground as she paced. She was in the parking lot of Devonte¡¯s apartmentplex but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to go up. It was not a question of whether or not the information she got from Kara was true.


    Kara had no reason to lie to her. There was nothing in it for her. Even so, she was nervous.


    He was definitely home based on his schedule, but what would his reaction be? Would he want to see her?


    All that mattered was that she got to tell him the truth about his shrink, but would he even believe her?


    Most importantly, she couldn¡¯t have done it via text and the only way for the information to make sense was if she told him everything, including how she found out that he was seeing Dr. Stanley. He might take her for a creep but it didn¡¯t matter as long as he got the intended message.


    Plucking her courage, she headed for the elevator before she could change her mind. He was yet to revoke her ess to his floor, which gave her a strange feeling.


    Although she now knew that his reason for breaking up with her was nothing like he had imed, it still threw her off. The ding of the elevator must have signalled him of her arrival, he was at the door when she stepped out.


    ¡°Natalie?¡± He blinked in disbelief before pulling her into his arms in a tight hug.


    She shut her eyes for seconds before gently pushing him off her. ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He stepped out of the way. ¡°Do you want toe in?¡±


    It would be awkward to talk about it outide so she walked in carefully, ncing over her shoulder with each step as though she was scared he would shut the door once she was in. She hated that she felt spooked in his presence. This was the man she trusted with her life up until a month ago.


    She scrunched her nose when a wave of the stench of beer hit her. Empty bottles were strewn all over the ce, along with takeout boxes, paper and booklets she guessed must be scripts. There was no way this house had been cleaned in thest three days. Maybe a week or even more.


    ¡°Are you trying to drive yourself to the grave?¡± She scolded over her shoulder.


    He closed the door and slumped onto the couch. ¡°Why does it matter to you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± She evaded a pizza box and sat down. He must have fired his housekeeper too. Not that it should matter to her but it did. She couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, so she stood up and grabbed the boxes and paper. She disposed of them in the trash bin and returned to pick the remaining ones, only for him to chortle at her.


    ¡°Quit it, Natalie. You are not my wife.¡±


    She ignored him and grabbed an empty beer bottle.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± He barked.


    She jumped and dropped the bottle. She was not used to him yelling at her. His sigh was evidence that he regretted it immediately but she let go. Angering him was not a good idea.


    ¡°I came to talk to you about your psychologist.¡± She started.


    ¡°My what?¡± He asked through augh.


    ¡°Psychologist...Dr. Stanley?¡± His gaze made her shiver. When he stood and closed in on her, she instinctively snuck a nce at the door.


    ¡°You spied on me.¡± He used.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t give me much choice by lying to me.¡± She took a step back, only for him to close in relentlessly.


    ¡°So you let curiosity get the better of you. Yet here you are.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± She hadn¡¯t missed the threat in his tone.


    He grabbed her throat with both hands, his fingers wrapping around it. He didn¡¯t squeeze but waited for her to react. When she didn¡¯t do anything but stare right back at him, he let go.


    ¡°You are not scared.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t hurt me.¡± She retorted. ¡°Not physically anyway.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± He pulled away from her. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you found out but once you did, you should have done the only sane thing and stayed the fuck away from me.¡±


    She ignored his words. ¡°Dr. Stanley is only trying to hurt you.¡±


    He red at her. ¡°Not only are you spying on me, but you are also trying to discredit a professional? On what grounds?¡±


    There was no way she would convince him based on her instinct and Dr. Stanley¡¯s inappropriate reaction could be chalked up to his attempt to scare her off. The only way she could convince him was if she had evidence.


    An idea popped in her head. ¡°I need to use the bathroom.¡±

 Chapter 272

    272 What makes an idiot


    Before Devonte could say a word, she made a beeline for his bedroom to use his ensuite bathroom. She waited a few minutes and was certain that he had bought the act so she looked around the room. He had a cab where he kept his first aid kit and medical supplies. When she checked, there were indeed new bottles of pills that she was certain needed a prescription. She opened them and picked a pill from each, which she slid into her purse when she got back to the living room under the pretense of taking out her phone. A sigh of relief left her lips when he didn¡¯t notice anything.


    ¡°Are you sure you really don¡¯t need help cleaning the house?¡± She asked to break the awkward silence.


    ¡°If you want it spotless, it will be in an hour or two.¡± He promised.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant but okay.¡± She stood to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when I can prove what I said earlier.¡±


    He grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving, which she had somewhat expected. What she didn¡¯t think would happen was her ending up sprawled across him in a scandalous position.


    ¡°Stay.¡±


    It was more like an order than a request.


    She gently pulled away. ¡°No. I¡¯m not your girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He shifted and their eyes met, his lips hovering dangerously close to hers. But just when she thought he was going to close the distance and kiss her, he pulled away.


    .....


    She bit back the words that threatened to spill out of her mouth. Then she stood up with a forced smile and left. Her mind was a mess. She had thought that he would want to change his mind since she had already caught on his lie but she was wrong.


    What was she even thinking? It wasn¡¯t like she wanted him back either. She just couldn¡¯t stand knowing that a life was being ruined and not do anything about it. She was just helping an innocent patient know what he was getting himself into. She floored the elerator and went to Grand View Hospital. While it was possible to get any doctor to runb tests on the pills, the matter would blow up if it turned out to be anything harmful. She would never be able to exin how she got them without getting Dr. Stanley into trouble. It would be great for the fucker to get what he deserved but she wanted Devonte to be the one to decide what to do with the information. Hence, she directly sought Kara and asked her for a favor. Luckily, the woman couldn¡¯t stand hical doctors either so she agreed to help.


    ____


    ¡°Wee, ma¡¯am.¡± Lucy was shown into the Su mansion by the butler, as if she didn¡¯t know her way into the prison she had lived in for more than a third of her life.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Nathaniel?¡± She asked, ignoring his questions about whether she would like something to eat or drink.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just address your father by his name, Luci.¡± Nathaniel spoke on the mezzanine, having left the study when he was notified of her arrival.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you whatever the fuck I want.¡± She made her way up the stairs, ignoring his teasingment. He mumbled something about knowing that nothing good would ever havee out of her meeting Theodore, and showed her to the balcony through his study. Again, she was being treated as though she had not grown up in this house.


    She sat down regardless, and got straight to the point.


    ¡°I came to offer you a deal.¡± She started.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush, Luci.¡± He let out a heartyugh. She hated it when he called her that.


    ¡°Well, unfortunately for you, I¡¯m actually in a rush. Take a look at this.¡± She opened her bag and took out a contract which she ced on the table.


    He curiously nced through it and nearly scoffed. ¡°You want to take over the management of the hotel and casino.¡±


    ¡°With your best interests at heart. I can promise impressive profit if you let me work for you for a year.¡±


    He pretended to think about it but she knew that it was an offer he couldn¡¯t possibly say no to if he was in his right mind. He had investigators crawling up in his business as they were starting to suspect the source of his money. If there was a way to make it seem like he was making a lot of money on his side business, they would no longer raise eyebrows.


    He pondered for a while and pushed the contract back to her. ¡°What do you want in exchange?¡±


    ¡°Stay away from my family.¡± She bit out.


    ¡°They are my family too, aren¡¯t they?¡± He chuckled in ridicule.


    She had to take a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Listen here, Nathaniel. There is a much easier way to make you stop bothering my children. I could put a bullet in your heart and pin the me on your rivals. Yet here I am, trying to solve this peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Should I be grateful?¡± He feigned fear.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    If she noticed his sarcasm, she did a good job skirting around it.


    ¡°Stay away from Zaria, Zeus and Theodore. This includes anyone they care about as well.¡± She warned and pointed at the contract for him to sign.


    He reclined in his seat. ¡°Just how much do you love that man, Luci? You would be a ve for a year just to protect him and his children.¡±


    She frowned at his choice of words. She had given birth to those children and unlike him, she cared about her offspring. And it didn¡¯t matter what she had to do to protect them.


    ¡°Are you in or not?¡± She probed impatiently.


    ¡°What can I say? It¡¯s tempting.¡± He waved the butler over and asked for a pen, which he used to sign the contract.


    Her gaze narrowed. He had not read through all the terms. Instinct told her he was certain that there was a way to void the terms. She had to be careful.


    ¡°Since you and I are now partners, I will make it official.¡±


    He let the butler bring a bottle of champagne and two flutes, which he poured the drink into and held his up. ¡°Here¡¯s to a happy coboration.¡±


    She nced at her flute on the table and stood up, ignoring it. ¡°I have lived long enough to know better than to drink and make a toast with the man who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to stab me in the back.¡±


    ¡°What would that make me? I¡¯m having a drink with the woman who would joke about killing me.¡±


    He was joking, but she snickered. An idiot. That was what it made him.


    ____


    ¡°I miss you.¡± Desmond was on the verge of bursting through the screen to get to her side. It had been ten days since he left but each day without her felt like torture. They would have a video call every night so he would say hi to her and Rosaly but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°We miss you too, Daddy.¡± Rosaly mumbled sleepily. It was her bedtime and she had yed with Theodore and Des all evening, so she couldn¡¯t wait to sleep.


    Desmond gazed at her lovingly as Zaria tucked her in and kissed her cheek.


    When she was done, he cleared his throat. ¡°So...Rosaly and Des are asleep.¡± He pointed at the puppy who had just made himselffortable by Rosaly¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°They are.¡± She smiled along, no longer certain whether she wanted Desmond to return so soon.


    She missed him alright, but his return would mean Rosaly couldn¡¯t stay over anymore. She would miss having the cute roommate, and Des would miss his new friend.


    As if he could read her mind, he called her out for it. ¡°You don¡¯t want me back, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do. Just...¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. You can always drop by to see Rosaly when you want to, and bring Des with you. She can also sleep over at your ce whenever she wants.¡±


    A smile curled her lips. ¡°If you keep doing everything we want, Rosaly and I will be spoilt rotten.¡±


    ¡°And why is that a problem?¡± He teased. ¡°I miss having you in my arms, kissing you and... touching you.¡±


    She gasped at how fast the topic had changed. When he started firing off the things he missed doing to her, her jaw dropped. ¡°I¡¯m not having video call sex with you, Desmond!¡±


    He threw his head back in a deepugh. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll have to rub one off, then.¡±

 Chapter 273

    273 Never stopped loving you


    When Desmond returned, they had dinner at Theodore¡¯s ce after which he would bring Rosaly home.


    Lucy and Zeus were there too, because they couldn¡¯t wait to meet Rosaly. And they sure were excited to get to know her. She returned their affection with hugs and kisses; it was clear that she liked them too.


    Meanwhile, Des was slotted in between Zaria and Rosaly and would rub his head against them once in a while to ask for pats when they forgot to give him some attention.


    ¡°You have be much better in the kitchen, Lucy.¡± Theodore remarked, enjoying the steak that Lucy had made.


    ¡°Thank your son for that. He would eat like a starved wolf every day and I¡¯d have to cook more because he was constantly hungry.¡± She chuckled, taking the chance to tease her son. ¡°I wonder what kind of girl will ept him.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Heined as everyoneughed at him. To redeem himself, he clung to her arm. ¡°If no girl epts me because I eat too much, I¡¯ll just live with you all my life. After all, I won¡¯t be interested in any woman who¡¯s not at least as beautiful as you anyway.¡±


    Rosaly looked at the scene before her in surprise, then she turned to Zaria to whisper. ¡°Uncle Zeus wants his mommy to hold his hand because he is scared.¡±


    Although it was a whisper, everyone heard it and poked fun at Zeus mercilessly.


    When dinner was done, Theodore headed for the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll wash the dishes.¡±


    .....


    The siblings exchanged nces before Zeus reached for Rosaly. ¡°Do you want to y hide and seek?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll show you my fun hiding spots.¡± She slid down the chair and ambled over to Zeus to grab his arm.


    ¡°If you show him your hiding spots, he will catch you when you start ying.¡± Lucyughed at her cute antics. She was puzzled at her words and blinked in confusion with her small hand still grabbing Zeus¡¯s.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. Come on, let¡¯s go y.¡± He called for Des as well, and the three disappeared upstairs.


    Zaria cast a mischievous nce at her boyfriend. ¡°Desmond and I need to discuss business. Will you be okay on your own?¡±


    Lucy rolled her eyes. She knew what they were trying to do, not that she minded it in the slightest bit.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll not be unfair and waste your efforts. I¡¯ll help Theo in the kitchen.¡±


    She ignored their cheerful p and walked into the kitchen. Theodore had just started loading the dishwasher.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to help with this.¡± He smiled over his shoulder at her, knowing why she was here.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say, I wouldn¡¯tin if I had to spend some extra time with you.¡± She admitted and took a seat at the kitchen ind.


    He smiled silently, taking her in. Well, they were too old to beat around the bush.


    ¡°I heard you got back into business with Nathaniel. To protect Zaria and Zeus?¡± He guessed. She hated the man too much to willingly do anything with him.


    ¡°And you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She looked up, amused by his shocked face. ¡°To protect Zaria, Zeus, and you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself.¡± He expressed his disapproval.


    ¡°You can also work your way up to make your agency what you want it to be.¡± She stood, moving closer to him. ¡°You didn¡¯t even have a penny to fund it. You also had a daughter to take care of and a ton of bills and you wouldn¡¯t ept any help. Yet you made it. I must say, I¡¯m impressed, Theo.¡±


    A smile cracked his face. ¡°My goal wasn¡¯t to impress you. But hearing you say that is worth every sleepless night, every sabotage and every minute and effort I put into it.


    Then he slid an arm around her. ¡°You know that I never stopped loving you, right?¡±


    Her face lit up with a smile. ¡°I would be blind if I didn¡¯t. And I didn¡¯t stop loving you either.¡±


    ___


    Meanwhile, Zaria and Desmond sat on the rooftop with their hands held and her head resting against his shoulder.


    The cool breeze made a few strands of her hair flutter slightly and the scent of his cologne waft to her. She would never be less captivated by his scent. Every time she smelled it, she felt more addicted to it.


    ¡°Are you sniffing me?¡± He raised his brows.


    She didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Is it my fault that you smell so nice?¡± She countered.


    He let go of her hand briefly and took off his jacket, which he gently ced over her shoulders.


    She looked up at him with a smile and wore it. It was big enough to make her arms disappear but she folded it slightly to be able to hold his hand, pulling it closer to her. This felt like being in his bed. Except, the stars shone above them and the view below was to die for.


    A brown stray dog snatched a bag of leftover food from a puppy and devoured it.


    ¡°Poor puppy.¡± Zaria shuffled and straightened up. He knew what she was about to do. He followed her lead back to the sliding doors that led to the rooftop, and into the house.


    When she grabbed a box of Des¡¯ food, he let out augh. ¡°It¡¯s a stray puppy, Zaria.¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t give a stray animal dog food?¡± She shot a confused look at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You can, but I¡¯m sure they are more used to human food.¡±


    He had a point, so she made a turn to head for the kitchen, listening first to make sure they wouldn¡¯t interrupt anything. It was quiet, which meant Theodore and Lucy had left. She beckoned to Desmond and made a beeline for the fridge, grabbing the meat she could find. They chopped it up, put it in a bowl and headed for the street. The puppy was still there, trying to dig the bins for whatever he could find.


    He seemed to smell the meat from afar because he stopped digging and looked over.


    Zaria ced the bowl on the ground. ¡°Here, this is for you.¡±


    However, the puppy scurried away. She looked up at Desmond in confusion.


    ¡°He is scared.¡± He guessed. ¡°Let¡¯s go. He wille back.¡±


    Sure enough, by the time they got to the rooftop, the puppy was scraping off whatever was left of the meat. Luckily, the big dog didn¡¯t snatch it away. Sated, he looked in the direction where Zaria had walked off too.


    She smiled down at him. She would have adopted him if Des wasn¡¯t so possessive.


    They watched as a woman snuck into a house with her shoes off,ughing their hearts off as they made guesses of the situation. Was she having an affair?


    ¡°She married a silverfox for wealth but he can¡¯t do the job well enough. So she found a handsome bloke at the bar and kept him as a lover while performing her duties as a wife at home.¡± He made up a possible story, making herugh at his imagination.


    ¡°What about them?¡± She pointed down at a young kissing couple, who didn¡¯t look a day older than twenty one.


    ¡°His friend¡¯s sister. Her brother is a possessive jerk who won¡¯t ept the fact that his sister is now a woman.¡±


    She looked at the couple andughed. ¡°Or she was forced to marry someone else but she has a boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a novel I read in high school.¡±


    Theyughed and continued making random spections, then a familiar white car stopped nearby.


    A man stepped out, a mask covering his face and a hoodie over his head. He took a stic bag out of the car and opened it, cing disposable tes at the end of the sidewalk and loading them with food. It wasn¡¯t long before dogs and cats rushed over and nuzzled their heads and noses against him in greeting before digging in. He must have done this many times for them to be so familiar with them.


    ¡°Wait. That¡¯s Devonte.¡± She gasped when realization dawned. ¡°He doesn¡¯t live nearby. What¡¯s he doing here?¡±


    ¡°Looks like hees all the way here in the middle of the night to feed stray animals.¡± He found it unbelievable too. Who would have thought that he was an animal lover?


    When he was done, he took out another bag from his car and headed for another street. She rushed to the end of the rooftop but couldn¡¯t see clearly how far he had gone, but she caught sight of a smaller silhouette. Was it a kid?


    The pieces started to click. ¡°A man who is kind enough to feed stray animals in secret and sneak off to give a street kid food in the middle of the night is not the kind of man who would ditch his girlfriend of a decade for his career. Something else must be going on.¡±


    She jerked back as he returned, in fear of being seen by him.


    Desmond was still angry with Devonte for breaking his friend¡¯s heart.


    ¡°How are you sure he¡¯s even Devonte?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve watched enough of his movies to be able to recognize him with my eyes closed. And that¡¯s his car.¡±


    It was amon model but she remembered the little figurine version of him on the dashboard.


    She watched him, wondering whether they should go over and talk to him.

 Chapter 274

    274 Abusive boyfriend


    When she rushed back into the house and headed for the door, Desmond grabbed her hand.


    ¡°No.¡±


    She looked at him then at the door. ¡°For Natalie.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust that man, okay? And have you seen what time it is?¡± He chastised her, and she shook her head sadly. But she didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°He would never hurt a fly. I¡¯ll only be gone a few minutes. Please.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t stand her puppy eyes. Just what did Devonte have that so many women would walk through fire for him? He would never understand but he knew that if he didn¡¯t let her, she might just be mad at him for ages. So he let her, but kept a close distance to her to keep watch of Devonte.


    She reached the street just as he opened the car door.


    ¡°Wait! Jupiter!¡± She called out.


    He froze out for a moment but brushed her off. ¡°Sorry, you have the wrong guy.¡±


    .....


    She crossed her arms with an eye roll. ¡°I know who you are, Devonte Lemaigre. Get out of that car.¡±


    He had not gotten in yet but he shrugged and shut the door.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    He stopped when he saw her clearly. ¡°I think I know you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know whether he had a poor memory or excellent acting skills. ¡°Natalie¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°Lucy¡¯s daughter.¡± He filled in. ¡°Zaria Williams?¡±


    She rubbed her temples. ¡°If that¡¯s your way of pretending you don¡¯t know me so I don¡¯t confront you for what you did to my friend, you have something elseing for you.¡±


    He stopped in his steps, wondering what she wanted.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    He was distant, and she was confused. That wasn¡¯t how she remembered him. He had always been this friendly man that fans¡¯ spouses nearly felt the need to be wary of. He never overstepped the boundaries but he was too much of a gentleman to raise his voice at anyone or utter such unfriendly words. And when she thought it was only his on screen persona, she met him in real life and he was no different.


    She ignored his seemingly bad mood and closed the distance between them.


    ¡°I need to have a word with you. But before that, can I have your autograph?¡± She took off her silk scarf and gave it to him.


    He smiled gently and took a pen from his car, and signed his name on the scarf before giving it back.


    There was a bench nearby, and she suggested going over to sit for a chat. He followed her and sat beside her, wondering what she wanted to talk about.


    ¡°If it¡¯s about Natalie...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about you.¡± She interrupted.


    Desmond came over with two cups of coffee, making Devonte want to jolt to his feet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight with you again, man.¡± He groaned.


    ¡°Neither do i.¡± Desmond handed the cup to him. ¡°But just so you know, I will knock your teeth out if you hurt my girlfriend or my friend again.¡±


    He then gave the cup with a write stickerbelled ¡°Decaf¡± to Zaria.


    She thanked him and held it in both hands, letting the heat warm her palms.


    ¡°Do you oftene here?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He answered curtly.


    It was obvious that he didn¡¯t want to talk about it. She sighed in defeat. They continued drinking their coffee in silence until she spoke up.


    ¡°When I was younger, I got a full schrship for an Ivy League.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± He was surprised, then he realized that it didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°What about Luxenville University?¡±


    She gripped her nearly empty cup. ¡°I did go to Luxenville. But that¡¯s because someone had more money than my dad did and thought I didn¡¯t deserve such a schrship. I had worked hard all my life, only for it to be ripped away from me.¡±


    She took in Devonte¡¯s puzzled look. ¡°I resented myself for not doing well enough. Maybe if I could worked harder, my mother would notice me. I had heard that she was insanely wealthy. If she was proud of me, she would never have let anyone take what I deserved from me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    She didn¡¯t let him speak before she continued. ¡°Then the guy I thought I loved... he tried to hurt me.¡±


    She shut her eyes for seconds. ¡°The world came crumbling down on me. I didn¡¯t want to be alive anymore. I felt worthless. I wanted to die. I ran away from home and into the busiest part of the city, working out the best time to rush onto the road...¡±


    She turned to look at him. ¡°And then I saw you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His eyes stung. This was not where he thought she was going.


    ¡°On the huge screen. You had just received your first Br Award. You spoke of your hard work and how it made you believe you deserved the award. Then you mentioned the hurdles you faced. How they made you want to give up. How your fans were what gave you a ray of hope. And that one special fan who was with you through thick and thin, and how you were d that you didn¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°Then I realized that I didn¡¯t want to give up either. I knew you from the movies you had acted in. But that night... I went home your greatest fan.¡±


    He stared at her in shock after hearing her confession. ¡°Zaria, I didn¡¯t know...¡± He didn¡¯t know what to say. He didn¡¯t know he had that kind of effect on anyone.


    ¡°You have always told us to do our best and if we fail, we should rise back up and try again.¡± She looked at him, making sure he had her full attention. ¡°And yet, that¡¯s not what you are doing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not...¡±


    She whipped out her phone before he could argue and did a quick search.


    ¡°Look at this. You are abandoning the sequels of your movies. Your contracts, your dreams. You are betraying your own words.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about them, okay?¡± He snapped, then immediately regretted it.


    ¡°Zaria, I...¡±


    She didn¡¯t fault him, and immediately stopped Desmond who wanted to intervene.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care about them? You don¡¯t care about your career? Do you need me to remind you why you left Natalie?¡± She raised an eyebrow. He looked shocked, probably not expecting Natalie to tell her.


    ¡°You wanted her out of your life because you would lose fans if they found out about your rtionship. Then you revealed that very rtionship to get her out of trouble.¡±


    She red at him. ¡°That special fan you mentioned every time you received a Br Award, that was Natalie. If you care so much about your fans, why don¡¯t you care about her?¡±


    She grabbed his hand to reveal a string bracelet. ¡°A little fan girl gave this to you. If you don¡¯t care about your fans, why do you still wear it? And why do you still have that figurine gifted to you by your fan club? You are a walking contradiction, Devonte Lemaigre.¡±


    She stood up to leave, only for him to grab her arm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone, okay? I don¡¯t want to hurt her. I know I already did but I would rather break her heart than be the abusive boyfriend who makes her cry herself to sleep every night while iming to love her, and who she will have to take care of for the rest of her life.¡±

 Chapter 275

    275 Shopping for baby clothes (1)


    Long chapter


    _____


    ¡°You are joking, right?¡± Zaria waited to him to burst intoughter for sessfully pranking her. When his expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest, she realized that he was serious.


    ¡°Why would you think yourself capable of hurting the woman you care the most about? You would even die in her stead if anything were to threaten her life!¡±


    Now that she said it out aloud, he felt a little silly for believing the possibility. His lips moved but he did not say a word. Zaria was easy to trust and talk to but he wasn¡¯t willing to tell her more than he already had. He brushed her off. ¡°I just know.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She stood up, grabbing their empty cups to throw in the trash bin at the side of the street.


    ¡°Look. I don¡¯t care why you think you might hurt Natalie but think about it. She is hurting now more than ever because of what you did. Are you willing to let her and yourself hurt for the rest of your lives because it is possible that you might hurt her? Is it worth it, Devonte?¡±


    He watched her ditch the empty cups and then hook her arm around Desmond, then the two of them walked away and disappeared into a vi.


    He stood on the same spot for a long time until a cat ran over and circled his legs. He crouched to pick the big, white ball of fluff up. ¡°She¡¯s right. It¡¯s not worth it.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Meow.¡± Was all the cat could respond with.


    ¡°Right. I didn¡¯t see you earlier. Have you had anything to eat?¡±


    Since the cat couldn¡¯t answer, he took its silence as a no. It was the very cat that would get bullied most of the time and wouldn¡¯t eat much, so he often kept some extra food for her to eatter. He took her back to the car, fed her, and let her down to go. However, she jumped back onto hisp.


    He smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t want to part ways either, do you? Then I¡¯ll keep you.¡±


    The cat purred as he rubbed her ears.


    ¡°Hey, do you think Natalie will forgive me? I broke her heart really badly.¡± He sighed. ¡°You females understand each other best. What do you think I can do to make it up to her?¡±


    He earned a purr and for some reason, it felt as though the cat was scorning him.


    ¡°Right. You wouldn¡¯t know because you¡¯re a cat.¡± He sighed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m going to try my best anyways. And if this blows in my face, I¡¯ll me it on you for not telling me what to do.¡±


    Heughed at his ridiculous stance. Now he was talking to a cat and getting her to take the me if he failed. Just great.


    ___


    In the morning, he took the cat to the vet for a check up. He was to pick her in the afternoon so he took the chance to meet up with Natalie.


    When he arrived at her apartment, she was cleaning the living room and looked horrified to see him.


    ¡°Devonte. Uhm... I wasn¡¯t expecting you?¡±


    He frowned. Wasn¡¯t her reaction over the top?


    Her hand that was holding the feather duster trembled. ¡°You must have found out. I¡¯m sorry I snooped into your personal life. I just couldn¡¯t keep it in knowing... wait. No. I¡¯m not sorry. I suspected Dr. Stanley was trying to hurt you so I stole two pills from you for ab test and he really is trying to hurt you!¡± She blurted out.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She threw the duster aside and made a dash for her bedroom, returning with an envelope which she handed to him. ¡°Grand View Hospital. They would never lie about ab test.¡±


    He grabbed the envelope in disbelief and sure enough, there was an exnation about the pills she had stolen from his room, whose absence he had not noticed. It turned out, the two were drugs whose production was stopped for being harmful to the brain.


    ¡°You have to trust me. Kara Williams personally did the test and she is certain that Dr. Stanley deliberately gave these pills to you. He is bitter for being excluded from medical experiments and hurts everyone to get back at life for being unfair to him. He is a psychopath, I swear.¡± She rambled on all the details she had gotten from Kara, worry seeping in when he didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, you can take the pills to anotherb for a test. Though I must warn you, you will need to exin their origin if you do.¡±


    When he finally opened his mouth, he expressed his disbelief. ¡°He said I would hurt you and I believed him.¡±


    She was relieved that he trusted her but her brows knitted. ¡°Why would he say such a thing? Never mind. He probably did it to keep you away from everyone who could find out his lies. But why did you believe him? Don¡¯t you trust yourself?¡±


    He was ashamed of himself for believing a sham. He sat down, cing the envelope on the coffee table. ¡°He said the more I loved someone, the more I would want to hurt them. Then that night we had a disagreement and I yelled at you. So no. I don¡¯t trust myself, Natalie.¡±


    He was talking about the night before they broke up. She really wanted to dig into his brain and find out how it functioned. But again, she knew that he wouldn¡¯t think up such crap on his own. His mental health made him exaggerate everything.


    ¡°How does yelling at me prove you would hurt me?¡± She asked gently.


    ¡°I had never been so angry with you before.¡± He was still in disbelief thinking about it. He¡¯d had the urge to flip a table, throw a ss at a wall or outright punch it. ¡°It was too much when all you had done was express your worry that I would be sea-sick if I went on a cruise trip.¡± He exined.


    Her eyes stung. ¡°That¡¯s because you were in your low, silly. And I have to admit that I nagged you a hell lot about that trip.¡± She slotted herself between his legs and held his shoulders. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what you were going through at the time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no excuse for hurting you.¡± He admitted.


    She mmed her fist against his chest.


    ¡°I deserve that.¡± Heughed and held her waist to support her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She blinked rapidly to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. ¡°It¡¯s normal to yell when you are frustrated. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s the right thing to do but it happens when you are angry, and anger is part of being human.¡±


    Their gazes collided as she continued. ¡°So don¡¯t feel bad if you yell at me. I understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to use you for my healing process. That¡¯s not happening.¡± He frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. I have looked up several psychologists. You can check them outter and decide who you want to go to.¡±


    ¡°That can wait. Let¡¯s spend the morning together. Once I pick Molly up, I¡¯ll check out the psychologists.¡±


    ¡°Molly?¡± Her heart sank. He had moved on already? Then what was he doing, holding her like he wanted her?


    He tipped his head backughing at her reaction.


    ¡°Are you jealous? Molly is a cat. I picked her up from the streetst night.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She was relieved but confused at the same time. ¡°A cat? I thought you were a dog person.¡±


    ¡°I still am. I just couldn¡¯t watch her suffer anymore.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t make head or tail of what he was saying. She grabbed the duster and shoved it into his hands. ¡°If you want to spend the morning with me, then get busy. Because that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing all morning.¡±


    He was amused. He had thought that after his apology, she would either kick him out or ask for some time to process everything. Having him help her clean her apartment was not any of the things he thought they would do in the slightest chance that they got back together but he did it with a satisfied grin.


    He snaked his arms around her as she organized the bookshelf. ¡°You are so lovely. I was a fool to think I could ever live without you.¡±


    She ced the book on its shelf and ran her hand over his. ¡°Are you finding an excuse to get me into bed?¡±


    ¡°What if I am?¡± He asked.


    Her response was to turn around and jump onto him with her legs around his waist. ¡°Then I¡¯ll slide into bed with you.¡±


    ___


    Desmond took Rosaly back but over the weekend, she insisted on going back to spend time with Zaria. Since she was going to shop for some clothes, she decided to take Rosaly along and the girl was excited to go.


    She watched as Zaria did her makeup and blinked curiously.


    ¡°Zaria, why did your lips turn red when you rubbed that stick on?¡±


    She was slightly taken aback by the question. ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s used to color lips. Is it pretty?¡± She closed it and gave it to Rosaly, who was excited to examine it.


    ¡°Can I rub it on my lips too?¡± She asked, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.


    ¡°Of course, sweetie.¡± She picked a pastel pink lip gloss from the set and uncapped it. ¡°However, red is not good for a little girl. Let¡¯s try pink, okay?¡±


    Having only ever had colorless gloss on before, she nodded excitedly and pursed her lips for Zaria to rub the lip gloss on.


    ¡°I look like a princess!¡± She yelled excitedly when she saw her reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°You are a princess.¡± Zaria kissed her cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s go buy some clothes, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Rosaly happily skipped out of the room, showing off her lips to Theodore and Des as soon as she saw them.


    They then went to the mall where they entered a children¡¯s clothes store first.


    Rosaly couldn¡¯t helpughing at the size of babie¡¯s onesies.


    ¡°They are so tiny.¡± She giggled.


    Zaria grabbed an even smaller onesie to tease her. ¡°When you were little, you probably wore one smaller than this.¡±


    Rosaly scrunched her face. ¡°But I¡¯m so big.¡±


    Zariaughed at her reaction of disbelief. Their moment was interrupted by a loud gasp.


    ¡°Good heavens! How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Ang.¡± Zaria scoffed in annoyance while Rosaly was still distracted checking out tiny dresses.


    Ang grabbed her hand while staring at Zaria angrily. ¡°How dare you apply makeup on my daughter?¡±


    Zaria swatted her hand away from the scared Rosaly¡¯s and pulled her back, ring daggers at Ang. ¡°It¡¯s just a lip gloss and it¡¯s safe for kids. I¡¯m not as careless as you, Ang.¡±


    The woman screamed hysterically. ¡°Help! This woman is trying to kidnap my daughter!¡±

 Chapter 276

    276 The hearing


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Zaria gasped in shock at the other woman¡¯s antics. Why would she scream out of the blue and such insane words at that?


    Ang was even shedding realistic tears and calling for the attention of everyone around.


    Zaria denied the im with a serious face. ¡°She¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°Call me crazy or whatever you want!¡± Ang turned her attention to the other shoppers who were starting to look over. ¡°Since she is iming that she isn¡¯t trying to kidnap my daughter, can you ask her if she is her mother?¡±


    The manager walked over to Zaria worriedly. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m so sorry for this. I saw you walking in with this little girl earlier but...¡±


    ¡°Just because they walked in together doesn¡¯t mean they are rted!¡± Ang interrupted, dismissing whatever im anyone coulde up with to prove that Zaria and Rosaly knew each other.


    The manager looked at Zaria apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Do you have any way to prove that she¡¯s your daughter?¡±


    Zaria took a deep breath. ¡°No I don¡¯t, because she isn¡¯t. But I didn¡¯t kidnap her.¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡± Ang leapt at her, only to be stopped by a sales girl who had seen Rosaly and Zaria earlier and was on their side. She then crouched to speak to the frightened girl at eye level.


    .....


    ¡°Do you like it here, honey?¡±


    Rosaly shook her head, grabbing onto Zaria¡¯s dress nervously. That was all the evidence that proved she knew and trusted Zaria, but she still had to make the girl speak.


    ¡°Do you know this woman?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t!¡± Ang cut in.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, if you do not let the girl speak for herself, we are going to assume you are lying and kick you out.¡± Warned the manager.


    ¡°Just great. Once I prove that this slut is in the wrong, I will get you fired.¡± She pointed a finger at the manager.


    The man merely shrugged. ¡°We are not the police. We are doing this only because we care about thefort of our customers.¡±


    Rosaly finally spoke, but only after staring at Ang for a while. ¡°She is my friend.¡±


    Ang frowned. ¡°A kidnapper can bribe a child with candy and pretend to be their friend.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Zaria rolled her eyes and took out her phone, searching for a picture. When she found it, she gave it to the manager who showed it to Rosaly while making sure everyone knew what was going on.


    ¡°Do you know any of these people?¡±


    Rosaly¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Uh huh. That¡¯s daddy. And uncle Zeus, Zaria, Grandma Lucy, Uncle Theo and Des.¡±


    The manager turned to Ang, no longer patient with her. He had only been a little considerate earlier because Rosaly did look a lot like her.


    ¡°What do you have to say now? That a kidnapper can stay with her victim for long enough to introduce them to her family? If you cannot prove this, or the reason why this girl¡¯s father is hanging out with the kidnapper¡¯s family, get the fuck out before I call the police.¡±


    Ang knew she had lost as Rosaly might just reveal why she and Zaria were together, so she retreated.


    ¡°I will get my daughter back, Zaria.¡±


    Zaria rolled her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the court has to say about that, Ang.¡± She winked, making the other look like she wanted to disappear off the earth¡¯s surface.


    ¡°Just you wait.¡± She huffed and gave Rosaly ast nce, hoping her daughter would cry for her. s, the girl seemed to want to glue herself onto Zaria which displeased her. It was already enough that the girl didn¡¯t y along when she knew that she should. Why was she now clinging to the woman who would probably want to kill her as soon as she got pregnant with Desmond¡¯s child?


    When she was gone, Zaria let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said to the manager, for standing by her side.


    ¡°Well, if you want to thank me, I need an autograph.¡± He smiled.


    She was confused. ¡°I¡¯m not a celebrity.¡±


    ¡°Of course you aren¡¯t.¡± He grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not for me either. My teenage daughter would live and die for Jupiter. You are Zaria Williams, right?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± She still couldn¡¯t figure out how the manager knew she could get to Jupiter for an autograph.


    ¡°Well, the girl¡¯s dad was in a fake rtionship with Jupiter¡¯s girlfriend. I hope it¡¯s not too much to ask him to help me get an autograph for my little girl.¡±


    A smile softened her face. ¡°I¡¯ll send it here once I have it.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thank you. My daughter will be overjoyed.¡±


    He ended up giving her a discount for the clothes she had chosen for Rosaly.


    She was yet to choose any clothes for her baby and she was d about it. If Ang had taken notice of baby clothes in their cart, she would have definitely tried to hurt her so she would lose her baby. That woman was crazy.


    Noticing that Rosaly still looked sad, she crouched to check on her. ¡°Sweetie, are you sad that your mommy left?¡±


    Rosaly¡¯s tears spilled out as if they had been triggered by her words. ¡°Mommy is so scary.¡±


    Zaria¡¯s heart broke as she held the girl in her arms. To think a woman would go all crazy without caring how that would affect her own daughter. ¡°I will not let her hurt you.¡±


    Rosaly nodded as she wrapped her arms around Zaria¡¯s neck. She was no longer trembling, so Zaria held a pink dress up to her. ¡°Do you want to try this out?¡±


    Rosaly nodded and waited for Zaria to give it to her with the right side forward. She knew how to wear her own clothes, but only if they were given to her the right way. If not, she would leave the room looking like a disaster.


    While Rosaly got changed, she hurriedly found the manager to ask for a favor and returned just as Rosaly left the changing room.


    ¡°I like this one.¡± She announced, before pointing at a pair of shoes. ¡°Zaria, can we buy those? Please, please?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She picked the shoes from their disy shelf and let Rosaly try them on.


    ...


    Rosaly was asleep by the time they got home and when Desmond heard of the drama Ang had caused at the store, he wanted to rip her into shreds.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she would scare her own daughter just to get someone else in trouble.¡± He was infuriated. ¡°Did she even give birth to Rosaly?¡±


    She would have said that she didn¡¯t believe a woman would give birth to a child and treat her that way, but that was not the worst case of a toxic mother she had heard. She shrugged instead. ¡°On the bright side, she just signed her own death sentence.


    He knew what she meant and she was right.


    On the day of the hearing regarding Rosaly¡¯s custody, Desmond and Zaria were not nearly as nervous as Ang probably was. But that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t feel as though their seats were on fire.


    Soon after they got down from the car, a woman approached them and asked to speak to Rosaly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the judge.¡± Desmond whispered after letting Rosaly step aside with her to speak.


    Zaria¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Is she allowed to talk to Rosaly before the hearing?¡±


    ¡°Actually, she is.¡± He shrugged it off like it meant nothing but when his daughter returned, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking, ¡°Do you want to talk about what she said to you?¡±


    Rosaly nodded. ¡°She asked if I like staying with you. I told her yes. I love my room and Zaria is very kind. She also asked if I want to live with mommy.¡±


    Desmond held his breath and exchanged nces with Zaria.


    ¡°Well, what did you say?¡±


    ¡°I really miss mommy.¡± She blinked.


    Desmond¡¯s expression dimmed but it was expected. Just because Ang didn¡¯t love her daughter didn¡¯t mean the vice versa was also true. The girl would be happy if she got to live with both her parents.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time.¡± Zaria reminded them.


    He nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t think the judge will rule from a woman¡¯s perspective, do you?¡±


    ¡°shit.¡± She had not realized it but she had hoped that it would be a man. Not because she thought women couldn¡¯t deliver a fair ruling. She knew that they were fair, but it was hard for a mother to take a child away from another mother, especially while thinking of it from the perspective of a mother who would go through hell for her child.


    She ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°If the worstes to worst, we will do what we have to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not suggesting having a word with the judge, are you?¡± He chuckled, wondering if she meant for them to use money to solve whatever problem arose.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± She jabbed him. She looked down at Rosaly. Would she be hurt if they had to take that kind of measure?


    They went in and the court session started. All seemed normal at first, until Ang¡¯swyer started asking questions that were definitely aimed at making Desmond look abusive.


    ¡°For the third time, I have never hit Ang or any woman for that matter. And I do not have anger management issues.¡± Desmond was getting riled up.


    ¡°You still have a bad rtionship with your mother, and it is mostly because you were an aplice to your sister¡¯s crime.¡±


    Zaria took a nce at him and knew that he would lose it if the other party continued to probe. That was what he was aiming for.


    She shot him a look to shut up and when he didn¡¯t, she stood up.


    ¡°Your honor, I have something to show you.¡±


    ¡°You must observe order in court.¡± She was displeased.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry. Miss Agur hired a hacker to delete it from my phone. If you don¡¯t see it now, it will be gone.¡± She pleaded, earning the chance to show the court what she had. She urgently yed a video for the judge to see.

 Chapter 277

    277 Rosaly¡¯s custody


    Ang squirmed nervously as she watched the judge¡¯s expression change. Although she couldn¡¯t see the video, she recognized her voice asking someone for help. That was definitely the day when she sought Evan. The man had betrayed her. Though she couldn¡¯t exactly call it betrayal as he didn¡¯t say anything about being on her side.


    ¡°Miss Williams, do you have any way to prove that this video is authentic and has not been edited?¡± Asked the judge.


    Zaria was waiting for this question. ¡°Yes. This is a copy I got from the surveince camera of The West Resort. Mr. Evan West can testify that Ang asked him to lie about Desmond¡¯s rtionship with people as well as y the original video on the monitor. Your honor, there are other videos too.¡±


    She took the chance to give every piece of evidence she had instead of waiting for Ang and herwyer to discredit the first.


    When Ang overheard the most recent feud she had with Zaria y out, she burst into tears.


    ¡°She made all of this up! Her brother and mother are both programmers. They could have easily created videos to frame me.¡±


    The judge dropped the gavel. ¡°The court is adjourned for three hours.¡±


    Zaria was overjoyed but she kept it in. That was just enough time for the court to send someone to the West golf course to prove the authenticity of the video. It probably didn¡¯t matter whether the others were true or not. In actual fact, the judge had probably made a decision already and was just doing it to make sure she was not overlooking anything.


    As they left the courthouse, Ang red at Zaria.


    .....


    ¡°Will you be happy if my daughter is kept away from her mother like you were?¡±


    Zaria clenched her fists and her first reaction was to want tounch a blow, but Desmond held her shoulders and calmed her down.


    ¡°Ang, I would be careful if I were you. The court is no longer in your favor. If you try to befriend us instead of causing trouble, we might let you visit Rosaly whenever she wants to see you. It will be a pity if we have to keep her away from her mother just because your heart is full of nothing but hate.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you care.¡± Ang rolled her eyes.


    Desmond didn¡¯t let down his guard. He took Rosaly in his arms worriedly. ¡°She might try something. I think we should let grandmother pick Rosaly up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡± Rosaly spoke before Zaria could respond.


    She was going to agree but when she heard Rosaly¡¯s whine, she couldn¡¯t bear to send her away.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. She can stay with us. We just need to leave as soon as the verdict is read.¡±


    Desmond hugged both of them. ¡°And here I was, worried that I would not be able to stop myself from spoiling her. You will probably spoil her rotten before I do.¡±


    ¡°We are hungry.¡± She spoke to shut him up. Sure enough, he switched his focus to taking them out for lunch. There was an Italian restaurant near the courthouse and they were in the mood for Italian food so they went over.


    ___


    They returned just in time for the court to resume. They had spent all the extra time at the restaurant to avoid having to deal with whatever stunt Ang intended to pull.


    Without wasting any time, the clerk read out the judge¡¯s decision to the nervous trio.


    ¡°The court has investigated the facts brought forward earlier to determine the custody of Rosaly Agur. On one hand is a father who knows nothing about parenting and who is trying his best to learn how to take good care of his daughter, and on the other hand is a mother who turned her little girl into a popr ballerina with a seven figure worth that she not aware of.¡±


    Ang gasped as the clerk continued.


    ¡°Based on all the evidence that has been presented to us, the court has decided to give full custody rights of Rosaly Agur to her father Desmond Fort.¡±


    When the judge mmed the gavel, Ang couldn¡¯t hold it anymore.


    ¡°I did it so she would live the kind of life she deserves!¡± Ang yelled even though it was toote. ¡°I wanted my daughter to have everything she needed. Her father didn¡¯t give a dime to raise her. What was I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Maybe work your ass like everyone else does? Rosaly¡¯s ten daddies were already providing enough anyway.¡± Zaria rolled her eyes and grabbed Rosaly¡¯s hand to leave.


    ¡°No wonder she wanted custody of Rosaly. It was not because she actually wants her daughter but she just wants the ballerina who helps her live in luxury.¡±


    Desmond wasn¡¯t too surprised. ¡°Ang Agur cares about no one but Ang Agur.¡±


    He carried his daughter in his arms, smoothing her hair. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to dance ballet anymore, tell me about it and I will cancel your sses.¡±


    Rosaly wasn¡¯t sure whether she wanted it so she simply nodded.


    ___


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the news?¡± Theodore asked when the trio arrived even though it was already obvious. The court would have made Desmond give Rosaly back to Ang immediately if they decided to let her stay with her mother. The fact that they were here and looked overjoyed meant the verdict had been in their favor.


    As soon as they arrived, Rosaly had run all the way into the living room to find Theodore and was now ying with Des at his feet.


    ¡°Make a guess.¡± Desmond pretended to be mysterious.


    ¡°What guess? You get to live with Rosaly half the time, right?¡± Natalie spoke, poking her head from the hallway.


    Zaria had not noticed her and was pleasantly surprised. Now that she had revealed her presence, the others showed up too.


    ¡°Surprise!¡± Ximena winked and pulled Liam to the living room behind her.


    ¡°Uncle Zeus!¡± Rosaly excitedly rushed to Zeus when he appeared from the kitchen with Devonte.


    Zaria stared at them in amusement. ¡°Devonte, Natalie and Zeus in the kitchen at the same time? That sounds too much like a recipe for disaster.¡±


    ¡°Not when I¡¯m with them!¡± Lucy skipped out with a giggle. ¡°I knew the court would be fair. It¡¯s the life of an innocent little girl in question after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She was still in awe. ¡°Did you guys just assume we were going to win?¡±


    ¡°What do you know? I¡¯m a fortune teller and I told them you would win.¡± Evan joked. He knew they would definitely win since they had the video of Ang admitting to want to lie about Desmond. The woman had even asked him to lie about bruises he saw on her when she left Desmond¡¯s house in the past. Even if she had thew in her hands, there was no way she could get past that one.


    Zaria found the exnation eptable but it still felt as though she was missing something. She caught the subtle nces that passed between Desmond and Rosaly before the girl rushed out of the room. She didn¡¯t need to ask before the girl returned with a piece of paper in hand and stood next to her father.


    ¡°Desmond?¡± She probed.


    ¡°Zaria,¡± He dug into his pants pocket.

 Chapter 278

    278 Proposal (1)


    ¡°Desmond,¡± Her eyes widened when she realized that everyone was looking at them in anticipation. Was he about to do what she thought he was about to do?


    ¡°Zaria,¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°When I met you, I didn¡¯t think I would ever want to do this. I only ever wanted to live in the present and not care about the next hour and whatever it would bring. But when I met you, I felt alive. You have changed my life every day since and I couldn¡¯t ever ask for anything different.¡±


    He held her hand nervously, afraid he would freak out.


    ¡°I know what I want now and it is to be able to see your beautiful smile every morning when I wake up, go to sleep with you in my arms and to maneuver my way through fatherhood with you by my side. So, Zaria Williams, will you do me this honor and be my wife?¡±


    She was still struck speechless with her gaze clouded when Rosaly started reading from her paper. She had written a letter in her crooked but adorable handwriting.


    ¡°Dear Zaria, I love you very much. You are very nice and you even promised to be my friend forever. I want to be your friend forever too, but also your stepdaughter.¡± She stuttered at the words that Desmond had probably helped her write. In the end, she ditched the rest of the letter and hugged her legs. ¡°Will you be my mommy, Zaria?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t stop her tears anymore. ¡°Of course, sweetie. I love you so much.¡± She hugged the excited girl who then pulled away with a confused gaze.


    ¡°Zaria, what¡¯s a stepdaughter?¡±


    Everyone burst intoughter, earning a re from Zaria.


    .....


    ¡°Guys, she¡¯s five.¡± She knew why they wereughing but she ignored them to exin to Rosaly. ¡°It means that you became my daughter because I loved you and your daddy.¡±


    The exnation made her jump in excitement.


    Desmond cleared his throat to remind her that he was still on one knee.


    She smiled, taking his hand to help him up. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Should I be scared?¡± She joked, making everyoneugh.


    She shook her head with augh. ¡°I never thought much of marriage until I met you, and I want to be your wife.¡± She yelped when he suddenly scooped her in his arms and spun in excitement. He kissed her deeply when he finally put her back on her feet and slid the diamond ring on her finger.


    He then went back on his knees and kissed her stomach. ¡°Hi there, buddy. I hope I didn¡¯t scare you. I was just excited when your mommy made me the happiest man on earth.¡±


    ¡°Cheesy.¡± Ximena yfully rolled her eyes at the side, while Rosaly brought her teddy to Desmond.


    ¡°Are you giving this to me?¡± He asked in amusement.


    She nodded. ¡°When I¡¯m scared, I hug Bear and then I¡¯m not scared anymore.¡±


    Heughed when he realized that she had taken his joke about being scared seriously. He hugged it for seconds and returned it to her. ¡°It works like magic. Thanks, Princess.¡±


    Zaria showed off her ring to Lucy and Theodore, who were happier about her engagement than they were about their own reconciliation.


    ¡°My sister finally decided to get married, she¡¯s expecting a baby and my parents are finally back together. This calls for celebration, right?¡±


    Ximena looked over at Theodore and Lucy in awe. ¡°You guys are back together?¡±


    Theodore grinned as he slid an arm around Lucy¡¯s waist. ¡°What did you expect? I¡¯m so charming that she lost her mind as soon as I smiled at her. She had to admit that she still loves me and so here we are.¡±


    Lucyughed, pping her forehead. ¡°You are such a narcissist, you know that?¡±


    ¡°You love me this way.¡± He threw back, making Zariaugh. She had known for ages that her parents were still in love but seeing them actually flirting was more beautiful than she expected.


    ____


    After trying to teach Devonte, Natalie and Zeus how to cook in vain, Lucy kicked them out of the kitchen and finally managed to cook avish meal. Devonte helped her set up the dining table and grabbed the chance to speak to her.


    ¡°Have you already found the right model for yourmercial?¡± He asked.


    She ced the cutlery on the table with a smile. ¡°If what you really want to know is whether or not you cane back, we can meet up tomorrow and discuss it.¡±


    He knew that she was giving him a second chance even though she didn¡¯t state it out aloud.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He was relieved and grateful, and when he saw Zaria¡¯s smile of approval, he knew that she was happy for him.


    After the meal and a dozen games, they all finally parted ways for everyone to go back to their home.


    Lucy hugged Theodore and headed for her car before turning right back in confusion. ¡°Zeus?¡±


    The man was blocking Natalie¡¯s path and it made Lucy panic for a moment.


    ¡°Tell me the truth. Did my mother tell you to stay away from me?¡±


    Natalie nced at Lucy in the distance, knowing that she had heard the question. When Devonte showed up, her heart raced as she studied him. Would he misunderstand the situation?


    Zeus couldn¡¯t hide his displeasure at the sight of Devonte. ¡°I understand that you still want to be with him even though he dumped you. If you ask me, I would never get together with the person who once left.¡±


    ¡°You are not me.¡± She countered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. But I would like to be your friend even if I can¡¯t be your man.¡± He nced at Devonte to deliberately throw a jab. ¡°Who knows? You might just realizeter that you want me instead.¡±


    Sheughed it off while Devonte looked like he wanted to explode.


    ¡°You are not my type, Zeus. You are a good guy but I would never feel that way for you. But if you really want to be my friend and are ready to respect my boundaries and the fact that we will never be anything else, consider yourself my friend.¡±


    Lucy heaved a sigh of relief but immediately frowned when Zeus shook Natalie¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Did I ever tell you that you look a bit like my mother?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± Sheughed.


    ¡°Actually, you do look little alike. But that¡¯s not something umon. It¡¯s a sweet coincidence.¡± Devonte remarked.


    ¡°Zeus, let¡¯s go.¡± Lucy called and when her son didn¡¯t immediately move, she grabbed his hand and dragged him all the way to the car.


    He was taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mother? Do you have anything to hide? You always have a huge reaction against me being close to Natalie. Is she your long-lost daughter or something?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Lucy rolled her eyes.


    Zeus was only joking but thinking about Lucy¡¯s reaction earlier, he wondered if there was something he didn¡¯t know.


    Zaria and Natalie were definitely not born in the same year. What was Lucy hiding?


    Lucy knew her son well enough and guessing what he was imagining, she smacked his head. ¡°Listen. Natalie is not your sister. I just can¡¯t stand the thought of my son getting together with a daughter of the Sparks family.¡±


    ¡°Yet you don¡¯t mind Zaria being so close to the said daughter of the Sparks family.¡± He pointed out her weird attitude.


    ¡°You¡¯re impossible. Go digging if you want. I know you will do so even if I tell you the truth anyways.¡± She gave up exining to him.


    He dly took her permission to investigate.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Desmond managed to talk Zaria into going home with him. She couldn¡¯t wait to spend some time with her fianc¨¦ and future stepdaughter, and the duo were excited to have her around.


    Since Rosaly pleaded to go with Des too, they brought the puppy and left her ying with him while they went to their room.


    As soon as she sat on his bed, he brought out a set of keys and handed them to her.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Keys.¡±


    She rolled her Eyes. ¡°Of course they are keys. Why are you giving them to me?¡±


    ¡°Well, Rosaly and I proposed to you but the house cannot propose so... would you like to be its new owner?¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°Are you asking me to move in?¡±


    He kissed her lips. ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 279

    279 Proposal (2)


    ¡°Yes. Would you like to move in with us? I¡¯m sure Rosaly will be overjoyed to have you here too.¡± He added.


    She yfully pinched him. ¡°You are using your daughter to lure me into saying yes, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t deny the im. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that she is too cute for you to want to turn her down.¡±


    He was right. Rosaly could get anything she wanted from her by merely batting hershes, but that was not the only reason why she agreed to move in with him. She epted the key and joined it with the bunch she had in her bag.


    ¡°Do you have any house rules?¡± She asked.


    He thought deeply about it. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You don¡¯t need to worry about the chores and you can sleep in any room you want. Of course, I would prefer it if you slept here with me.¡± He then looked at her. ¡°Actually, I do have some bedroom rules.¡±


    Her lips twitched. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep on your side of the bed, touch your side of the wardrobe or change anything, and I have to live here as if I don¡¯t really exist?¡±


    He tipped his head back,ughing. ¡°On the contrary, I love seeing traces of you around. I would like to enter the shower and either feel the scent of your body wash or join you. You can keep your clothes wherever you want and now that you mention it, you have to sleep on my side of the bed so I can hold you and you can¡¯t wear any clothes to bed.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She was taken aback by how fast that escted.


    .....


    He grinned. ¡°Not even your underwear.¡±


    Her jaw dropped. ¡°That¡¯s just your way of getting me to sleep naked!¡±


    He didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°If you want to.¡± He cupped her face and tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°The only thing you shouldn¡¯t do is well... everything you don¡¯t want to do. Do you have any rules? Anything you wouldn¡¯t like me to do?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes. Don¡¯t go anywhere near the kitchen. I still can¡¯t get over the kind of disaster that happened when you tried to bake a pizzast week.¡± Sheughed. He had nearly made the oven explode before he finally admitted that he didn¡¯t know what the hell he was doing and she hadughed at him for half an hour before they finally ordered pizza.


    He was thinking about the same incident as well as another where he had made the worst pancakes he had ever tasted. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll stay ten meters away from the kitchen. Except, of course, when you are there.¡±


    His meaning couldn¡¯t be any clearer. She caught herself licking her lower lip and as soon as he caught on, he leaned over and kissed her.


    She hugged his shoulders and inched closer to him, moulding her body into his. The kiss started off slow at first but when she ran a hand down his body, it became more and more heated as their hands hungrily explored each other¡¯s skin.


    He slid his hand between her thighs and she parted them, arching her back and moaning when he rubbed her core.


    ¡°You have no idea how crazy you drive me.¡± He said against her lips.


    ¡°Show me.¡± She let herself fall onto the bed, pulling him down with her. He slotted himself between her legs as their lips once again shed.


    ___


    Later at night, Zaria took out her work tablet to check on the information that Zeus had gotten for her after coaxing him for ages and promising to introduce him to a pretty, single girl. Where the hell she would get one, she had no idea but he had agreed to help and she could take care of thatter.


    He had sent an email with an attachment of information she didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡°Gabriel West doesn¡¯t actually love his family?¡± She eximed when she saw it.


    Desmond ced the te of fruits that he prepared for her on the right side of the desk. ¡°Are you still investigating the West family?¡±


    ¡°I need to know exactly what I¡¯m getting myself and Preston and Fort Group into.¡± She picked up the fork and ced a piece of pineapple between her teeth. He swooped in fast and bit the other end of it. She was taken aback but he acted like nothing had happened.


    ¡°If you want to know everything about The West family, we know someone who can tell us if we ask nicely.¡±


    She narrowed her gaze on him. She knew her fiance too well to believe that there would actually be anything nice about the way he would ask Evan for the information. Besides, Evan hated talking about his family so the only way to make him talk without using violence was to offer him a deal he couldn¡¯t say no to.


    ¡°He owes me a life.¡± He let it spill.


    She looked up at him in shock before the pieces slowly started to connect. ¡°Is it the scar on your lower back?¡±


    It was his turn to be shocked. ¡°You pay so much attention to my body. It¡¯s barely noticeable. And you never asked or acted like you had seen it.¡±


    ¡°I saw it the first night we were together. I didn¡¯t want to poke at your wounds.¡± She searched his face for any sign that she had said something wrong.


    He leaned against the desk. ¡°Gabriel wanted Evan to marry the granddaughter of his best friend. She was madly in love with him and it was his chance to redeem his image in the West family. Her grandfather is a tycoon with more influence than the West family could ever hope for, you know. And their partnership would be sealed for life if the two got married.¡±


    ¡± Evan didn¡¯t want to?¡± She guessed.


    He shook his head. ¡°He was in love with another woman. He would do anything to see her smile. When he said this to his grandfather, he threatened her life. That was actually expected but what we didn¡¯t expect was for Gabriel to want to kill Evan too. Just because his friend rejected the partnership following his granddaughter¡¯s heartbreak. ¡±


    Zaria cringed. ¡°If he has that kind of influence, there is no freaking way he cancelled their coboration over a few golden tears from a pampered princess. Gabriel must have done something to deserve such a consequence.¡±


    ¡°Say that to him.¡± He and Evan knew that too, but Gabriel was adamant to pin the me on his grandson.


    ¡°He tried to shoot Evan while we were on our way out of his house. No, I didn¡¯t take the bullet for Evan. Gabriel just has a really poor aim and he shot me instead. So although I assured him many times that I don¡¯t me him, he still believes it¡¯s his fault I was there in the first ce.¡±


    He was aiming at using Evan¡¯s conscience to get answers. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.


    Knowing what she was thinking, he kissed the top of her head. ¡°What matters is that we get the answers we want, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nced back at her screen and felt bummed when she saw Zeus¡¯s message.


    ¡°Where the hell am I going to get a beautiful, single woman who is willing to go on a date with my brother?¡± She pped her forehead.


    ¡°Post a picture of him like an advertisement. I¡¯m sure there will be lots of women willing to go out with him.¡± He suggested.


    He was right. Zeus was handsome, but the point was that he had to admit that the girl was pretty for it to be considered done.


    ¡°I swear, I¡¯m never asking my brother for help again.¡± She gritted her teeth as she took out her phone to sign her death sentence.


    She texted a woman in her contacts list to ask her out for coffee at Reynold¡¯s in the evening, and then sent Zeus the address and refused to answer any questions about the woman.


    When she was done, she grabbed Desmond¡¯s shirt. ¡°Ximena will kill me.¡±


    ____


    AN


    If you love fantasy romance, you will definitely love my new book, The Helio¡¯s Bride. Do check it out!


    If you prefer contemporary romance instead, check out Taming The Viiness. Spoiler: The leads are cameos in this book. > O

 Chapter 280

    280 A snake in the grass


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but we cannot go out this evening.¡± Ximena apologetically cancelled her date with Liam.


    He was deted when he heard the news. ¡°Did somethinge up?¡±


    ¡°Zaria needs me.¡± She answered, referring to the text message that her friend had sent her the night before.


    ¡°But Xim, we made ns first.¡± Heined.


    She knew that, and she didn¡¯t wish to ditch him either. However, it didn¡¯t matter whether she was in the North Pole or in Mars. If Zaria needed her, she was rushing right back to help her friend.


    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll go to see what Zaria needs and if it won¡¯t take long, I will meet up with you.¡± She suggested.


    He still wanted toin but when she added that she would meet him at his ce for a sleepover, he grinned. ¡°Go and help your friend first.¡±


    She ended the call with a slight frown. Why did that suddenly sound odd?


    She didn¡¯t have time to think about it so she finished up her work for the day. They were meeting at Reynold¡¯s which was merely an elevator ride from her office so she was there right on time. But when she saw Zeus waiting for her instead of Zaria, her eyes narrowed.


    .....


    ¡°Why is it you?¡± She asked him.


    He frowned when he realized what his sister had done. ¡°Are you the beautiful, singledy that Zaria promised to let me go on a date with?¡±


    Ximena cracked her knuckles. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    He recoiled away reflexively. ¡°Not my own words! I¡¯m just stating what Zaria said.¡± He knew better than to mess with the devil before him. It was not lost to him how much she liked fighting.


    She took a seat opposite him, making him want to bolt away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t bite.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what a demon that bites would say.¡± He retorted, making herugh.


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t bite, and I¡¯m not even a demon so you are safe. What would you like to drink? I¡¯ll treat.¡± She offered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting a woman treat me.¡± He huffed.


    She didn¡¯t argue with him. They both got their coffee and when she returned to their table, he was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Are you staying?¡±


    ¡°Zaria did promise you a date with me.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°But Liam...¡± He didn¡¯t need toplete his statement. She and Liam were all over each other the day before.


    She sipped her iced tea. ¡°I¡¯m technically still single but I don¡¯t think I will be for long.¡±


    That was a subtle deration of her feelings for Liam so he didn¡¯t probe further.


    ¡°Why do you need your sister to introduce you to women anyways?¡± She was curious. ¡°I mean, look at you. Any woman would fall for you.¡±


    ¡°Yet the only woman I ever had my eyes for feels nothing aside from notic for me. She has never even looked at me twice.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t waste a second. Would you like me to introduce you to a girl?¡± She asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the kind of thing you discuss with your sister¡¯s best friend.¡± He rolled his eyes, but she took it as a yes.


    She slid her phone over the table to show him a picture.


    ¡°Autumn. She works for Morel Beauty and you could say we are friends.¡±


    ¡°I definitely want to meet her.¡± He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the brte on the screen. Was she a model?


    Ximena shrugged. ¡°See? Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s usual for bosses to set their employees up for blind dates. It might even be illegal, so it¡¯s up to you now.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to meet her?¡±


    ¡°Any way you can. Of course, I don¡¯t want you to stalk my employees so you better do something harmless and ethical.¡±


    He wanted to thank her for nothing but that might anger her so he let it be.


    The duo had gotten along more than they would ever think possible so they had a refill of their drinks and came up with a prank to get back at Zaria. Once they were certain that it was harmless and would teach her a lesson, they split up for him to find Autumn and her to go to Liam.


    ____


    Meanwhile, Zaria and Desmond finally managed to persuade Evan into meeting up. The man must have long guessed that they would want to seek him for the secrets in his family so he was reluctant to meet them and only agreed when it seemed like his phone would blow up with phone calls and text messages.


    When the couple finally showed up at his house, he rolled his eyes at them.


    ¡°Can¡¯t a man rx and have fun after work?¡±


    They caught sight of the woman on the living room couch, who was wearing nothing but a bra. Zaria covered Desmond¡¯s eyes while Evan dismissed the displeased young woman before teasing her.


    ¡°You have nothing to worry about. If Desmond loves you enough to put a ring on your finger and propose, he will not flinch even if another woman were to strip and part her legs.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so cras about it.¡± Zaria cringed.


    ¡°Wear some cks.¡± Desmond ordered him. He was only wearing a pair of boxers and didn¡¯t seem to mind it.


    ¡°Why? Are you scared your fianc¨¦e might realize she didn¡¯t make the right choice?¡± He joked but slid into his jeans, refused to wear a shirt and sat on the couch. Zaria sat down next to Desmond and felt something under her feet. She looked down and awkwardly shifted her heels away when she realized that she was stepping on a ckcy thong.


    She cleared her throat. ¡°We would like to know more about your family, especially in recent years.¡±


    He looked amused. ¡°First, you wanted a piece of The West and now that you have it, you want something else? It was just a project, beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Zaria.¡± Desmond frowned.


    Evan grinned. ¡°I know she is yours.¡±


    Desmond didn¡¯t lower his guard. Evan had a sick obsession over married women. It was already bad enough when Zaria was his girlfriend but now that they were engaged, he must like her a little more.


    ¡°Keep your affection to your harem. Just tell us what we need to know.¡±


    Evan chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not your puppet, Desmond. But since Zaria asked and it would be a shame if she was distressed by theck of knowledge, I will tell you. Veronica is nothing like she seems to be.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a snake in the grass. We already know that.¡± Zaria pushed for more information.


    ¡°Did you know that her boyfriend is a highly skilled chef?¡± He asked.


    She was taken aback. He was the one who told her about the unskilled chef who was dragging down the resort. How did he suddenly be a skilled chef?


    ¡°He pretends tock skill to ount for his inability to cook anything right. I only found out two days ago when I went to a banquet and he was the head chef. The food tasted like it had been cooked by the gods.¡±


    It didn¡¯t make any sense. It was shocking, but Zaria didn¡¯t want him to know he had given an important piece of information. There had to be a reason why he didn¡¯t tell them the truth immediately, so she pushed even further.


    ¡± Well, I was just as shocked when I found out.¡± She lied.


    He was visibly stunned. ¡°You knew this?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday. My brother uncovered the information.¡±


    At the mention of Zeus, he was no longer too shocked.


    ¡°The hacker. Can he really find the skeletons in your ancestors¡¯ closets?¡± He made fun of how Skeleton spoke of Zeus.


    ¡°Maybe. But we need you to tell us something that¡¯s in your family¡¯s closet that no one knows. Something we can use as leverage.¡± Desmond added.


    Evan thought about it and was considering saying no when he changed his mind in thest minute. What would he lose?


    He held their gazes dramatically as though he was about to drop a bombshell. ¡°Then maybe you may be interested to know that Veronica is not really a West.¡±


    ____


    AN


    Check out my new books


    The Helio¡¯s Bride


    Taming The Viiness.


    You will definitely love them!


    Sorry for thete update. I had a stockpile and forgot to post this.


    The next chapter should be up by 9 tonight (CET)

 Chapter 281

    281 Partner in crime


    Zaria¡¯s eyes went wide. She wanted to use the same trick of pretending she already knew to dig for more dramatic information from Evan but it was toote as her expression gave her away.


    ¡°She is not adopted.¡± Desmond remarked. She and her mother looked like two beans in a pod. There was no way they were not biologically mother and daughter.


    Hearing his words, Zaria understood what Evan meant. ¡°Did she have Veronica with another man?¡±


    ¡°You catch on fast.¡± He reclined on the couch.


    Zaria shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If she found out that she is not actually a member of the West family, shouldn¡¯t she strive to make Gabriel love her too much to want to let her go once the truth is out?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°That would have been her reaction if she wasn¡¯t so bitter about it and if her father didn¡¯t hate the West family so much for keeping his daughter away from him.¡±


    She found it ridiculous. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what? Did the West family actually know the truth and still insist on keeping her away from her real family?¡±


    ¡°My grandfather will kick her out if he ever finds out.¡± He responded, confusing Zaria even more.


    ¡°Let me get this straight. Your father thinks Veronica is his biological daughter but he is being med for keeping her away from her father, even though he doesn¡¯t know the truth? On what grounds?¡±


    .....


    ¡°Veronica.¡± Desmond said, making her raise her brows.


    ¡°Veronica is ying them all like puppets in her circus.¡± He exined. ¡°That actually sounds like something she would do for fun.¡±


    Evan grinned at his response. ¡°Should I say you are good at reading women or that you know my sister all too well?¡±


    Zaria cringed while Desmond red at him. ¡°Quit it Evan, she will not consider you if you y such lowly tricks to cause a rift between us.¡±


    ¡°So that means she might give me a chance if I don¡¯t y tricks.¡± He winked at Zaria, who stood up awkwardly.


    ¡°I think we have enough answers. We will get going.¡± She announced.


    ¡°Hey, Zaria, you can¡¯t just leave me like this.¡± Heined.


    Desmond let her leave first and turned to his friend with clenched fists. ¡°I have never wanted to have a broken rtionship with my friends because of a woman. Don¡¯t push my buttons, West.¡±


    Evan took the threat with a grain of salt. ¡°She¡¯s not even my type. I was just messing with her.¡±


    Desmond shot him a final re and hoped thetter knew to stick to hisne.


    Zaria was waiting for him in the car. When he finally left the house, she checked him over and let out a breath. ¡°For a second I thought it was going to end in a bloodbath.¡±


    ¡°He knows when to stop.¡± He slid into the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the next big move?¡± She asked, not taking her eyes off his face.


    ¡°How the hell is my brain supposed to function with you looking at me like you want to devour me?¡± He ran a finger down her face.


    ¡°You can only me yourself for being so handsome and mine.¡± She held his wrist. ¡°I find it hard to believe that this is not a dream.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my cue to wake you up.¡± He pulled her over to his side, earning a giggle when he pressed his lips against her neck.


    ¡°Desmond! We are still in Evan¡¯s driveway.¡± She stopped his hand that was sliding under her skirt.


    He groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t think he minds.¡±


    He definitely didn¡¯t mind, considering he didn¡¯t look embarrassed when they caught him in the kind of state he was in. Still, she pulled away. ¡°I mind.¡±


    He stole ast kiss and ran a hand through his hair, groaning when he looked down at his lower body.


    She followed his gaze andughed. ¡°I can be subtle about that.¡±


    He was yet to figure out what she meant when she pulled her scarf off her neck and ced it on hisp. Then she slid her hand under it and pressed her palm against his hardness. He hissed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the big n.¡± She urged, kissing his ear. That always did it for him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want the whole world to know what¡¯s happening behind the dashboard, do you?¡± She whispered seductively, making it even harder for him to focus on what he was about to say.


    ¡°We should make a deal with Veronica.¡± He finally spoke.


    ¡°What kind of deal?¡± She probed although she understood already.


    ¡°We can talk to her about thepany, over my desk... what the fuck am I even saying?¡± He caught himself just as she burst into hisughter at his jumbled brain.


    ¡°What has thepany got to do with your desk?¡± She teased.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± He threw his head back on the headrest. She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers. When she slid her hand into his boxers and held his length in her hand, the sensation nearly sent him bursting in seconds.


    She didn¡¯t have any intention to shut up. ¡°You mentioned Veronica and a desk. Can you exin how the two came into the same frame?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? It was you on the desk.¡± He spoke through heavy breaths and she bit her lips to stop herself fromughing.


    ¡°And?¡± She probed.


    He realized she was teasing him, so he grabbed her and shut her up with a kiss. He held her hand firmly and moved it up and down his length exactly how he wanted it. It wasn¡¯t long before he came apart, moaning out her name in ecstacy.


    She withdrew her hand and kissed his cheeks, before settling back in her seat. ¡°I feel like a teenager after a first date.¡±


    ¡°Is that the kind of thing people do after first dates?¡± He asked. She wasn¡¯t sure what was so strange about his question but her face heated.


    ¡°Can your mind work better now?¡± She questioned with her eyes on the road even though they were yet to leave. If Evan knew they were still out here, he would definitely want to know what they were doing.


    So he started the car as he answered, ¡°Yes. It was lucky enough to receive the best kind of ¡°maintenance¡±. It¡¯s in perfect condition now.¡±


    Her jaw dropped but she was getting used to his unfiltered words.


    She took the scarf off hisp once he was zipped up but he grabbed it back from her. ¡°I¡¯m keeping this.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start it off by spending a night at The West. Tonight should be perfect.¡± He suggested.


    It was an odd decision but she didn¡¯t ask questions. She pulled out her phone immediately to book a cottage for the night. When she saw a discount notification as soon as she logged into the website, she frowned. ¡°Is this actually a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He asked and looked over briefly.


    ¡°Coincidentally, The West is offering a discount to all engaged couples tonight, who book their cottage within the next hour. They will also be able to ess all the resort¡¯s services for free, no matter what kind of cottage they book.¡± She looked at him curiously. ¡°I have only heard of discounts for couples but why do they have to be specifically newly engaged? Evan can¡¯t be enough steps ahead of us to know we are going to spend the night there, can he? Hold on. They are even offering free transportation to their special guests.¡±


    Desmond frowned. ¡°The West has never offered that kind of thing. At least not that I know of.¡±


    ____


    Meanwhile, Zeus looked at theputer screen over Ximena¡¯s shoulder and pped his forehead.


    ¡°A free vacation for Zaria and her fianc¨¦, on an ind she won¡¯t shut up about, and you call this a prank?¡±


    Ximena stood to let him take his ce behind theputer.


    ¡°Trust me on this. Don¡¯t let her doubt the discount. Throw something in her face that screams ¡®this is meant specifically for you¡¯. Hurry!¡±


    Zeus wanted to shut her up for ordering him around but he still loved his life. ¡°Do you know who deserves the most pity?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Liam.¡± He didn¡¯t give her the chance to process the meaning of his words before announcing that he was done.


    She looked over. He had added a pop up phrase ¡°see you soon, Fort.¡± She shut her eyes. ¡°I actually think Lucy deserves the most pity for having to deal with you every day. How are you still alive with this level of IQ?¡±


    ¡°Yet you chose me as a partner in crime.¡± He mumbled.


    Ximena narrowed her eyes. She swallowed down the words she was about to say. ¡°Hey, she epted it! Can you do the same thing for Liam and me?¡±

 Chapter 282

    282 Deserted Ind (?)


    ¡°Are you sure about this? This doesn¡¯t sound like anything Evan would say.¡± Desmond peeked over at the pop-up Zaria had just mentioned.


    ¡°Drive.¡± She pushed his head away to remind him that he was driving. ¡°It sounds odd to you too. He rarely calls you Fort but it¡¯s not like it has never happened. Maybe it¡¯s Veronica.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure but he let it slide. After all, what could go wrong? It wasn¡¯t like anyone could ess The West¡¯s website aside from members of the West family. Besides, they were going to meet the rest of the West family either way so it didn¡¯t matter if they happened to grab onto their invite.


    They were prepared for everything but when a helicopternded in Desmond¡¯s backyard to take them to the resort, they exchanged confused nces.


    ¡°Is this something Evan or Veronica would do?¡± She gave him a side nce for confirmation. ¡°How can we be certain that we are actually going to The West and not being deposited on a random ind on our own with no cell phone service?¡±


    He knew she was joking, but this did feel like the prelude of such a thing happening. He chuckled. ¡°I have watched too many treasure hunt shows that started with the contestants being ferried away on a strange helicopter but don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s Evan¡¯s private pilot.¡±


    She was relieved. Although she still had suspicions, she went back to the car and took her bag which she had already kept in and walked towards the helicopter, slowing down a step to take his hand.


    ¡°Zaria?¡± An adorable voice called out moments before Rosaly ran out of the house to rush to them.


    They had nned to slip away while she was taking a nap so she wouldn¡¯t be sad but it seemed like the helicopter had woken her up.


    .....


    She bit her lip and hoped she wouldn¡¯t notice they were leaving.


    ¡°Hey sweetie. You are awake.¡± She opened her arms for Rosaly toe for a hug. She hugged her and then Desmond, then looked at the helicopter curiously.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± She asked Desmond.


    ¡°We have some work matters to take care of. Stay here, okay? Izzie wille over soon to keep youpany.¡± He promised, but she looked like she was about to cry.


    ¡°We will bring you a pretty tiara when wee back.¡± He promised.


    ¡°But I wannae with you.¡± She whined, her eyes glistening. ¡°Can Ie, Zaria? Please?¡± She hugged her legs, having realized that Zaria was easier to convince.


    Zaria¡¯s heart melted as she looked down at the adorable crying mess. She crouched down to her level. ¡°I wish you could, honey. I know you want toe and your daddy and I would like that as well. But adults¡¯ business is very boring and you will not have fun. Would you like to y with Des instead? Grandpa Theo cane overter to y with the two of you.¡±


    Rosaly switched from tears to smiles as soon as she heard that she would get to y with her new friends. She nodded excitedly and the couple was relieved.


    They said their goodbyes before Zaria called Theodore to ask him toe over, and they boarded the helicopter.


    ¡°You sure know how to pacify her.¡± He remarked. He could spend an hour running his mouth off, trying to talk her into something, and Zaria would only need to say a few words for the girl to happilyply. She seemed to understand Rosaly more than he did, and they had not even known each other for long.


    ¡°You would make a perfect mother.¡±


    She nearly choked on the water she had just sipped. How the hell did hee to that conclusion?


    ¡°Can you pay more attention here? We are probably being flown to our deaths yet you have the time to joke around.¡± She chastised.


    Heughed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you willingly get on this flight?¡±


    Yes she did, but she was regretting it now. Her gut told her they were not going anywhere near The West and when they flew over scenery she didn¡¯t recognize from thest time, she knew she was right.


    ¡°Deserted Ind, here wee.¡± She muttered.


    He grinned at her theatrics but yed along. When the air hostess came over to ask whether he was ready to order something to eat or drink, he asked for a bottle of wine.


    ¡°Celebrate your way to hell, is what Shakespeare said.¡± He winked at her.


    ¡°Shakespeare wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± She fired back and watched jealously as he poured himself a ss. He looked like he was having too much fun on this trip.


    When they finallynded on an ind, she sucked in a breath. ¡°Whose idea is this?¡±


    ¡°Ours. We entered the helicopter without being forced to.¡± He looked around.


    That was true. She knew that, but she still felt it had nothing to do with the West family. ¡°This situation feels awfully familiar.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. When do we start searching for food to eat and gadgets to make our lives easier?¡± She asked. The pilot had refused to open his mouth when they asked who sent him and had taken off as soon as he dropped them here.


    ¡°I bet that cottage has everything we need.¡± He pointed at a cottage that was nearly sealed off from the rest of the ind by all the trees surrounding it.


    ¡°Wait here.¡± He ordered and went to check on the cottage first to ensure it was safe, before calling her over. She spotted the keys on the living room table next to a ss of water and guessed that someone was here. It didn¡¯t take long before Veronica returned from the bathroom and rolled her eyes when she saw them.


    ¡°I knew you wanted to meet me but why did you have to stalk me ande all the way to my private ind?¡± She scolded them, revealing just how much she hated them here.


    The duo was taken aback by her response. Wasn¡¯t she the one who had sent a helicopter to pick them up?


    Guessing that it was Evan, he cleared his throat. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how we got to see each other. Since we are already here, why don¡¯t we shed the pretenses and talk about something that will benefit both of our sides?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±She asked.


    ¡°A piece of The West.¡± He went straight to the point, then emphasized, ¡°Your piece.¡±


    She scoffed and wanted to pass it off as a joke until she realized how serious he was.


    ¡°Why should I simply offer it to you?¡± She sat on the couch with her legs crossed, looking at them across the table like they were clowns.


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t really want it. And because if The West is already falling into the hands of people who are not part of the West family, then you might as well let other strangers in.¡± He pushed.


    She froze in shock at the implication of his words. He already knew that she was not actually a West. It was not a secret anymore. How did they find out? He had underestimated them. ¡°It turns out Skeleton is as good as he is said to be.¡± The words rolled off her tongue bitterly like she had been forced to say them.


    He kept going. ¡°We have one thing inmon with you, Veronica. We cannot stand Gabriel West.¡±


    ¡°And why the hell should I trust you?¡± She asked.


    He cast a sidelong nce at Zaria, who smiled as she opened her palm to reveal a bug half the size of an earbud.


    ¡°What the...¡± She wanted to grab at Zaria and snatch it away but Desmond was too fast. He shielded her and pushed Veronica back to her couch.


    ¡°We are here to chat, coborate and have a good time. Fighting will get us nowhere.¡± He grinned although she was on the verge of exploding in anger.


    ¡°Fine.¡± She gritted her teeth. She didn¡¯t have much choice. If Gabriel knew the truth about her, she would die before she realized it. ¡°I will coborate with you, but I want something in return.¡±


    ¡°Name it.¡± He urged.


    She looked at Zaria, zeroed her gaze on the ring on her finger then back at Desmond with a smile. ¡°I want you.¡±

 Chapter 283

    283 The right risk


    Desmond clenched his fists and had to swallow to stop himself from hurling curses at her. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±


    Veronica looked pleased by his reaction. It was probably what she expected, and she smiled as she took a sip of her water while looking at them over her ss triumphantly.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± She asked as she looked at Zaria, expecting her to explode in anger at the thought of another woman directly hitting on her man.


    However, Zaria¡¯s response was unexpected. ¡°You can have him if you want.¡± She shrugged, looking like she was ready to shove Desmond into a box, seal it and give him to Veronica as a present with a ribbon on top.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± He stared at his fianc¨¦e in disbelief.


    She shrugged as though she had not said anything outrageous. ¡°She wants you, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    He frowned at herme reason. ¡°And you are ready to just give me up willingly? Did you fry your brain in the fear of being ditched on an unknown ind?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Of course not. I can¡¯t stop a woman from dreaming of you, can I? She will go ahead and dream anyway. So she can have you in her fucking dreams but if she ever tries to get her ws near my man, she is going home without one leg.¡±


    Veronica nearly choked. ¡°I¡¯m still here, you know. The two of you can quit pretending not to see me.¡±


    .....


    ¡°I would ask for something else if I were you.¡± Zaria finally spoke seriously, but her expression darkened when she heard Veronica¡¯s next words.


    ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t want an engaged man anyway.¡± Veronica traced her eyes down Zaria¡¯s hand. ¡°However, engaged women are my weakness.¡±


    Zaria¡¯s jaw dropped while Desmond red at her. ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t actually a West?¡± Why was everyone trying to take his woman away from him?


    ¡°I would make an assumption about that but... what do you think?¡± She threw the question back at him while eyeing Zaria like she actually wanted her.


    He pulled her into his arms protectively while ring daggers at the woman across them. ¡°Eyes off my woman.¡±


    Veronica scoffed. ¡°You sound like a protective child.¡±


    She thought deeply about their offer and sighed. ¡°I have everything I need, you see. I really can¡¯t ask for anything but an alluring beauty with a curvy butt to warm my bed.¡±


    Zaria was repulsed. ¡°Let me guess. That¡¯s what you actually wanted to ask for.¡±


    ¡°How about just a night?¡± She pushed, making Desmond nearlyunch a punch. He probably would if Zaria didn¡¯t grab his hand.


    ¡°How about this?¡± Veronica continued, feeling great about having them right where she wanted them. ¡°I will let you know if there is anything I want.¡±


    ¡°No. We have to seal the deal right now.¡± She retorted. They would be out of their minds if they agreed to a condition they didn¡¯t know about yet.


    Veronica was pissed off by her attitude. ¡°You don¡¯t get to decide what I have to do or not do. Don¡¯t assume a little recording will make me your puppet.¡±


    Zaria yed with her bug, remembering that she had it but wanting to burst intoughter at the same time. It wasn¡¯t even functional but at least it scared Veronica.


    ¡°A recording cannot make you my puppet but your ¡°boyfriend can.¡± He spoke, smiling When Veronica¡¯s face paled in horror. ¡°Do you think he knows where Mna West¡¯s body is?¡±


    She was too shocked to say a word, and he took her silence as a yes.


    ¡°I thought so. Are you going to sign the deal?¡± He asked, not giving her the chance to say a word before he opened the folder he had been carrying around and whipped out a printed contract.


    ¡°You even had a contract ready.¡± She pursed her lips. He came here prepared to coerce her and he was not even trying to hide it.


    ¡°You need to be prepared for every oue when you are dealing with a stray cat.¡± He grinned. ¡°Just sign it. We don¡¯t have time to wait for you to read through the terms.¡±


    Why the hell would she sign a contract without reading it? She would never do it willingly, but she didn¡¯t have a choice. There was no worse mistake than making Desmond lose his patience, as he would resort to extreme measures. He was already doing this to her-she definitely didn¡¯t want to wait for the extremes.


    So, hoping there was no use in the contract that made her his ve or anything, she gritted her teeth and signed it.


    ¡°I will make you pay for this, Desmond Fort!¡± She growled when he took it back.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s talk about that when you actually get out of this alive yourself.¡± He grinned in response. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a copy if I remember to.¡±


    They left the cottage and as soon as they were out, she asked about the woman whose name she had heard earlier.


    ¡°Mna West?¡±


    ¡°She was Evan¡¯s aunt, who died young. I don¡¯t know a thing about that woman.¡± He exined all he knew, baffling her even more.


    ¡°What? But you managed to scare her into signing the contract?¡± She was curious. It was shocking that Veronica went from acting all high and mighty to giving in that fast.


    He found it unexpected too. ¡°She simply disappeared.¡± He exined. ¡°She went mountain climbing with her friends and just went missing. Her friends woke up to find her gone and that was it. She didn¡¯t leave any information, and while everyone thinks she left home because she was under too much pressure, they know at the back of their minds that she is probably dead. Maybe she had a secret enemy who just knew how to dispose of a body without leaving any traces.¡±


    ¡°And that could be Veronica or her father .¡± She filled in.


    ¡°She was only twenty when it happened but you know, you cannot underestimate the capability of a twenty-year-old¡¯s evil mind.¡± He spected. ¡°It was a bet when I threatened her with the body. Safe bet, I suppose.¡±


    From Veronica¡¯s reaction, she definitely had something to do with Mna¡¯s disappearance. She didn¡¯t want to think about what would have happened if Desmond had guessed wrong.


    However, she also knew that her fianc¨¦ rarely ever took the wrong risks.


    The helicopter returned as they tried to figure out what their next move should be.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to meet Gabriel.¡± She thought aloud and immediately changed her mind. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s time to go home.¡±


    He chuckled and held her hand, leading her to the helicopter.


    ¡°Hey, did Evan send you?¡± She asked the pilot as soon as she saw him. ¡°You can tell us now that we are already here and our business is done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. I cannot say a word.¡± He responded and disappeared back to the cockpit.


    ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s just go along.¡± She gave up asking. After all, their enemy wouldn¡¯t ferry them right where they wanted to be.


    Perhaps this was Desmond¡¯s prank.


    She was starting to look forward to their next destination but seeing his puzzled look when theynded at an ind, she was confused. ¡°I guess this is the actual location we were supposed to be dropped off to and they just wanted us to finish our business first.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more.¡± He looked around. Just like the previous ind, there was a cottage in the distance. It made one wonder how the person behind this got to discover so many identical inds.


    ¡°This is for you, miss.¡± The pilot finally spoke to her without looking like he would rather scurry away. He held out an envelope which she took from his hand in confusion.


    ¡°Who is it from?¡± She asked.


    Of course, the only response she received was the pilot finding the first chance he could get to get back on the helicopter and ignore her.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t bite.¡± She spoke to the empty air, earning augh from Desmond.


    She ripped the envelope open and pulled out the pink card inside to find out who the sender was. Her eyes widened when she read the content.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± She cursed.


    He looked over her shoulder at the card and was amused at the message. [Enjoy your stay, sis]

 Chapter 284

    284 More delicious (1)


    ¡°Zeus is too idle for his own good.¡± He chuckled, not that he was offended. On the contrary, he found it funny that they had fallen right into his trap and neither of them even realized it.


    She shook her head. ¡°This must be payback for the date I set him up to. I made him meet Ximena after promising to set him up with a beautiful, single woman.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t stop himself fromughing at Zeus. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ximena a beautiful woman though?¡±


    ¡°She is. Only, she would rather beat the crap out of him than date him. Then there¡¯s the fact that she and Liam are definitely going to be an item soon.¡± She giggled just thinking about it. If Ximena and Liam were a match made in hell, then she didn¡¯t know what to say about her and Zeus.


    Desmond blew out a breath. Throwing them on an ind as retaliation did sound like something they would do.


    ¡°What can be so bad about a cottage?¡± He shrugged and walked towards it, but she knew there had to be a catch.


    She was a step behind him and when he noticed a keychain peeking out from the doormat, he picked it up.


    ¡°What a perfect way to hide the keys to a cottage.¡± He huffed. ¡°It¡¯s not predictable at all.¡±


    She giggled along and followed him in. The cottage looked like everything one could want on a vacation. The living room was furnished with white, cozy couches, pastel drapes and a basket of fruits was slotted on the table. She was tempted to grab a mango and munch on it but she couldn¡¯t entirely trust it. At least not yet. What if they were not real fruits? She looked around waiting for a huge scare to trademark the prank. Before she sat on the couch, she grabbed a cushion that had been ced on a soft carpet and threw it on the couch with force.


    .....


    Desmond burst intoughter.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± She carefully picked up the cushion to make sure it was not ruined. ¡°Ximena Morel is the queen of pranks. If she doesn¡¯t give us the scare of our lives, she is not Ximena. Don¡¯t forget the kind of dork my brother is.¡± She warned.


    He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Rx. While she may be the world¡¯s scariest prankster, I¡¯m sure she knows how dangerous it is to scare an expectant woman.¡±


    She rxed a little when she thought about it. No matter what prank Ximena and Zeus had in store for them, it definitely wasn¡¯t dangerous for her.


    The day went by surprisingly well. The basket of fruits on the table was not an ordinary basket and the ¡®fruits¡¯ were nothing like actual fruits. It was a cake baked to perfection and as soon as they cut into it and had a taste, she wanted to know who had baked it.


    He had the same thing in mind as he ate the pineapple slice which was apparently a pineapple vored cake.


    ¡°I would like to know the baker, to hire them for our wedding.¡± He remarked.


    She nearly choked on her slice. ¡°What the...¡±


    He was puzzled by her reaction. ¡°Our wedding...you know, the kind of thing that happens soon after a couple¡¯s engagement?¡±


    Her hands shook. She had not thought about it that far. She looked down at her stomach and felt even more nervous. In just a few months, there would be a noticeable bump. There were many bridal gowns made for pregnant women but she didn¡¯t want to have to take measurements every now and then to adjust it. Besides, she wanted to be able to wear whatever she wanted.


    ¡°About that...¡±


    His expression fell. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    She gave him a nk stare until she understood what his overthinking mind had spun. She flicked his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t mean I am cancelling our engagement, dummy.¡±


    ¡°Then, you don¡¯t want to think about it this soon?¡± He probed.


    ¡°Not that either.¡± She reassured him. ¡°I just don¡¯t want it to be soon. I don¡¯t think I have the strength to n a wedding yet, so can we wait until our baby is here?¡± She pleaded.


    He let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Of course, my love. We will get married whenever you are ready.¡±


    He pulled her onto hisp and wrapped his arms tightly around her. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°What did I do?¡± She squeaked.


    ¡°You scared the crap out of me.¡± He kissed her and nipped her lip in punishment. He had thought he was about to get dumped. But now that he thought about it, how the hell did hee up with such a conclusion?


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± She yawned. She had been sleeping a lottely, so when she shut her eyes, he smiled down at her face and rubbed her back to lull her to sleep.


    ¡°I swear, I didn¡¯t do anything to deserve you. I must have saved the world in my past life, then.¡± She spoke sleepily.


    His chest vibrated inughter. ¡°Then you better save the world in this life, too. Because if there¡¯s a next life, I want you to be mine.¡±


    ___


    Meanwhile, Ximena was having the time of her life with Liam, who she had basically kidnapped.


    In her defense, he knew who his kidnapper was right off the bat, and that he was in safe hands. The man had insisted on finding out where they were going and telling him would ruin the surprise. So, she had pretended to change her mind, then let Zeus do what he did best.


    Liam had been delivered to the ind, bound tightly, with a pink ribbon on his forehead-Zeus must have decided to have a little extra fun now that Liam was immobile and helpless.


    She had untied the ribbon as though he was a present and given him a tour of their manor. How Zeus knew so many private inds, she would never understand, but they were helpful so she was notining.


    After their little tour, they both returned to the kitchen to cook. He let her decide what they would eat, so she chose chicken pasta. But when they dug in, she almost threw up from how much salt and spice there was. Looking at him, he wasn¡¯t far behind her.


    ¡°I swear, I know how to cook! I learned to cook chicken pasta before I could walk.¡± She defended herself.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± He looked into his te, obviously not believing a word she was saying.


    The truth was, her presence in the kitchen always resulted in a disaster in the past-until Theodore made it his business to teach her how to cook several dishes so she wouldn¡¯t starve. She had chosen chicken pasta because it was the simplest and she might as well do it with her eyes closed-but what the hell was this?


    She grabbed their tes and returned to the kitchen, disposing of the food frustratedly.


    He followed her,ughing. ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t that bad. We just had to take a sip of water after every bite.¡±


    She turned to re at him. ¡°And why the hell would I torture you, and myself, so much?¡±


    He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. ¡°Who cares about food anyway? I think you are much tastier.¡± He nipped her ear.


    She melted into his arms, only for his stomach to growl in hunger.


    She pulled away with a chuckle. ¡°Well, I guess I know who cares about food.¡±


    She checked the fridge for whatever she could find. Luckily, there was a variety of food in their fridge. She picked out ingredients for a vegetable sd. This time, he rolled his sleeves to help her.


    She had not figured it out before but as she watched him chop the vegetables with so much ease, she finally understood. She had been scared it wouldn¡¯t be perfect. Hence, instead of doing it like she usually would, she had achieved the opposite results.


    She didn¡¯t care anymore.


    He was startled when she suddenly pressed herself against his back and wrapped his arms around his waist.


    ¡°You do know that my brain can¡¯t actually function with you holding me like that, right?¡± He ditched the knife and vegetables almost instantly.


    She chuckled. ¡°Would you like to find out whether I¡¯m more delicious than those boring vegetables?¡±

 Chapter 285

    285 More delicious (2)


    ¡°There has never been a question about that.¡± He spun her around and pushed her against the kitchen counter as their lips found each other. Their kiss was interrupted by his phone ringing.


    ¡°Come on, who has such awful timing?¡± She groaned unhappily. Was it ever possible for her and Liam to have a moment to themselves without being interrupted?


    He chuckled as he took his phone out. ¡°It¡¯s my father. I have to take this but I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡± He pecked her lips as he answered the call, then excused himself and left the kitchen.


    Ximena nervously cracked her knuckles. Something felt odd. Or, to be exact, nothing good ever happened whenever Liam¡¯s family came up. The mere mention of them was a jinx and she knew that since they were together, his family would be unhappy. It was no surprise that when he returned, he didn¡¯t seem to be as excited as he was a moment earlier.


    ¡°Let me guess. They found out we are here?¡±


    He ced his phone on the kitchen ind and returned to her side. ¡°Not quite urate. They found a woman they think I will like.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She nodded in realization. ¡°What the fuck is the problem with wealthy families? Just because they were forced into marriage with people they didn¡¯t want, and because their parents suffered the same fate, they think it is okay to do that to their kids?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, but they are out of luck.¡± He grabbed his knife to continue chopping the vegetables. ¡°I will not marry a woman I don¡¯t choose myself.¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh.¡± She narrowed her eyes watching him.


    .....


    ¡°I already know who I want to spend the rest of my life with.¡± He added, ncing at her briefly. That was probably his subtle way of letting her know just who he had in mind.


    She let out a smallugh. ¡°You don¡¯t even know me.¡±


    ¡°If you are talking about your past, I don¡¯t need to know anything more than what I already know.¡± He sliced into the cucumber on the chopping board hard enough to make her wince. Was he okay? It felt as though he was venting his anger. ¡°Unless, of course, you were a psycho serial killer with a specific fetish of torturing your past lovers to death. I would be concerned.¡±


    Sheughed dryly. ¡± Yeah, that would be terrifying. Liam, if you want to vent, stay away from knives.¡± She grabbed the chance when he was distracted and snatched the knife away.


    ¡°I was just slicing the cucumber.¡± He protested.


    ¡°In a way that screams of all the hate inside you? Gee.¡± She took over the task, making him nearly break his ribsughing.


    She crossed her arms and red at him. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± He cleared his throat. He had lived long enough to know that making fun of Ximena¡¯s cooking was worse than poking a beehive. He mped his mouth shut and silently watched as she finished cooking.


    ¡°It¡¯s nearly unbelievable how you and Zaria are best friends. One is an expert in the kitchen while the other, not so much...¡±


    ¡°And one is an elegant brte with killer curves while the other is a ruffian? I get it all the time.¡± She snorted.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying topare the two of you.¡± He defended himself.


    ¡°Yet, you fell in love with her first.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Everyone does. I mean, have you seen her?¡± Seeing his speechless expression, sheughed. ¡°I¡¯m notining. I just don¡¯t want to think about my best friend whenever I look at myself in the mirror, okay? It¡¯s all I ask for.¡±


    He crept up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. ¡°I understand how ufortable you must be and I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be.¡±


    ¡°I was not in love with Zaria.¡± He revealed. ¡°It¡¯s not every day I befriend someone...like her. I got it all mixed up and hey, she¡¯s engaged to my best friend. I thought it would be awkward for me too.¡±


    Ximena¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°At least I have someone to take it out on if your friend ever does anything he shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    He shuddered at her threat. That did sound like something she would do.


    ¡°Then I would have to be in your good books to evade your wrath.¡± He smiled, but as soon as he thought about his family, his mood dampened.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± She observed.


    ¡°Am I such an open book?¡± He joked in an attempt to make her drop it, but she immediately figured out what he was trying to do.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it...¡±


    ¡°My blind date is...how do I put this?¡±


    She raised her eyebrows at the mention of the woman his family found. ¡°She¡¯s not going to be a problem, right? I mean, if she is that clingy kitten from the rink, I may have to cut off her ws. I don¡¯t want to get my hands dirty.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid you may have to get your hands bloodied. Not because it¡¯s the kitten,¡± He rified.


    ¡°Oh,¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s worse. A woman I knew in my teenage years, the most annoying thing that has ever happened to me.¡±


    She rubbed her temples in exasperation. Was there any woman who wasn¡¯t obsessed with Liam? He was the most troublesome man on earth.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about, exactly? Let me guess, her father is one of your father¡¯s major investors and if you don¡¯t go to the blind date, her daddy will pull out his investments?¡±


    ¡°Like that kind of thing would faze me?¡± He scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m only worried that if my parents don¡¯t get what they want, they wille after the woman they think ising between them and their goals-you.¡±


    She thought he was joking for a moment, and when he didn¡¯tugh, she realized he was serious. She tapped the kitchen ind with her fingertips. ¡°If ites to that, we both know whose life will be in danger. Not mine.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ___


    Although he had never been worried about Ximena¡¯s capability to protect herself, it would be best if a battle didn¡¯t break out between the Preston and Morel families. They were not acquaintances but strangers were much better than enemies, so he knew he had to nip it in the bud.


    Their vacation was cut short since something came up at Morel Beauty and he had to deal with his family and date, so he dropped her off at thepany.


    ¡°See you this evening?¡± He kissed her when they arrived.


    ¡°I hope.¡± She forced a smile and opened the door to leave. As soon as she entered her office, she came face to face with an infuriated socialite.


    ¡°You had the nerve to keep me waiting!¡± The woman pointed her manicured finger at Ximena.


    ¡°I saw thising,¡± Ximena muttered under her breath and shot a re at her assistant. ¡°Who said she coulde in here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she barged in.¡± The assistant vehemently apologized, and Ximena dismissed her to face the socialite.


    ¡°Are you by any chance Liam¡¯s blind date?¡± Ximena leaned against her desk as she scanned the woman from head to toe.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°So, just an infuriated consumer.¡± Ximena crossed her arms. ¡°I need my chair, do you mind sitting where you should for a moment?¡± She shooed her off, and when the socialite relocated to the opposite side, she sighed. ¡°You would think women in high society have basic manners. What seems to be the problem?¡±


    ¡°How dare you talk to me like that?¡± The woman snapped.


    ¡°You are in my office, where you barged in. I could call security.¡± She threatened with a smile, shutting the woman up for a second before she resumed her outrage.


    ¡°Your products are horrible. Look at my face!¡± She pointed at her nose.


    Ximena winced. ¡°That looks like a nose job gone wrong to me.¡±


    ¡°My eyes...¡±


    Before she could me it on Morel Beauty¡¯s mascara, Ximena took out a folder. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Abbie Watson.¡± Responded the woman.


    Ximena shut the file skeptically and entered the name into herputer. As expected, there was no such record. She secretly sent a text message to Zeus.


    ¡°What did you buy and when did you buy it?¡±


    ¡°Am I here for an interview?¡± Abbie rolled her eyes. ¡°Look, you are going to pay for all the damages your brand caused me.¡±


    ¡°And if not?¡± Asked Ximena.


    ¡°Morel Beauty is going to the ground.¡± She swore.


    Ximena was certain of it now, but when her phone pinged with a text from Zeus several momentster, she shook her head. ¡°All because of a man, Abbie?¡±

 Chapter 286

    286 Meeting the Wests (1)


    ¡°A man?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know people became deaf once their true intentions were uncovered,¡± Ximena remarked spitefully.


    Abbie crossed her legs at her knees. ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t matter how we know each other personally or if we know each other at all.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t.¡± Ximena shot back. ¡°You looked me up and came here to make a scene. What¡¯s your aim exactly, to make Liam think I am evil and you are the victim of my wickedness? Well, newssh. Liam knows me better than you¡¯d expect.¡±


    Abbie stood up, closed in on her, and attempted to intimidate her with her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s never been about men. It¡¯s about my honor. I will never let anyone take away what I want.¡±


    Ximena scoffed. ¡°And if someone takes it away, you would rather destroy it.¡± She filled in. ¡°Hey, I think we should be friends. I wouldn¡¯t be so forgiving if someone took something-or someone-from me either.¡±


    Abbie took a step back in disgust. ¡°Watch your back, Ximena Morel.¡±


    ¡°And you watch your neck, Abbie Watson.¡±


    As the woman sauntered away, Ximena knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before Abbie startedunching attacks against Morel Beauty. However, that was the least of her worries.


    .....


    ¡°Oh God, what did I get myself into?¡± She ran a hand through her hair as she stared at Zeus¡¯ reply to her text earlier.


    [Abbie Watson: the second daughter of Hond Watson. Not even your angel can save you this time, Ximena.]


    Zeus made fun of everyone. He was the most arrogant man in Olphire and thought of everyone else as a joke. For him to use that kind of tone on anyone, who the hell was Hond Watson?


    ...


    The West golf course.


    ¡°Wee, Mr. Preston.¡± Liam was weed by a voluptuous woman in the tiniest maid outfit he had ever seen. ¡°Would you likepany?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Evan?¡± He asked, pushing away the small hands running down his chest. The staff at The West golf course was a little too friendly.


    ¡°You are so mean.¡± She pouted. ¡°Mr. West is in the pool area.¡±


    He ignored her seductive wink and headed for the pool area, where Evan was sitting under a parasol, sandwiched between two blondes. He smirked when he saw Liam. ¡°Here to join in on the fun?¡±


    ¡°You never have enough, do you?¡± Liam frowned at him, then at the women. ¡°Scram!¡±


    They scurried away, making Evanin. ¡°You better have a good reason to ruin my fun.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an emergency.¡± He sat down and took out his phone, sliding it over the table to Evan. ¡°Abbie Watson.¡±


    Evan scanned the woman¡¯s picture on the screen. ¡°What about her? Fakeshes, fake double eyelids, a nose-job gone wrong, fake breasts?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not...¡±


    ¡°Come on, I have seen enough boobies to know what¡¯s real and these are imnts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the authenticity. I need some dirt.¡± Liam lowered his voice to exin his intention. ¡°As soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°What did she do?¡± Evan demanded.


    Liam was frustrated. ¡°Does it matter? My life will be ruined because of her.¡±


    Evan studied the picture again, with more interest, and shook his head slowly. ¡°She is nothing like Zaria.¡±


    If the man opposite him was not his friend, Liam would have punched his guts. ¡°Zaria Williams is engaged, in case you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Makes her hotter, don¡¯t you think?¡± Evan reclined in his chair, thinking about it for a while. Liam was not the only one who was frustrated. He was, too, majorly because he couldn¡¯t understand why it had to be Zaria. Even before she got together with Desmond, she had never spared him a nce.


    He shrugged and thought back to the woman Liam was so distressed over. ¡°What do you want me to do? Be a jerk and seduce her just for ckmail material?¡±


    ¡°I know that¡¯s the worst thing I could ever do to a woman, but I need it.¡± He confirmed, despite being ashamed of himself for doing this.


    Evan nodded. He didn¡¯t mind shutting his eyes for a moment, though he wondered, why did it have to be him? There was certainly another way.


    ___


    Zaria and Desmond got home on Saturday morning, only to prepare to leave.


    ¡°Daddy, are you leaving again?¡± Rosaly was upset.


    ¡°We will be back before you know it, princess.¡± Desmond picked her up and hugged her.


    ¡°You said that before.¡± She pouted. ¡°Is Zaria leaving too?¡±


    Overhearing their little banter, Zaria felt terrible. ¡°Sweetie, do you want to spend the day with Grandpa Theo?¡± She asked.


    The girl shook her head tearfully. ¡°I want toe with you. You promised to go shopping with me today, Zaria.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we can¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°You cane with us.¡± Zaria interrupted.


    ¡°I can?¡±


    ¡°She can?¡± They asked at the same time, one excited and the other worried.


    ¡°We are meeting Gabriel freaking West. Heaven knows he would want to grab the chance to hurt Rosaly to get to me.¡± He reminded her.


    ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t say anything about her following us everywhere we go, did I?¡± She smirked after managing to find a way to keep her promise while not jeopardizing her work.


    Rosaly rushed to her room to get changed into a peach-colored dress to match Zaria¡¯s, making Desmond smile.


    ¡°Are you ready, beauties?¡± He called to them as he headed out the door.


    ¡°Cheesy.¡± Zaria rolled her eyes, and Rosaly agreed.


    ¡°Daddy, if you don¡¯t up your game, Evan will charm Zaria away.¡± She scolded him, making Zaria burst intoughter and Desmond pick her up for an interrogation.


    ¡°Who told you that?¡± He asked, knowing Rosaly wouldn¡¯te up with such a thought on her own.


    ¡°Evan did. He likes Zaria.¡± Came to her innocent answer, making Desmond grit his teeth. That bastard!


    ...


    The drive to The West felt like a ride to hell and by the time they arrived, Zaria was clutching onto her purse nervously.


    Desmond noticed her pale fingers. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to meet him, you can grab a snack with Rosaly while I wait for him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Besides, I have ns for Rosaly.¡± She opened the door and looked around.


    ¡°Jupiter!¡± Rosaly called out excitedly, having spotted Devonte before Zaria did.


    ¡°What the hell is Devonte doing here?¡± Desmond hissed as the actor walked toward them with a grin.


    ¡°I forgot to tell you, he is going to stay with Rosaly for a while.¡± She tried not to smile, having known the whole time that Desmond would never agree if she said it before.


    ¡°That man is not going to spend a minute near my daughter.¡± He clenched his fists, ignoring Devonte when thetter said hi.


    Zaria shrugged and lowered her voice. ¡°Of course he is. If anyone is good with kids, it¡¯s him. Besides, his little fan can¡¯t wait to y with him. Right, Rosaly?¡±


    The girl nodded excitedly, practically sticking herself onto Devonte. ¡°Can we, daddy? Please, please?¡±


    He was helpless against his daughter¡¯s pleading eyes, but how could he entrust his daughter to a man like him?


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Zaria whispered. ¡°We are not going to find a babysitter right now, much less one that Rosaly will agree to stay with.¡±


    ¡°You did this on purpose.¡± He spanked her and red at the man before them. ¡°If a single strand of hair goes missing on my daughter¡¯s head...¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a single strand, you will not notice.¡± Devonte countered with a sheepish grin. ¡°I don¡¯t eat children so you will be sure to get your daughter back in one piece.¡±


    ¡°And Rosaly and I will go shopping once the two of you are back.¡± Zaria smiled and dragged her frustrated fianc¨¦ away.


    Once Rosaly was taken care of, they entered the lobby one after another.


    ¡°Hey, do you think Gabriel might want to conspire against us, murder us in the elevator where there is no surveince and hence no evidence of the crime?¡± She whispered.


    ¡°He wants Veronica¡¯s shares.¡± He held her hand. Although her spection sounded like a joke, he knew she was terrified of the man. Who wouldn¡¯t be? The bastard could fire a shot at his grandson.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do anything to us before he gets his hands on them.¡± She took a deep breath.


    She already knew the man was a scumbag but when they met in the conference room, she was nearly baffled by how insane one could be.


    ¡°Look who decided to grace us with her presence. Lucy Roatta¡¯s daughter, in the flesh. Should I have a red carpet rolled out for you, princess?¡± The elderly man taunted.

 Chapter 287

    287 Meeting the Wests(2)


    ¡°You look like a copy of your mother. Has anyone ever told you that?¡± He remarked, looking her up and down in a way that made the hairs on her skin stand.


    ¡°So you know my mother. I don¡¯t know whether to be repulsed or horrified.¡± She ignored the hand that he had presented for a shake. ¡°My mother has nothing to do with this meeting so can we keep her out of this?¡±


    ¡°dly.¡± He retracted his hand as though he didn¡¯t realize he had been ignored. He spun on his heel and took a seat, still eyeing her creepily. ¡°After all, you are sexier.¡±


    ¡°Can I kill him?¡± Zaria wanted to die. She should have known this was a bad idea.


    He held her hand, knowing how pissed off she must be. ¡°When the time is right, you will not need to do it yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still here,¡± Gabriel announced his presence.


    ¡°Yes, you are. Is the fact that you will be dead before the decade is over still a secret?¡± Desmond pulled a seat for Zaria and plopped himself down. ¡°Let¡¯s cut the chase. You are not getting back Veronica¡¯s shares.¡±


    ¡°How boring.¡± The elderly man sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to pull out the big guns so soon...just kidding. Why would I want them back? This is my chance to wee such a capable yer to the team.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Zaria knew what the man wanted most was to push her six feet underground. His pretense was more ridiculous than the practiced smile he had stered on his face.


    .....


    ¡°So, tell me, Zaria, what would you do for The West if given this chance?¡±


    ¡°This is not a job interview. I am not under any obligation to reveal my ns to you.¡±


    ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± Heughed heartily and pulled out a cigar, then pointed at the decanter at the center of therge table, with three stem sses beside it. ¡°It¡¯s a century old. Help yourselves.¡±


    He guffawed when neither of them moved.


    ¡°It¡¯s not poisoned. I don¡¯t see why you shouldn¡¯t drink it unless...you are pregnant.¡± His gazended on Zaria in realization. ¡°This just got more interesting.¡±


    ¡°Lay a finger on her and you¡¯re dead!¡± Desmond growled.


    ¡°You have nothing to worry about.¡± Gabrielughed exaggeratedly, as though he was not the same man who had shot him years ago.


    He faced the protective tiger with yet another fake smile. ¡°If I gave a fuck about women you knocked up, Rosaly Fort-or should I say Rosaly Agur-would never have been born. And Lisette...¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Is this the part where you give us a tour of the ce?¡± Zaria was tired of the drama.


    ¡°Be my guests.¡± He stood up and led the way, but it wasn¡¯t long before they split ways. The men had a bone to pick so she followed Gabriel¡¯s assistant to check out the resort since Desmond was already familiar with it.


    Meanwhile, Gabriel took the chance to poke fun at Desmond. ¡°Your little assistant is a fireball on heels.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make such remarks about my fianc¨¦e, it¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Fianc¨¦e,¡± Gabriel drawled the word like it was a joke. ¡°Why would such a feisty wild kitten want to be tamed? Besides, do you have any idea who her mother is?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know before, I know her now that you said it out loud.¡± He grabbed the man by the cor. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell you are thinking but don¡¯t provoke me.¡±


    ¡°Or you¡¯ll burn The West down? Come on, you can do better than that.¡±


    ...


    The chance to create mayhem had presented itself on a silver tter, so Gabriel couldn¡¯t wait to meet up with Alyssa. The duo had dinner together the same evening, and Gabriel could barely shut his mouth about his meeting with Desmond and Zaria.


    ¡°To think Desmond would reject a woman like Natalie Sparks for one who is not good enough for him. Such a disappointment, right?¡±


    ¡°I always had high hopes for my son.¡± Alyssa was beside herself with fury.


    ¡°Men can be blinded sometimes. It¡¯s normal. But once the temptress is gone, theye back to their senses.¡± His smile made his words sound less like a suggestion for Alyssa to get rid of Zaria.


    ¡°Trust me, that slut is harder to get rid of than she looks, with all her bodyguards hovering over her.¡± Alyssa downed the rest of her wine in one gulp. If it was up to her, Zaria would have been buried ages ago. ¡°My Samantha is dead because of her.¡± Shemented.


    ¡°And you cannot avenge your children because of these bodyguards you mentioned?¡± He leaned closer. ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°The Dark Knights.¡±


    Gabriel stared at her. ¡°Take it seriously, Alyssa.¡±


    ¡°Not just The Dark Knights. La Rose Noire too.¡±


    Gabriel nodded as the words sunk in. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°I know Zaria is not a simple woman but why the hell would syndicates protect her?¡±


    It was Alyssa¡¯s turn to be surprised. Did he not know? She stood to leave, uttering a name between gritted teeth on her way out. ¡°Lucy Roatta.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it would be Lucy.¡± He grumbled as he watched Alyssa leave. That woman was probably everypany owner¡¯s nightmare. But not for much longer. He happened to know the one person who could take Lucy down-with Zaria tagging along like a helpless kitten.


    ____


    L¡¯Hotel Luxe La Rive.


    Liam had expected the date to be awkward but he was not prepared for this level of difort. His parents had arranged the date tonight, not giving him a chance to say no to it, and standing her up would probably lead to consequences he was not ready to face.


    Abbie had shown up all dolled up and despite his dislike for her, he had to admit that she looked beautiful in her little ck dress.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Liam. It¡¯s been nearly two decades since west met.¡± She spoke around her crazy straw.


    ¡°And that¡¯s a bad thing?¡±


    She pretended not to notice his meaning. ¡°Liam, you don¡¯t appear to be in a good mood. Is work taking a toll on you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He tried not to be unfriendly. He hated this blind date as much as he hated her, but she was not to me for the choices his parents made. Besides, he had already conspired against her behind her back. The least he could do is not embarrass her in a restaurant full of patrons.


    However, she was not making it easy. An irritating sensation made him look under the table. Abbie had taken off her shoe and was running her toe gently up his leg.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± He warned, but his tone merely made her think he was asking for more. She used her toe to lift the hem of his pants, making him nearly snap. ¡°I said stop it!¡±


    ¡°Okay. You don¡¯t have to be so mean about it.¡± She slid her foot back into her shoe.


    He thought she would stop her insanity after his outrage but he was wrong. By the time their food arrived, she had already revealed details he didn¡¯t think he wanted to know about a woman he wanted nothing to do with, and was currently subtly shing her voluminous chest at him.


    ¡°Oh God,¡± He wanted to get out of here-and he did when she thought it would be a good idea to take his hand.


    ¡°Liam!¡± She rushed after him in her high heels. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me. You are going to embarrass both of our families.¡± She said in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Which is exactly why you chose this ce, right?¡± He swatted her hand away when she reached out. L¡¯Hotel Luxe La Rive was the favorite ce for most celebrities to have meetings and meals and as a result, it was notcking in disguised paparazzi. Abbie was probably banking on him not being willing toe off as a jerk in whatever twisted stories the media would sprawl across the gossip headlines the following day.


    ¡°I have always loved you! Why won¡¯t you look at me?¡± She yelled dramatically as he walked out, sessfully drawing all the attention to them.

 Chapter 288

    288 Conspiracy (1)


    The incessant ringing of the doorbell woke Ximena up barely minutes after she fell asleep.


    ¡°Who has a death wish?¡± She groaned as she slid out of bed. She grabbed a floormp on the living room floor on her way to the door, opened it, and waited for whoever it was to get in.


    Liam was startled when he caught sight of her with amp in hand as a weapon.


    ¡°If I were a burr, do you think that would be enough to take me down?¡± He wondered why she didn¡¯t check before opening the door.


    ¡°Trust me, it doesn¡¯t matter what I have in hand.¡± She put themp down and closed the door. ¡°What are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be in L¡¯Hotel Luxe La Rive?¡±


    ¡°The date would have ended ages ago even if it went well.¡± He stopped mid-step when her ambiguous question made sense. ¡°And if you were my date, I would want to get a room for the weekend.¡±


    She brushed past him. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡±


    He followed her towards the open office and frowned when she sat at the desk.


    ¡°You look sleepy.¡±


    .....


    ¡°I was asleep until you woke me up to grace me with your benevolent presence, so thank you, Mr. Preston.¡± She picked up the cup that had fallen over and spilled its contents all over the mess of files and paper.


    ¡°Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed.¡± He muttered under his breath and rolled his sleeves to help her clean the mess.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch that. It¡¯s none of your business.¡± She snatched the file he had picked up and glowered at him.


    ¡°Last I checked, I was a partner of Morel Beauty. What¡¯s gotten your panties in a knot?¡± He leaned against the edge of the desk as he asked.


    She mmed the file shut after ensuring none of the documents had been stained.


    ¡°Thanks to whatever you did at L¡¯Hotel Luxe La Rive-which I honestly don¡¯t want to find out-your future wife decided to wreck hell in Morel Beauty. All this,¡± she motioned at the mess that had be of her office. ¡°This is her doing.¡±


    ¡°What are we dealing with here, exactly?¡± He offered to help.


    ¡°She made a report about Morel Beauty using counterfeit and poor quality ingredients in the products. I need to prove that all our purchases were made from trustworthy producers. Good heavens.¡± She red at him. Was there anything she gained from being with him apart from one hell-sent enemy after another?


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± He knew she was considering shutting him out of her life.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had to deal with so many problems because of one man.¡± She admitted.


    He inched closer to her to help herpile the records. ¡°Fortunately, I can clean after myself so you have nothing to worry about.¡±


    If he was still talking about Abbie, she had a feeling she was not ready to know how exactly he nned on cleaning his mess.


    Since some of the records were stained, they took much longer topile them and by the time they were done, it was almost dawn. She yawned and rested her head on his shoulder to take a nap.


    ¡°Ximena,¡± He called out softly, taking the chance when she had lowered her guard to strike a conversation he didn¡¯t think he could start when she was awake. ¡°If worse came to worst, would you agree to elope with me?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Where would we go?¡± She drawled, and he was not certain whether she understood him or was muttering gibberish that just happened to be an appropriate question in response to his own.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anywhere we can be on our own, where no one knows us. I heard Luxenville is awesome and Ciel is heaven on earth-both literally and figuratively. Or we could leave Olphire altogether and go somewhere else. Italy sounds like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°What a hassle.¡± She protested. ¡°We could just wipe out the Watson family and be done with it. No other family would agree to a business marriage alliance with your family.¡±


    She sounded so serious that it startled him. He kissed her forehead. ¡°Remind me never to mess with you.¡± He was not ready to die.


    She was dead asleep not longter, but picking her up was a vicious battle. In her sub-conscience, she believed she was being attacked and retaliated with all the strength she could muster in her slumber. He finally put her in bed, tucked her in and gently pulled his hand away. He was lucky to have made it out with his jaw intact.


    He stood by the bed and watched as she finally rxed and allowed herself to sleep. It was fun witnessing her sleepy battle but once she was calm, he couldn¡¯t help wondering why anyone would be so guarded. ¡°No one is born with such heartless beliefs. What the hell happened to you, Xim?¡±


    His phone rang with an iing call and he stepped aside to answer it.


    ¡°Did you do it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°See you at the golf course.¡±


    ____


    Earlier that night.


    Evan crossed Abbie¡¯s path, nearly making her trip on her skyscraper high heels, but held her in time.


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?¡± She exploded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He gently steadied her. ¡°I lost my cool seeing such a beautiful woman. What¡¯s a beauty like you doing on your own?¡±


    She scrunched her nose. ¡°You are Evan West.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you recognized me. Is it because I¡¯m so charming that every woman knows my name?¡± He studied her eyes.


    ¡°Everyone knows that you, Liam and Desmond are best friends. Some sort of clique?¡± She huffed.


    ¡°You missed out one name. Natalie.¡± He joked, making her re at him for making fun of her. ¡°This is not the right ce for a chat with all these people milling past us. Do you want to grab a drink?¡±


    She hesitated.


    He leaned over to whisper in her ear. ¡°If anyone knows Liam Preston, that would be yours truly. Don¡¯t you want to find out what you have done wrong all these years?¡±


    ¡°How tempting.¡± She admitted. She had always been curious why the man never spared her so much as a second nce but at the same time, this was Olphire¡¯s most notorious yboy she was talking to. What if someone took pictures?


    ...


    In the end, curiosity overcame rationality. A few drinkster, she was nervous.


    ¡°If you are out to prank me, you better stop now or you will not like what I will do in retaliation.¡± She tried to read his expression. They had decided to have their little chat in the bar down the street, where everyone was too busy having fun to care about anyone else. The ce was packed and noisy and the only way tomunicate was by yelling or speaking in one¡¯s partner¡¯s ear-and Evan had chosen thetter.


    ¡°What would I gain from pranking you? I would rather charm you.¡±


    Her heartbeat stopped for a second. ¡°You are so annoying and cheesy. Howe every woman in Imperium can¡¯t wait to hop into your bed?¡±


    He rested his head on his fist with a snicker. ¡°Every woman except Zaria Williams.¡±


    Abbie¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Can we not talk about that woman?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± He raised an eyebrow when he detected a hint of hate. ¡°What did she do? I mean, we will not talk about her once I know what she did to make you so angry.¡±


    She leaned over the bar and gulped down her tequ. ¡°My family is falling apart-that¡¯s not a secret anymore. At least it won¡¯t be if things don¡¯t go as nned.¡±


    ¡°How is she in your way?¡± He probed.


    ¡°If she wasn¡¯t engaged to Desmond, I wouldn¡¯t have to face this kind of humiliation. The aim is Preston and Fort Group and if you ask me, Desmond is a better man to have a loveless marriage with. He has a heart, at least.¡±


    ¡°Oh, trust me he doesn¡¯t.¡± He mumbled.


    ¡°He¡¯s not ruthless enough to dump a woman in public.¡± She defended him.


    ¡°If that woman is Zaria, he will not even want to dump her. But why are you defending him instead of your crush of decades?¡± He exaggerated thest word mockingly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. So what if I love him? Even if he were to fall in love with me, it wouldn¡¯t change a thing.¡±


    ¡°Why am I telling you all this anyway?¡± She sighed deeply and downed another tequ shot.


    ¡°Do not underestimate the power of those. They tend to loosen your tongue.¡± He pointed at the tequ with a satisfied grin. He had just found out a conspiracy that would interest Liam much more than explicit pictures of them together.


    _____


    AN


    I¡¯m trying to resume writing all my books but to be able to update all of them, I will alternate the update days for a steady schedule. I¡¯ll publish at least 3-4 chapters per week for each book, TTW¡¯s days are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

 Chapter 289

    289 Conspiracy(2)


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make much sense. Even if this was the actual conspiracy, why would Abbie Watson tell you all about it after a few tequs? The Watsons are much smarter than that, I presume.¡± Liam couldn¡¯t believe what he had heard.


    ¡°Maybe the spoiled little girl is not nearly as smart as we think. There has to be a reason why all her exes are dead.¡± Evan threw in a random guess that he didn¡¯t think was too illogical to be possible.


    ¡°Do you think she told them all about her family? That would be tragic.¡± Liam rubbed his chin.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite likely considering how much she revealed within the few minutes we were together.¡± Evan ced all the pictures he had taken and printed on the table. ¡°Do you still need these?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Liam took them. Although he was certain they had been photoshopped, he was repulsed just looking at them. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this.¡±


    ¡°You better believe it. I nearly lost half my life getting my hands on them and I will not appreciate you suddenly changing your mind because you think it¡¯s unfair to do this to an innocent woman who we both know is anything but innocent.¡±


    Liam frowned at his usation. ¡°Do you think I would make you go all the way and do this if I¡¯m not certain of what I want?¡±


    Evan let out a breath. ¡°I am not involved in this. Do you understand? If the truth came out, I would never want Zaria to know I had anything to do with this.¡±


    Liam was about to tell him he could rest assured nothing of that sort could happen but when he heard the second part, he huffed helplessly. ¡°Drop it, unless you want to be Desmond¡¯s worst enemy.¡±


    .....


    ¡°So what? He¡¯s not the boss of me and a woman should be allowed the right to choose who she wants.¡± He retorted, to which Liam shrugged.


    ¡°Do as you wish. Just don¡¯tin if your choicese crashing down on you.¡±


    Evan scoffed. ¡°Knock it off. You¡¯re not giving a teenage boy lectures about love.¡± Before Liam could say an annoying word more, Evan¡¯s assistant knocked and came in.


    ¡°Sir, Miss Williams requests a video call. She said it¡¯s urgent.¡±


    ¡°Speak of the angel.¡± Evan smiled as he took out hisptop and turned it on. Zaria¡¯s call came in momentster.


    ¡°Do you miss me so much that you can¡¯t wait to see my face?¡± He greeted them once he saw her worried face, and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You never stop, do you? Hey, I need a favor from you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure your helicopter fianc¨¦ is not going to throw a tantrum about that?¡± He teased, referring to Desmond who was minding his own business in the background.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of going on and on about the same topic every time. It gets tiresome, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She asked, and didn¡¯t give him the chance to answer her before she fired off her questions. ¡°I need all the information about the schools Veronica went to. All of them, including her kindergarten.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to know so much about my sister?¡± Was his first question.


    ¡°I know it sounds crazy but hear me out. Veronica¡¯s information is not quite adding up.¡± Zaria whipped out her notebook to fill in the answers to all the questions she was going to ask.


    ¡°Quit it. That woman is no impostor. I would recognize my sister even if she turned to ash.¡± He tried to make her give up, but she was persistent.


    ¡°Can you be certain that she was exactly where she said she was all her life?¡± Seeing his stunned expression, she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. So, what¡¯s the university she imed to have gone to?¡±


    He answered her questions diligently and just as he thought, she had more questions than she did before.


    ¡°I was right. She was nowhere near France when she imed to be in EBDP.¡± She opened another notepad. ¡°Do you think your grandfather knew everything from the start and is conspiring against us using her? The gap in her life could be a period when she learned some skills your grandfather thinks you shouldn¡¯t hear of.¡±


    ¡°You are giving the old geezer too much credit. He wouldn¡¯t think that far ahead.¡± He assured her.


    ¡°Honey, it¡¯s a call from Rosaly.¡± Desmond finally spoke up, handing his phone over to her.


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± She took the phone and answered the call, smiling briefly at the screen. ¡°Can I call youter, Evan? I still have a billion questions and Rosaly needs to go back to bed.¡±


    She hung up before he could say a word so he stared at the nk screen for a while longer, earning another round of scolding from Liam.


    ¡°She could be in the middle of an important meeting but as soon as Rosaly calls for her, she will go running to her. This is not about the child being cute and whatnot. It¡¯s because she loves Desmond so much that she¡¯s grown to love his daughter.¡±


    Evan¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Funny for you to say that, considering how much you liked her before. Are you going to deny that?¡±


    Liam was helpless. ¡°You are going to set off a bomb you could never handle. Learn when to stop.¡± Thest thing he wanted was enmity between his friends which would throw all of them into a predicament-they had way too many projects together that could crumble into smithereens if one of them made the wrong move.


    _______


    Two dayster, in Imperium.


    Alyssa met up with a woman she didn¡¯t think she would need any time soon, and thetter didn¡¯t believe they were meeting either.


    ¡°How did you know I came back?¡± Ang asked when she saw the woman who should have helped her before. She was wearing a scarf and sunsses and hated Alyssa for not doing the same. What if she got recognized?


    Alyssa, on the other hand, was indifferent. ¡°A little birdie told me.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± They were not meeting at Reynolds¡¯ merely for a cup of tea, that much was obvious.


    Alyssa took her time finding the right words. ¡°You left on a rather unpleasant note.¡±


    ¡°Who am I to thank for that other than your son and his precious skank?¡± She rolled her eyes and took a big gulp of her coffee to calm herself down, and almost choked on it when a tall, ck-haired woman walked in.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± She wanted to hide under the table when she saw Ximena clearly. The sight of that woman sent her chills down her spine.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alyssa tried to follow her line of sight and didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Ang swallowed hard and hoped she wouldn¡¯t be noticed. To her relief, Ximena was done in a few minutes and headed out right after, only to stop halfway towards the exit. She turned and scanned the cafe as if on instinct, stared at Ang and Alyssa for long enough to make them ufortable, and finally left.


    ¡°Damn it. I forgot Morel Beauty is nearby and that woman...did she see us?¡± Alyssa was worried. ¡°Never mind. We need to be done and get out of here as soon as possible.¡±


    For the first time, Ang agreed with her. ¡°Tell me why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I missed my granddaughter. I haven¡¯t even met her a second time and you know who to me for that? Zaria Williams. She has my son wrapped around her little pinky.¡±


    ¡°You are here to use me.¡± Ang guffawed. Hadn¡¯t she given up?


    Alyssa didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I know why you are here. You can¡¯t stand the thought of being pushed away from your daughter. I understand how you feel. When I lost Samantha and then Jaime, I couldn¡¯t take it.¡± She drooped her eyes bitterly and when she looked up, they were filled with determination. ¡°And it¡¯s all because of one woman who thinks the world owes her something. Have you heard what Rosaly¡¯s been calling hertely?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Ang retorted.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t, but I know people who know people, who have heard her call Lucy Roatta ¡®grandma¡¯ and Theodore Williams ¡®Grandpa¡¯. It¡¯s almost cute. I mean, the high and mighty Lucy as a grandmother, now that¡¯s a sight for sore eyes. And did I mention, Zeus is now ¡®Uncle Zeus¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Ang banged her fist against the table in rage.

 Chapter 290

    290 Onest chance


    ¡°You will not change a single thing by throwing a tantrum. Let¡¯s talk about it and find a solution. Come here.¡± Alyssa grabbed her hand in vain and didn¡¯t give up when she couldn¡¯t get the woman to stop. ¡°Ang, the most important person here is Rosaly. If you are rash...¡±


    ¡°I know what¡¯s best for my daughter, Alyssa. Unlike you, I still have power over my child. I have no daughter-inw causing chaos and trying to ruin our rtionship. We are on different boats.¡± She left after letting Alyssa know she knew what she was doing.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Alyssa cursed under her breath. Ang was harder to deal with now than she was before. Not that she could be med. She had received all sorts of colorful promises about being able to get back together with Desmond if she let him know they had a daughter together. Not only had that failed, but her daughter had been taken away too.


    She stayed in the restaurant for a while longer, contemting her next move. Pushing Ang was out of question. If she pushed too hard, she might end up turning Ang into a foe instead of a friend and if she chose to approach her gently, that may take ages.


    ¡°Are you still thinking of what to do?¡± A haunting voice pulled her out of her thoughts moments before her gaze fell on the woman who had just made her way over to her and was now sitting on the chair that Ang was on a moment ago.


    ¡°Ximena.¡± Her breath quickened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, dear Alyssa. I don¡¯t n to do anything to you, really. Unless, of course, the little meeting you had with Ang a moment ago had something to do with hurting my best friend.¡±


    ¡°No. Of course not.¡± Alyssa knew she was not being believable so she sighed. ¡°Fine, it was about her. But now that you are here, I think we mighte to some agreement on friendly grounds.¡±


    Ximenaughed with a snort and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. ¡°Pardon me. Am I to do anything on a friendly note? Me?¡±


    .....


    Now that she put it that way, Alyssa realized she was asking for the impossible. If there was any reason why Zaria and Ximena were friends, it was probably because Ximena was everything like Lucy. Shrewd, rutheless and a lone wolf. She would only make an ally if the benefit of it greatly outdid those of being on her own.


    ¡°Think about it.¡± Her head spun as she tried toe up with something on the spot. ¡°I have nothing against Zaria as a person. To be quite honest, she is a smart woman. She is also carrying my grandchild. If I hurt her, not only would I lose the only chance to reconcile with my son, but I would also miss out on my second grandchild.¡±


    ¡°So who is your real enemy, Alyssa?¡± Ximena was not interested in her beating around the bush.


    ¡°Lucy.¡± She gritted the name out venomously. ¡°Everyone hates that woman.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? You hated Zaria ages before you found out she is Lucy¡¯s daughter.¡± Ximena questioned.


    ¡°She looks so much like Lucy, doesn¡¯t she? She kept reminding me of her but that¡¯s besides the point.¡± She sipped her tea. ¡°Ximena, I was like you years ago. A young woman with dreams and ambition. I did my best to fulfill them, only for them to be crashed like they were nothing. Lucy has damaged many families all in the name of revenge. She has this void in her heart that can perhaps only be filled if she sessfully destroys every opulent family in Imperium. Someone has to stop her before she ruins us all.¡±


    Ximena listened on curiously and raised a brow. ¡°You think one woman would go against an entire country and win.¡± She burst intoughter. ¡°Seriously, Alyssa. Not even the president¡¯s wife would achieve such a feat.¡±


    Hearing her words, Alyssa knew no amount of convincing would get Ximena on her side. She rested her elbow on the table to inch closer to the woman. ¡°All you saw was Ang and I having a meeting. You could have left immediately but you didn¡¯t. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Why is Ang Agur still alive? I want to know that, as well as the reason why you are still alive.¡± Ximena insinuated with a gentle smile. ¡°I should have killed you ages ago. I could do it now.¡±


    ¡°You will go to prison.¡± Alyssa warned, but fear rose in the pits of her stomach. This woman was a psycho. Hell knew she could do it and not even the bars of prison would make her regret it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t have to, if youe to your senses.¡± She picked a cookie out of Alyssa¡¯s tray and took a tiny bite. ¡°You know, my parents aren¡¯t really my parents. I wouldn¡¯t call them anything but a sperm donor married to his corresponding egg donor. They had me but they have never been my parents.¡±


    Alyssa listened with horror. Why was this about her parents? Yet when she caught Ximena¡¯s expression, her heart broke.


    ¡°I was in the choir when I was little and we would have performances and all the parents in school would be invited. Every single time when it ended, I would look in the crowd and Uncle Theo would be there, cheering me on like I¡¯m his daughter. He would take me and Zaria out for ice cream all so I would forget that the man who should have been there cheering me is my father.¡±


    She forced augh. ¡°And every night there was a thunderstorm, he would read me stories over the house telephone so I could get to sleep again. It never ured to me that I could have knocked on my parents¡¯ door. My brain was wired to call him because my own father didn¡¯t even know I had trouble sleeping. He didn¡¯t know I was scared of thunderstorms when Uncle Theo started following the weather forecast just so he would know when to have Zaria call me for a sleepover.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so...¡± Alyssa started speaking, only for Ximena to shush her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m a grown up woman now. I will get married and my husband will take over where my father didn¡¯t do his job, right? If I¡¯m scared he can read me. And when I have kids, I will have to learn on the spot how to be a mother since I had no example to learn from.¡±


    Ximena then smiled to push it all down. ¡°He never says it to anyone but I know a broken child when I see one-even in his adulthood. Your son needed you, Alyssa. You were meant to guide him into the world but instead, you abandoned him. And now that he found his own way, you want to take away the one thing that matters to him. Have you no heart?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you make assumptions about things you don¡¯t know.¡± Alyssa snapped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you felt that way growing up but my son always had us. We were there for him.¡±


    ¡°Yet he still ended up findingfort in anything and anyone but his parents. Have you ever tried to find out how he truly felt?¡± She shrugged when Alyssa remained silent. ¡°I thought so. You only ever care about you and the kind of ttery you would receive from everyone for mothering the smartest child.¡±


    She walked out of the caf¨¦, leaving Alyssa confused and deep in thoughts. She had not intended toe back in this manner. When she noticed a disguised woman and recognized her as Ang from her silhouette, she had wanted to finish the scheming duo. What had started as an interrogation had ended as her pouring her heart out over matters she thought she had long buried.


    ¡°I gave it my all, didn¡¯t I?¡± Sheughed to herself as she stared into the mirror. Her freshly washed face looked back at her, her eyes still slightly reddened. ¡°This is yourst chance, Alyssa. If after this you still don¡¯t give up your stunts, don¡¯t me me if my knife identally slips andnds right through your heart.¡±


    _____


    AN


    Do you think Alyssa could ever turn over a new life? If she can, does she deserve a second

 Chapter 291 - 291 Along memory lane (1)

    291 Along memoryne (1)


    When she met Liam that afternoon, thest thing she wanted to talk about was work.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been getting more requests from investorstely but who cares about them?¡± She shut her file within two minutes of opening it to show him her progress.


    ¡°It¡¯s not every day something bugs you enough for you to lose your focus. What¡¯s going on?¡± He rose from his seat and circled the table to her desk, pushed her chair back to create space and leaned against the desk to face her.


    ¡°Your n has loopholes.¡± She admitted. He had briefly talked about his plot with Evan and since then, she had not been able to focus on anything else.


    ¡°Actually, forget the loopholes. Liam, you cannot do this to a woman. It will ruin her.¡± She took his hand. ¡°I hate her but no one deserves such humiliation. If you publicly proim her as a woman who cheats on her fianc¨¦ even before the engagement is set in stone, it is likely that no one will care since, well, you are not her boyfriend or fianc¨¦. But how would she feel, thinking the whole world is judging her for something she didn¡¯t do?¡±


    ¡°Ximena.¡± He massaged his temples. ¡°I know it is hical but it¡¯s either her or me. She is ganging up with my family and hers to destroy me. How can I not retaliate?¡±


    She didn¡¯t relent and when he thought about it, he had to admit it was a bit too harsh¡ªif Ximena could consider anything as heartless, it had to be the worst thing.


    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll only show them to my mother. She would never share them with anyone.¡± He asked.


    ¡°I would prefer that.¡± She hugged him in relief. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know you are the one losing the most from her antics. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    .....


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay.¡± He knew she would never be against it if the pictures were real. He kissed her lips. ¡°Can we talk business now?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°You have me here and all you want to talk about is business?¡±


    That was his cue to take her lips with his.


    ¡­.


    As expected, Ember was furious when she saw the pictures. She swiped through them with disgust written all over her face. ¡°It¡¯s already enough that she is gluing herself to my son who clearly doesn¡¯t want anything to do with her. How dare she cheat on you as well?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be considered cheating if we are not an item.¡± He reminded her, but she was still enraged.


    ¡°You are not an item now, but what have our families been discussing all along?¡±


    He took his phone back from her. ¡°About that. Mother, you went ahead and discussed my marriage with Abbie against my wish despite knowing I love someone else.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I wanted that?¡± She blew up. ¡°I hate arranged marriage more than anyone. Heck, if it were up to me, you would never have existed.¡± She seemed to realize what she had just said and slowed down. ¡°No offense. I love you. But inparison to this sham that I call my marriage¡­I would have been better off in prison for these three decades. Why would I want to do the same thing to my son?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what to tell her. She rarely spoke of her marriage to anyone. The world thought she and his father were a match made in heaven as they portrayed it, so her sudden outburst caught him off guard.


    He steered away from the topic as fast as he could. ¡°If the main point is having some sort of business deal with the Watsons, why didn¡¯t they choose Eugine? He is the eldest and he¡¯s single. Why did it have to be me when clearly¡­¡± She shifted ufortably and for the first time in over thirty years, he made a dreadful discovery. ¡°Do I want to know?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll have a word with your father.¡± She forced a smile on her way out.


    He didn¡¯t want to think about it but he couldn¡¯t pretend it didn¡¯t matter. If he and Eugine were part of the cause of the rift between his parents, he could never change that. Not even if he did their bidding and took the woman they wanted for him like an obedient little puppet. Since that was the case, he might as well stick to his choice like he had intended to all along.


    _____


    Meanwhile, Lucy had been buying way too much time in the Su Conglomerate. When Nathaniel caught on, he couldn¡¯t help confronting her about it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to help Su Conglomerate get back on its feet?¡± He asked when he found her in the office he had set up for her at home, spaced out with an empty wine ss still in her hand.


    She had vaguely heard himing but that didn¡¯t stop her from ring at him. ¡°Before you get into anyone¡¯s personal space, you should knock. Didn¡¯t anyone teach you that?¡±


    ¡°That,ing from my daughter, is amusing. What makes you think there¡¯s such a thing as personal space between a child and their parents?¡±


    ¡°A child?¡± She scoffed at his choice of words. ¡°I¡¯m a mother. And in six months, I will be a grandmother.¡±


    ¡°So? I will be a great-grandfather. You will always be my child even when you are old.¡±


    His words were creepy and thest thing she wanted was to start a fake familial conversation with him so she shuffled the paper on her desk and gave him a sheet. ¡°I¡¯ve not been sitting here doing nothing. I discovered a gold mine.¡±


    He checked through the details of what she was showing him and huffed. ¡°Even if you want to run Su Conglomerate to the ground, you don¡¯t have to be so obvious about it. How can this be a gold mine? All I see is a hotel that fell before it had the chance to rise.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound familiar?¡± Lucy raised her eyebrow, reminding him about his greatest loss which was to auction Royal Hotel off to Preston and Fort Group.


    ¡°Fine. What do you want to do with this?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The main reason why it didn¡¯t thrive is because it¡¯s in Hustace and the owners¡¯ marketing strategy is a load of crap. None of which you need to know, because you are not interested in the fine details.¡± She fired off the briefest exnation she could and slid another document over to him. ¡°We need The Sparks for this. They may not measure up to Preston and Fort Group but if anyone can make you buy a cockroach with their impable marketing skills, it¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°Do what you find fit.¡± Nathaniel was impressed but cautious at the same time. It was unlike Lucy to take the initiative and be so engrossed in helping out. The contract didn¡¯t mean much to her. Was she doing her best to secure her family¡¯s safety, or was she nning something?


    ¡°I have scheduled a meeting with Owen Sparks and his wife today. I¡¯m meeting them in Hustace.¡± She announced and rose to her feet. ¡°Excuse me. I need you to leave my office before I leave. I don¡¯t trust you.¡±


    Nathanielughed. There was no way she was scheming. Lucy was more likely to parade her sneaky deeds in his face than scheme.


    She took out her phone as soon as she left the Su mansion and gave Natalie a call. She was exasperated when thetter didn¡¯t answer and left a frantic voice message. ¡°I¡¯m leaving for Hustace. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow but I need you in Preston and Fort Group within half an hour. Tell Zaria all about Dawn.¡±


    ¡­.


    Owen and Ava were still in disbelief when they arrived at their airstrip.


    ¡°She has always been our rival. Why does she need us now?¡± Ava had a billion questions.


    ¡°There¡¯s no permanent friend or foe in business.¡± Owen reminded her.


    ¡°I know. This just feels¡­¡± she nced around the airstrip. ¡°It¡¯s strange. It feels like something that happened ages ago which I can¡¯t remember but it did happen and I have a bad feeling. Great. Now I¡¯m rambling.¡±


    Owen nced at her and shook his head. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always wanted to figure Ms. Roatta out? This is your chance.¡±


    Their ne was ready, but the door wasn¡¯t opened upon their arrival as usual. Owen pondered calling his staff but shrugged the thought off. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We are runningte.¡±


    His words were barely out when the ne burst into mes merely several meters away from them.


    ¡°Run!¡± Owen yelled amid Ava¡¯s scream and they sprinted for the exit, hearing the earth-shattering st secondster.


    ____


    It took several hours for Ava¡¯s mind to wrap around what had just happened. Their ne had exploded out of the blue, at the time when they should have boarded. If they had been on time, neither she nor Owen would be alive.


    She winced at the sting of disinfectant on her arm as a doctor cleaned it. She had no idea how she got injured. Maybe it was the debris, or maybe she fell. Owen was nursing a broken leg that she had no recollection of either.


    The entire incident was a blur, except the woman she saw before her eyes forcefully shut. Lucy had stood over her with a devilish smirk on her face, but that was nothingpared to the words she had said.


    ¡°It¡¯s been three entrie decades since we had a proper conversation so I thought I¡¯d refresh your memory. Does this ring any bell, sister?¡±

 Chapter 292 - 292 Along memory lane (2)

    292 Along memoryne (2)


    Thirty years ago.


    ¡°Lucinda!¡±


    Lucy turned at the call of her name and huffed when she saw her sister running towards her. Thest thing she wanted was to associate with her family. She had been forced to be engaged to thest man she would ever agree to have any rtionship with and she had endured it, until the man and his family found it fun to suggest they have their wedding within a week.


    ¡°What do you want, Lynn?¡± She snapped at the approaching Ava. [1]


    Ava stopped when she got close enough to her. ¡°You have to calm down, sister. You cannot make a scene on¡­¡±


    ¡°On my engagement? I don¡¯t want to marry that dork. Have you considered that?¡± Lucy blew up. Ava carefully approached and took her hands. ¡°I understand you. Can I tell you something that might make you hate me?¡±


    Lucy frowned at her choice of words. Ava was her half sister but their rtionship was closer than that of many siblings. Why would she ever assume there was something that could cause a rift between them? ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, the dork you just mentioned¡­Owen, I¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    .....


    ¡°I like him.¡± She revealed.


    Lucy¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You like Owen? Forget about your horrible taste in men. Why didn¡¯t you say a word? You let father arrange my marriage with a man you like?¡±


    Ava yed with her fingers. ¡°I didn¡¯t know him yet¡­but that doesn¡¯t matter. I like him and I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t since you love that guy you met a few months ago.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Lucy instantly understood her sister was nning something.


    ¡°If you somehow disappeared, father would try his best to appease the Sparks. Although he doesn¡¯t care about my mother and me, I¡¯m the only other daughter he has. He would have me marry Owen in your ce.¡± She suggested. Seeing that Lucy was caving, she continued. ¡°You have to go through with the engagement banquet first. If you leave right now, they will do their best to get a hold of you.¡±


    ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Lucy grabbed the skirt of her gown. It was way too regal and long for her liking. It was a good thing that Theodore didn¡¯t like her in expensive clothes. She reached over to Ava and pulled thetter¡¯s hair to one side. ¡°You are very beautiful, sister. If Owen fell in love with you, he wouldn¡¯t want me.¡±


    Ava swallowed and forced a smile. Beautiful? That, she was. But her looks couldn¡¯t hold a candle to Lucy, who had inherited her looks from herte grandmother, Lucinda, who was known to be the most beautiful woman in her time. Her mother definitely knew what she was doing when she named her after the woman whose looks had been talked about for ages. Ava had always been secretly jealous of her half sister¡¯s looks.


    ¡°How do you make a man fall in love with another woman?¡± She asked, swallowing past a lump. She would have assumed Lucy was taking her for a ride if she didn¡¯t know what kind of person she was¡ªone who would try her best to do the impossible and only stop once she aplished it.


    Lucy responded by holding her hand and going back with her to her room. She knew everyone was waiting and the banquet hall was in chaos thanks to her sudden departure, so she hurriedly grabbed a gown as soon as she got to her room. Ava was wearing a golden gown but the one Lucy had chosen was aquamarine and had a lower cut at the chest.


    ¡°I think it would highlight the color of your eyes.¡± She suggested. Ava quickly changed into it¡ªLucy had a remarkable fashion sense¡ªand followed her sister back to the banquet hall.


    ¡°There you are. I thought you had run away.¡± Owen remarked when he saw Lucy return.


    ¡°Forget that. Have you met my sister yet? Ava is smart and witty and do I need to mention how beautiful she is?¡± She introduced the two.


    ¡°No one told me you had a sister.¡± Owen looked intrigued. Soon after she shook hands with Ava, Lucy stepped closer to whisper to him. ¡°They say marrying a woman who loves you is the best decision a man could ever make. My sister has always dreamed of you.¡±


    Ava¡¯s face flushed in embarrassment but she couldn¡¯t deny it. As if magically, Owen asked her for a dance. When she met Nathaniel¡¯s eye, she saw how furious thetter looked but that didn¡¯t stop her from enjoying the dance.


    ¡­


    The next time she met Lucy, thetter had been locked up in her room as punishment for the stunt she pulled at what was supposed to be her engagement banquet. Owen had preferred to be with Ava, who was head over heels for him, instead of Lucy who couldn¡¯t wait to grill him with her witty question and overboard sarcasm. No one wanted women like Lucy. In his fury, Nathaniel had banished Ava from his house¡ªnot that she had much ess in the past¡ªand locked Lucy up.


    ¡°Sister, I came to help you escape.¡± She whispered as she woke Lucy.


    Opening her eyes from the nap she had taken, Lucy wanted tough out loud. ¡°How will you do that? No matter where I am, father will find me as long as I am in the city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing, then, that I have made ns for you to leave the city.¡± Ava revealed with a smile. She helped Lucy out of her shackles and hugged her. ¡°I know what you have been through. I told Theodore everything. He will be waiting for you in Hustace and the two of you can get married when you get married.¡±


    ¡°How will I get to Hustace under all this scrutiny?¡± She found it unbelievable.


    ¡°Owen¡¯s family owns a private ne. His parents let us borrow it for the day.¡±


    Lucy wrapped her arms around her tightly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would do this for me.¡±


    ¡°You helped me gain the interest of the man I love. I figured I should return the favor by letting you get together with Theodore.¡± She turned around and grabbed a bag, in which she shoved a few of Lucy¡¯s dresses. Sneaking out of the house was harder than sneaking in but it was all worth it. She managed to get Lucy to the airstrip without any qualms and showed her to the ne.


    ¡°Goodbye, sister. Say hi to Theodore.¡± She waved as Lucy got in. Thetter lingered at the entrance for a few seconds and when she finally got in, Ava snickered.


    ¡°See you never, sister.¡± She rubbed her belly. ¡°Don¡¯t call me heartless. I just want to make sure you will not change your mind. Especially not when little Nathaniel or Natalie is on the way.¡± She then pressed the red button on the tiny remote control in her hand, sending the ne into mes.


    _____


    It call came rushing back to Ava like a nightmare. ¡°That can¡¯t be. She entered the ne. She couldn¡¯t have survived!¡± She took forced, deep breaths.


    ¡°And even if she somehow caught on and escaped before the explosion, how would she recognize me? I went by the name Lynn back then. No one ever remembered my full name was Avalynn. Luci certainly didn¡¯t know Lynn was the short form of my name. She wouldn¡¯t pin the pieces together even if she met me.¡± She frantically exined to Owen.


    ¡°You think she would forget me? She knew my name is Owen Sparks.¡± He retorted.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have married someone else? Someone who is not her half sister?¡± She trembled, remembering she had used the st to fake her death. ¡°Avalynn Su is supposed to be dead. Or Lynn Su, ording to Luci.¡±


    Owen had thought for years that it was the case, but he had started having doubts every time the name Lucy Roatta came up. He had often had a feeling she was Lucinda Su, but he had not thought much of it before the ident.


    ¡°The private ne headed for Hustace. She is your sister, and she did all this to let us know that.¡± He concluded, feeling nauseated by all of this.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Ava froze when she remembered a detail from the airstrip thirty years ago. She had mentioned Little Natalie or Nathaniel, thinking Lucy was too far to hear her. What if Natalie Sparks was the evidence she needed to locate her as the long lost sister who tried to kill her?


    ¡°She¡¯s been getting close to Natalie.¡± She whimpered.


    ¡­.


    ¡°Mom, dad?¡± Natalie rushed to Ava¡¯s ward frantically when she got to the hospital, having just received the news. Owen was more injured than she thought, with bandages wrapped around him.


    ¡°Dad,¡± her heart broke.


    ¡°This is all your fault.¡± Ava spat out.


    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s my fault?¡± Natalie frowned.


    ¡°If you were not close to that woman, she would never have done this to us!¡±


    Natalie¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Zaria? I assure you, no pregnant woman in her right mind would risk the life of her child just to set up or detonate a bomb.¡±


    Ava swallowed a hard lump. ¡°Not her. Lucy.¡±


    _______


    AN


    [1]¡­..I hope it¡¯s not confusing but to clear it up, Ava¡¯s full maiden name is Avalynn Su while Lucy¡¯s is Lucinda Su. They both tweaked their names for the following reasons; Avalynn changed hers to Ava sparks to escape the crime she hadmitted while Lucinda changed hers to Lucy Roatta to be with Theodore andter get revenge.

 Chapter 293 - 293 Along memory lane (3)

    293 Along memoryne (3)


    Preston and Fort Group.


    Natalie arrived feeling overwhelmed. She only had ten minutes before the board meeting but she didn¡¯t think she could take it. She wanted to drown herself in coffee¡ªor tequ. Whatever would work best. When she met Zaria in the hallway, thetter was concerned.


    ¡°Are you okay, Nat? How are your parents?¡± Zaria pulled her in for a hug.


    ¡°They are doing fine. As fine as they can do after this murder attempt, anyway.¡± She forced augh. ¡°How can anyone be so cruel?¡±


    Zaria realized Natalie already knew what happened and it was probably not best to talk about it in thepany hallways. She guided her back to her office. There was still some coffee left from the espresso she had just made. She poured it in a cup and offered it to Natalie. ¡°It¡¯s decaf. Do you mind?¡±


    Natalie shook her head and took a sip. ¡°How did you know what I need?¡±


    ¡°You like taking espresso with no cream and no sugar when you are upset. I don¡¯t know how you ever manage to swallow it but yikes, whatever floats your boat.¡± Zaria circled her desk and sat, waiting for Natalie to decide whether or not she wanted to talk about it.


    ¡°Uhm, Zaria, do you know the name of your maternal great grandmother?¡± She asked.


    It was an odd question, one which Zaria had no answer to. She shook her head.


    .....


    ¡°I see.¡± Natalie downed her coffee in a few gulps, set the cup down and stood. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll rush to the restroom before the meeting begins.¡±


    She left the office, leaving behind Zaria who was confused. She bumped into Zeus outside and grabbed his arm to stop him. ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°What was that? Did you finally decide to go out with me, Nat?¡± He winked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that.¡± She felt bile rise in the pit of her stomach and had to do her best not to gag. She checked left and right to make sure no one was nearby and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you remember ever mentioning that Zaria and I look alike?¡±


    Zeus frowned at her question. ¡°I said you and my mother look a bit alike but now that you mention it, you could pretend to be Zaria¡¯s sister and no one would doubt it. But why are you asking? Comparing my sister to you is kind of gross.¡±


    Natalie had already bolted for the exit.


    ¡­.


    The meeting was bound to feel like hell with Lucy in the same conference room, so she did the only thing she could¡ªshe let Desmond know she wouldn¡¯t be present and floored the elerator out of Preston and Fort Group. Thest ce she wanted to be was near Lucy.


    As soon as she got to her apartment, she grabbed a hair curling wand and a spray dye she had wanted to try before but hadn¡¯t had the chance to. She took a deep breath and begun working on her hair, and when she was done, she pulled it back and scrolled through her phone for a picture of Zaria.


    She had heard it from Zeus and Devonte but that was nothingpared to what she was seeing in the mirror. This was not necessary, she had to admit, but she wanted to see how simr She and Zaria actually looked. She had made her hair to look like Zaria¡¯s and used a lipstick simr to hers, and the result nearly sent her breaking down. Forget sisters. With only a few alterations, they could pretend to be identical twins and no one would doubt it.


    She angrily rubbed the lipstick off and took a shower much longer than necessary, only stopping when the doorbell rang. She grabbed bathrobe and draped it on, trying not to sob as she went to open the door. She threw herself into Devonte¡¯s arms as soon as she saw him on the other side of the door.


    He wanted to ask what was wrong but instead, he wrapped his arms around her.


    ¡°She¡¯s my aunt!¡± She bit out through a sob.


    He couldn¡¯t make head or tail of what she meant. He led her back into the house and sat her on the couch, still holding her in his arms. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Lucy.¡± She still couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Devonte was taken aback. Lucy always seemed like the woman with a billion secrets but he still couldn¡¯t imagine this. How could she be Natalie¡¯s aunt? He had a gazillion questions but Natalie felt horrible so he reined them in and asked, ¡°Why is that a bad thing? Haven¡¯t you been close to hertely?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. She lied to me.¡± She angrily wiped her tears. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hate her if I knew she is my aunt but she¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°And she tried to kill my parents.¡±


    ¡°What makes you believe she did that?¡± Devonte frowned. He wasn¡¯t implying it was something Lucy wouldn¡¯t do. On the contrary, the woman was probably one of the most heartless people in Olphire. However, why would she want to hurt the parents of the woman she had been treating like a daughter?


    ¡°I have no idea. My parents think she¡¯s behind the ident.¡± She sneezed and remembered her hair was still wet. She had been resting in Devonte¡¯s arms without a care in the world but when she checked him over, she freaked out. ¡°Oh my God. Your clothes are all messed up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t you have a hair dryer?¡± He let her get up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­get you my hair dryer.¡± She didn¡¯t feelfortable letting him dry his clothes with a hair dryer after the mess she had created but if he stayed in his damp clothes any longer, he might catch a chill. She changed her mind halfway towards her bedroom and turned around. ¡°Or you could dry them in my room while¡­I dress up.¡± Her words dwindled as she quickly realized what they had implied.


    Devonte chuckled as he followed her and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Are you sure you will actually get dressed?¡±


    ¡°On second thought, no.¡± She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Dressing up was thest thing she wanted to do.


    ¡­.


    About an hourter, Natalie¡¯s hair and Devonte¡¯s clothes were finally dry. He kissed her lips. ¡°I think you should talk to her. Maybe what you think is a murder attempt might be self defense.¡±


    Natalie pulled away from him with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s not all I care about. But you¡¯re right. Lucy and I have a lot to talk about. It¡¯s a coincidence that I was invited to dinner this evening.¡±


    ____


    That evening, Natalie finally showed up at Theodore¡¯s house with the fakest smile she could muster. Lucy was, as expected, surprised to see her.


    ¡°Natalie, you are here. Are you feeling better?¡± She asked. Natalie had imed to feel unwell when she refused to join the meeting.


    ¡°Never been better. It¡¯s nice of you to ask, aunt.¡± She proceeded into the living room.


    Lucy frowned. Natalie had been calling her ¡®aunt¡¯ for the past few weeks but she still thought there was something wrong with the way she said it today. It didn¡¯t take long to figure it out. With the warning she had left Ava and her husband, it would be a surprise if Natalie didn¡¯t know the truth.


    She ced her hand on her shoulder. ¡°Do you want to talkter?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to talk about, aunt?¡± She scoffed, feeling angrier than she thought she would be after blowing off some steam with Devonte earlier. ¡°About the fact that you are my actual aunt or that you used me?¡±


    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Zaria froze on the staircase which she was descending when she overheard Natalie¡¯s outrage. She looked at Natalie then at Lucy. ¡°You¡¯re her aunt?¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m not the only one who didn¡¯t know this.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to find out this way, Zaria. Apparently, Nathaniel Su doesn¡¯t only have one runaway child. He had three of them, including my mother and Aunt Lucy, who knew the truth right off the bat¡ªand who has been using me to get revenge against my parents.¡±


    Lucy approached her carefully. ¡°Nat, that¡¯s not true. I did want to use you but¡­¡±


    ¡°But you realized I¡¯m too good to be used in such a way? Save it.¡± She turned to head right out the door.


    Zaria was still confused when she got to the living room. She nced at the door and decided that Natalie would probably want to be alone, so she turned to Lucy. ¡°How long have you known this?¡±


    ¡°Since I heard the name Natalie Sparks.¡± Lucy answered truthfully, since the cat was out of the bag anyway. ¡°That¡¯s ten years ago. I¡¯m sorry I kept this from you. Ava did some things¡­¡±


    ¡°She did some things alright. I don¡¯t me you for wanting revenge but why would you use her daughter? How would you feel if someone pretended to befriend me just so they would use me for revenge?¡±


    Lucy took her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her. It just spiraled out of control.¡±


    Her head was spinning but she didn¡¯t want to break down. Not when Natalie needed a shoulder to lean on to process the twist that had be of her life. She looked into Lucy¡¯s eyes for traces of any other lie. ¡°Is there any other aunt, uncle or cousin I should know about?¡±


    ¡°Only my half brother Norman and your cousin Kara Williams.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She screeched at the double explosion. ¡°Norm is my uncle? Wait, that makes sense. He did say Ava Sparks is his sister. But Kara Williams is my cousin?! What else are you going to tell me? That Isabe Deandre is my grandmother?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, that would be your soon-to-be grandmother-inw.¡±

 Chapter 294 - 294 Along memory lane (4)

    294 Along memoryne (4)


    ¡°Now you have her confused.¡± Theodoreughed as he joined them in the living room, having heard part of their conversation.


    ¡°Dad, do you know any of this?¡± She asked, hoping there was something that would make more sense than the insanity that was going on. ¡°Did you know Natalie was my cousin?¡±


    He took a breath and nced at Lucy for permission to talk about it. When she nodded, he turned back to Zaria. ¡°I did know Lucy had a long-lost sister called Ava. I only joined the dots when I met Natalie for the first time and realized how simr she looked to you. Even then, I wasn¡¯t certain of anything. There are many brtes in Imperium, after all. But when I started investigating Nathaniel¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait. You were investigating him?¡± She was puzzled.


    ¡°I knew you were doing it in secret. I wanted to find something you could use against him. I didn¡¯t want you to continue to endanger yourself digging dirt on a man like him.¡± He exined.


    She was still confused, but she nodded. ¡°So how did you find out about Natalie?¡±


    ¡°On the day Ava tried to kill your mother, she said she was going to name her child Nathaniel or Natalie Sparks. It finally made sense.¡±


    She nodded, but that was not the main point. Ava had tried to kill Lucy. Lucy had not tried to kill Ava out of hate, it was only retaliation to what thetter had done to her.


    But when she met her mother¡¯s gaze, she thought of another possibility. Did Lucy really intend for Ava and Owen to die? If that were the case, the couple would be long dead. Why were they still alive?


    .....


    ¡°Zaria, honey, our family is tooplicated.¡± Lucy held her hands helplessly. ¡°I know Natalie is mad at me but she will never understand what really happened in the past.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to talk to her?¡± She offered.


    ¡°Not about why I hid the truth from her, no. Give her time to process it and she can talk to me when she is ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zaria wondered whether dinner was ruined now and was relieved when Lucy suggested they set the table. Even then, it was the most awkward meal they had ever had since Lucy¡¯s return. When it was finally done, she checked the time and decided it would not be toote if she went to her favorite diner now.


    ¡­


    ¡°Zaria, it¡¯s nice to finally see you. It¡¯s been a while since you and Theodore came here. How is he?¡± Norman asked when he finally got to her table. He fastened the belt around his apron and took a seat opposite her for a chat.


    ¡°We are fine, just busier than usual now.¡± She checked the man¡¯s expression for any telltale sign that he knew what was going on.


    ¡°Is that guy from the Fort family overworking you?¡± He asked worriedly.


    That would have been her sign if she didn¡¯t know that Norman treated most of his customers the same way¡ªas friends. Frequent customers like her and Theodore were like family to him.


    ¡°He is a good fianc¨¦.¡± She broke the news, making Norman¡¯s eyes go wide.


    ¡°Fianc¨¦? You got engaged?¡±


    ¡°We did. We are also counting the days until the arrival of your grandnephew or grandniece.¡±


    ¡°You are also pregnant? How could you let me miss out on such great news? You are a little traitor, you know that?¡± He stopped speaking on the spot when her words sunk in. She had called her child his grandnephew or grandniece, and something told him she was not referring to the close rtionship they had had for all these years.


    His lips pursed into a line.


    ¡°You knew, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I know Lucy. Although it did take me a while to know she is Lucinda Su, you look like a carbon copy of her. Yes, I knew for all these years that you are my niece.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what she was expecting to hear but it was not this. Her lips parted a few times and she was unable to say a word. When she finally did, it was a question she had asked herself a dozen times on her way here. ¡°Is that why you were so kind to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± He defended himself. ¡°Zaria, you are a kind young woman. When I first got to know you, I thought you were the sweetest little girl on earth. Even if I didn¡¯t find out you were my niece, I would still treasure you.¡±


    That was not the main point at the moment, she thought. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ever tell me?¡±


    ¡°The truth?¡± He probed.


    She nodded. Thest thing she wanted now was half-truths and sugarcoated lies. She was beginning to doubt her existence and it would be best if she didn¡¯t have more reason to do so.


    Norman considered her for a while before he nodded and decided to spill everything he knew. ¡°You know everything that is said about Nathaniel Su, don¡¯t you? About his promiscuity.¡±


    She didn¡¯t, but she nodded in agreement.


    A waitress came over and they stopped talking.


    ¡°Would you like to take a look at the wine menu?¡± She asked Zaria, who shook her head.


    ¡°I already had dinner. I would like to sit here for a moment and have a chat with Norm, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± She smiled at the waitress, who nodded and mirrored her smile before leaving.


    ¡°Or should I call you Uncle Norm?¡± She teased when the waitress was out of earshot.


    ¡°The jury is still out on that.¡± He smiled and waited until she was ready for them to resume before he spoke up. ¡°Our father, Nathaniel Su, was a real life Prince Charming in his time. I hate to admit that the man is my father but it¡¯s not like I have a choice. Anyway, he lured my mother with his charm, so to speak, and I was the result of that. Although she tried her best to convince me otherwise, I believe he only married her to avoid being the subject of gossip about not taking responsibility for his actions.¡±


    ¡°Yikes.¡± She frowned in disgust.


    ¡°Yeah, yikes. He did fall in love with her, though. At least that was what my mother wanted me to believe. But merely a month after Ava was born, he went out to buy some milk.¡±


    He was making a joke out of it but Zaria didn¡¯t want to imagine how painful it must have been for Norman and his mother, and Ava who didn¡¯t get to stay with her father.


    ¡°He did buy milk¡ªfor his other family. Your mother¡¯s family.¡±


    She was momentarily confused. ¡°He was married to my grandmother at the same time as he lived with your mother?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Lucy is three months younger than Ava but it only proves which woman he got pregnant first. It says nothing about which one he loved or which one he was cheating on.¡±


    It would have been slightly better if Nathaniel treated one of those women well but with Lucy¡¯s personality, there was no way anything good came out of her family. She must have grown up on her own despite having a family. Besides, Nathaniel had grandchildren that were neither rted to Lucy nor Ava. How promiscuous could one man possibly be?


    ¡°So, you hated my mother, and that was why you didn¡¯t acknowledge me as your niece?¡± She asked, returning to their previous discussion.


    ¡°I did me Lucy¡¯s existence for my father¡¯s disappearance, yes. But when I was old enough, I realized it was neither her fault nor her mother¡¯s. She was as much of a victim as I was.¡±


    She nodded. It didn¡¯t exin much but she was relieved that Norman wasn¡¯t a secret enemy of her mother¡¯s that could potentially try to destroy her out of wrath.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hate Lucy. I just didn¡¯t want you to know I was her half brother. I was afraid you would want to take revenge for what Ava did on a whim.¡±


    She frowned. The number of people who knew everything about the past but who had kept it from her was baffling.


    She was about to ask if he would ever tell her about it if she had not found out from Lucy when she noticed Norman¡¯s pale expression. He looked like he had seen a ghost, and when she turned, she realized why. Natalie had just entered the diner and was headed towards their table.

 Chapter 295 - 295 Impossible duo(1)

    295 Impossible duo(1)


    ¡°Natalie? What are you doing here?¡± Zaria was the first to stand and face her.


    She was behind Norman before she could process it, and the man was protecting her from what he probably thought was an attack waiting to happen.


    ¡°If you are here to me Zaria, you are chasing the wrong target. Desmond is to me if he did not clearly exin things with you.¡±


    Natalie rolled her eyes. ¡°If I had any problem with Desmond, what would I be doing here?¡±


    Norman cursed, realizing why else she would be here. ¡°Is this about Lucy¡¯s feud with Ava? Trust me, you don¡¯t want to get into their fight. They are a pair of nutjobs.¡±


    Once again, Natalie rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I would like to have a word with Zaria, if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°You have to promise not to try to hurt her.¡± Norman squeezed his eyes shut when Natalie red at him. ¡°Fine, fine. I will leave youdies to it. Call me if you need anything.¡±


    She reced Norman on the chair he was sitting on and waved Zaria over. When thetter sat, she let out a breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I ruined dinner.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t. It¡¯s okay.¡± She assured her. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you woulde around so fast.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Trust me, that¡¯s far from happening.¡± Natalie hissed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she would make me call her ¡®aunt¡¯ without telling me she really is my aunt. What drugs is she on?¡±


    ¡°The kind that make one go crazy with the need for revenge.¡± Sheughed at herself after saying it out loud. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m on them too.¡±


    ¡°This is about Nathaniel Su, right?¡± Natalie cursed. It had not urred to her yet. That was her grandfather.


    ¡°I still want to pretend my family consists of my parents and I and I have no cousins, uncles and aunts and definitely not a grandfather. Can I?¡±


    ¡°Go right ahead.¡± Zaria chuckled.


    Realizing what she had implied, Natalie sighed. ¡°No offense, Zaria. You know how much I adore you. It¡¯s awesome to learn that I¡¯m your cousin, really. Do you know what the craziest part is?¡±


    Zaria shook her head.


    ¡°I once impersonated myself.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Zaria was confused.


    ¡°I went to Kara Williams once when I needed to see her, but we are not on the best terms. I had her secretary lie that I¡¯m Lucy Roatta¡¯s niece so she would let me through. I guess that was not such a lie, after all.¡± She was amused. ¡°No wonder she gave me an odd look.¡±


    It took her seconds to realize why Zaria was so silent. ¡°Hold on. Oh my God! Kara Williams¡­Zaria Williams. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°I just found out.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Natalie had been feeling horrible a moment ago but now, she was not envious of Zaria in the slightest bit.


    ¡°How is that even possible? Kara Williams? That woman could never be any more different from us.¡±


    ¡°Sianna is Theo¡¯s little sister.¡± Norman responded before Zaria did. Apparently, the man had been listening.


    ¡°It¡¯s sort of how they met. Lucy and Sianna hated each other and she and Theo fought about it for so long they fell in love. Oh, the good old days.¡±


    Zaria and Natalie exchanged nces that proved they were both thinking about the same thing.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s enough talk about family. Come on, let¡¯s go out for some fun. The night is still young.¡± Natalie ced two hundred-dor bills on the table even though neither of them had eaten anything.


    Knowing she had a lot on her mind and was trying her best to get away, Zaria decided to indulge her.


    ¡°Do you have anywhere to do? A ce that doesn¡¯t involve drinking, at least.¡± She asked.


    ¡°My ce.¡± Natalie suggested with a wink, then immediatelyughed at the distress on Zaria¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I would never do anything to hurt you. You are family and well, Desmond would kill me if anything happened to you. Soe with me, maybe spend the night, and I¡¯ll drop you off at work tomorrow, yeah?¡±


    She still trusted Natalie, but she had expected her to want to be alone after the revtion.


    Pursing her lips, she nodded. ¡°Give me a moment to get an overnight bag, okay?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need one. My house is always ready forst-minute guests.¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s go. Hold on. I¡¯ll just send a quick message to everyone, to let them know whose basement to check if I don¡¯t show up tomorrow.¡± She joked, but took out her phone to let Desmond know where she would be spending the night.


    As expected, he was not happy about it. ¡°Are you going to let me spend the night alone? It¡¯s going to be so boring.¡± Heined.


    She chuckled. He was cute when he was acting clingy.


    ¡°You will not be bored. Watch Frozen with Rosaly. I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t mind watching it for the thirtieth time with you.¡± She blew him a kiss on the phone, promised to make it up to him the following day and hung up before he could make a dirty joke about her promise. Heaven knew he might just say something that would make her want to bury herself in the ground.


    Natalie had just started the car when the call ended. She smiled. ¡°I still find it unbelievable that Desmond acts that way with you. He¡¯s the most serious man on earth.¡±


    ¡°I thought he was a heartless asshole when we had just met.¡± She told Natalie the story of how they met and as expected, thetter was puzzled.


    As the car pulled up into her parking lot, she brought up something she didn¡¯t think she would ever have to.


    ¡°You must have heard countless stories about my family.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Zaria did not deny it.


    ¡°Would it make you think I¡¯m crazy if I said I don¡¯t want to have a falling out with my parents?¡±


    Zaria frowned, but only because she didn¡¯t know where this was heading.


    ¡°I know, they are the most selfish duo on earth. But I¡¯m also certain if anything were to happen to me, they would be devastated.¡±


    Zaria nodded when she finally understood. ¡°You are not going on about them, are you?¡±


    As expected, Natalie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s sad that he has no one else in his life. Sure, your family will be his family too when the two of you get married, but it¡¯s still sad to not have his own family when his mother is out there, mourning the loss of two of her children.¡±


    It was unbelievable that she was hearing this from Natalie. ¡°You know better than anyone what Alyssa did. Desmond hates her.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this to his fianc¨¦e, but no, he doesn¡¯t. He is mad at her, but he also wishes things were different.¡±


    She knew exactly what Natalie was implying but it was not her ce. So she neither agreed nor disagreed.


    ¡°If they want to reconcile, that¡¯s up to them, Nat. I will not put myself between them and I certainly will not have him choose between me and his mother. But if he decides Rosaly and Izzie are all he needs, I will not force him into anything either.¡±


    She stopped the car and hugged Zaria. ¡°I just want my best friend to be happy. Well, he¡¯s now my cousin-inw too, all the more reason for me to want him to be happy.¡±


    While she pulled away, her eyes widened. ¡°Did I just feel movement on your belly?¡±


    Zaria chuckled. ¡°Probably not. That often happens in the second trimester ording to doc. But I swear I feel it too, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe my godchild likes me.¡± She joked and opened the car door, then rushed out to help Zaria out before she could step out.


    ¡°I can get out of a car on my own, you know.¡± Zaria smiled at her sudden urge to spoil her.


    ¡°I know. I just want to help you. Come on, let¡¯s get going. The snacks aren¡¯t going to eat themselves.¡±


    Knowing she would not be able to stop her, Zaria gave in to her excitement and hooked her arm around hers as they made way to the elevator.


    On the way up, Natalie made a joke about needing balls for what she was nning to do and was yet to exin what she meant when the elevator doors slid open and Ava came into view.

 Chapter 296 - 296 Impossible duo (2)

    296 Impossible duo (2)


    ¡°No, no, no, no no!¡± Natalie cried out when she saw Zaria¡¯s expression. Thetter looked betrayed.


    ¡°Mother, what are you doing here?¡± She asked, as an indirect way of letting Zaria know she did not n this.


    Ava looked frazzled by her question but she scanned Zaria, finally understanding. ¡°I came to talk to you. It looks like I should be asking her the same question.¡± Her gaze rested on Zaria. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Can we talk tomorrow?¡± Natalie pleaded, hoping her mother would leave without causing a scene. She had no such luck.


    ¡°I want to know wha she is doing here after everything that has happened. Do you know who her mother is?¡± Moments after asking the question, realization dawned on her. ¡°Of course you do. Yet you are still her friend. She is more cunning than I gave her credit for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still here, you know.¡± Zaria reminded her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you two talk.¡± She started, only for Natalie to tighten her grip around her arm pleadingly.


    ¡°Mother, I know you are upset but please, let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow. I need tonight to recharge after everything that has unfolded in thest few days.¡±


    Ava looked displeased but she brushed past them and into the elevator nheless. ¡°Call me if you need anything.¡±


    .....


    Natalie hated to think about it right now, but her mind floated back to the time when she actually needed her parents, when they ignored her and Zaria came to her rescue. She had mixed feelings. She would have been happy if Ava said the same words a few months ago but now, it meant nothing more than words.


    ¡°Take care,¡± she smiled. ¡°Tell dad I¡¯ll drop by tomorrow to check on him.¡±


    Once she was gone, Zaria finally pulled her hand away. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Nothing could ever happen that I¡¯m not used to. Come on, we have a lot to discuss.¡± She opened the door as if nothing had happened and threw her purse onto the couch.


    ¡°Make yourselffortable. I¡¯ll join you after taking off my makeup.¡± She disappeared to the hallway, letting Zaria pour herself a drink.


    She was not in the mood to drink anything, so she looked around the living room instead. The house was neat for the most part, except the magazines strewn all over the coffee table and on the floor beside it. She picked one of them and her brows shot up at the cover. It was not surprising for Devonte¡¯s to grace the cover picture of a women¡¯s magazine. On the contrary, no woman would pass up the opportunity to buy a magazine with a man as handsome as him on the cover.


    He was wearing a button down shirt with all the top half buttons undone, and had his head tilted to the side, looking like the ultimate snack. She was certain he was the male lead in many women¡¯s erotic dreams, and the thought of it made her realize how patient Natalie was. She would never be able to take it if Desmond¡¯s abs were on disy for so many women to fawn over. It was already driving her crazy that so many women wanted him


    She skimmed the major titles and flipped through to kill time, stopping abruptly when she caught sight of Desmond¡¯s picture on a column she would never expect.


    ¡°Eligible Bachelors?¡± She frowned. What the hell?


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.¡± Natalie spoke up behind her. She turned around with the magazine still in hand. ¡°Eligible Bachelors.¡±


    ¡°The media is insane.¡± She remarked.


    Zaria rolled her eyes. She had been part of it before but thest thing she would ever do was publish the picture of an engaged man under a column like that.


    ¡°At least he is the most sought one.¡± Natalie chuckled to make light of the situation.


    WHen she sat down, Zaria studied the picture again and nced at her. ¡°You said you wanted to talk about this. You don¡¯t think it¡¯s just one of the media¡¯s insane methods of selling copies, do you?¡±


    ¡°I did at first. But then I realized this is today¡¯s issue.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± She didn¡¯t understand how that was rted to anything.


    ¡°And the explosion only happened a few days ago.¡± Seeing that Zaria didn¡¯t understand yet¡ªor was trying not to believe it¡ªshe nudged the magazine out of her hands. ¡°My parents may have been at fault years ago when they tried to kill Lucy, but they are not letting things slide.¡±


    ¡°So you think they are going to seek trouble with me?¡± She asked, trying not to believe it. She did not have time for more battles.


    ¡°They have already started to do so. They made you nonexistent in the media¡¯s eyes. Soon, everyone will start asking you what happened between you and Des. If you do step out and exin that nothing is wrong and the pictures were published without his consent, they will make up something else.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t have the strength to deal with them. What could they possibly do?¡±


    ¡°Just be careful, okay?¡± Natalie kissed her cheek and picked up several magazines. ¡°I need your help nning something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A proposal.¡±


    Zaria¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You are going to propose to Devonte?¡±


    She smiled adoringly. ¡°We have been together for long enough to know that we want to spend the rest of our lives together.¡±


    ¡°I have a million questions.¡± Zaria squinted her eyes, to which Natalieughed.


    ¡°I know. I have one answer to all of them. If I wait for Devonte Lemaigre to propose, I will be his girlfriend until we are in our seventies.¡±


    Zaria burst intoughter. ¡°Why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it odd that he is yet to pop the question for all these years?¡± Natalie looked annoyed. ¡°Anyway. What do you think of tattooing ¡®Will you marry me¡¯ across my torso and wearingcy lingerie so he vaguely sees the words but they only make sense when it¡¯spletely off?¡±


    Zaria wasughing so hard she was out of breath. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Not good enough?¡± Natalie frowned. ¡°What about the words and the ring in my hair? He likes pulling it.¡±


    Seeing how serious she was, Zaria facepalmed. ¡°What happens when he says yes? Do you keep the words on your torso forever so every time you are naked before him, he thinks you are popping the big question?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that far ahead.¡± Natalie scrunched her face. ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Get a temporary tattoo if you must get one.¡± Zaria suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Natalie grabbed a notepad and scribbled something then added, ¡°Maybe instead of proposing, I should suggest it. Write Natalie on one of my boobs and Lemaigre on the other so he sees ¡®Natalie Lemaigre¡¯ the next time I¡¯m shirtless.¡± That will make him realize what I want.¡±


    Zaria cracked up. Was she serious? Seeing that she was really considering it, she smiled. ¡°You do realize your proposal doesn¡¯t have to be dramatic, right? You can simply ask him to marry you.¡±


    Natalie ran a hand through his hair in frustration. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

 Chapter 297 - 297 Favorite cousin-in-law

    297 Favorite cousin-inw


    For the rest of the evening, they watched videos of proposals and set a date. It was worth noting that Natalie had set a date ten months from the current date, making sure she wouldn¡¯t steal any thunder. Zaria didn¡¯t care when she proposed but she smiled at how considerate thetter was.


    She yawned tiredly, rubbing her eyes sleepily.


    ¡°I think we should turn in.¡± She suggested.


    ¡°Sure. Do you want to sleep in my bed? If not, I¡¯ll get the guest room ready for you.¡± She asked.


    While it was tempting to have the same kind of sleepovers she often had with Ximena, she turned it down. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to get on Devonte¡¯s bad side. He¡¯s already jealous enough that you spend more time with metely.¡± Sheughed in jest.


    Natalie rolled her eyes but got up to change the sheets in the guest room. She was certain they were clean, but there wasn¡¯t any such thing as too much caution with a pregnant woman. Desmond would kill her if his Zaria so much as sneezed because the room was slightly dusty.


    By the time she was done, Zaria was nodding off on the couch. She tapped her gently and showed her to the guest room, then turned in herself.


    _____


    In the middle of the night, Zaria woke up parched and gasping for breath. The light from outside was seeping in through the drapes. Deciding she didn¡¯t need to turn on the lights, she got out of bed and crept to the kitchen, careful not to make any sounds. Natalie was a light sleeper and had trouble going back to sleep if she was awoken.


    .....


    She had almost made it to the kitchen when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks. It was a yell and she distinctly heard it. Natalie was arguing with someone.


    She stopped to listen, but the argument was over before she could. Natalie shouted something about not doing no such thing and groaned, ending the call. Zaria battled whether or not she should make her presence known. It didn¡¯t take much thinking. The guest room was on the same side of the apartment as Natalie¡¯s room. If she was going back to sleep, they would bump into each other¡ªunless she crept back to the guest room, and it was already toote for that. So, she braced herself, cleared her throat so she didn¡¯t startle her, and joined her in the kitchen.


    ¡°Hey, did I wake you?¡± Natalie turned around, worry written all over her face.


    ¡°I was awake.¡± Zaria admitted. ¡°Are you okay? I heard shouting.¡±


    Guessing why thetter would be awake, Natalie poured her a ss of water from the fridge door and handed it over.


    She picked it up with a gentle thanks and waited as Natalie debated whether or not to tell her the truth.


    In the end, she decided toe out with it. ¡°Apparently, I should win you over, get you to trust mepletely and tell me everything my parents need to know about your mother.¡±


    Zaria ced the ss on the granite ind and pulled her into her arms. ¡°Oh Nat. I hate that you have to carry this weight on your own.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not some weight I have to carry.¡± Natalie bit her lip defiantly, not wanting to show any weakness. However, she couldn¡¯t fight it forever. She let go and wrapped her arms around Zaria, making a joke as she pulled away.


    ¡°Is it just me or are your breasts slightly bigger?¡±


    ¡°Natalie!¡± She blushed. Natalie was right. She¡¯d had to buy new bras recently, but she didn¡¯t think It was noticeable¡ªespecially to anyone who was not Desmond.


    ¡°Pregnancy looks good on you.¡± Natalie smiled, slowly steering the topic away from what her parents wanted to pregnancy and children. When they finally went back to bed, she couldn¡¯t sleep. Dread filled her at the thought of the only thing her parents wanted to discuss. They had insisted on meeting her the following day. If she didn¡¯tply, they would follow her around for a chance to talk.


    So the following morning, she let Zaria know where she was going and offered to drop her off at Preston and Fort Group.


    As luck would have it, Lucy happened to arrive at the same time as she got out of the car. She had decided to say hi to Desmond and Liam but she was already regretting it.


    Lucy smiled at her without saying a word and turned to Zaria. ¡°Hi, honey.¡±


    Zaria hugged her before returning to Natalie¡¯s side. ¡°We are going up.¡± Her implication was for Lucy to take a different elevator even though they were all going to the same floor.


    It was less awkward when she didn¡¯t have to be in the same cramped space with Lucy, so she cast a grateful smile at Zaria.


    They got to the top floor faster than Lucy, which was a relief. She kissed Zaria on the cheek and proceeded to Desmond¡¯s office.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t my favorite cousin-inw.¡± He smiled in greeting.


    Natalie rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m your only cousin-inw. But now that you mention it, I have no clue how I will be able to tolerate your insanity now that you are going to be in the same family as me. I thought I had sessfully gotten rid of you.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡± He smirked as though he had won. ¡°While I appreciate yourpany, do you mind if I pop into my fiancee¡¯s office for a second? I miss her.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Go ahead. I have nothing in the world but time.¡±


    She had a partnership too, and the promise of a sessful startup. That was just a dream now that she knew what Lucy had wanted all along. If she didn¡¯t love Zaria and Desmond so much, she might have considered joining forces with her parents.


    Speaking of which, she pulled out her phone and let them know she would drop by the hospital in an hour. That would give her enough time to prepare for whatever they had in store.

 Chapter 298 - 298 Big plans (1)

    298 Big ns (1)


    Although she had discussed it with Desmond and she knew what to do, meeting Ava and Owen was not in the least bit pleasant. It was bearable, but that was only because they were in Owen¡¯s ward with the nurse hovering around to check on him and give him another IV.


    Visiting time was not due for another few hours but she relented when Ava made up a story about Natalie¡¯s boss only letting her leave the office now.


    Perhaps because she knew them, the nurse knew it was best not to make enemies out of the Sparks family, so she let Natalie stay, as long as she would leave if she was required to.


    When the nurse left, Natalie looked like it was finally time for her ughter. She had hoped she would have the chance to slip away without being med for not making an effort.


    Owen held a hand out to her and when Natalie ced hers in his, he squeezed it. ¡°I hate that you are caught up between Lucy and us. You are our only child.¡±


    She nodded listlessly. They had always wanted other children and she was conciously aware of that, especially now that they thought being an adult would ease the blow of being insufficient in their eyes. At the same time, she knew this was the opening speech before they would urge her to get married for their benefit.


    The thought of marriage gave her an idea. She held Owen¡¯s hand in one of hers and took Ava¡¯s in another. ¡°I met someone.¡±


    ¡°Someone apart from that actor?¡± Ava immediately remarked. Natalie was yet to say a word when Owen glowered at his wife.


    ¡°Ava!¡±


    .....


    ¡°What? She¡¯s wasting her life away when¡­¡±


    ¡°I get discharged tomorrow. Why don¡¯t you bring him home for dinner?¡± He said to Natalie, teasingly adding that he would like to see what it was about him that had his daughter so ensnared.


    However, her n to distract them until it was time for a doctor to check on Owen and she had to leave was not quite as sessful as she had hoped. Time was dragging painfully slow and when she no longer had anything to talk about to keep their focus away from why they had called her over, she had to listen to them go on about Lucy.


    Ava recounted the story of her birth and how she had grown up, making sure to paint Lucy as a bully along the way, and when she was done, she even confessed how she had impulsively decided her life would be better if Lucy did not exist.


    ¡°I was young, Natalie. I was stupid, I¡¯ll admit that. But in the heat of the moment, nothing had ever felt so right. And I was pregnant.¡±


    ¡°With her fianc¨¦¡¯s child.¡± She gently reminded her.


    As expected, that made Ava nearly lose her mind. ¡°What the hell do you mean? She hated Owen. Owen hated her. They would rather kill each other than marry. I did her a favor by giving our father a reason to call off her wedding.¡±


    It was harsh, but she was telling the truth¡ªmostly. Natalie knew after the lengthy chat with Norman that it had been Lucy¡¯s idea to bait Owen into taking interest in another woman, so she would escape and marry the love of her life.


    To be fair, it would have all worked out perfectly in the end. Ava would have married Owen and Lucy would find her way to Theodore. Except, Ava had hated the fact that she only got to be with Owen because Lucy didn¡¯t want him. She hated having her half sister¡¯s leftovers as much as she hated her father and his new family.


    Ava was determined to sway her daughter. ¡°You know Lucy better than I do. She did seek you out after all, and everyone talks about her. She does not let go of grudges. The explosion does not even scratch the surface of the things she wants to do to us.¡± She squeezed her hand around Natalie¡¯s. ¡°She is going to kill us if you don¡¯t help us.¡±


    Natalie let out a sigh. ¡°If I have a choice, I really don¡¯t want to be her enemy. You are right, she is a dangerous woman. She can hurt you, but she can do the same thing to me. And do you know who would be the most hurt from it? Desmond.¡± She realized she had said the wrong thing as soon as her words were out. Her parents had a soft spot for Desmond. She knew that, so she had thought they would relent if she made this about them.


    She didn¡¯t need to think to realize she had given them a better way around their insane plot.


    ¡°You are close to Zaria, right?¡± Ava nced at her husband and then at her, but Natalie wasn¡¯t buying it. This was not about Zaria. Whatever she had thought about when Desmond was mentioned, she was not going to reveal it in fear that her daughter would sully her ns.


    Since they no longer needed her, they pulled her into more small talk about missing her and hoping she could go back home for a few days once Owen was discharged.


    She smiled, without promising anything, and fired off a text message to Zaria as soon as she was in the hospital hallway.


    _____


    Meanwhile, Zaria was having breakfast with Ximena in her office. She had not been able to eat anything this morning, and Ximena had brought a bunch of blueberry muffins and decaf coffee on her way to check on her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself. I¡¯m on my way to work. I randomly picked a few muffins on the way. I didn¡¯t even know you like these.¡± She exaggeratedly rolled her eyes when Zaria grilled her about bringing her breakfast when she had to go to work.


    Zariaughed, relieved that she managed to swallow what she was chewing without choking thanks to Ximena¡¯s insanity. ¡°I guess you stumbled up here because you were looking for a ce to sit down and eat your breakfast.¡±


    ¡°You know me all too well.¡± Ximenaughed and snorted. ¡°Now that we are here, why don¡¯t we talk about your wedding?¡± She brought up the topic Zaria had been putting off. ¡°You have to decide, Zaria. Are you going to have it when you can still fit into a normal wedding dress, or do you want to wait for a year and have it when your body has restored its normal figure? Or better yet, do you want a maternity wedding dress? I swear, those are not very easy to pull off¡ªif you can get the right measurement by the time you walk down the aisle, that is.¡±


    Zaria grunted in distress. That was what she was most afraid of. What if she picked a gown and fit into it a week before her wedding, but it was too tight on the wedding day anyway? It would be a nightmare, and not many designers made adjustable wedding gowns. At least none that she knew of. Besides, who was to say that one that looked good with her stomach t would still look as good when she was all swollen with a noticeable bump?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait for a year.¡± She ran a hand through her hair.


    ¡°Then decide on the major things while you still have the chance.¡±


    Zaria¡¯s phone chimed with a text message. She checked it and frowned at Natalie¡¯s text message. The Sparks were up to something, and Natalie was asking her to be careful.

 Chapter 299 - 299 Big plans (2)

    299 Big ns (2)


    ¡°Do you want Rosaly as a flower girl?¡± Ximena asked, to which Zaria grunted what would have sounded like acknowledgement. Even so, Ximena had known her long enough to know she had not heard a single word.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Ang would allow it.¡± She waited for Zaria to nod and decided to bait her. ¡°Do you want a white gown?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. Realizing she had been silent for a while, Zaria finally looked up.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on, before I have Zeus hack into that phone, find out who is causing you so much distress and pull their head out of their body.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a bit dramatic, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Not if it involves you looking this distressed.¡± Ximena shut her notepad and waited for Zaria to tell her what was going on.


    ¡°The Sparks are after me.¡± She downyed it, then pried for the notepad Ximena was holding. ¡°What was that you were saying about Ang? Didn¡¯t she leave the country?¡±


    .....


    Ximena raised her brow. ¡°I agree with Lucy¡ªeven though she hasn¡¯t said it yet¡ªthe only way for the Sparks to get out of your hair is if they are dead.¡±


    ¡°Urgh.¡± She groaned. Not only did she not want to hurt anyone, but she knew it would hurt Norman if they hurt Ava. Why couldn¡¯t they be a normal family?


    At the same time, she had known for years that her family was far from normal.


    ¡°Do you want me to do the honors?¡± Ximena asked, and Zaria knew she was referring to getting rid of the Sparks family. She would haveughed if she didn¡¯t think Ximena was serious about it.


    ¡°Would you kill for me?¡± She asked half-jokingly.


    Once again, Ximena rolled her eyes as though to berate her for being too full of herself. ¡°I would, but only because I know you would help me dispose of the body.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do any such thing for now, okay? They are Natalie¡¯s parents after all.¡±


    ¡°And for some reason, you don¡¯t think Natalie would be their weapon against you? They know you two are friends now. What if she used your trust in her to do something you would never seeing?¡± Ximena was concerned.


    If Natalie was not Desmond¡¯s friend, she would have been worried about that. She was not stupid enough to think her friendship was worth any price Natalie had to pay, but she was certain of one thing. Natalie would rather die than do anything that would hurt Desmond.


    Seeing that Zaria would not relent, she reluctantly gave in. ¡°Fine. But if anyone tries toy a finger on you or my godchild, I¡¯m skinning them alive.¡± She squinted her eyes at the mention of her godchild. She suddenly wondered which side Alyssa was on after their little chat. Deciding it was not worth her time thinking about a woman who may not see right from wrong, she stood to leave.


    ¡°I have to get to work. Let¡¯s have dinner togetherter, shall we? I need to ask you a few questions about Morel Beauty.¡±


    ¡°You can ask me now.¡± She offered, only for the reminder on her phone to go off. Ximena winked, as if she already knew it was time for her to get to work. ¡°See you this evening then.¡±


    ______


    Ximena had been having a hectic morning, hence her decision to have breakfast with Zaria out of the blue. It worked like magic, as usual. She didn¡¯t even need to tell Zaria how she was feeling. Her friend¡¯s presence was enough to wade off all her worry. Besides, Zaria already had a lot going on and thest thing she wanted was to dump her work troubles on her.


    Once she had delivered the makeup set she had decided to drop off on her own, she returned to her office, only to be pushed against the door as soon as she walked in. Her first reaction was tounch a punch. Her attacker knew she would do exactly that, and he grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. Her heart was racing fast. He was only able to pin her down because by the time he did so, she had felt his scent and knew it was Liam.


    ¡°What a fun way to wee me.¡± She smirked. His lips crashed on hers before she could say anything else.


    She was almost furious. She had dropped by Preston and Fort Group, hoping she would get to see him and he wasn¡¯t there, and now he was showing up at her office and ravaging her lips like his life depended on it? She wanted to push him off nearly as badly as she wanted to lock the door behind her and let him have his way with her.


    Only, he was not going to have his way with her if she had anything to say about it. She was going to have her way with him. So she nudged him off her gently.


    ¡°Xim,¡± He groaned inint when she stopped him from kissing her.


    She pushed the door behind her and locked it, then rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips firmly against his. She tugged on his tie and when it wouldn¡¯t get out of the way, she ripped it off his neck. His hands were roaming all over her body hungrily, undoing the buttons of her blouse and unzipping her skirt with insane speed. She knew he was holding himself back because she had to get back to work. If not, her buttons would be pinging all over the marble floor.


    She gently took his hands off her and pushed her to sit on her leather chair, then she pinned his hands together behind him and tied them up.


    He was amused looking up at her. ¡°What are you up to?¡±


    ¡°I know something you might enjoy watching.¡± She swiveled the chair around so he would face him and slid her blouse all the way down, then her skirt. She stepped a few more feet away from him and unsped her bra. When her boobs were free, she cupped them in her hands and pinched her nipples a little, the same way he usually did. Her moan was like gasoline poured over raging mes.


    He tried to push the chair and get to her but it was stuck in ce. She had locked it in ce. He didn¡¯t know her chair had such a mechanism but it made sense. If Ximena wanted to tie him down, she wouldn¡¯t do so knowing he could get to her either way.


    The woman was a little tease. She stood with her back pressed against the wall and parted her legs, then she slid her hand between them.


    Her panties were soaking wet and the sight of it made him so hard he thought he would explode. She nudged the little fabric aside and slid a finger into her wetness. He groaned. This woman was going to kill him.


    She thrust her finger in and out of herself, driving him crazy with each restrained moan that left her mouth. Just when he thought he was going to explode, she walked over to him and unbuckled his pants. His cock sprung out of his boxers as soon as she pulled them down. She licked her lips hungrily, but before she could close her lips around him, he snapped the tie off his hand and grabbed her.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s impatient.¡± She grinned and gasped when his palmnded on her butt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll punish you for that little stunt.¡± He growled. He gripped her by the waist and stood, carrying her to the desk. He put her on the edge of her desk and parted her legs. Her panties were torn off faster than she could process it and before she could react to it, he positioned himself at her core and pushed into her in one hard thrust. He sped his hand over her mouth to stifle her moan and pulled almost all the way out of her, mming into her with unrestrained force.


    ¡°You like it when I fuck you hard, don¡¯t you, naughty minx?¡± He growled in her hear, mming into her again and again. She felt the pressure build in her core faster and harder than ever.


    He pulled out of her and turned her around. Her boobs pressed against the cold desk but his skin was much hotter against her back. He entered her roughly, reaching between them to rub her clit at the same time to tip her over the age. Her orgasm crashed over her like a tornado, making her body tremble in its wake.

 Chapter 300 - 300 Intense welcome

    300 Intense wee


    ¡°Let me finish you off.¡± She pleaded. He pulled out of her and she slid down to her knees, keeping her gaze on him as she stuck out her tongue. By the time he ced his cock on her tongue, her mouth was already watering with the need to taste him. She didn¡¯t need any warm up, taking him all the way down her throat.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± He groaned, having expected her to tease him like she liked doing. The rush of pleasure was so intense that he almost couldn¡¯t hold himself back from blowing his load too soon.


    She moaned around him, closing her eyes to savor the feeling of him throbbing in her mouth. She could still taste herself on his skin.


    ¡°Look up at me.¡± He ordered, his hand reaching around her head to grab her hair. She opened her eyes and kept them on him as she bobbed her head, taking him deeper each time. Seeing him lose control was nearly as much of a turn on as him touching her. She could feel another wave of a climax building up as his cock grew more rigid in her mouth.


    ¡°Babe, I¡¯ming,¡± he warned. She tightened her lips around him to let him know that she had heard him, but didn¡¯t make any move to let go. She wanted him to cum inside her mouth, and he did. With a series of hard thrusts, he nted himself so deeply in her mouth that she thought she would gag, letting himself go seconds before another orgasm tore through her body.


    He only realized how hard he was gripping her hair when he regained a bit of his sanity.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he whispered and let go of her. He helped her up to her feet but it wasn¡¯t long before they slumped onto the couch in her resting lounge.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She assured him. She liked it when he lost control. Once she had caught her breath, she picked up her clothes to dress up. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if someone came to look for her and she had to rush through it.


    ¡°What happened?¡± She asked as she buttoned her silk blouse


    .....


    ¡°What do you mean what happened? I wanted to see you, that¡¯s all.¡± He shrugged.


    She rolled her eyes to call his bluff. ¡°We didn¡¯t talk about seeing each otherst night, then you show up here and fuck me like you are venting your anger. Do you expect me to believe nothing¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He took her hand and tugged it hard so shended on hisp.


    ¡°Is this about your parents?¡± She asked gently.


    ¡°The Watsons offered half of their empire to me.¡± His hands tightened around her hips.


    She knew what that meant even though he didn¡¯t say it out aloud. They wanted him to marry Abbie in exchange. However, that couldn¡¯t possibly faze him, right?


    ¡°Is the allure of so much money irresistible?¡± She asked, but only to tease him. If Liam cared so much about money, he would have taken over his family business instead of starting from scratch with his best friend. This had nothing to do with how much money he would gain from it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how much they want to offer. My family is going crazy for it. At the same time, I know what the Watsons are up to. They want me to run their empire but in real sense, it still belongs to them. They are trying to use me and offering my father irresistible profits at the same time. He doesn¡¯t mind twisting my arm.¡±


    She still didn¡¯t think that was all. He wouldn¡¯t be so worried if it was all about a battle between him and his father. While he was ruthless, he would never truly harm his son. She, on the other hand, was an obstacle.


    She saw it in his eyes even before she asked. ¡°He might want toe after me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the biggest understatement of the year.¡± He smiled bitterly. They wouldn¡¯t just go after her. They would do anything to keep her away from him and he couldn¡¯t put it past them to destroy her reputation just so he would lose interest in her.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid that they might go after her life. His father was too smart to do that. If he killed Ximena, he would no longer have leverage over Liam. Hurting her, on the other hand¡­


    ¡°I tried to get rid of Abbie. Mother is on my side. However, even if Abbie married someone else, there will always be another woman. Another family willing to pay any price for a coboration with mine. Another father willing to get a piece of the Preston family in exchange of his daughter. It will never end.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Her heart picked up its pace. She already knew where this was heading. He had said it before.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave Imperium.¡± He whispered into the crook of her neck.


    ¡°Okay.¡± This time, she didn¡¯t argue.


    He was puzzled. ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We just have to wait until Zaria¡¯s wedding. She would kill me if I missed it. Also, we have toe back when the baby is born.¡±


    ¡°Desmond would kill me if I didn¡¯t perform my duty as best man.¡± He grinned. He also knew he would never miss the birth of Desmond¡¯s son for the world. He would fly back from the north pole if that was where he was.


    Still, it was unbelievable. He thought about every possible challenge but Ximena had answers to them all.


    ¡°We can go to an ind only we know about. Zeus knows many of those. Don¡¯t ask me why he needs so many private inds. We canmunicate with Des and Zaria and work online. I don¡¯t need to be physically present for Morel Beauty to thrive. Besides, we don¡¯t need to be away for too long. Only long enough to prove a point.¡±


    He embraced her tightly in his arms. He knew it sounded like the cowardly way out but he had a n. Before he returned, he wanted to make sure he was capable enough of protecting her. No matter who the Preston family coborated with, he wanted them to be unable to bring any harm to her.


    With this new plot in mind, he kissed her, reminded her to reapply her lipstick, and headed for the door.


    Once he left, she was nearly horrified when she took a nce in the mirror. Aside from his hair that looked like a ruffled mess, Liam looked no different than he did when she came into her office. Even that ruffled mess of hair looked good on him.


    She, on the other hand, had to spend much more time tidying her clothes and brushing her hair. Luckily, she had bought a new hairbrush a few days ago and had been forgetting to take it home, then she had decided to leave it in the office in case she needed to tidy up. Who would have thought that would be this soon?


    She redid her makeup and smiled when she finally erased the evidence of what she did. Most of it, anyway.


    Then she smiled at her reflection. In just a few months, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her parents either.

 Chapter 301 - 301 Perfect family

    301 Perfect family


    That evening.


    It felt as though they had gone through the list of all the restaurants in Imperium but they couldn¡¯t decide where to go for dinner.


    In the end, Zariaughed at their predicament. ¡°You know this always happens when we try to choose a restaurant while hungry. We should have selected one this morning.¡±


    Ximena groaned on the other end of the call. ¡°That¡¯s right. And there is always only one way to end this. Do you want toe over to my house?¡±


    Zaria was a second away from agreeing when she remembered something. ¡°Hold on, didn¡¯t we promise Rosaly she would be able to join us the next time we cooked together? This is our chance!¡±


    It was Ximena¡¯s turn to chuckle. ¡°You put her above so many things, have you realized that?¡±


    She was teasing, but Zaria was serious. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even thinking. It¡¯s what mothers do, I guess.¡± She instantly realized she had overstepped and referred to herself as Rosaly¡¯s mother and blushed. ¡°Step mothers, but still.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Which wine should I bring? Oh, should I bring tequ as well?¡± Ximena chirped in excitement, making Zaria growl.


    ¡°I hate you.¡±


    .....


    That earned her a round ofughter from Ximena, then thetter hung up. She set her phone aside and was d to change out of the jeans she had chosen for dinner. Most clothes were bing ufortabletely. She could still fit in many of them but she was oddly aware of how their textures felt on her skin. It was as though her senses were heightened, causing immense difort at the slightest roughness.


    Once the jeans was out of the way, she was happy to change into a pair of silk pajamas, one out of the many that Desmond had bought when he caught on how she felt. He was so thoughtful that she sometimes wondered if she deserved him.


    With her hair twisted in a bun at the top of her head, she finally made her way downstairs where Rosaly was ying with her dolls.


    ¡°Do you want to cook with me?¡± She asked in a hushed voice, careful so Desmond wouldn¡¯t hear her.


    Rosaly nodded excitedly. ¡°Can daddye?¡±


    ¡°He can, butter. Let¡¯s wait until Ximena gets here, shall we?¡± She yed with a lock of Rosaly¡¯s hair as she spoke, then immediately wondered whether she should have waited to tell Rosaly the news. The little girl looked like she was going to explode in excitement and would have run to tell her father all about it if she didn¡¯t say to wait.


    Luckily, it wasn¡¯t long before Ximena arrived, carrying arge bag of grocery in each hand.


    ¡°Did I miss a lot?¡±


    ¡°We were waiting for you.¡± Zaria smiled as Rosaly sprinted through the living room to hug Ximena¡¯s legs.


    The little girl was full of energy and she got along with nearly everyone she met. One had to be a literal monster to get on her bad side, Zaria thought. Then she shook her head almost instantly. Even a monster would receive enthusiastic affection from Rosaly.


    ¡°Hi there, little ballerina,¡± Ximena ced her bags on the table and picked Rosaly up to hug her.


    Rosaly was excited to ask a billion questions, starting from the ones she had asked Zaria and Desmond unsessfully, and morphing to more personal ones.


    ¡°Uncle Zeus said you will be my godmother when Zaria marries daddy.¡± She blinked. She was not just rying the news. She wanted to find out if it was true and although she didn¡¯t show it, she was hopeful that XImena would say it was true.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Ximena nced over at Zaria nervously. She had agreed to be the godmother of the child Zaria was carrying¡ªthat wasn¡¯t even a topic for discussion. But with Rosaly, she didn¡¯t know where she stood. When Zaria nodded, she confirmed Zeus¡¯s rumor with a smile mirroring Rosaly¡¯s. ¡°I will be, if you want me to.¡±


    She hugged Ximena joyously but then asked, ¡°can one person have two godmothers?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. No one said there had to be only one.¡± Realizing the topic was starting to steer in a direction Zaria wouldn¡¯t befortable with, she put Rosaly down and opened one of her grocery bags. ¡°I bought you some chocte candies. You can only have one every day.¡±


    Rosaly nodded obediently but only an idiot would think that rule would stick. Unless they were too far for her to reach, she would steal one or two candies at a random time until there wasn¡¯t any left for the next day. And even if they were out of reach, one would have to put their foot down to avoid being lured into helping her get to them with those big innocent eyes that sparkled when she pleaded for something.


    Once they had brought the grocery bags to the kitchen and put everything in its ce, they took their ces at the kitchen counter.


    Rosaly was on a high chair where she was allowed to inspect the ingredients that fascinated her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch the chillies, you don¡¯t want them anywhere near your eyes or nose.¡± Ximena warned just as she reached to poke the red chillies. Then she lowered her voice and whispered, ¡°but if you want to get them into the eyes of mean kids, that¡¯s a different story.¡±


    A deep voice suddenly spoke up at the door, nearly startling the life out of them. ¡°First you bribe my daughter with chocte candies, then you lure my fianc¨¦e into the kitchen where she shouldn¡¯t be, and now you want to teach my daughter violence?¡± Desmond sounded unimpressed.


    They knew he was in the house but didn¡¯t expect him toe down to the kitchen. Zaria quickly set aside the onions she was chopping, pushing them to Ximena, and skipped over to him.


    ¡°We missed you!¡± She exaggerated, nting her lips on his cheek as if to prove her point. He didn¡¯t buy it.


    ¡°What are you doing in the kitchen? Didn¡¯t we have an agreement about this?¡± He would have spanked her if Rosaly and Ximena weren¡¯t here.


    ¡°What do you want me to do? Stay in bed all day rubbing my belly?¡± She rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You can do that.¡± He looked like he was seriously considering it, which freaked her the hell out.


    ¡°Listen, one more word about me not cooking or doing house chores and you will have to spend the next seven months sleeping on the couch.¡± She threatened.


    He chuckled at her serious expression. ¡°You know that wouldn¡¯t happen. You will miss me too much.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me, Mr. Fort.¡± She made the best impression she could of a growl, which only came out more hrious than intimidating.


    ¡°While I would love to tempt you, I think there is something else I can do for now.¡± He pointed his chin at the onions she had pretended Ximena was chopping so he wouldn¡¯t go on a rant about sharp objects.


    And so, Desmond rolled his sleeves, washed his hands and chopped the rest of the onions. He squinted at his handiwork then at Zaria¡¯s and shook his head. ¡°Mine look like shapeless lumps.¡± Zaria¡¯s were perfect little dices he wouldn¡¯t believe were hand-chopped if he hadn¡¯t seen her do it.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. They taste the same.¡± Ximena took the chopping board from him and nced around for a task he could do without idents. When she found the strawberries she intended to use when making dessert, she turned to him just in time to catch him stealing a kiss from Zaria. Rosaly was still fumbling around, inspecting a piece of celery like she was about to fire off a question about it.


    Her gaze had flitted back to Desmond and Zaria. They didn¡¯t need to be in each other¡¯s arms for their love to be obvious. Heck, they probably didn¡¯t even need the wedding. They were already a family of three, soon-to-be four, and the vows were merely a formality. They would do anything for each other. She knew that even without hearing them say it at the altar.


    Once again, she felt envy creep in like a vine taking root deep inside her and twirling its way around her heart, squeezing so hard it hurt. She was not jealous¡ªshe was happy that her friend had found this much happiness. It was just sad to remember that she would never have that kind of bond with anyone and a family was off the charts. The ringing of the doorbell was a wee distraction.

 Chapter 302 - 302 Jealous

    302 Jealous


    She hurried to the door to open it and frowned at the sight of Evan.


    ¡°Is Zaria home?¡± He immediately asked, trying not to show his disappointment at the fact that Zaria was not the one to open the door.


    ¡°No. Do you need something?¡± She wanted to shut the door in his face. Evan was Desmond¡¯s friend but she hated having to wade him off. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to bemon sense to stay the hell away from your friend¡¯s fiancee? Evan¡¯s mind was as twisted as his insane sense of humor.


    He didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°She¡¯s home, isn¡¯t she? I only want to discuss business.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you can contact her executive assistant and ask them to help you set up an appointment with her during working hours.¡± She insisted.


    He chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize executive assistants have their own executive assistants. Preston and Fort Group must be special.¡±


    ¡°It is. Why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°Ximena?¡± Zaria frowned when she came out of the kitchen and witnessed this spectacle. She had thought it was a delivery for an order she made and hade out to tip, only to find Ximena trying to shoo off their guest with the least amount of patience.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to leave.¡± Ximenained.


    .....


    ¡°Zaria, I need to talk to you about something.¡± Evan grabbed the chance to call for her attention.


    ¡°Of course. But can it wait? We are cooking dinner.¡± She pointed at the kitchen behind her over her shoulder.


    ¡°Desmond cooking? Now that¡¯s not something I get to see every day.¡± He cracked up and weed himself to sit in the living room, ignoring Ximena¡¯s re.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Desmond doesn¡¯t need your help protecting her.¡± He joked when he saw how ready she was to murder him.


    Zaria returned to the kitchen, worried it might turn into a battlefield, but Ximena stayed a little longer.


    ¡°You would be six feet underground if I were Desmond.¡± She remarked.


    ¡°But you are not. Lucky me.¡± Heughed, finding it fun to get under her skin. When she sat opposite him to watch him closely as ast ditch effort to annoy him off, he scoffed. ¡°You are not one of those women who are so in love with their best friends that they get territorial when a man they don¡¯t approve of approached their best friends, right? Do you have some kind of girl crush on Zaria?¡±


    ¡°Very funny.¡± She .rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. They ignored each other for a while, then she broke the silence. ¡°You know, Zaria¡¯s life hasn¡¯t been easy.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± He shrugged, almost making it sound like he had done some digging. Realizing Ximena would misunderstand, he rified. ¡°Diamonds do not exist on their own. They are made under pressure. Zaria is a rare diamond. It¡¯s not difficult to imagine the kind of life she must have lived to be as strong as she is.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Ximena couldn¡¯t believe she was agreeing with him but she was d he was getting the point. ¡°So pardon me for not wanting you to ruin what she has achieved.¡±


    ¡°You love her way too much.¡± He reverted to joking about her girl crush.


    She didn¡¯t take it personally. Who could me her? Zaria was the closest thing to a sibling she had ever had and every good thing that had happened in her life revolved around her. Besides, her godchild was on the way. Of course she would want to protect them.


    ¡­.


    After what felt like ten years but was probably only half an hour, Zaria and Desmond finally left the kitchen with Rosaly a few steps behind them. Desmond asked to set the table while Rosaly took notice of their guest. Her eyes lit up as she ran to Evan and raised her arms to be carried.


    Seeing how helpless he looked with the hopeful little girl before him, it was Ximena¡¯s turn to make fun of him. ¡°Pick her up! Don¡¯t you see how much she likes you?¡±


    He resigned to his fate. As expected, it wasn¡¯t long before his hair looked like a chicken coop and he had smudges of paint on his cheeks. Rosaly was making good use of the little time she had with him, taking the chance while her father set the table to paint a unicorn on Evan¡¯s cheek. It could hardly be considered a unicorn. In fact, it looked like a chaotic mess of color.


    Zaria couldn¡¯t hold herughter either. She tried to swallow down her giggles when she came to pick Rosaly up. ¡°Let¡¯s wash our hands, shall we?¡± She took Rosaly¡¯s hand and helped her down from Evan¡¯sp.


    He watched the two of them leave with longing in his eyes. In his imagination, Rosaly was his daughter and his wife had juste to his rescue, saving him from having to endure another painting session. Only, he was picturing someone else, and his daughter looked like her. The realization was more confusing than anything he had ever thought about. He was not in love with Zaria. He was only longing for what she reminded him of.


    With his new realization, it was easier to sit at the table and have dinner with his friend and his family. It had be awkwardtely, and he knew Desmond would still grill him if he knew what he had been thinking about. Only a jerk would believe he was in love with his best friend¡¯s woman.


    No one asked what he wanted to talk about but considering it was best to discuss it so they would enjoy their dinner with the matter out of the way, he finally faced Zaria. ¡°Gabriel has been seeking Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°He has?¡± She was puzzled. ¡°What are the old geezers up to?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not unexpected. They both view you as a problem. Maybe they think they can help each othere up with a solution to get rid of you.¡±


    Desmond spoke up before she could process the meaning of it. ¡°Let them conspire in peace. Once we are certain of their n, we will ruin it and send them to hell while at it.¡±


    He reached into his breast pocket and dug out a folded sheet of paper, which he slid over the table to Zaria.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She wondered aloud.


    ¡°Gabriel¡¯s contact details in case you need them.¡±


    She was about to tell him she already had his email address if she needed to discuss with him but remembered something. Evan knew that. He could only be offering his grandfather¡¯s private contact details for one reason.


    She grinned. Zeus would have a field day with this.


    ¡­..


    Unbeknownst to them, Nathaniel was not only setting up secret meetings with Gabriel. He made sure Lucy was gone for the day and there wouldn¡¯t be any surprise turn of events of her snooping around, then he called his butler over.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± He asked, referring to his new conquest.


    ¡°She will be here in a moment.¡± Answered the butler, though he couldn¡¯t be certain this was a good idea.


    Nathaniel rose to his feet. ¡°Time to wee our guest.¡±


    _____


    AN


    New volume ising soon.


    New book announcement! Check out Falling for the Wicked Boss for a new enemies to lovers romance book. <3< p>

 Chapter 303 - 303 Iressitible offer (1)

    303 Iressitible offer (1)


    Natalie was furious when Nathaniel¡¯s bodyguards finally let go of her. She had yelled for them to let her go and tried to fight them off for most of the ride here. When she realized they had no intention of doing as she said until she was brought to their master, she stopped putting on a fight. These didn¡¯t look like kidnappers who would grab people off the street for a ransom. They had another agenda and their instructions were to deliver her to a specific location. Apparently, that was Nathaniel¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°Is this your way of reuniting, grandfather?¡± She mocked. She had heard tons about Nathaniel Su before meeting him but she still couldn¡¯t believe this sly fox was rted to her.


    In response to her outrage, Nathaniel snorted. ¡°News travels fast, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°If by ¡®news¡¯ you mean the uncountable tales of your debauchery, then yes. News does travel fast.¡± She shrugged the bodyguard off who looked ready to grab her if she tried to bolt away. ¡°It is such a small world, if you think about it. What are the odds that a woman I met through my childhood friend would turn out to be my boyfriend¡¯s greatest fan, and at the same time my cousin? You must have been quite determined with those wild oats, grandfather.¡±


    He looked like he was on the verge of exploding but he kept it in.


    This was exactly why she was not afraid to offend him. He had gone through all the trouble to kidnap her because he needed her. He couldn¡¯t blow it up by killing her. No matter what, at least her life would remain intact. Though the thought of it made her wonder if he could hurt her as long as it was not enough to kill her.


    ¡°Sit down, Natalie.¡± He pointed his hand to the love seat in the living room and sat across from it. She walked over but was yet to sit when a female bodyguard walked up to her and patted her down.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± She shrieked.


    ¡°We can¡¯t risk Luci sneaking around. My dear daughter is way too smart for her own good, if you ask me. Now, where were we?¡± he fiddled with his golden walking stick and set it aside. ¡°We were just getting started.¡±


    .....


    She waited for him to shoo off everyone else and finaly get to it.


    ¡°Speaking of Luci, my wife should have named her Lucifer instead of Lucinda. The former would go with her personality.¡± He chided, looking like he wanted to call Lucy over and strangle her. Before Natalie could remark, he sighed. ¡°We had an agreement that you may or may not have heard about. She works for me and in return, I stay away from her children.¡±


    ¡°Apparently she should have mentioned her niece in that agreement because here I am.¡± Natalie mocked.


    ¡°I¡¯m d she didn¡¯t. Just like I forgot to rify some matters which, when you think about, are self-exnatory. Luci decided it would be funny to try and blow up my daughter.¡±


    Natalieughed, because that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. ¡°So now you care about your family.¡± She knew he didn¡¯t. The only thing that upset him was everyone finding out that someone had messed with his family and gotten away with it. He did not want to be made into a clown and it was the only reason why he was bothered by Lucy¡¯s behaviour. She was not stupid enough to think any of it had to do with being worried that his daughter and son-inw could have died in the st.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring your dughter here and have her help you seek Aunt Lucy out for what she did?¡± She asked, trying to get a rise out of him.


    She didn¡¯t seed. Instead, the man looked more honest than ever. ¡°I would have brought Ava here. Heaven knows she is better suited for the job than you. But not only does Luci have her under her watch, but the woman is also too arrogant to see that this is for her.¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t care for her revenge then maybe you shouldn¡¯t care either.¡± Natalie said in almost a whisper.


    ¡°Are you stalling for time?¡± Nathaniel caught on her little y.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She forced a smile. He was right. She had been kidnapped on her way to pick up ingredients so she and Devonte would cook dinner together. He was waiting for her at her apartment. If she was out for too long, he would look for her and probably notify Desmond and Lucy while at it.


    But now that she had been caught, she couldn¡¯t stall for much longer. She could only hope Devonte tried to call her soon enough. They both knew that if she was not working or sleeping, it didn¡¯t matter what she was doing. She would answer his call, even if to let him know she couldn¡¯t talk and would call back.


    Since she couldn¡¯t let Nathaniel know she was waiting for that to happen, she crossed her legs at her knees and snickered. ¡°I thought the worst part of your hospitality was the improper wee. But now, you won¡¯t even offer your guests drinks?¡±


    He ignored her rant. ¡°Dawn will be yours if you want it.¡±


    Her jaw nearly hit the floor. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Dawn. You know, the subsidiary of Twilight that Lucy wanted you to be a temporary owner of?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Aunt Lucy already offered it to me. Why should I be interested in you giving it to me? Besides, it¡¯s not yours to give away.¡±


    ¡°Yes it is.¡± He sing-songed. ¡°And just so you know, there is a huge difference between a temporary owner and the ultimate owner. Lucy is offering you the former. She is using you as a marketing strategy. On the other hand, I could give it to you for free.¡± He waited for the words to sink in and added, ¡°How I will get hold of it should not be any of your concern.¡±


    ¡°You are asking me to steal from her. To betray her.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Those are strong words. You will not steal from her. You will only get what you deserve that¡¯s still in her name. She did try to take away the only family you have, after all. Think about it, why would you want to be loyal to her?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    He cut her off with a raise of his palm. ¡°A woman who would leave the very man she ims to love very much. A woman who would ditch her daughter. Why would you trust her?¡±


    ¡°Interesting. She gets that from you, doesn¡¯t she? The ditching her child part.¡± She scoffed. Once again, Nathaniel looked like he would dly rip her apart if he didn¡¯t need her.


    ¡°No way in hell am I letting Luci or her spawn inherit any of the wealth I have worked hard for. That leaves you, Natalie. It could help you with you startup. You couldunch Dawn without a single setback and overtake Twilight in a matter of a few years. I am a firm believer that ourtest creations always surpass their predecessors and Luci, well, you know her.¡±


    For these tempting offers, she knew there was a huge price to pay. ¡°What do you want in return?¡±


    ¡°Now, Natalie, let¡¯s not get excited yet. I am not done.¡± He smirked. ¡°Apart from Dawn and the guarantee to be able tounch it sessfully, I do not believe your lover intends to act all his life. I mean, sure, he could do it, but it gets boring after a while. He will want to retire when most of the fun fades and only do it for fun. Unless, of course, he has nomething to fall back to.¡± He lowered his voice temptingly. ¡°I could give him something permanent to retire to, if you want.¡±


    At this point, Natalie was certain he was going to ask for her life. She asked again amid augh, but what he asked for was much worse.


    ¡°Lucinda tried to end my daughter¡¯s life. I believe it is rude to not return a favor.¡±


    ¡°You want me to kill Zaria?¡± She gasped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. It¡¯s going to be super easy for you. Just tell me all the details about her wedding. When the time is right, you will not need to betray your beloved cousin.¡±

 Chapter 304 - 304 [Bonus chapter]

    304 [Bonus chapter]


    Natalie was quiet for so long that Nathaniel became bored.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? Anyone with half a working brain cell would see that this is a one-in-a-million opportunity.¡±


    Natalie frowned at his subtle mockery. He was calling her brainless. Even so, she didn¡¯t give him the satisfaction of getting a reaction. She took her time thinking about and just when she knew Nathaniel was on the verge of kicking her out and finding another option, she spoke up.


    ¡°I am willing to do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you naughty girl. I knew no one was worth your loyalty if there¡¯s so much profit in betraying them.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°I have two conditions.¡± She held up two fingers.


    ¡°Speak up.¡± Nathaniel wasn¡¯t fazed.


    Natalie blinked mischievously. ¡°Make that three. The first one is that this discussion stays here. You will not contact me unless it is urgent and when you really have to, you have to send an email to my personal email address.¡±


    He looked like he had swallowed a fly. ¡°How specific. What makes you think I would answer to you?¡±


    .....


    ¡°You need my help, grandfather. And I don¡¯t have to y along with you. I could walk out of here and there is nothing you would do about it.¡± She reclined in the seat as though she was finallyfortable being here and didn¡¯t want to leave. She was insane and the worst part was that he couldn¡¯t totally me her. Her parents were a pair of lunatics. It would be a surprise if she didn¡¯t take it from them.


    Thinking through his options, he agreed. ¡°Fine. Personal email address. Although, you will have to delete every email once you receive it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. Your daughter and grandson are both hackers. They could help you delete them if you think I will not.¡± She made it sound like she was giving him the best option but in real sense, she was reminding him who had the upper hand. If he did anything aside from what they agreed, she could have Zeus or Lucy recover every piece of evidence that could be used against him.


    This was exactly why as soon as he was done with Natalie, he should get rid of her.


    With this in mind, he agreed to her unreasonable term. ¡°That is doable. What else?¡±


    ¡°You will sign everything to me beforehand. I cannot risk you going back on your word once you have what you want since, after all, we are going to pretend we do not have any close rtionship.¡±


    ¡°That can be done as soon as possible.¡±


    Natalie sat up straight with a serious expression. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I need you to write your will right now.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. Include Zaria and Zeus among your beneficiaries, along with an illegitimate grandchild or two. I don¡¯t care if I lose a little to someone I don¡¯t know and Zaria and Zeus will not want anything to do with your dirty money, so everything will belong to me eventually.¡± She instructed. When Nathaniel hesitated, she asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to leave everything to me? I just want to make sure that¡¯s still the case.¡±


    ¡°Writing a will is not just about putting it down on paper. A lotes to y.¡± He made an excuse.


    She wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°You can contact awyer. We have all the time in the world¡ªas long as you give my phone back and let me tell my boyfriend I¡¯m fine.¡±


    He shrugged in agreement. After all, she would not be able to live long enough to receive any of his inheritance. Besides, the Su conglomerate was a skeleton at the moment, one that Lucy was trying to get some flesh into. It didn¡¯t matter. As long as no one knew what else he owned, Natalie would gain nothing even if she didn¡¯t die.


    So he instructed his bodyguards to give Natalie her phone back but only for long enough for her to call Devonte and tell him something came up and she would be backter than nned.


    At the same time, he gave hiswyer friend a call and summoned him over.


    Enrique arrived within twenty minutes, which was the time it had taken for them to settle everything else. Natalie had agreed to send him all the information she received about the wedding as soon as she got it. She had also promised to send whatever updates were made as soon as she heard of them.


    ¡°What¡¯s so urgent that it couldn¡¯t wait?¡± Enrique asked as he walked in, out of breath from having rushed over.


    Natalie stood to wee in. ¡°It isn¡¯t something bad. On the contrary, it¡¯s a good thing. I am ready to write my will.¡±


    Enrique¡¯s first reaction was to nce at Natalie suspiciously. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Nathaniel returned to his seat. ¡°I have never been more certain of anything in my life. I didn¡¯t know what should be done with my estates after I die but I reconnected with my dearest granddaughter and I have reason to believe that she will do justice to my hard work.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have nothing to say.¡± He hummed. He was still suspicious. In a voice that only he and Nathaniel could hear, he asked, ¡°are you being coerced?¡±


    ¡°No such thing is happening, my friend. Do I look like I¡¯m doing something I don¡¯t want to?¡± Heughed Enqique¡¯s concern off.


    He insisted of writing his will by hand and Enrique watched it unfold until he was done. He then asked, ¡°do these other grandchildren know that they are beneficiaries to your estate?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know yet.¡± He gave the sheet of paper to Enrique after signing it. ¡°I would like it to remain that way. In the event of my death, I would like all the listed grandchildren to be present for the will to be read.¡±


    It was still confusing but there was nothing that could be done about it so Enrique nodded. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    ¡°Could you give us a moment?¡± He asked.


    Enrique left, leaving him with Natalie. She was shocked, not having expected him to actually do it. She would have to find out whether the will was legally binding. If it was, Nathaniel was going down.


    She knew it was evil of her to consider it but who could me her? The man had asked her to kill her best friend¡¯s fianc¨¦e, after all.


    ¡°Do we have a deal?¡± Nathaniel asked after fulfilling her biggest requirement.


    ¡°If you promise that Dawn will be mine as soon as Zaria is six feet underground, yes. We have a deal.¡± She promised.


    ¡°Good. You know what happens when people go back on their word.¡± He gave a subtle warning.


    Since everything was set, Natalie nced over at the bodyguards who had taken her phone in case she tried to record the conversation. ¡°Can I have my phone back?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± He allowed her to take it and showed her out, to keep up the fa?ade of a grandfather and his newly found favorite granddaughter. At the door, he hugged her.


    ¡°See youter, Nat.¡±


    ¡°See you soon, grandfather.¡± She smiled. Then inwardly, she added, see you in hell, Nathaniel Su.

 Chapter 305 - 305 Irresistible offer (3)

    305 Irresistible offer (3)


    Leaving Nathaniel¡¯s mansion was much easier thaning in. She had tried to battle her way out earlier but now that her discussion with Nathaniel was done, he must have ordered his bodyguards to let her go because no one bothered to stop her.


    She shot one of them a smile. He was the one who had been most aggressive with her in the car and would have pped her across the face if hispanion did not remind him that Nathaniel didn¡¯t want a single strand of hair missing from her head. At least the old fart had some manners, she thought.


    The bodyguard, on the other hand, did not flinch at her smile. He retained his poker expression that she knew would crack soon enough. Wait until his master was dead and he was left running around like a stray dog. He would have to cave to whatever became of him and he might just be one of the people who would give her enough evidence to get Nathaniel behind bars. If they decided not to kill him, that is. She was more inclined towards getting rid of him once and for all but she knew that was not what Zaria would want. She wanted peace.


    She waved at them and then left thepound to try and hail a cab. After several unsessful attempts, she walked back despite not wanting to. She red at Nathaniel.


    ¡°Is this how you treat your guests? After bringing me here, leaving me hungry and thirsty, and making me feel sad, you are not even going to make sure I get home safely?¡±


    He was done with her tantrums. She was a smart woman but for some reason, she had decided to drive him crazy by acting like a silly pampered princess. If this was her way of driving him to the grave before he was due, she was winning.


    He signaled for his chauffeur. ¡°Drop her off wherever she can get a cab.¡± Then, in a lower voice that only he could hear, he instructed the chauffeur to ensure he didn¡¯t drop her off at the location of her choice. He still couldn¡¯t risk Natalie getting back on her word. If that were to happen, it would not be wise to have left evidence that he was involved in her kidnapping.


    The chauffeur drove off with Natalie in the backseat and he was relieved. Once all this was done, she would no longer be alive. Not for long enough to change her mind and rat him off, anyway. He knew how women¡¯s minds worked. They were fickle beings who let their emotions rule them.


    Natalie might be interested in working for him now since he had many benefits to offer. Once Zaria was dead, however, he couldn¡¯t guarantee that she would not feel guilty. For some, that did not matter. But if she was stupid enough, she would want to confess everything she did, hoping her deceased friend would forgive her. He couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    .....


    ______


    Meanwhile, Natalie didn¡¯t mind that she was dropped off in the middle of nowhere. All that mattered was that she could get to the grocery store, and then home in time.


    She gave Devonte a call and as expected, he was worried.


    ¡°Is everything alright, love?¡± He asked in concern when he answered the call.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I just had some family matters to deal with.¡± She said without exining which family she was talking about. The mention of family reminded her of her parents¡¯ invitation. They had wanted to dine with Devonte once Owen was out of the hospital.


    She had been putting it off for a while but now, she didn¡¯t think they would let her off if she continued making excuses. So, now that she was already talking about family and Devonte didn¡¯t know which one she meant, she decided to use it as a decoy.


    She bought the ingredients she needed and drove back home, where Devonte was waiting at the door. At least she thought he was. Otherwise, how did he appear so fast when she opened the door?


    ¡°Love, you look troubled.¡± He observed, cupping her face.


    She threw herself into his arms. She hated to lie to him. Well, technically, she was not lying.


    She stopped trying to make excuses for her deception. She was lying by not telling him she had been kidnapped and that Nathaniel wanted to use her, and that she had a scheme of her own. However, she couldn¡¯t possibly tell him the truth. If Nathaniel suspected for a second that she was not the only one who knew about their deal, Devonte¡¯s life would be in danger.


    Besides, there was no way he would keep it to himself if she told him. He would want to confront the man and that would be suicidal. So she buried her face in his chest to avoid having to face him with a lie.


    ¡°My parents would like to have a meal with you. Will breakfast be okay?¡±


    Based on her question, he knew he didn¡¯t have a real choice. She was not asking whether or not she wanted to have breakfast with her parents but when he wanted to. Normally, he would tell off anyone who thought they could tell him what to do. But not Natalie. She could order him around all she wanted. He would still do as she pleased anyway.


    So he kissed her forehead. ¡°Tomorrow?¡± When she nodded, he agreed. ¡°Okay. Just don¡¯te after me if either of them ends up dead for giving you shit, okay?¡±


    She wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Thank you, my love.¡±


    ¡°Now, get your ass in the kitchen so we can cook and I get to have my dinner off of you.¡± He nudged her in the direction of the kitchen and paused. ¡°Unless you are tired.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not tired. I just need a moment.¡± She let him take the grocery bags to the kitchen and used the chance to send a text message to Zaria.


    ___________


    Zaria¡¯s phone chimed while Evan was exining what he thought his grandfather was doing. She debated checking the text and decided it was rude to do so in the middle of a conversation. So although her phone was practically boring a hole through her skin and igniting her curiosity, she held it in and asked more about Evan¡¯s hypothesis.


    ¡°Assuming you are right and Gabriel is pairing up with Nathaniel, what do you suppose his goal is?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Evan couldn¡¯t believe he had to exin this. ¡°His beloved Veronica should have been the one to own the whole of The West. It has been in the family for years, after all. You just got in the way of that.¡±


    ¡°He cannot me me for his ipetence,¡± Zaria grumbled, but she knew he was right. Men like Gabriel didn¡¯t care about logic. Not when they had one foot in their graves, anyway. It didn¡¯t matter what they did, as long as they got to aplish their final goals.


    ¡°So he wants me dead.¡± She concluded. Her phone chimed again. This time she didn¡¯t ignore it and the content made her eyes go wide.


    [Natalie: You have to start nning a wedding, asap].

 Chapter 306 - 306 Awkward breakfast

    306 Awkward breakfast


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Desmond asked when he saw her expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± She passed her phone over to him in disbelief. As expected, he was just as confused as she was. He kept his surprise to himself until they were done eating.


    Evan couldn¡¯t help wondering what they had found out that they didn¡¯t want to tell them about. Even then, he knew he was not one of the people they trusted after the stunts he pulled, so he didn¡¯t bother asking.


    ¡°Tell me when you get something.¡± He told her.


    Zaria nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    He stood to leave, only for his path to be blocked by Rosaly. She looked up at him with bright, pleading eyes. ¡°Evan, do you wanna make friendship bracelets with me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­uhm¡­¡± he thought of an excuse but facing her adorable gaze, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to disappoint her. He took her tiny hand. ¡°Okay, but you have to teach me.¡±


    When they left hand in hand, Ximena was impressed. ¡°Finally there is someone who can tame that wild horse.¡± Though she had to admit, it made sense that the person who managed to order him around was Rosaly. The little girl had everyone wrapped around her tiny pinky finger.


    Desmond was smug. ¡°What do you know? My daughter is a charmer, just like her dad.¡±


    .....


    Zaria rolled her eyes at her fiance¡¯s self-absorbed statement and told Ximena the content of the text message. ¡°I¡¯m going to call Natalie.¡±


    ¡°I think the old geezers made their move faster than expected,¡± Ximena guessed, then she took out her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll call Zeus and have him get to work.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Zaria whispered to her and dialed Natalie¡¯s number. As expected, she picked on the first ring as though she was expecting her. However, she didn¡¯t want to talk.


    ¡°Hey, Zaria, can we meet up to talk tomorrow? Lunch at your workce?¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Sure. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Totally. Nothing you should be worried about. I¡¯m going to hang up now, Dev came over.¡±


    She knew something was up and Natalie was not just ending the call fast because Devonte was around. Luckily, whatever it was, she would find out the following day.


    _______


    The following day.


    Natalie and Devonte were yet to arrive at the Sparks¡¯ mansion but she was already wishing they could get away from this. Was there any chance they could make up ast-minute excuse and manage to get away every time her parents asked to reschedule?


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that would never work. Not in a million years even if she tried. She could only face them. She had asked them if she could bring Devonte over this morning and hoped they would say no so she would have an excuse but on the contrary, they sounded thrilled to meet him. This was going to be a long day and it had only begun.


    The maids didn¡¯t look surprised to see her. Everyone must have been told she wasing, which exined why they were prepared to see her despite the heated argument she and her parents had before she left.


    ¡°Nat, you are here.¡± Ava stood from her seat and hugged her.


    Pigs must be flying outside for her to make that much effort. Owen, on the other hand, was hell set on using his injuries as an excuse to not hug her, even though they all knew he waspletely healed now.


    She didn¡¯t mind their lukewarm greeting but when Ava invited her to sit beside her, she realized they had not bothered to acknowledge Devonte.


    ¡°Mom, dad, this is Devonte. You already know him.¡± She brought attention to him despite knowing they would be displeased. As expected, they grunted listlessly and didn¡¯t say a word. Not even a fake ¡®nice to meet you¡¯.


    She sat down next to him and as breakfast was served, she held his hand under the table in reassurance. Well, as much reassurance as she could give when he was being treated with such hostility from her parents. She wished they didn¡¯te.


    ¡°So, Devonte, what do you n to do for the rest of your life?¡± Owen asked, breaking the ice. Once again, they all knew he was not intending to break any ice. On the contrary, he was finding a chance to grill Devonte the whole time and make him feel bad about his career choice.


    ¡°Acting.¡± He gave a one word response that infuriated Owen even though he didn¡¯t say it.


    ¡°I mean, after that. You do know acting is not a solid career, right?¡± Ava asked on behalf of her husband.


    ¡°If what you mean is that actors don¡¯t earn enough money, you should check your facts.¡±


    Natalie winced. She was relieved Devonte wasn¡¯t taking their crap lying down but this was not going to end well. She cleared her throat and spoke up. ¡°Actually, if you are half as popr as Devonte, you don¡¯t need to worry about money.¡±


    ¡°Until you make one mistake in the industry and you have to pay fines worth much more than your worth.¡± Ava snapped.


    ¡°That can happen to anyone, including an aplished business woman like you, mother.¡± She smiled to ease her blow and immediately regretted her words. It would be best if breakfast ended without a fight.


    She was relieved when their breakfast was served but only for a moment.


    Owen once again took his ce belittling Devonte. ¡°You must know that Natalie is our only child and therefore the only heir to our estate if anything were to happen to us.¡±


    Knowing what he was getting at, Devonte spoke up, enunciating every word clearly. ¡°I do know that, Mr. Sparks. But I have no interest in your wealth. Natalie and I can build your own empire.¡±


    ¡°Everyone says that until they demand¡­¡±


    ¡°When we get married, I will sign a prenup stating that I will never be entitled to a single cent of your money.¡± He dropped the bombshell, then looked at them in confusion when they didn¡¯t react. ¡°Will that assure you?¡±


    Ava nodded while Owen sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just have our breakfast.¡±


    ¡­..


    ¡°I fucking love you!¡± Natalie nearly fistpumped when they finally left the Sparks mansion.


    ¡°You do? I ruined the mood at breakfast.¡± He was puzzled that she was not mad at him.


    ¡°To be fair, it could have gone much worse.¡± She ced a hand on his shoulder. But that was not why she was excited. He had said ¡°when we get married¡±, not ¡°if we get married¡±. He had neither proposed to her nor spoken about their marriage but his unconcious words made her realize that marriage was not an option for them. It was a certainty, despite there not being dates set in stone.


    She pulled him in for a gentle kiss. What should have been chaste nearly got out of hand when he pulled her against his body and deepened the kiss.


    ¡°If you want to thank me, how abouting over tonight?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise. I¡¯m going to meet up with Zariater and she might want to¡­¡± she realized she was not ready to exin that nning a surprise wedding might be what would have them staying up all night, so she broke it off. ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll be there tonight.¡±


    Wedding nning could start the following day. She only hoped Zaria would be in the right frame of mind once she heard everything about Nathaniel¡¯s n.

 Chapter 307 - 307 Wedding preparations (1)

    307 Wedding preparations (1)


    When she finally arrived at Zaria¡¯s office, thetter was buried in a pile of work. She looked up as Natalie walked in and her serious face broke into a smile.


    ¡°Natalie, you¡¯re early.¡± She remarked, getting back to work almost instantly. ¡°Could you give me ten minutes? I¡¯ll just wrap up my report and then join you.¡±


    In a real sense, she was not early. They had agreed to discuss over lunch at 1pm and she was ten minuteste. Even so, she didn¡¯t think telling Zaria that would ease her pressure in the slightest so she picked up the takeaway bags she had brought.


    ¡°I can wait in Desmond¡¯s lounge. His meeting hasn¡¯t ended either.¡±


    Zaria nodded, inwardly thanking her. ¡°Be right there.¡±


    It was nearly 2pm when she finally couldn¡¯t take her hunger anymore. She checked the time and realized she was an entire hourte for lunch.


    She groaned. Natalie must have been bored to death waiting for her. But when she joined her in Desmond¡¯s office, boredom was thest thing she saw. Ximena and Zeus were present too, and the three of them wereughing at something so hard that Ximena was nearly falling out of her seat.


    It took a few seconds to realize that Zeus was the one responsible for making the two women who didn¡¯t quite see eye to eyeugh their hearts out.


    ¡°Zaria¡¯s here.¡± He announced when he saw her. The women looked over and Natalie smiled.


    .....


    ¡°Busy day?¡± She remarked, since Desmond had dashed to another meeting right after the previous one ended. He hadn¡¯t even eaten a thing.


    ¡°More like a busy week.¡± She sighed as she slumped into the closest couch in the lounge. Seeing the extra takeout bag, she nced at Ximena. ¡°I guess Liam didn¡¯t have lunch either?¡±


    ¡°Forget about those workaholics. We can polish off their food and enjoy it without them.¡± She joked. They all giggled but agreed with her. It wasn¡¯t like they could barge into the conference room and shove food into the men¡¯s mouths.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you two are here too,¡± Zaria said to Ximena and Zeus. ¡°I will not have to track you down separately to tell you everything once Natalie exins it to me.¡±


    Natalie wasn¡¯t in the slightest bit worried about Zeus. Even if he ran to Lucy with everything they discussed or attacked Nathaniel on his own, he was on his sister¡¯s side and his intention wouldn¡¯t collide with theirs. Ximena, on the other hand¡­


    ¡°Are you sure? We can discuss itter.¡± She suggested, hoping Zaria would understand without her having to point everything out.


    She did. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xim is like family.¡± She assured Natalie.


    Ximena rolled her eyes. ¡°Are you listening to yourself? I am more of a family to Zaria than you ever would be.¡±


    Zaria facepalmed. ¡°Xim, not now.¡±


    Ximena huffed and although Natalie wanted to retort, what she had said was true. They might have a little bit of the same DNA running through their bodies but it wasn¡¯t the fact that they only knew each other through Desmond. Technically, Zaria would trust Ximena over her, if she only had to trust one of them.


    ¡°So, wedding?¡± She probed, sessfully ending the cold war that was threatening tomence.


    Natalie ignored her unsettling feeling and asked, ¡°you are certain that aside from Desmond, no one would overhear anything happening here, right?¡± She knew Desmond might have put security measures in ce but depending on who was in charge, they could be a double edged sword.


    Zeus shot to his feet. ¡°Only one way to be certain.¡± He grabbed hisptop and messed around for a few minutes, then smiled at them. ¡°There. What happens in this office, stays in this office.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She sucked in a breath and exined everything, starting from the moment she was kidnapped in the street to Nathaniel¡¯s offer and their agreement.


    Zaria was even more confused. ¡°So he wants to attack me during my wedding, and you want me to n said wedding?¡±


    Natalie smirked. ¡°I only said you should n a wedding, not your wedding.¡±


    When she caught on, she smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the naughtiest? You want me to n a fake wedding to trap him when he tries to attack me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea, yes.¡± She was relieved that Zaria didn¡¯t think she was working with Nathaniel. Ximena, on the other hand, didn¡¯t trust her much.


    ¡°How will we know you are not on his side? What if you are encouraging Zaria to n her wedding so you provide the chance for him to attack?¡±


    ¡°Xim,¡± Zaria warned. Though to be fair, she had the mildest thought about it too. Not that Natalie was that kind of woman, but Lucy did try to hurt her parents. It would only be expected if she was mad about it. But again, if Natalie wanted to hurt her, she had a billion opportunities. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for her to wait until the wedding day.


    So she took out a notepad.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have our lunch first.¡±


    She finally remembered she was yet to eat. However, Zeus grabbed the takeaway bags. ¡°I¡¯ll warm the food. I believe there are things you can get done by the time I¡¯m back.¡±


    He was right. As soon as she opened the notepad, she jotted down a date.


    ¡°We can get married on the 9th of October.¡± She circled the date as she thought of a venue. ¡°Desmond¡¯s mansion will be good. The one on the private ind. It can finally be useful.¡±


    ¡°You will only have a few days if you are getting married on the 9th.¡± Ximena pointed out, then remembered it was a fake wedding. ¡°Right. It¡¯s fake. However, you will have a lot of preparation to do in such a short time.¡±


    That part was true. But again, ¡°We cannot give Nathaniel a lot of time to prepare his attack. We do have an advantage of numbers. We are many, and he is a lone wolf. We can get a lot of work done in a day and he will need several more days toplete the same amount of work. This means, we have to get everyone we trust to help us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Zeus remarked, having overheard them on his way back with the freshly warmed food. ¡°The moment you involve our parents will be the very moment you have to abort the n.¡± He set the tray on the coffee table. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I wouldn¡¯t agree with them. You shouldn¡¯t be doing such dangerous things. But again, the only way to get Nathaniel and all hisckeys in the same room is by having a realistic wedding.¡±


    That gave her an idea. She flipped the page and started listing down her wedding guests. ¡°I hope they don¡¯t use the short notice as a way to get out of it. I want to invite both Gabriel West and Nathaniel Su. Of course, we have to ask for Evan¡¯s opinion if Gabriel is to be one of our ¡®extra special¡¯ guests.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Once I tell Nathaniel everything you have nned, he will be there and so will Gabriel.¡± Natalie assured her.


    ¡°You have to tell him everything?¡± Zaria frowned.


    Natalie nodded, and then wrote a quick email and told Nathaniel the date and venue. That was the most important part.


    Zaria listened to her read the email out for their approval and had a gnawing feeling. Whose side was Natalie on?

 Chapter 308 - 308 Wedding preparations (2)

    308 Wedding preparations (2)


    By the time Desmond returned from his meeting, they had finished discussing most details of their n and Natalie had long left.


    He let out a long sigh as soon as he saw her and swept her off her feet.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m trying toplete an important part of my research here.¡± She protested. He had caught her off guard while she worked, turning her chair around to face him and pulling her out of it.


    He pressed her against his body and took a long inhale of her scent. ¡°I almost couldn¡¯t take it, being so close to you all day but not being able to hold you and touch you.¡±


    The feeling was mutual. He had left the house earlier than usual this morning. She had vaguely heard him mumble a goodbye and kiss her cheek before he crept out of bed, and she had slept in for much longer ande to work after dropping Rosaly off to school.


    She had heard him a few times in the day but he was so swamped that she couldn¡¯t go to him either.


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± She kissed his lips.¡±


    ¡°Then take a short break off. I¡¯m sure your boss won¡¯t mind letting his most beautiful employee take a breather.¡± He slid his hand down to her butt, making her cheeks flush as she tried to remember whether her door was locked.


    ¡°My boss can be quite an asshole.¡± She purred. ¡°He might just use it to try and get into my pants.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Is that so?¡± His voice lowered into a low rumble, as though she had just given him the best idea in the world. He eyed her from head to toe and licked his bottom lip. His gaze sent tingles down her spine.


    They lived together and saw each other naked at least once every day but each time this man looked at her, it was as though he fell in love with her body anew. She was throbbing and he hadn¡¯t evenid a finger on her yet.


    ¡°Lock the door.¡± He demanded.


    ¡°One second.¡± She held a finger up and saved her work. She had herputer set to auto-save every single change she made to a document but there was no such thing as too much caution especially when it came to important documents. When she finally locked the door and returned to him, his gaze had darkened.


    ¡°You have some nerve making me wait, woman.¡± He growled.


    ¡°What will you do?¡± She taunted, biting her bottom lip as she gazed up at him. He loosened his tie and she instantly knew exactly what he was going to do. By the time he demanded for her to undress, she was sliding her skirt off.


    She ced it neatly on her chair and leaned over the desk like she knew he wanted her to. He came up behind her and spanked her bottom once for making him wait, then slid his finger between her thighs and right into her core.


    She couldn¡¯t stop a moan. Perhaps it was because of her pregnancy hormones but she had been constantly hornytely. It was already hard enough to be in the same space with him without wanting to touch him but now, all it took was a single gaze from him and her panties would be melting.


    Sure enough, his finger slid inside her with ease. ¡°Always ready for me, my sweet assistant.¡±


    ¡°me your cock for feeling so good, boss.¡± The rest of her words morphed into a moan when he rubbed her clit. He mped a hand over her mouth to muffle it as he teased her.


    ¡°I need you,¡± she pleaded.


    ¡°Me too, baby.¡± He turned her around and lifted her onto the desk. Her legs parted of their own ord. He went down on his knees instead of what she thought he was going to do, and shepletely forgot they were in her office when he swiped his tongue through her wetness.


    He took his time savoring her, using his tongue to express how much he had missed her. It wasn¡¯t long before her orgasm tore through her body, and he once again had to muffle her moan. He licked up every drop of her climax, then he got back on his feet.


    ¡°Get dressed.¡± He ordered.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe this turn of events.


    ¡°Naughty employees don¡¯t get rewarded, sweetheart.¡± He smirked. ¡°Besides, we want to get some work done, don¡¯t we? This short break is not nearly enough for me to do any of the things I want to do to you. So get dressed before the wholepany knows what I¡¯m doing to my assistant.¡±


    Her cheeks flushed. To be exact, it wouldn¡¯t be news. She had started showing, and she had noticed the looks from employees especially when she wore certain clothes.


    They already knew they were engaged, so it wasn¡¯t hard to guess why her belly was curving out. Even so, thest thing she wanted was for everyone to know that they did it in her office. They would never look at her the same way. So, although she wanted to continue what they had started, she picked her clothes up and put them on.


    ______


    When they finally sat down to have an actual conversation, she raised her concern. As expected, he frowned when she mentioned her suspicion.


    ¡°Des, she¡¯s human. She cannot be good all the time. And I wouldn¡¯t me her if she turned against us after what nearly happened to her parents. I just¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a good reason to be concerned,¡± he seconded her, but then he added, ¡°Natalie would die before she does something that would hurt me. I trust her.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± He asked before she couldplete her statement. She nodded.


    ¡°If someone asked me to choose between my life and yours, what do you think I would do?¡±


    ¡°Choose me.¡± She bit out, the realization hitting her harder than the thought she¡¯d just had. She hadn¡¯t realized how much she trusted him until now. If he trusted Natalie half as much as she trusted him, then he was right. Natalie would never cave to coercion.


    ¡°Do you have any more concerns?¡± He asked, guessing from her expression that she was no longer worried about what Natalie might do.


    She shook her head, then nodded. ¡°I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡± She confessed.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s silly. But it¡¯s just¡­this fake wedding preparation is suddenly all in my face and it feels so real¡­¡±


    He took her hand and kissed her palm. ¡°Babe, if you still have any doubts about whether or not you want to be my wife, I¡¯m clearing them up tonight.¡±


    She chuckled. She wasn¡¯t in doubt about whether or not he was the right man for her. That had been obvious for as long as she could remember. The only thing that worried her was that marriage might ruin their rtionship. But now that she thought about it, it might not be easy, but it was not impossible to make it work. They just needed to make it work and ept whatever challenges were bound toe along.


    Even so, she had a feeling she was going to love the coaxing he had in mind.

 Chapter 309 - 309 Wedding preparations(3)

    309 Wedding preparations(3)


    Although they had already given Nathaniel a date and venue through Natalie, they had to make it more convincing. So she decided to take the afternoon off every day for the next few days so she would go wedding shopping.


    Hence when she picked Rosaly up from school the following afternoon, she had the most exciting news.


    ¡°We are going shopping for a flower girl dress!¡± She announced soon after Rosaly entered the car.


    The girl looked up at her with her eyes wide in disbelief. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Zaria assured her. ¡°And the best part? You get to choose which dress you want.¡±


    That was the icing on the cake. For the rest of the drive, Rosaly could barely keep still. It was a good thing that Zaria already had flower girl dress suggestions saved on her phone for her to look through on their way.


    When they finally arrived at the bridal boutique, Rosaly couldn¡¯t keep her eyes off the rows of gowns lining the windows.


    Her eyes went wide in awe. ¡°They look beautiful. Zaria, I want a blue one, just like Elena.¡±


    It took a while for Zaria to realize she was talking about a character from one of her favorite Disney animation series, ¡®Elena of Avalor¡¯. She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure her sister Isabe is the one who wears a blue dress.¡±


    .....


    ¡°I want one like Isabe¡¯s.¡± She corrected herself, her excitement not dimming. When she saw a golden princess dress on the rack near the entrance, her eyes lit up. She peeked up at Zaria uncertainly.


    A salesgirl walked over to them. ¡°Hi, wee to Sam Bridal. Is there anything specific you would like to check out?¡±


    ¡°Flower girl dresses. We can just take a look at what you have.¡±


    The young woman crouched to Rosaly¡¯s level. ¡°For this little beauty, we have dozens of clothes. What¡¯s your favorite color, sweetheart?¡±


    Rosaly started to say blue, but then she remembered all the things she loved that were not blue. She looked to Zaria for help.


    Understanding her, Zaria answered, ¡°she doesn¡¯t have one. Anything that¡¯s glittery or has somece will please her.¡±


    The salesgirl smiled and showed them to a lounge to sit, then she brought magazines for them to flip through as she went to find dresses in Rosaly¡¯s size.


    Since she loved everything that sparkled, there was a lot for Rosaly to admire in the magazine, ranging from rings to nes and tiaras.


    When she got to the end of it, she looked up at Zaria. ¡°Zaria, are you marrying daddy?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t known Rosaly for very long but she was pretty sure the girl knew what the proposal meant. She set her magazine aside and pulled her closer. ¡°What do you really want to ask, sweetie?¡±


    Rosaly shook her head timidly, then she changed her mind and asked anyway, with her face flushing. ¡°Can I call you mommy after the wedding?¡±


    She was a little confused. ¡°We talked about this, didn¡¯t we? You can call me whatever makes youfortable. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    Rosaly bit her lip nervously. ¡°But my friends say a step mommy is not really a mommy. I want you to be my real mommy, Zaria.¡±


    Zaria swallowed. Ang just joined the chat. It was difficult to talk about this without hurting her feelings.


    To her relief, the sales assistant returned. She had what looked like enough dresses to start their own little girl dresses boutique on a rack.


    ¡°Your daughter is quite cute. There isn¡¯t a single dress I picked up that I don¡¯t think will look good on her.¡±


    Zaria smiled but it didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. It was easy for an outsider to assume she was Rosaly¡¯s mother based on how close they were¡ªnot that she minded it. She just didn¡¯t want to tread on boundaries. She didn¡¯t want to make it sound like Rosaly should forget who her biological mother was. Ang was, after all, the one who birthed her and brought her up for most of her life.


    Besides, if Ang were to try to amend her custody, it would be confusing for her to call two women ¡®mommy¡¯ without understanding exactly what was going on.


    She decided to think about thatter.


    ¡°Honey, pick what you like and try it on, okay? It doesn¡¯t have to be just one.¡± She instructed.


    Rosaly was relieved that she didn¡¯t have to leave behind the dresses she liked just because only one was needed. She found three she couldn¡¯t the best out of, and they all made her look like the cutest flower girl. What started out as shopping for one dress ended in Zaria buying her two tiaras to go with the dresses, shoes, tiny sling bags, and a flower girl basket. She ended up wearing one of the tiaras on their way back home.


    Once they were in the car, Zaria figured they couldn¡¯t postpone the topic about Ang anymore.


    ¡°Honey, a stepmother is, in fact, a real mother. Your friends are yet to learn that but they will see for themselves soon enough.¡±


    Rosaly looked relieved. ¡°Will you still love me?¡±


    Zaria pulled her over for a hug. ¡°Always.¡±


    She was not just saying it to cate Rosaly. She didn¡¯t know when it happened but she loved Rosaly as much as she would if she was her own daughter. Now that she had voiced her concerns, she couldn¡¯t help realizing that her friends were partially true.


    If she and Desmond were to split up, she would lose every right to be close to Rosaly¡ªand it gnawed at her insides. Of course, she hoped nothing of the sort would ever happen, but not everything was ck or white. There were shades of gray and she couldn¡¯t be certain which shade of gray was bound to cause their downfall. So, on the drive back home, she made the decision she had thought about for a while but had not made any conclusion on.


    ¡­..


    ¡°I want to adopt Rosaly.¡± She told Desmondter that night when Rosaly went to sleep.


    He was sitting on the bed with a book in hand, which he set aside to face her. Her words didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean I want Rosaly to be my daughter legally.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her brows knitted. He hadn¡¯t even flinched. It was as though there wasn¡¯t possibly any other answer when it came to whether or not she could be Rosaly¡¯s legal mother.


    She sat on the bed so she would be closer to him. ¡°Why not?¡±


    He frowned, as though he couldn¡¯t believe it was a topic for discussion. ¡°Rosaly is my daughter and you are going to be my wife. You don¡¯t need to adopt her to be her mother. You will be her mother as soon as our marriage is legal.¡±


    ¡°Stepmother.¡± She corrected him. ¡°It holds no water legally.¡±


    ¡°It does because you will be my wife.¡± He took her hand. ¡°Why are we having this conversation, anyway?¡±


    She exined Rosaly¡¯s concern and the realization it had brought. ¡°If she sees the adoption documents, she will be assured once and for all that I will never leave her.¡±


    What he said next left her speechless. ¡°I cannot give you grounds to take my daughter away if you ever leave me.¡±

 Chapter 310 - 310 Wedding preparations (4)

    310 Wedding preparations (4)


    ¡°Alright.¡± She pulled her hand from his. ¡°I¡¯ll get ready for bed.¡±


    He immediately knew she was angry with him but he couldn¡¯t quite figure out why. Why did documents matter?


    Knowing it was merely going to morph into an argument if he poked this particr ho¡¯s nest, he didn¡¯t ask. He was not ready to fight with her, now or ever.


    However, she spent the next hour in the shower and ignored him when she returned. She crawled into bed and kept her distance. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. So what if you¡¯re not her legal mother?¡± He asked.


    She ignored him and pretended to be asleep, and he had to poke her for an answer. He got one, but not one he had expected.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to y the role, I deserve the title as well.¡±


    He felt the subtle threat in her statement even though she didn¡¯t say it out loud. If she wasn¡¯t getting the title, she wasn¡¯t ying the role of Rosaly¡¯s mother. In other words, she would never be involved with Rosaly¡¯s matters. Either that, or she was insinuating something he was less willing to think about.


    He reached to touch her, only for his hand to be swatted away.


    .....


    ¡°Where did thise from? Haven¡¯t you been okay with only being her stepmother?¡±


    That was until she realized Rosaly was being bullied with facts about her family. However, it was just a hunch. She didn¡¯t want to raise unnecessary suspicion until she was certain of it.


    ¡°I love Rosaly.¡± She said. It was true but not all of it.


    Desmond ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I know that, Zaria. I¡¯ve witnessed it every day since you moved in with us. But I don¡¯t want to lose my daughter either.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Are you insinuating that I would trick you into letting me adopt her and then leave you and ask for her custody? Do you think just because the judge thought I would take good care of Rosaly, I would use it against you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± He frowned.


    ¡°You implied it.¡± She stopped swatting his hand away and let him hold her. ¡°Des, it¡¯s just a document.¡±


    ¡°One that means a lot.¡± He hovered over her, peeling the duvet off her to snuggle with her. ¡°How about this, after the real wedding, we begin the adoption procedures.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness. Did he think she would bolt away if she had Rosaly as her daughter? Someone should tell him how much he meant to her.


    ¡°I love you, Desmond. Don¡¯t you ever doubt that.¡± She reminded him, in case he had forgotten.


    ¡°I will never forget it.¡± He kissed her lips. ¡°And I love you too.¡±


    She took his hand. It didn¡¯t matter much but she slid his hand onto her belly anyway. ¡°Besides, if I ever try to leave you, you have leverage over me. Not that you will ever need it.¡±


    ¡°I hope I never have to use it but just so you know, I would tear the world down looking for you if you ever try to pull a fast one on me.¡±


    Now that they had an agreement, he pushed her thighs apart with his knee. ¡°I believe I still have a lot of convincing to do.¡±


    ________


    The following day, she met up with Natalie and Ximena to finalize the details of the fake wedding.


    After thinking about it the previous day, she had decided to set two dates for every preparation she made. It would save her a lot of time when it was time to n the actual wedding.


    Ximena and Natalie were waiting in the private booth of the coffee shop when she finally got there. They were each sipping their coffee and strangely, they had not murdered each other yet.


    ¡°Our beautiful bride is here.¡± Natalie was the first to hug her, earning a re from Ximena.


    When Ximena finally got the chance to hug her, she did so for a long time, making Zaria chuckle.


    ¡°You two realize you both mean a lot to me, right? You don¡¯t have to fight over me like toddlers fighting over a doll.¡±


    ¡°About that.¡± Ximena pulled her over to sit beside her. ¡°Have you decided on the bridesmaids¡¯ dresses? I have a few suggestions. I also suggest for every bridesmaid to choose the dress design of her choice as long she sticks to the selected material and color.¡±


    ¡°I say bridesmaids should wear the same dress, with the maid of honor¡¯s a shade lighter.¡±


    The mention of the maid of honor gave her a chill. As expected, the topic morphed into just that.


    ¡°Let the maid of honor and bride decide what works best.¡± Ximena retorted.


    Natalie asked, ¡°Who are you choosing as the maid of honor, anyway?¡±


    Ximena nced over at her like she was asking the obvious. ¡°Is that even a question? Of course, that would be me.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Natalie rolled her eyes. ¡°However, can you get a week off work to do maid of honor duties for a fake wedding and then do the same for the real deal?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Zaria and I promised to be each other¡¯s maid of honor or matron of honor, depending on who got married first. Our dolls were always each other¡¯s maid of honor when we yed wedding dress up.¡± Ximena insisted. Her main point wasn¡¯t the fact that she would make time for anything as long as Zaria needed it, but that they had known each other for longer.


    ¡°And? I have more time on my hands now that mypany is yet tounch. I¡¯m sure Zaria won¡¯t need to do a thing.¡± Natalie retorted.


    ¡°Girls,¡± Zaria sighed. ¡°It would be great if the two of you got along. How about this, one of you will be my maid of honor for the fake wedding and one for the real wedding.¡±


    She thought they would agree, but they both looked at her to decide who got the fake role and who got the real one. She had just made it worse.


    When they went for the cake tasting, they couldn¡¯t decide on one vor, and she was certain it had nothing to do with the taste. They just didn¡¯t want to agree. The same thing happened when it was time to select flower arrangements.


    ¡°Excuse me? You should be a grooms woman.¡± Ximena remarked on something Natalie said.


    In response, Natalie crossed her arms. ¡°Unless the bride is my cousin and I¡¯m the closest thing she has to a sister.¡±


    Zaria facepalmed. Even after assuring them that they had no reason topete with each other, they still wanted to act like jealous little girls. In the end, she ditched them at the florist and let them battle it out.


    Apparently, having two best friends who knew each other was not a good idea. When she thought about Desmond¡¯s situation, however, she giggled. If his friends were anything like hers, he had a bigger problem with Liam, Evan, and Leo all trying to be the best man. She actually wanted to watch that.


    ______


    Mass release chapter 5/5.


    Normal daily updates resume tomorrow.

 Chapter 311 - 311 Wedding preparations(5)

    311 Wedding preparations(5)


    Since Zaria left them in the name of not wanting to be the center of their wars, the women thought about how she must feel being caught in between them.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t truly hate each other. Heaven knew why they were so hell set on asserting dominance because they didn¡¯t know either. So as soon as zaria left, Ximena suggested they don¡¯t follow her. She must have left because she couldn¡¯t take their insanity anymore.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t actually care what role I have at the wedding. Zaria knows she can always count on me.¡± Ximena was the first to break the ice.


    ¡°Neither do I. For the same reason, by the way.¡± Natalie added.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we fight.¡± Ximena burst intoughter. If they were different, maybe they wouldn¡¯t want to murder each other each chance they got. But putting their physical differences aside, they had more simrities than they would ever admit.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to.¡± Natalie shrugged, reading Ximena¡¯s mind. ¡°I¡¯ll take the fake wedding. You take the real one. Let¡¯s give our girl some time off so she can rest.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Ximena stuck out her hand for a shake. ¡°But just so you know, if you try to be her kids¡¯ godmother, I¡¯m throwing you off to Mars.¡±


    Natalie shook her hand with a scoff. ¡°Why would I care about being a godmother when I can be the cool aunt?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Ximena pouted.


    .....


    Surprisingly, they could work perfectly well together once they came to an agreement. They opened up about not entirely trusting each other and decided to work with whatever friendliness they had, then they settled on floral arrangements, venue decorations, cake vors, and invite drafts.


    By the time they finally joined Zaria at home, they had everything in order and brought a wedding invite to her for her approval.


    ¡°There you are!¡± She raised her eyebrows when she saw them. She had forgotten all about them when Lucy dropped by for a visit. She peeked at them from over Lucy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Did you kill each other yet?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, no we didn¡¯t. That wasn¡¯t nearly as fun as what we did.¡± XImena answered while Natalie gave her invitation to Ly.


    Zaria had just filled her in on the fake wedding, but she was still puzzled when Natalie gave her a real invite.


    She nced at them then back at Zaria. ¡°You do know you wouldn¡¯t have to do this if you contacted me, right? I would have sent Nathaniel to his grave faster than he can say his mother¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°And then a vengeful descendant of his would rise in his ce and give us hell for eradicating his grandfather.¡± Zaria exined. Lucy couldn¡¯t argue with that. It was true.


    ¡°This is why it has to look like an ident. Let everyone who hears of it think Nathaniel set up a trap for us and it backfired in his face and it¡¯s not our fault that we didn¡¯t get caught up in it.¡±


    Lucy was still worried. ¡°Are you going to go through the trouble of having your hair and makeup done twice? That sounds hectic!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not hectic if at the end of it all I get to marry the love of my life.¡±


    ¡°Did someone sprinkle cheese in here?¡± Ximena pretended to scrunch her nose in response to Zaria¡¯s statement. They all chuckled.


    ¡°Do you guys want to see my final choices for a gown?¡± Zaria stood to show them. They all responded with ¡®of course¡¯ but when she led them upstairs, Lucy didn¡¯t move. She grabbed Natalie¡¯s hand before she could make her way past.


    ¡°A word?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Natalie nced up the stairs at Ximena and Zaria who had rushed away without them and figured they would have a moment before they realized they were alone.


    Lucy brought her back to the living room and sat back on the couch with her legs crossed at the knee, while waiting for Natalie to upy the beanbag before her.


    ¡°Do you need anything, aunt?¡± She swallowed. Lucy did not look like she had pulled her over to catch up.


    ¡°The truth.¡± Lucy demanded. ¡°Why did Nathaniel invite you over?¡±


    ¡°Invite me?¡± Natalie scoffed.


    ¡°I thought it sounded better than kidnap, considering you are his granddaughter after all. Why did he invite you?¡±


    ¡°I assumed Zaria told you everything but¡­¡± she took a deep breath. ¡°He wanted me to help him take revenge for what you tried to do to my parents. Since you tried to kill his daughter, he wants to kill yours.¡±


    ¡°I see. What do you have to do?¡±


    Natalie frowned but answered her anyway. ¡°Report every single thing about the wedding. That¡¯s why there are two of them. One is for Nathaniel.¡±


    Lucy observed her body and expression. She was nervous, but she was telling the truth. ¡°What¡¯s in it for you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Wealth. An immense amount.¡±


    This time, Lucy observed a slight shift in her leg. She was telling the truth, but not all of it. She was hiding something. She stared down at the woman, who didn¡¯t flinch, so she came out with it. ¡°How does he know about Dawn?¡±


    As expected, Natalie couldn¡¯t hold in her shock. She didn¡¯t think that would be found out.


    Lucy chuckled. ¡°In case you didn¡¯t know, my son can hack into Fort Knox and no one would find out. So tell me, how the hell does Nathaniel know so much about Dawn?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. I didn¡¯t tell him about it. It was the other way around.¡± She shut her eyes for a moment. ¡°Now, do you think it¡¯s time to stop treating your niece like a prisoner under interrogation?¡±


    She uncrossed her legs and took both of Natalie¡¯s hands in hers. ¡°Of course, dear. What was I thinking, scaring you like that?


    We have not known each other for a long time but I¡¯m very fond of you, Natalie. That¡¯s putting it mildly. I like you very much. I have never seen my daughter so happy and I know it¡¯s not only because of Desmond and Rosaly, you have a role to y too.¡±


    She yed with Natalie¡¯s fingers for a while and when she stopped, the smile had faded on her face. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I have forgotten whose daughter you are or how maniptive your parents are. They will try to use you to get to my daughter and I won¡¯t me you for that. But if you are going to hold what I did against her, step away from her now and we can part ways peacefully. Try to hurt her and you will be six feet underground faster than you can think about it.¡±


    Natalie pulled her hands back. ¡°This is thest time we will have this conversation. I will never hurt Zaria. Not deliberately, anyway.¡± She then stood up to join the others, but not without throwing a nce at Lucy over her shoulder. ¡°By the way, you almost did me a huge favor that day. ¡®Almost¡¯ being the operative word.¡±


    Lucy couldn¡¯t stop smiling. Was Natalie fed up with her parents too? If that was the case, then it didn¡¯t matter if Ava and Owen stayed alive. Their most prized chess piece was in her hands. Only, she was not a chess piece on her side. She was much more than that.

 Chapter 312 - 312 Wedding(1)

    312 Wedding(1)


    For the next few days, everyone poured themselves into nning the fake wedding. They weren¡¯t actually doing anything much since Natalie and Ximena had everything in order, but they had to make Nathaniel believe an actual wedding was in the works.


    By the end of the week, everything looked so real that Zaria nearly believed she was getting married today.


    ¡°And now, for the bachelorette party.¡± Ximena whistled excitedly.


    ¡°We both know how that one¡¯s going to end. Let¡¯s not waste our time.¡± Zaria brushed off the idea. Ximenaughed but didn¡¯t argue with that.


    ¡°You have a point. We are all going to end up in our men¡¯s arms and ditching the party anyway. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re having a bachelor¡¯s party either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I don¡¯t want strippers all over my fianc¨¦.¡± She exaggerated, making Ximenaugh. They were just finishing up the finest details of the real wedding in her house. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t difficult to n both weddings at the same time. In fact, the fake one had created enough time for the real one to be nned.


    Someone knocked on the door. The part-time babysitter was yet to leave so she opened the door, and in came Evan.


    Ximena wanted to block his view of Zaria and tell him Desmond was not home. However, Evan didn¡¯t seem to try and flirt with Zaria anymore. Maybe it was her imagination. Maybe he had realized how stupid it was to be obsessed with an engaged woman, whose fianc¨¦ just happened to be his best friend.


    Whatever it was, he was doing the right thing by respecting their engagement.


    .....


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two a moment.¡± She started, only for Evan to stop her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here for her.¡± He interrupted and gave her the box he had brought. ¡°Except maybe to give you this.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what it was but she frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a fake wedding.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll get something more to your liking for the real one but this is just a little token of apology.¡±


    She had no idea what he was apologizing for but she nodded and epted it. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Is Rosaly home?¡±


    So that was who he was here for.


    Luckily for him, Rosaly had rejected Zaria¡¯s idea to go out to y today in favor of a dance ss with her best friend.


    ¡°She is upstairs with Laia. Her dance ss should end soon, so you can wait for her.¡± She suggested.


    ¡°Or I can watch her practice. The little ballerina does look adorable on her toes.¡± He couldn¡¯t believe it either but as soon as he was shown to the makeshift dance room, he watched the rest of the little girls¡¯ practice, barely blinking.


    He had watched ballet performances before. It was always admirable how graceful the dancers looked, especially after he found out the amount of hard work and strength it took for them to look so light and beautiful on stage.


    However, he didn¡¯t think any prima ballerina could hold a candle to these two girls. Maybe that was just because they looked so adorable that they would steal hearts even if they did nothing but jump on stage.


    Or maybe, just like Desmond, he was a girl dad in the making. He had to admit that Rosaly did make him smile with her antics.


    ¡°Evan!¡¯ She called out happily when she finally noticed him.


    ¡°Rosaly, let¡¯s finish your ss then you can y with your friend.¡± The instructor smiled sweetly at Rosaly, then shot him a mean look.


    He shrugged. He hadn¡¯t done anything. He had merely appeared and Rosaly couldn¡¯t wait to run to him.


    As expected, the girl couldn¡¯t concentrate anymore. She messed up her choreography four times in a row, her eyes glued to Evan. She was probably thinking about all the games they could y now that Evan was here.


    With a huff, the instructor ended the ss and let the girls run to Evan.


    ¡°Girls, can you go and tell Zaria your ss is finished?¡± She asked. The girls ran out of the room, racing for the staircase despite his yell for them to be careful on the stairs.


    The woman was ring at him when it was finally just them in the room.


    ¡°Mr. Fort pays me by the minute to teach his daughter ballet.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that Rosaly likes to y and besides, do you think Desmond cares about money?¡±


    She hissed angrily. ¡°I do care about money, do you understand? I had to end the ss thirteen minutes earlier. Do you know how much I¡¯ve lost?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can make up for the difference.¡± He offered. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.


    She looked like she wanted to p him across the face. She took deep breaths and red at him. ¡°If you ever disrupt my ss again, I will make you wear a tutu.¡±


    He burst intoughter. With that fierce expression, he had expected a worse threat.


    Apparently, the girls had been practicing choreography as a gift for Zaria¡¯s wedding. When they came back from telling Zaria they were done, they couldn¡¯t wait to show him. He couldn¡¯t wait to watch it, but his mind was focused on something else.


    ¡°Will your instructore again?¡±


    ¡°Miss rion? She wille tomorrow.¡± Rosaly answered, to his relief.


    ______


    On Saturday.


    On the ind, Zaria was more nervous than ever.


    ¡°Did Nathaniel RSVP? What about Gabriel?¡± She couldn¡¯t help asking as Ximena did her makeup.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They are bothing.¡± She assured her. She then wiped off the smokey eye she had done on Zaria so she would try out a milder look.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a fake wedding, Xim. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She reminded her.


    ¡°It matters.¡± And for some reason, she couldn¡¯t get the makeup right. She had never had trouble deciding anyone¡¯s makeup before. What she chose first would always turn out so magical that it would end up being the final look.


    Perhaps she was more nervous than she thought. This n was insane. The closer they were to the end of it, the crazier it sounded. What if it failed? They would all die if they couldn¡¯t do it in one fell swoop.


    However, she didn¡¯t need to voice this. Zaria trusted Desmond with her life. Besides, he would never forgive himself if any harm befell her or their baby. He was going to make sure they came out unscathed.


    Which is why when the door opened and a woman who looked a lot like Zaria came in, she was not nearly as surprised as Zaria was.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Zaria asked.


    Momentster, Desmond walked in and went straight to Zaria to hug her. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to take any risks with you.¡±


    ¡°So you brought another woman to take my ce and possibly lose her life in a family feud that has nothing to do with her?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. Ciara is an assassin.¡±


    The woman introduced herself and shook their hands. ¡°I have been through more dangerous shit than Desmond described. I will be fine.¡±


    Zaria stared at her then at Desmond. If he was putting an assassin in her ce, he knew it was going to be dangerous. So what about him?

 Chapter 313 - 313 Wedding (2)

    313 Wedding (2)


    ¡°Why are you going in there on your own?¡± She couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°If you are going there, so am I.¡±


    ¡°Zaria,¡± he rubbed his forehead. This was not going to be an easy battle.


    Seeing how difficult it was going to be to convince her to stay behind while her beloved entered what looked no different from a battlefield, Ximena picked up her makeup tools. ¡°I¡¯ll show Ciara around if she hasn¡¯t gotten the hang of it yet. I don¡¯t need to do the makeup, anyway.¡±


    Desmond shot her a thankful nce and sat down in the chair next to hers. ¡°Honey, I would let youe with me, but you know that it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly why you don¡¯t have to go on your own. Don¡¯t you know that better than anyone?¡± She demanded. Surely, he knew how worried she would be if he was on his own. What if the n failed and he was trapped in there with Nathaniel, Gabriel, and who knows who else?


    He took her hand and kissed it. ¡°I would have let youe, but you are pregnant.¡±


    She red at him. She didn¡¯t like the assumption that being pregnant made her less capable. However, he saved himself with an exnation that made sense. ¡°If anything were to go wrong in there and you got shot, there are many medicines you wouldn¡¯t be able to take. You would probably be in more pain than anyone else. I don¡¯t want that to happen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of pain.¡± She insisted. But before he could remind her, she remembered what mattered the most. If she was shot in the wrong ce, she might lose the baby. And with the kind of twisted mind Nathaniel had, he might aim for her stomach on purpose just to see it happen if she didn¡¯t lose her life.


    ¡°Promise me you wille back in one piece.¡± She held his ace and kissed him. ¡°You have to promise me, Des, that no matter what happens, I will not lose you.¡±


    .....


    He deepened the kiss slightly. ¡°I will try my best, my love. And if it¡¯s either me or Nathaniel, I wille back to you alive and in one piece.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who else is on the line. You have to make it.¡± She hissed. Then she reminded herself to tell Ximena and Natalie the same, as well as Theodore and Lucy. At the thought of Lucy, she calmed down a little. Her mother was the head of The Dark Knights. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy to take her down no matter who tried.


    Even so, she was worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, my love. I have to go.¡± He kissed her onest time, just before Zeus came in without knocking, and immediately regretted it.


    ¡°Get a room, you two. You do know there¡¯s an apocalypse happening out there, right?¡± he groaned, pretending to close his eyes even though he had not caught them in an awkward position.


    Zaria rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Are you going out there too?¡± She asked him worriedly.


    ¡°If I do, who will take care of my niece and sister?¡± He huffed.


    She thought for a moment that he was talking about the baby in her belly but then realized he was going on about Rosaly. Her family had already epted Rosaly as one of them. They would be thrilled when she finally adopted her and actually made her part of the Williams family.


    ¡°But if anyone tries to put a hand on my mother, I¡¯m going out there and blowing their brains out.¡± He grinned, but there was nothing funny about it. He was nervous. They were all nervous, and when he kissed her forehead and hugged her, she knew how he felt too. Even the reckless Zeus was nervous.


    Was it toote to subscribe to a religion and pray for their safety?


    ¡°Where¡¯s Rosaly?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I hired a sitter for her.¡± Desmond answered, and Zeus added, ¡°But I¡¯m keeping my eye on her. If anyone tries anything funny, I¡¯m blowing their brains out.¡±


    She was relieved to find out that no one could possibly use Rosaly against them. She hugged them onest time and they left. Well, Desmond left, but she knew Ximena and Lucy were going to join him soon.


    ¡°How are they going to do it, exactly?¡± She asked.


    ¡°The assassin,¡± Zeus answered in two words and focused on his game. She took that as a sight to not ask too many questions. Maybe she should focus on something else. Which was impossible to do the longer it took. She heard the bridal chorus and knew their n was about to be set in motion. Then she heard gunshots and screams and she didn¡¯t know what was going on. If she was here on her own, she would have run out there. It was killing her to hear it and not know what was happening.


    ______


    Half an hour ago, on the lower level of the mansion.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I lived long enough to see one of my grandchildren get married. They all seemed too uninterested in settling down.¡± Nathaniel remarked as soon as he arrived, referring to Zaria. ¡°Especially Zaria. You would think marriage was a gue in her mind.¡±


    ¡°What can I say? My best friend is way too charming for her to resist.¡± Evan answered before Desmond could. He was the best man for this wedding since Liam was the best man for the real one.


    To his remark, Nathanielughed and so did Gabriel. Although he didn¡¯t say it, Evan could see on his grandfather¡¯s face that he was pleasantly surprised.


    With theirplicated rtionship thesest few months, it was nearly expected that Desmond would not invite him to his wedding, let alone make him the best man. However, that was not what made Gabriel feel that rush of joy clear in his eyes. It was something else entirely. Not only was he going to get rid of Desmond and Zaria today, but he would pull out the thorn in his side at the same time.


    Unfortunately for the scheming old geezers, Zeus had made sure he had deactivated every bomb the two of them set up prior to the wedding. Lucy had a sensor on her, so she would know if any of the guests came in with any fatal weapon.


    There were bridesmaids that no one else knew but them, and unbeknownst to Nathaniel and his ally, they were all trained personnel. One of them was an expert thief with magical fingers. She would steal the bullets and guns from them and they wouldn¡¯t even find out.


    That was what was happening while they waited for the bride.


    As soon as the bridal chorus began, Ciara walked down the carpeted staircase and toward Desmond. She gave a nod to signify that the snipers were in ce.


    Then she took off her veil and raised her gun to shoot. But she did not point it at Nathaniel as previously agreed. She pointed it at Liam.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, they paid double.¡± She smirked. Natalie, who was standing closest to her, fired at her but she was not fast enough. Ciara¡¯s bullet hit Liam before Natalie¡¯s found her chest.

 Chapter 314 - 314 Wedding (3)

    314 Wedding (3)


    ¡°Liam!¡± Ximena¡¯s shrill cry echoed in the mansion. She wanted to run to him, to ensure he was alright, but she couldn¡¯t. Each step was dangerous now as bullets filled the air.


    No one knew who was their friend and who was their foe, resulting in chaos. Gunpowder filled the air at the same time as the pungent smell of blood.


    Amid the chaos, a door opened on the first floor and before anyone could process who had just arrived, Zeus had taken down most of Gabriel¡¯s men. Apparently, they had snuck in. It was expected. A man as cunning as Gabriel couldn¡¯t possibly go to a battlefield without his men. And to him, the wedding was a battlefield.


    Seeing Zeus, Desmond remembered something. If Ciara was on Nathaniel¡¯s side after being paid off, then Zaria¡­


    He nced over at where Nathaniel had been sitting and cursed. ¡°Shit.¡±


    He ran up the stairs despite the danger of it and took a bullet to his shoulder on his way up, but that didn¡¯t stop him. He had to make sure Zaria was alright.


    When he finally found her, he could hear another set of footsteps. That was not Zaria. Someone hade for her. Nathaniel. And he had been stupid enough to leave her alone, assuming she would be alright.


    To be exact, he had not left her alone. He had left her with Zeus, who he assumed would rather die than put his sister in danger. Apparently, he had been wrong.


    He wanted to murder Zeus, to strangle the life out of him. But most of all, he wanted to kill himself. He should never have been so careless. He had promised toe back to her in one piece. He should also have taken good care of her.


    .....


    He pondered kicking the door open, but then considered Zaria might be right behind it. He didn¡¯t want to hurt her. At the same time, he didn¡¯t want Nathaniel to know he was here too.


    With a sigh, he tried the lock. It didn¡¯t turn.


    ¡°No!¡± A whimper resounded from inside, making him lose all sense of rationality. He kicked the door so hard that it broke off its hinges and mmed against the door.


    ¡°Zaria!¡±


    ¡°Des, look out!¡± Zaria warned.


    It was toote. Something heavy came crashing down on him so hard that he nearly passed out from the impact. Through his blurry vision, he saw the smiling face of Nathaniel.


    ¡°Very well. What a perfect way to say goodbye to each other. I heard love birds are fond of dying together to spare each other the agony of mourning the other.¡± Heughed. ¡°What a shame that your little bastard isn¡¯t here to die with you.¡±


    ¡°If you darey your ugly fingers on Rosaly, I will break them!¡± She growled.


    ¡°How cute. If only you could make it out of this alive.¡± He huffed. These were the kicks of a dying horse. He didn¡¯t care.


    Zaria nced at Desmond. She wanted to run over to him, to kiss him and tell him everything would be okay, and to tend to his wound. However, she had to do this.


    She went down on her knees.


    ¡°Zaria, what the fuck are you doing?¡± Desmond growled, his senses starting to recover.


    She ignored him and faced Nathaniel. ¡°I¡¯m the one you want, grandfather. I¡¯ll do anything. Just let my fianc¨¦ go. He has nothing to do with this.¡±


    Before he could say a word, she looked down and when she looked up at him again, there were tears in her eyes. She had been trying her best to hold them back but now, all her fear wasing down crashing on her so hard that she couldn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°Grandfather, there is no need to end this on a bad note, is there?¡±


    But Nathaniel was not that gullible. Desmond had been nning his attack while Zaria bought him time. He moved away just in time as Desmond lifted his gun and punched his arm. Since he had not expected Nathaniel to be too swift, his guard was a little lowered and that was enough for his punch to knock the gun out of his hand.


    Nathaniel was quite strong and swift for his age.


    ¡°Little tricksters.¡± Nathaniel hissed andunched an attack at Desmond, who had been slowed down by the immense amount of blood he lost and that hit to his head. Within seconds, they were tangled in a fight so ferocious that Zaria didn¡¯t think any of them could get out alive.


    The gun was abandoned merely a few feet next to them.


    She could scream for help. She could wait for the chaos downstairs to die down and for someone toe and help since she couldn¡¯t put herself in the line of violence¡­or she could take her chances. Thetter won. It wasn¡¯t even something worth thinking about.


    She picked up the gun while the men were still tangled in a fistfight and took her aim. Desmond was at least a head taller than Nathaniel. If only it was the other way around, it would be easy to fire without hurting her man. But with Nathaniel being towered by Desmond, any wrong move and she would shoot the one man she didn¡¯t want to hurt.


    Still, she shut her eyes, opened them, and took her chances.


    ¡°Desmond!¡± She yelled. As expected, no matter what he was doing, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to turn to her. The momentary distraction gave Nathaniel the advantage he needed tond a blow right in Desmond¡¯s face, but that was right before Zaria emptied the bullets into his skull.


    She continued firing, even long after Nathaniel had fallen over, even long after her gun had emptied out.


    She had practiced self-defense with a gun before, but she didn¡¯t think she would ever do this kind of thing¡ªkill a man out of the blue, much less her grandfather.


    Once the reality of what had happened sunk in, her tears finally came gushing out. She couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.


    Desmond pried the gun out of her hands and pulled her into his arms. ¡°He¡¯s gone. He cannot hurt us anymore.¡± He assured her.


    Her body was still trembling in fear and rage, and although she didn¡¯t want to admit it, guilt.


    It took a scream from downstairs to finally pull her out of it. When she snapped out of it, she touched his bleeding shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only my shoulder. I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    However, he was afraid he couldn¡¯t say the same about Liam. He had taken the first shot and if their enemies were the kind to take advantage of their opponent¡¯s weakness, he wasn¡¯t sure his friend had made it. That shrill scream was Ximena¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check on them.¡± He told her, letting go of her. He didn¡¯t want to leave her but at the same time, he didn¡¯t want to go back with her downstairs when he didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    Luckily, he didn¡¯t have to do either. Zeus came running back.


    ¡°Are you okay? Oh my God. I heard mother and¡­¡± his words were swallowed when a punch from Desmond assaulted his face.

 Chapter 315 - 315 Aftermath

    315 Aftermath


    ¡°You had one task!¡± Desmond hissed, grabbing Zeus by the cor, seconds away from ripping his head off his neck.


    ¡°My mother was in danger. Unlike you, I care about mine.¡± He growled. Besides, Zaria was safe with everyone downstairs. He didn¡¯t think anyone would think toe up here, especially since no one knew where she was. No one except Nathaniel, apparently.


    ¡°Guys,¡± Zaria put a hand on Desmond¡¯s shoulder to stop them from going ballistic on each other. It was no use. Not when the people making them rage were all dead anyway.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation downstairs?¡± Desmond asked, not wanting to suggest they go over unless they were certain.


    ¡°Gabriel and Nathaniel are gone, as well as their people. Some of ours are injured but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is dad okay? And mom and Ximena, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone is okay, Zaria.¡± Zeus assured her. ¡°No one is gravely injured. Except Liam, that is.¡±


    That meant Ximena and Natalie were not okay. She looked up at Desmond. ¡°Can I go?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°We need to get out of here anyway. We can¡¯t risk someone finding out what happened anding after us.¡±


    .....


    Downstairs, everyone was frantic. Lucy nudged at the static Natalie. ¡°We have to leave.¡±


    She nodded and looked upstairs.


    ¡°Zaria will be okay. Des and Zeus are up there with her. Ximena, let¡¯s go.¡±


    She didn¡¯t budge. She was pressing on Liam¡¯s wound. The bullet had shot through him, leaving his blood gushing out in spurts.


    ¡°He is losing so much blood,¡± she cried. ¡°I know how to do a transfusion. What¡¯s your blood type?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I called a doctor, he will join us on the way.¡± Lucy assured her. ¡°Let¡¯s get him to the car.¡±


    Zeus¡¯s taste in huge cars finally came to good use. The backseat was big enough for Ximena and the doctor to fit without squashing the injured Liam between them. Zeus drove while Lucy sat in the shotgun, and the others took Desmond¡¯s car.


    In the backseat, Ximena was on edge as soon as the first drop of blood entered Liam¡¯s veins.


    ¡°Why is he still not moving?¡±


    ¡°It takes a while. Hold onto him, I¡¯ll stitch him up,¡± Instructed the doctor.


    By the time he was done, Liam was yet to move. This time, Ximena couldn¡¯t hold still.


    ¡°Wake up!¡± She nudged at his cheek.


    ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    She interrupted the doctor. ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you.¡± She hissed, realizing she was taking it out on an innocent man and apologised, then looked down at Liam¡¯s closed eyes. ¡°You have a billion promises you have yet to fulfill to me. Don¡¯t you dare think you can evade them.¡±


    He didn¡¯t move an inch.


    She was furious. ¡°If you dare leave me, I will bring a different man to your grave every day to see you. I¡¯ll make a harem of a dozen lovers!¡±


    Lucy sighed while Zeus burst intoughter even though it was not supposed to be funny. This was going to be a long ride.


    ______


    Since they didn¡¯t want to have to answer a gazillion questions that couldnd them in trouble, Liam was not taken to hospital but instead, he was taken to his vi where the doctor would keep a close eye on him.


    ¡°Will he be alright?¡± Zaria asked worriedly when the doctor put him in an induceda.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he bled a lot but he will be fine now, after the transfusion.¡± He assured her, then asked, ¡°Were you injured?¡±


    It took a moment for her to understand why he was asking. Desmond had insisted on her getting checked up even though she had not been in the scene.


    ¡°He¡¯s worrying too much. On the other hand, you need to check on his shoulder.¡±


    She was not done speaking yet when Desmond reappeared, his shoulder bandaged. ¡°I helped myself to Liam¡¯s first-aid kit.¡±


    ¡°How do you bandage your own shoulder?¡± She wondered aloud, then shook her head. ¡°Never mind. Check on him either way. As well as the others.¡±


    Although she didn¡¯t think there was any need, everyone insisted on her getting checked so she did just to be cautious. When she was done, she left the room to wait for Lucy and Desmond and got to the living room just in time to witness yet another hostile interaction between Ximena and Natalie.


    ¡°Girls, I thought you hade to some kind of truce.¡± She groaned in defeat. These two would send her to an early grave with all their bickering.


    ¡°I wanted to put the past behind us, trust me. Until the attack. I have so many questions.¡± Ximena snapped.


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to know what she was implying. She was using Natalie of being the cause for their failed n.


    ¡°Hear me out,¡± she grabbed Zaria¡¯s hand before thetter could defend Natalie. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange that Nathaniel knew so much? He knew the bride was a decoy for long enough to turn her against us. Not to mention, he knew right where to find you!¡±


    ¡°Because Nathaniel is a scumbag. Heaven knows who he put a tracker on!¡± Natalie snapped.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Okay, let¡¯s pretend I believe that. How did you know Ciara was going to shoot Liam?¡±


    Natalie hissed through gritted teeth. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I acted on instinct and said instinct saved your man¡¯s life. If that¡¯s how you are going to show your appreciation¡­¡±


    ¡°Appreciation? You tried to kill everyone you pretend to care about!¡±


    ¡°Xim!¡± Zaria pulled her aside. ¡°That¡¯s way out of line.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Natalie crossed her arms. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me, I get that. But using me of such heinous acts without evidence?¡± She took a step closer to ximena so they were eye to eye. ¡°Who is to say you weren¡¯t Nathaniel¡¯s secret weapon? Maybe you are only pretending to be Zaria¡¯s friend when deep down, you are jealous of her. She has many things that you don¡¯t, right?


    Let¡¯s see. A perfect family, good luck in business, your first crush fell in love with her first, and so did Liam. You don¡¯t harbor a grudge, do you?¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Zaria red at Natalie, then at Ximena. ¡°One more word about yourck of trust for each other and I¡¯m cutting you both out of my life. We have a lot going on and no time to point baseless fingers at each other so will the two of you fucking grow up?¡±


    She wanted to make Natalie apologize for poking at some of Ximena¡¯s deepest scars but thetter disentangled her arm and made a beeline for Liam¡¯s room.


    She debated following her and decided it was best if she had a moment to herself to calm down. Besides, something else had caught her attention. How did Natalie know so much about Ximena? She was certain that not even Desmond knew such specific details.


    That, and the fact that she had pointed out things that even Zaria herself didn¡¯t know. Well, they did have crushes in their younger years but apart from celebrity crushes, Ximena never talked about guys she was interested in, let alone ones that were in love with Zaria.


    Her gaze darkened. The only one she could think about was Ryan, but how the hell would Natalie know that?

 Chapter 316 - 316 The way to a woman’s heart

    316 The way to a woman¡¯s heart


    She debated asking her and changed her mind almost instantly. If Natalie had anything to hide, she would be more cautious if she knew she had just said something suspicious.


    If she had nothing to hide, she would not take the confrontation kindly. Not after the mean things Ximena had just said to her. She would feel betrayed. Hell, it was already betrayal that she was even questioning her.


    But again, the worst mistake was to trust anyonepleyely. It didn¡¯t matter how perfect they were, trusting someonepletely was setting oneself up for disappointment.


    Natalie¡¯s phone rang and saved her from the awkward silence that was starting to build.


    ¡°It¡¯s Devonte,¡± she stated, holding her ringing phone up. ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡±


    Devonte had not joined them on their hair raising adventure, since his schedule was too crazy for him to leave and he couldn¡¯t take two days off for the same reason. He had reserved the wedding slot for the real one.


    However, knowing what they had nned, it made sense that he was so anxious to hear from Natalie.


    ¡°Babe, thank God.¡± He let out a sigh when she answered the call.


    ¡°Were you worried about me?¡± She asked, chuckling slightly.


    .....


    ¡°Are you kidding me? You are my whole life and you were out there facing heaven-knows-who in a fight that didn¡¯t have to be fought if you guys involved the police. Of course I wasn¡¯t worried at all!¡±


    Sheughed at his sarcasm. ¡°I missed you too.¡±


    ¡°Do you still have things to do over there?¡± He asked.


    She turned with the phone still in hand and wanted to stay to help Zaria, but then she remembered the fight a moment ago. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because I want to be with you tonight.¡±


    For the first time, she smiled. ¡°I want that too. Hold on, I¡¯ll say my goodbyes then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    She ended the call and found Desmond, who was engrossed in a talk with the doctor and Lucy. Maybe he was shocked from the day¡¯s events, or maybe he had listened to whatever Ximena had to say about her and was starting to rethink his decision to trust herpletely. Whatever it was, Desmond was acting different.


    She took deep breaths and decided to pretend it was about the shock he had sufered from nearly losing his fianc¨¦e.


    ________


    As soon as the door opened to Devonte¡¯s apartment, the scent of roses filled her nostrils as well as the aroma of something cooking in the kitchen.


    Her eyes widened in surprise. She knew Devonte would be waiting for her but she didn¡¯t expect a romantic gesture. But now that she thought about it, her man always knew what to do to make her feel better.


    She picked up the bouquet on the table and sniffed it, making a card fall out from between the petals. She picked it up and opened it, wondering why he needed to leave a card when he was in the house too. Nevertheless, she read the words written in his messy handwriting.


    [I know you must be tired and hungry, which is why I ran your bath and I¡¯m cooking your favorite meal for dinner. Get in there and soak up in the bliss of the bath bomb you like the most. When you are done, change into anything you like¡ªmy t-shirt will be fine. No panties allowed.]


    She chuckled and was about to go to the kitchen to thank him when she caught sight of more writing at the back. She turned it over and found a reason not to find him.


    [We both know what my favorite dinner is¡ªyou. Don¡¯te to the kitchen unless you want me to forget all about your food and have mine on the kitchen counter. Unless you want to have nothing to eat, steer away from the kitchen.]


    Did he have to be so dramatic? Sheughed and folded the note then she decided to take that bath after all. She needed it and the food as well.


    She nearly fell asleep from the warmth and relief of having her skin soothed after such a tedius day. When she got out of the bathroom, she raided his closet for a t-shit and found a ck one with the Jupiter printed on its back and a J in his handwriting beneath it. It had been designed by his fandom and was her favorite since¡ªobviously¡ªshe was his biggest fan.


    However, it was only long enough to cover an inch or two below her butt. Which meant it didn¡¯t leave much to the imagination. As expected, Devonte nearly went crazy when she entered the kitchen.


    ¡°Fuck! You are going to drive me crazy.¡± His eyes lingered on her. He was d he had already finished cooking because looking at her, there wasn¡¯t anything else he wanted to do.


    He pulled his giggling girlfriend who knew what she was doing wearing his shortest t-shirt and swept her off the floor. She was softer than she looked and smelled like the jasmine shampoo she had used to wash her hair.


    He took a long sniff. There wasn¡¯t anything he wouldn¡¯t give to feel her in his arms every day. And to think he had stupidly given up on them. That was the one mistake he would never forgive himself for.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on his past mistakes. He had more important things to do¡ªlike have a taste of what he had been craving all day. Without any warning, he parted her legs, groaning in satisfaction at the fact that she had obeyed him and not worn any panties, then he buried his head between her legs.


    _______


    After making here twice with his skillful tongue, Devonte finally let her off in favor of feeding her.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s getting better in the kitchen.¡± She remarked when she tasted the perfectly spiced air-fried chicken. It wasn¡¯t difficult to make, but in the past he somehow always ended up messing everyting up.


    ¡°I heard the way to a woman¡¯s heart is through her stomach.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t need to win my heart. You won it years ago.¡± She winked. ¡°Besides, we both know what the way to my heart is and it has more to do with your mouth than my stomach.¡±


    She squeezed her legs together at the thought of how intensely he had made here earlier. If she wasn¡¯t so hungry that her stomach growled, she would never have wanted him to stop. Looking at his expression, he had every intention of resuming what he had started as soon as they had eaten.


    ¡­.


    Devonte had gone all the way with the date experience he wanted to give her. After their dinner, they sat on themon room couch with a nket covering them as he navigated Netflix for a movie worth watching.


    Knowing that they would end up trying to select a movie for the next half hour, he ced a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t look too well.¡±


    She shook her head. She didn¡¯t have to pretend to be alright with him. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­Nathaniel pulled a smart one on us. And somehow everyone thinks I double-crossed them.¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°Did they only meet you today?¡± When she shrugged, he realized she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°Well, I can make you forget all about them, just for tonight.¡±


    _____


    2/5

 Chapter 317 - 317 Chapter 317

    317 Chapter 31Meanwhile, at Liam¡¯s house.


    ¡°How did Nathaniel know so much about our n?¡± Desmond asked the very question Ximena had asked earlier. Actually, it was the question on everyone¡¯s mind.


    He swept his gaze through his team and assessed everyone. There was no way Zaria would side with the man she hated the most. Zeus and Lucy, on the other hand, had had enough of Nathaniel.


    Ximena had been as shocked as everyone else when Ciara turned on them and besides, she would rather die than betray both her best friend and her boyfriend. Evan was every horrible thing imaginable but a backstabber was not one of them. Especially not when stabbing them in the back might just lead to the salvation of the man he hated to the core.


    He hated to admit it, but everything pointed toward Natalie. She was the one who contacted Nathaniel with every piece of information she had, and also the one who came up with the idea of the fake wedding to begin with. Not to mention, the one with the most recent motive. It was one thing to hate one¡¯s parents but to want them dead was another. It was easy to believe she hated Lucy and her family for the ne st.


    He would have been suspicious of her but he knew her all too well. Even if she wanted to take revenge, she wouldn¡¯t put herself in the line of fire. Not to mention, she couldn¡¯t lose four friends at the same time simply because she was angry with one person.


    The more he thought about it, the more he realized the attack had been meticulously nned so that Natalie would be the most obvious suspect. Which made him believe, one of the people he had just canceled out was the culprit. Every single one of them was a suspect¡ªincluding Natalie herself.


    ¡°We have a rat among us.¡± He eyed everyone for signs of guilt. Of course he knew whoever the rat was, they would not show much emotion on their face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this the Dark Knight way.¡± Lucy smirked and nodded to Evan. ¡°Evan, who do you think could be behind this?¡±


    .....


    He frowned. Why was he being asked? Still, he kept a straight face. ¡°A woman.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think so?¡± Lucy had not expected that kind of answer.


    ¡°Do you know who is capable of stabbing you through the chest, hiding the knife and crying the most tears at your wake, hiding guilt behind anguish? A woman. They are a dangerous species.¡± He looked at the women ring at him. ¡°If a man did this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fake it for long. A woman, on the other hand¡­well, you get the idea.¡±


    ¡°He kind of has a point.¡± Lucy admitted even though his logic was a bit twisted. Nearly seventy percent of serial killers in Olphire were women.


    She turned to the women. ¡°Zaria, what do you think?¡±


    Zaria cursed. This was not the kind of conversation she wanted to have. It was way too ufortable. ¡°I think a woman who can pull off a ne st wouldn¡¯t have any problems doing this. But again, you don¡¯t need to hide behind a man you hate with your capability.¡±


    Lucy rolled her eyes. She had avoided the question. ¡°Ximena?¡±


    ¡°Zeus.¡± She dropped the name and held her hand up before she could be told he was not a woman. ¡°Hear me out. As soon as Zeus left the bridal chambers, Nathaniel went up to find Zaria. How convenient.¡±


    Zeus nearlyughed at the ridiculousness but then he realized how right she was. The timing did make him look guilty.


    Lucy smiled. ¡°Des?¡±


    ¡°Zaria. How long was he in that room before you killed him? Why didn¡¯t you make a move earlier?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s pregnant?¡± Zeus scowled at him.


    She knew it would break into a fight if he didn¡¯t stop it. She was not trying to make them use each other. If she had everyone recount the details of where they were and what they did, the culprit would make sure they had an alibi.


    On the other hand, making them state why they found each other suspicious provided way more information than they thought.


    ¡°I know who the culprit is.¡± Lucy dered. They all went quiet. She swept her gaze across them. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a hunch. I will keep investigating.¡±


    ¡°What happens to the culprit once they are caught?¡± Desmond asked.


    Lucy, who was about to leave, stopped and took a deep breath. With a swipe of her fingers, she took a switchde out of her pocket and flicked it. ¡°This. I will not stab anyone. I will peel their skin off inch by inch,yer byyer, and let them watch it happen until I finally let them die. No one messes with my family.¡± They didn¡¯t aplish their mission but still.


    ______


    Later, everyone had dispersed and Desmond took Zaria home. Zeus had followed them to check on Rosaly and drove now that he was present.


    ¡°Did you at least get the footage?¡± Desmond asked him. The aim of getting a decoy bride was for the surveince to not be entirely made up.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the first one is messed up. It appears as though Zaria turned on Liam during the wedding and shot him. I can¡¯t edit it to reverse the roles either because Liam shooting Zaria doesn¡¯t look good either.¡± He peeked at them briefly. ¡°But I did get the one of Nathaniel trying to attack Zaria in the bridal chamber. You guys have to pay me for that.¡±


    ¡°You fucked up, so no payment for you.¡± Desmond glowered at him. As if Nathaniel would have gotten that close to hurting Zaria if he hadn¡¯t left her alone.


    He gazed down at his fianc¨¦e who had fallen asleep.


    Once they found out who the culprit was, Lucy would have to get in line.


    _______


    AN


    Quick guess, who do you think the culprit is? They will be revealed within the next 1-3 chapters.


    3/5

 Chapter 318 - 318 Iron nanny

    318 Iron nanny


    ¡°Where¡¯s Rosaly?¡± Zaria asked when they were close enough to the house. She had overheard Zeus say something about a daycare.


    ¡°She¡¯s home, probably waiting for us.¡± He grinned mischievously. Zaria¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Are you nuts? You can¡¯t leave a child at home on her own! What if the nannies were bribed?¡±


    ¡°I only promised to make sure no one will take advantage of your absence to get her and trust me, that wouldn¡¯t have happened under any circumstances.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what he was going on about and was too anxious to try and make sense of his rambling. She left the car as soon as it stopped, with Desmond hot on her trail. What they didn¡¯t expect was the scene that greeted them in the living room as soon as they arrived.


    Rosaly was sitting on the floor, petting a robot.


    ¡°Okay, this isn¡¯t what I was expecting.¡± She was surprised.


    ¡°If it¡¯s Zeus, this is totally one of the things to expect.¡± Desmond wasn¡¯t shocked by the scene, but he was relieved to see his daughter was alright. He picked her up for a hug but for the first time, she didn¡¯t want to ditch her toy to y with them. She only hugged him briefly before returning to fawn over the robot and get it to y her favorite song.


    ¡°It¡¯s not working anymore.¡± Her eyes drooped.


    .....


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tap the button on its wrist before asking.¡± Zeus reminded her.


    Seeing him, she ran over to him and hugged his leg. ¡°Uncle Zeus, Ajax is so cool! He yed all my favorite songs and even read me a story.¡±


    Desmond¡¯s brows knitted. He knew Zeus had installed a security system that would automatically rain bullets down if breached but he didn¡¯t know that included a nanny robot that could read his daughter¡¯s stories.


    Knowing what he was thinking, Zeus helped her set up the music and scoffed at him. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend it¡¯s such an unusual concept. You have Alexa.¡±


    ¡°Alexa doesn¡¯t shake my daughter¡¯s hand and rub her head.¡± He looked over at the giggling Rosaly who had just requested a song. The robot was so articte that it was disturbing.


    ¡°It won¡¯t take over the house one day, will it?¡± Zaria asked, still fascinated by how advanced Ajax was. If it wasn¡¯t all shiny metal, she would have been terrified.


    ¡°You watch too many movies. A robot cannot do that.¡± He smiled. ¡°Oh, and he has a toy organizing function. As long as you feed him a picture of what Rosaly¡¯s y area is supposed to look like, he will do his best to replicate it while putting every extra item in the basket¡ªpets and children not included, of course. He has a temperature scanner so unless your daughter is doused in ice cubes¡­¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± Zaria was caught in between admiration and terror. What in the alternate advanced universe was this? Seeing how happy Rosaly was, however, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell Zeus to take it away.


    ¡°We can keep him. Rosaly sees him as a living being, it will break her heart to take him away.¡± She decided.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Desmond yfully sulked. ¡°I just got reced by a robot and you think it¡¯s okay to keep it?¡±


    ¡°To be fair, he would be quite a looker if he wasn¡¯t all metal and codes.¡± She joked.


    Desmond frowned. ¡°And now, even my woman thinks it¡¯s more handsome.¡± Though, something else caught his mind. Zeus was apparently super possessive over his robots. It was expected, since he was their creator after all. But why was he letting this one go and even convincing them to keep it? ¡°What do you want in exchange for this fine piece of metal?¡±


    ¡°Des!¡± Zaria scolded.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s not like it has feelings.¡±


    Zeusughed at what he assumed would be the source of many arguments toe. ¡°This is my wedding gift to you. It was fake but it was a wedding nheless.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not giving us something to distract us so we don¡¯t find out you are the culprit we¡¯re looking for, right?¡± Zaria joked. She had to admit, it was pretty distracting. Rosaly was yet to notice the bandage on her father¡¯s shoulder and they had spent a great part of the car rideing up with a usible reason.


    _______


    The following day, Natalie finally met up with Zaria. Thetter had just finished her workout and was having breakfast at the caf¨¦ nearby when Natalie arrived.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte. Did you wait too long?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No. She caught sight of a fading mark on Natalie¡¯s mark and sipped her decaf so she wouldn¡¯t make an awkward remark. It was surprising that she was this early.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, shall we?¡± Natalie ced an envelope on the table. ¡°I just received this from Nathaniel¡¯swyer. Though I have to warn you, he is suspicious about the timing of Nathaniel¡¯s death.¡±


    Zaria didn¡¯t get why it mattered until she read the will and saw all the assets left in their names.


    ¡°Why would Nathaniel leave everything to us?¡±


    ¡°I had to make him believe I was gaining something from the arrangement. It would be too odd if he left everything to only one grandchild.¡± Natalie exined.


    Zaira shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not putting my hands on anything that scumbag ownd. Do you know how he earned so much money even when his business was going downhill?¡±


    ¡°I know. This is why I¡¯m donating mine to charity. I heard from Aunt Lucy that Uncle Theo lost his home thanks to Nathaniel¡¯s underhanded deals. I¡¯m also aware that The Lux Hotel was built right where Uncle Theo¡¯s home should have been. I¡¯m going to use my part of his inheritance to demolish The Lux and build foster homes on those grounds.¡±


    Zaria frowned. ¡°Or just turn The Lux into one huge foster home. Use the inheritance to buy enough supplies and pay the employees.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± She had to admit. While they wouldn¡¯t have the satisfaction of demolishing Nathaniel¡¯s biggest project, he had made their work easier. Only, ¡°what about the employees?¡±


    ¡°Most of them quit. Can you help me find out how many there are left and send me their details? I have a feeling I¡¯ll have to fire dozens from The West.¡± Those Veronica had put in ce to destroy the resort. She was keeping the good ones.


    ¡°I¡¯ll transfer your share to you, and you can do whatever you want to do with it.¡±


    Zaria thought about it. ¡°Actually, just send over the legal papers for me to transfer the properties in my name to you. I don¡¯t want anything to do with it and I¡¯m sure, neither does Zeus.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Now that business was out of the way, Zaria brought up her remaining concern. ¡°How do you know so much about Ximena?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Natalie to know why she was asking but she answered her nheless. ¡°Do you remember that time when documents were stolen from Preston and Fort Group and I had seen her leaving thepany with a folder? I ran a background check on her. I was trying to find out what motive she could possibly have.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zaria let out a sigh. That wasn¡¯t as bad as she thought.

 Chapter 319 - 319 [Bonus chapter]

    319 [Bonus chapter]


    Zaria¡¯s phone chimed, rescuing both of them from the awkwardness that was starting to build.


    ¡°I need to take this.¡± She excused herself. ¡°Hey, Xim.¡±


    Ximena¡¯s screech of excitement was so loud that Zaria had to pull the phone away from her ear. ¡°Liam woke up!¡±


    ¡°He did? Thank goodness.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing he paid heed to my warning.¡±


    Zaria chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ming over.¡±


    When the call ended, Natalie was curious. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help overhearing that. Liam is awake now?¡±


    Zaria nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to see him. Do you want toe along?¡±


    ¡°I have a meeting with Aunt Lucy in a bit. I¡¯ll drop by to see himter. She quickly said. Well, the meeting was not made up but even if she didn¡¯t have anything important to do, she would rather poke needles into her eyes than be in the same breathing space as Ximena right now. Until the culprit was found, thest thing she wanted was to be in a ce that could start more fights.


    .....


    Luckily, Zaria understood this and didn¡¯t push it.


    _____


    Meanwhile, Ximena was still in disbelief. She clung onto Liam¡¯s hand like her life depended on it¡ªit probably did. When they nned their attack on Nathaniel and Gabriel, they had thought about every possible oue but Liam getting shot was not one of them.


    For a moment, she thought she had lost him. She couldn¡¯t express the relief that washed over her when the doctor said he would be okay. But even then, she had almost lost her mind waiting for him to wake up.


    It had only been a day but it was the longest and most torturous day of her life.


    ¡°That¡­kinda hurts.¡± Liam hissed, reminding her that she was squeezing his arm way too hard.


    She loosened her grasp but hugged it to her chest. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just¡­I thought I was losing you.¡±


    He raised his hand, ignoring the pain, and cupped her cheek. ¡°I thought I would never see you again. It was my biggest regret.¡±


    She leaned over and kissed his lips, careful not to hurt him. ¡°I thought about it. We should leave.¡±


    She was talking about eloping, and he only understood it after a while. He was confused. ¡°We agreed on that, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we did. But it wasn¡¯t set in stone.¡± She let go of his hand to cup his face. ¡°If I learned anything from this, it¡¯s the fact that nothing is predictable. We could have each other now but who knows what would happen tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is going to make me leave you, Ximena. Even death had to wait.¡± He joked. He knew Natalie had saved him. He had seen her raise her gun but didn¡¯t realize what she was doing until the bullet hit him in the chest and he heard Ximena¡¯s scream. Heaven knew he was not prepared for such an oue either. If it was his turn to die, he wouldn¡¯t have had anything to say about it.


    Of course, Ximena didn¡¯t appreciate him joking about his near death. She smacked him in the stomach.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think you were trying to kill me.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll drop by my house to get every important document I could possibly ever need. I¡¯ll not pack many clothes. The one here will be enough and we can buy some wherever we end up. I¡¯ll help you pack one too.¡±


    He tried to sit up in vain and frowned at her. ¡°So fast? We agreed to attend our friends¡¯ wedding.¡±


    ¡°And they better have it soon. As soon as the groom kisses the bride, I¡¯m out.¡± She was exaggerating it. Zaria would track her down across the


    globe to kill her if she missed any important part of the wedding.


    Liam nodded in agreement. Cowardly way out or not, he couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that they were wasting too much time trying to reason with their parents. They wanted to be together and so they should, no matter who disapproved of it.


    Zaria arrived just as she leaned in for another kiss.


    ¡°Get a room, you two.¡± She teased.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®get a room¡¯? We are in one already.¡± Liam retorted.


    ¡°You must be fine, then, if you have the strength to poke fun at me.¡± She was relieved. ¡°You scared the heck out of us.¡±


    ¡°Did you miss me while I was out?¡± He joked, making the women frown at him. He had be quite yful. He sat up with Ximena¡¯s help and asked, ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we are all trying to figure out. Did you notice anything helpful?¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect him to know anything when he woke up since he had taken the first hit but to her surprise, realization seemed to dawn on him.


    ¡°I was watching Ciara walk down the aisle and¡­¡± he shot his gaze at Ximena briefly. He knew who the woman was but in his mind, all he could see was Ximena in a white gown, with a sweet smile on her face as she walked toward him. Of course, he knew that was not happening any time soon if it even happened to begin with. He skipped it. ¡°And I had a wild thought.¡±


    ¡°What wild thought?¡± She unknowingly straightened up. This sounded grave and important.


    ¡°When I first met you, the first thing I realized was that you looked a lot like my friend. Natalie. You have different smiles but it was there the unmistakably striking resemnce. Especially your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­okay¡­?¡± it was getting confusing.


    ¡°You two turned out to be cousins after months of everyone thinking it was a coincidence that you had these few but striking simrities. Do you know when I began to suspect you were rted to Lucy? When the two of you had your backs turned from me and I realized just how simr your hair was. Down to the texture. Then the simrities made sense.¡±


    Zaria was speechless while Ximena huffed at him. ¡°That¡¯s creepy on so many levels. If I didn¡¯t know you have a keen eye for detail, I would be spooked like Zaria is.¡±


    Zaria nodded her agreement. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    He held Ximena¡¯s hand. ¡°You had to know where I¡¯ming from. I know we found Ciara because she could pass off for you with the right makeup skill but I realized something when she was walking down and I saw her eyes. They are the same as yours and Natalie¡¯s, only more horrifyingly simr to Nathaniel¡¯s. Then they exchanged subtle nces and he smiled. I was focused on Nathaniel, which is why I missed her actions.¡±


    The realization was more shocking than Ciara turning on them. ¡°Let¡¯s be real. How many grandchildren does Nathaniel have stashed away as hidden treasures?¡±


    ¡°Forget about the hidden treasures. This woman must have been close to Nathaniel if they pulled this off.¡± Ximena sunk into thought. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t change the fact that someone from our side helped them. Someone who knew we were looking for a decoy bride and also knew Ciara was Nathaniel¡¯s granddaughter.¡± Zaria spected.

 Chapter 320 - 320 Turn yourself in(1)

    320 Turn yourself in(1)


    That narrowed down the suspects a great deal. Ximena did the math in her head. That was easy. ¡°The decoy was Zeus¡¯s idea and aside from Desmond and Liam, no one else knew.¡±


    She realized what she had implied as soon as her words were out.


    Zaria caught the implication and shook her head. ¡°Zeus would never.¡±


    ¡°Neither would Des or Liam or I. Zaria,¡± she took her hand. ¡°No matter who did it, it¡¯s going to be heartbreaking and unbelievable. You have to be prepared to hear any name being dropped as the culprit. Didn¡¯t Lucy say she knows who it is?¡±


    ¡°I have to ask her that.¡± She decided to talk to Lucy as soon as her meeting with Natalie ended.


    ________


    That night.


    The doorbell rang at Theodore¡¯s vi and he was puzzled. Who would drop by sote? Besides, it was raining heavily. He checked the monitor and when he saw Lucy, he nearly tripped on his legs running to the door. He opened it and gasped at her drenched appearance.


    ¡°Lucy? It¡¯s sote. You¡¯re not wearing anything warm either.¡± He held her shoulders. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    .....


    ¡°I was on a run.¡±


    Sote on a rainy night? He pulled her in and shut the door. ¡°Let¡¯s get you warm first.¡±


    An hourter, she had taken a hot shower and changed into the pajamas he had bought in case she stayed over, and he had made her a cup of hot coffee. They sat by the firece with her snuggled up close to him.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He was certain there was no way she would go on a run sote at night if everything was okay. All he knew was that she always ran to clear her mind when things got too mentally exhausting.


    She set her cup on the side table. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    When she looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes. But instead of exining what happened, she shook her head. ¡°I just didn¡¯t think I would have to do this.¡±


    He frowned. He didn¡¯t know what she was talking about but something told him Zaria and Zeus were involved. He thought about the fake wedding and frowned. ¡°Are you saying¡­are you saying Zeus is behind the attack?¡±


    She shut her eyes, letting her tears fall. ¡°He¡¯s our son. I don¡¯t want to see him behind bars. But the alternative is to risk everyone else¡¯s lives, including Zaria.¡±


    He put a hand around her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she sobbed.


    For a moment, he wasn¡¯t sure if they were on the same wavelength. She had not explicitly said Zeus was the culprit and although she had implied it, she was apologizing for something she hadn¡¯t done. He didn;t understand until the next day, when she asked to meet the whole family.


    ¡°I have something to say,¡± she started when Desmond and Zaria arrived.


    Zaria¡¯s brows knitted. How convenient. Just when she nned to ask Lucy about her discovery, she had something to say.


    ¡°I found the culprit.¡± She announced. Her gaze swept through them all. ¡°When I made you reveal information about each other, it wasn¡¯t because you provided any meaningful responses. It was because the culprit is me.¡±


    ¡°Zaria, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She took Zaria¡¯s hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you. Just him.¡± She nced at Desmond, who didn¡¯t flinch either.


    She looked around again and realized no one was buying it.


    ¡°You¡¯re covering up for someone.¡± Natalie called her out on it. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    She looked down for seconds and resigned to her fate. ¡°Fine. Zeus, it seems like there¡¯s nothing I can do to help you out.¡±


    ¡°Zeus?¡± Zaria was shocked. ¡°There¡¯s no way that is true.¡±


    ¡°Zeus confessed to me.¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°I need a favor from the two of you.¡± She faced Desmond and Zaria. ¡°I know what he did was despicable and it could have caused horrible consequences but he is my son. Please let me handle this, will you?¡±


    ¡°I remember you promising to skin the culprit inch by inch.¡± Desmond reminded her. ¡°Does that not apply if they are one of your people?¡±


    Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°Even a tiger would not eat her young ones.¡±


    ¡°A dog would. Why can¡¯t you?¡± Desmond challenged.


    Lucy gave up reasoning with him. ¡°What do you think, Zaria?¡±


    ¡°Prison would be best for him. But if I hear anything about him escaping, I¡¯m hunting him down and thrusting a sword right through his heart.¡± Shepromised, but only because she was not convinced either.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Zeus, you will turn yourself in right now. I¡¯ll drive you to the station.¡±


    ¡°Who said I was going to turn myself in?¡± He protested.


    ¡°Do you want to know what The Dark Knights would prefer to do?¡± She asked, sessfully shutting him up. ¡°I thought so.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Zaria intercepted him. ¡°Why?¡± She asked.


    Zeus eyed her from head to toe. ¡°Why not? I could get everything I wanted if I worked for him. Who was I to say no?¡± Would you give up a ludicrous offer for the sake of loyalty if you were in my ce?¡±


    He then brushed past her with Lucy hot on his trail.


    Theodore pulled her into his arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay, princess. We didn¡¯t know them for that long. It wasn¡¯t guaranteed that they would be loyal to us.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t what she was thinking about.


    Lucy was a good actress and a mother trying to cover up for her son sounded usible. However, Lucy had called all of them to make a show of exposing Zeus and forcing him to turn himself in. The entire scene was meant for all of them to see. But why? Would the real culprit let down their guard when they thought someone else was going to pay the price?


    ¡­..


    Lucy had already contacted a police officer on the way so when they arrived, they took Zeus into the holding cell. She cupped his face through the bars. ¡°Just a day. I¡¯ll try to be quick.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? This ce looks like a st.¡± He chuckled.


    Lucy frowned and turned to face the warden who had followed her. ¡°If my son loses a single drop of blood in here, I will draw a pint of yours.¡± Then she straightened up to leave. She hoped Natalie would once again cry about the turn of events to her trusted new friend. The faster the news spread, the sooner he woulde trying to silence Zeus to secure his freedom. She would be waiting.


    ____


    In Theodore¡¯s house, Natalie had been pacing for what seemed like forever to Zaria.


    ¡°Nat, you¡¯re making me dizzy.¡± Zaria finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    She threw her hands in the air. Zaria had just filled her in on the reason why she thought Zeus might be the culprit, without revealing what she was certain Lucy was doing.


    ¡°Forget about the fact that Zeus would rather poke needles into his eyes than set you up. I trusted the wrong person, oh my God¡­he overheard my conversation with Nathaniel so I told him everything, but I thought he could be trusted since we have known him for so many years and he has been nothing but kind.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Someone who knew about the decoy bride and could easily contact Nathaniel.¡± Natalie pulled at her hair. ¡°Uncle Norman.¡±

 Chapter 321 - 321 Turn yourself in(2)

    321 Turn yourself in(2)


    Slumping onto the couch next to Zaria, she broke down. ¡°He overheard my phone call with Nathaniel. At least that¡¯s what he said. I¡¯m starting to think he didn¡¯t really hear much and by telling him everything, I gave him all the information he could use. I trusted him, Zaria. I nearly got everyone killed because I was stupid enough to trust him.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright.¡± Zaria hugged her. ¡°You didn¡¯t trust him on your own. You only thought he was a good man because I trusted him with my entire life.¡±


    And she had to give it to Norman. He had that kind smile that lured everyone to think he was an angel. For years, she thought he would make a loving father if she didn¡¯t have one already. Of course, he also knew she was his niece for a long time and didn¡¯t reveal it. That should have been the first red g. Only, she didn¡¯t see it until now when it was toote.


    ¡°To be honest, I would be able to take it if anyone else betrayed us. But Norm¡­we are his family. How could he do that?¡±


    ¡°Desmond¡¯s brother tried to kill him. Just saying.¡± Ximena remarked, finally getting out of her shock. ¡°Blood means nothing.¡±


    ¡°I know that now.¡± She blinked her tears away before they could fall. She was not going to cry over a man who feigned friendship only to stab people in the back. But damn hell, it hurt.


    ¡°What do we do next?¡± Natalie asked then immediately thought of something. ¡°I say I lure Norman into Aunt Lucy¡¯s n. There¡¯s a reason why she didn¡¯t let us know what she was thinking. Maybe she thought the backstabber is one of us and wanted them to fall into the trap.¡± She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was the culprit in Lucy¡¯s eyes. Now that she thought about it, during their meeting the day before, all Lucy had talked about was Dawn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­you haven¡¯t known him for long. It would be more convincing if I went to him.¡± Zaria suggested.


    Natalie thought about it and nodded. She wasn¡¯t one to talk about her feelings with people she wasn¡¯t quite close to. Once might have been believable since she was overwhelmed and all, but Zaria was right. The second time might be suspicious.


    .....


    _____


    That evening, Zaria went to find Norman when she knew he was about to close. Seeing him again, she was surprised at the extent this man would go to seek revenge. She guessed it was because of Lucy¡¯s retaliation against Ava but it still didn¡¯t make much sense. How was he able to hide his intentions so perfectly that they went unnoticed?


    What was more surprising was his expression when he saw her. He looked excited to see her and worried when he got close enough to see the tears on her face.


    ¡°Zaria? What happened to you?¡± Concern was written all over his face as he pulled a chair and sat opposite her.


    ¡°What happened to you? Did Desmond do something stupid? Because if he did, I¡¯ll kick his butt so hard he will cry for his mommy.¡±


    She would have smiled before but now, she was just shocked. How well could someone hold an act?


    She sniffled. ¡°It¡¯s not Desmond. It¡¯s a man but¡­¡±


    ¡°A man?¡± He frowned at her in disapproval.


    ¡°Yes. My brother.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He looked relieved. Whether he was actually relieved or feigning it, she had no damn clue.


    She took a deep breath. ¡°Where do I start?¡±


    ¡°From the beginning?¡± He offered. ¡°We are closed. I have nothing but time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She ignored his reassuring words that would have been meaningful a day ago but now sounded creepy. It was a good thing that she wasn¡¯t on her own. If Norman tried anything, Desmond would barge in¡ªnot that they thought he needed to be nearby. Norman wouldn¡¯t try to hurt her as long as he thought no one knew what he did.


    ¡°Well?¡± He prompted.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­you know about what Nathaniel did to my family, right? How he made a living hell out of dad¡¯s life and sent mom away with threats of hurting me, ruined their marriage and all?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded.


    She had to stop herself from frowning. He didn¡¯t know any of that. Lucy had told no one but her and Theodore the exact reason why she left. It was easy to assume they didn¡¯t think the drama was worth it anymore. Besides, Norman hated social media and called it a waste of time so there was no way he heard Lucy¡¯s confession and sawizens¡¯ spections.


    Still, he was pretending to know everything so she would open up. She finally realized why Natalie told him everything.


    And when it came to things they both knew he was aware of, he acted shocked out of his wits.


    ¡°You did what? Zaria, you could have gotten yourself killed! Why didn¡¯t you involve the police?¡±


    ¡°The police only work if the person at hand is your everyday criminal. Men like Nathaniel have the police in their pockets. You couldn¡¯t lock them in for more than a day even if a police officer was on the crime scene and witnessed it themselves.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but that was still dangerous. Anything is possible. Ciara could have turned on you.¡±


    She held back her gasp. ¡°Actually, she did. She caused a chaotic massacre. I¡¯m d she died for it but Liam was almost killed. If Natalie didn¡¯t see her in time, he would be shot right through the heart. Ximena is still traumatized from seeing her boyfriend out cold. Nathaniel nearly killed me and probably would have if Des didn¡¯te on time and¡­¡±


    ¡°Natalie,¡± he was stuck on her name. ¡°Forgive me but seeing someone just as they take their gun out is horribly convenient. How can you be certain that this is not misdirection?¡±


    That was exactly the reaction she had hoped for, for Norman to use someone else to cover himself up. To think he would use his own niece.


    ¡°Natalie would never hurt me.¡± She sucked in a breath. ¡°My brother, on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Zeus? What did he do?¡± He looked anxious.


    ¡°He left the bridal chamber to let Nathaniel get to me. To think we didn¡¯t discover it sooner. I don¡¯t even know how to confront him. He¡¯s my brother, you know. I didn¡¯t think he would ever betray me.¡± She wiped away her tears, but they had nothing to do with Zeus. She didn¡¯t think Norman would ever betray or hurt her yet here he was.


    ¡°I always had a bad feeling about Zeus.¡± He huffed and stood up. ¡°Do you want anything to drink? Decaf?¡±


    ¡°I would like to go to bed soon so no drinks. A muffin will be fine.¡± She reluctantly asked for one. If she rejected his food after years of epting it every time, he would be suspicious.


    But as soon as she was far enough, she ditched it in the bin. Who knew what he could have prinkled on the muffin.


    Desmond finally caught up with her when they were far enough for Norman to not see them. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He spected Ciara might turn against me.¡±


    His eyes darkened. ¡°Except, you didn¡¯t tell him her name was Caira?¡±


    She nodded, nting herself against his chest in exhaustion. ¡°And when I said I was d Ciara died, you should have seen his expression, He nearly went ballistic. I think Liam was right when he guessed Ciara could be my cousin. She was. She was Norman¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ______


    AN


    I promise, there will be no more surprises. Not in this arc, anyway. Norman is the culprit. Who got it right?


    If you did, dm me on discord for a nitro gift. Only the first DM counts and no cheating!

 Chapter 322 - 322 Family reunion (1)

    322 Family reunion (1)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Zaria sighed at hisck of right words. ¡°Unbelievable? Yes. But it would make sense. How conveniently things kept happening, how Nathaniel¡¯s granddaughter turned out to be the one helping us out¡ªor pretending to, anyway.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°If Norman had a daughter older than you, howe you didn¡¯t know about it?¡±


    She frowned. That was a good point. But again, she didn¡¯t know Norman held grudges either. He had made it sound like he didn¡¯t me Lucy for retaliating against what Ava did years ago.


    But again, her eyes widened. ¡°He once said I remind him of his daughter. It was long ago. At the time, he pretended that wasn¡¯t what he meant and said he merely thought his daughter would be like me if he had one. Not physically, of course. In his own words, she would be kind, too stubborn to quit after a few hups, and a dreamer.¡± her eyes narrowed. ¡°But now I think he meant it physically as well. We both got some of our features from the same grandfather, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    He led her to the car. ¡°There¡¯s no way to take a DNA test now that Ciara isn¡¯t with us anymore. But if there¡¯s a family no one knows about, we should be able to find something. I¡¯ll call Skeleton.¡±


    ¡°Skeleton. Of course!¡± she was overjoyed to finally think of a n that could fly. ¡°If mother is counting on Norman trying to hurt Zeus, we should rig the entire ce. Norm will be wary of mother doing such a thing so Skeleton is our secret weapon.¡±


    He agreed. But first, they needed to know everything there was to know about Ciara. So as soon as they got back home, he tucked her in bed and called Skeleton over.


    Thetter arrived in half an hour, panting. ¡°What¡¯s the emergency, boss? I ran over as fast as I could.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Not fast enough, it seems.¡± Desmond teased him, leading the way to his study. Once they sat down, he gave Skeleton the file he had received that had everything about Ciara.


    ¡°I want to know everything about her.¡± He stated.


    Skeleton opened the file and flipped through, then frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think there could possibly be anything not covered here. There¡¯s everything about her family, schools she went to, there¡¯s even information on her ex lover. Who else should I investigate in her life? Her ancestors?¡±


    ¡°Some of that is a lie. Or most of it. Zeus was deceived.¡±


    Skeleton frowned. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think that was possible. But if Zeus was deceived, why would I be able to uncover the truth?¡±


    ¡°You will.¡± Desmond sat back down, hoping the only thing they were done talking and wasting time. It was not easy to deceive Zeus if he was digging for the truth. If he was only trying to find basic information, however, that was a different story. The man was used to getting everything he wanted in seconds. He wouldn¡¯t suspect anything was fishy if he uncovered a person¡¯s secrets in record time.


    Now that it hade to this, he couldn¡¯t help wondering if Norman knew Zeus was finding a substitute and nted Ciara in his way, as well as an entire file¡¯s worth of false information about her.


    Skeleton was done in an hour and he couldn¡¯t help yawning. ¡°Those morons deleted everything. I had to recover it.¡±


    And he did it in an hour? That was no easy feat.


    As if reading what Desmond was so puzzled about, he waved it off. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to beat Zeus. One day I will challenge him to a duel. And I don¡¯t mean Zeus the son. I mean Zeus, the mother. The original.¡± He now knew Zeus was originally Lucy¡¯s alias, but Desmond¡¯s lips twitched. He had the urge tough. If he thought Lucy was cking just because she was the CEO of a multi billionpany, he had something elseing for him.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± He brought them back to the main topic.


    ¡°Right.¡± Skeleton turned hisptop around for Desmond to see what he had found. ¡°Ciara was no assassin. She joined the military after high school but she quit before she ever set foot in a battlefield. That must be where she got her firearm skills. Also, her name is not even Ciara. It¡¯s Samara. And if you think that¡¯s all, you are mistaken.¡±


    Desmond looked closer. Nothing could surprise him after everything he had been through but Ciara¡¯s story was insane.


    Apparently, Norman had been married before, but it didn¡¯t work out. His wife had left with their young daughter, but because Norman was still battling his alcoholism, he didn¡¯t get any rights to be with his daughter¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have to pay child support.


    ¡°The child support part does make sense. I discovered a steady flow of money from his ount to an ount owned by a woman every month. That must be his ex wife.¡± Skeleton opened another window in disbelief. ¡°That exins why he poured all his heart into that diner. He and his ex wife opened it together. He must have thought she woulde back and when she didn¡¯t, poor old Norman must have been lonely.¡±


    That¡¯s why he befriended Zaria, Desmond thought. It must have been the only way to feel like he had something close to his daughter. He might not have known it yet but Zaria was close in age to Ciara and besides, they had the same eyes.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the ex-wife?¡± Desmond asked.


    ¡°Dead. A year ago. That¡¯s why Ciara resurfaced and reconnected with her dad.¡±


    ¡°And then he used her.¡± He concluded. ¡°He was yet to introduce her to anyone when he found the perfect chance to get back at Lucy.¡±


    It was baffling, but at least there was no more doubt now.


    ¡°Tomorrow, Zeus is being transferred to the detention center. Norman might go there to try and take a swipe at him. I need you to be ready.¡± Well, they were certain of where Zeus would be the next day. He only hoped Norman would y right into their trap.


    ________


    Contrary to their expectation, Norman didn¡¯t try to find Zeus immediately. At first, they all thought he didn¡¯t care or was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but when three days passed and there was no sign of him, they started to panic.


    ¡°You can¡¯t stay here for much longer. You are not a criminal.¡± Lucy was anxious. ¡°I¡¯m taking you out. I can¡¯t believe I thought this was the best n.¡±


    ¡°Rx, mother. Let¡¯s give it a few more days. A sneaky bastard needs time to n his moves and besides, I love it here.¡±


    Lucy frowned at him. It was not a joke. A golden cage was still a cage. Not to mention, there was nothing golden about the detention center.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Zeus whispered.


    She hadn¡¯t heard a thing, but she didn¡¯t think hearing sounds at a detention center was anything odd. Not until she heard Norman¡¯s voice. She looked around and sprinted for the wall leading to another section of the cells, ducking behind it for cover just as a series of footsteps got closer.


    ¡°Five minutes.¡± A gruff voice said, to which Norman agreed.


    ¡°Only five.¡±


    After his footsteps disappeared, Norman finally spoke up with a chortle never heard before. ¡°Hello, nephew.¡±

 Chapter 323 - 323 Family reunion(2)

    323 Family reunion(2)


    ¡°Norman.¡± Zeus gritted his teeth. Even after being told he was the one they were after, it was still unbelievable.


    ¡°You should call me uncle. Don¡¯t you know that, kiddo?¡±


    Zeus wanted to explode. ¡°Who are you calling kiddo?¡±


    ¡°You, of course. It suits you.¡±


    While he would have loved to strangle the man, he yed it cool and tried to lure his n out. ¡°Why are you here? Did youe tough at me?¡±


    ¡°Laugh at you? I came to thank you, nephew.¡± Norman inched closer to the bars and lowered his voice. Of course, he knew the detention center was strict on what visitors could bring in, so there was no chance anyone would record him. Even if he was overheard, what good would it be in a case where it would be their word against his?


    ¡°You see, your mother made me unhappy. Very unhappy. And I wasn¡¯t going to do anything about it until you gave me the chance. Then, just when it seemed like all bets were off, you slipped up. And although it didn¡¯t work out in my favor, seeing you in here on my behalf makes me a little happy. But just a little.¡± He chuckled. ¡°See you never, Zeus. I hope you rot here forever.¡±


    Zeus¡¯s brows are knitted. It was not coincidental that he had said that. He was going to try to kill him.


    He knew about the brawls at the detention center. Norman would probably send goons after him and if they got caught for deliberately killing him, it wouldn¡¯t matter. They were already in prison.


    .....


    Luckily, there wasn¡¯t much anyone could do.


    So, the following day when Zeus¡¯s food was brought, he didn¡¯t touch any of it. He had a feeling this was it. He could have been wrong, but he couldn¡¯t eat a thing until they were certain Norman had been caught.


    However, he banged his head against the wall and feigned breathlessness. He was wheeled into the hospital instantly.


    ¡°Is it an allergic reaction?¡± One nurse asked him to get a clue on where to start. He pointed at his throat frantically just as another nurse brought in his medical records.


    ¡°The patient is allergic to strawberries. He must have ingested some.¡± She exined. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± She sent the other off and pulled a syringe out of her pocket.


    She was yet to do a single thing when the door burst open.


    She gasped, quickly adjusting her mask. ¡°How did you get in? You cannot interrupt a medical procedure!¡±


    Norman stared at the nurse just as she turned around and wondered why her french ent sounded so familiar. Even so, he pleaded, ¡°He will be fine if he¡¯s no longer gasping for breath. I need to tell him something. It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    She headed for the door, careful not to look up at him as she walked out. ¡°One minute.¡±


    When the door shut, Norman waited until he could no longer hear footsteps, then he chortled. ¡°This is so easy it¡¯s starting to get boring. That brainless nurse left you all to me, so how about some strawberry juice, nephew?¡±


    Zeus remained still as Norman injected strawberry juice into him.


    Thetter was confused. ¡°Why is nothing happening?¡±


    The door burst open and in walked the nurse from earlier. She tore her mask off. ¡°Because he is not allergic to strawberries, silly. Hello, half-brother.¡±


    ¡°Lucy!¡± he gasped. ¡°You tricked me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call it that. It didn¡¯t take enough effort to be called a trick. I only threw in a tiny fake allergy into his medical record and down you went.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe how easy it was to deceive Norman.


    Zeus finally opened his eyes. ¡°To be fair, it would have been a perfect n. Use a prisoner¡¯s food allergy to poison him, get him into the hospital and inject the very same allergy into his blood. It would have seemed like aplete ident. Unfortunately, you were merely a puppet in this show and the strings were in our hands all along.¡± He smirked, then added in a squeak, ¡°that¡¯s the thing with lone wolves. They think they have the world at their feet and forget to think. In your next life, find a partner.¡±


    Lucy knocked Norman out before he coulde out of his shock and red at Zeus. ¡°What were you thinking, letting him inject you?¡±


    ¡°He wanted to ensure it was a perfect ¡®ident¡¯. He wouldn¡¯t dare add anything else.¡±


    ______


    ¡°Norman is locked up now. He will not be able toe out alive.¡± Lucy assured the family. She had gathered them up again to tell them the good news.


    ¡°Norman cannot be spared.¡± Desmond insisted.


    Lucy rolled her eyes. ¡°You underestimate my intention. Who said anything about sparing him?¡± She caught Zaria¡¯s gaze and walked over to her, cupping her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry honey. But they get stronger if you let them go once. I can¡¯t risk a jailbreak so this is the only way. I know you care about him.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡± Zaria hugged her shoulders. She did care about him, and a day ago, she might have asked for them to spare his life, but not anymore. ¡°If reality was only slightly different, he would have hurt my brother and he wouldn¡¯t even feel sorry about it.¡±


    ¡°I knew you loved me deep down.¡± Zeus joked.


    ¡°Who said I love you? I just don¡¯t want people to think they can get away with hurting my family.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°Sure, yeah.¡± Zeus pretended to believe her but pulled her into a hug, using his height to smack her head for fun.


    She groaned. ¡°Remind me why I didn¡¯t let Norman kill you?¡±


    Lucy smiled. ¡°Then that¡¯s decided. You will never hear from Norman again.¡±


    No one asked what she would do. They had the idea.


    ¡°I guess that calls for celebration?¡± Ximena suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll cook for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. I¡¯m starving.¡± Zeus seconded.


    _________


    In the following few days, word had started spreading about Norman¡¯s disappearance. He was his customers¡¯ sweetheart, after all. In the midst of the chaos, Zaria dropped by a few times, asked for his specially made blueberry muffin, and made it her business to ask where he ran off to and when he would return.


    Lucy had put her up to it, calling it misdirection. If the rest of his family were to learn of his disappearance, Zaria¡¯s appearance in the diner would close their eyes to the fact that she could know something. Meanwhile, Zeus used his phone to make a few calls and send a few messages for good measure. It was a good thing Lucy had created a voice-changing software that had a mimicking feature. As long as people believed they were having phone calls with Norman, it would be ages by the time they realized he was missing and their trail would be long lost.


    _________


    AN


    It breaks my heart to say this but TTW will end soon T_T. I don¡¯t know how many chapters are left yet. While tying up the loose ends, I realized something. I¡¯ll make a huge announcement about it at Des and Zaria¡¯s wedding! Oh I can¡¯t wait to see my babies finally have their happily ever after. They havee so far.

 Chapter 324 - 324 The surest cure to stress

    324 The surest cure to stress


    Since they would take a break soon for their wedding and honeymoon, Desmond and Zaria were busier in the next several days. At the next monthly board meeting, Zaria couldn¡¯t hold her head up for more than half an hour before she sleepily rubbed her eyes. She was bingzier by the day and she was only in her second trimester.


    ¡°The two of you are overdue for a break.¡± Lucy remarked when the meeting was over and it was only she, Natalie, Desmond and Zaria left. ¡°Natalie and I will take care of Preston and Fort Group while you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°You would do that?¡± Zaria emotionally nced at Lucy then Natalie.


    ¡°Of course I would. What are friends for?¡± Natalie hugged her, chuckling when thetter looked like she had been saved from a life or death kind of emergency. Pregnancy was making her much more emotional than usual, and they had all been the prime witnesses of her endless affection.


    ¡°Nat needs all the experience she can get as apany CEO. We will not reveal to the board who will temporarily take your ce while you¡¯re on your break, of course. We don¡¯t want them going off on you. But don¡¯t worry, I believe in her potential.¡± Lucy exined.


    ¡°I have never doubted Natalie¡¯s skill.¡± Desmond seconded her idea. After all, they all knew Natalie was one of the geniuses behind the sess of the Sparks¡¯ hotel chains before she left the family business.


    ¡°Can we go yet?¡± Zaria yawned.


    Desmond chuckled. ¡°Of course, my love. It¡¯s time for our appointment. Or if you want, we can cancel it so you take a nap and then the doctor cane overter.¡±


    ¡°That will not be necessary. I¡¯ll napter.¡± She was too excited for her ultrasound to dy for a second.


    .....


    ¡°Tell us what you decide!¡± Lucy called after them.


    ¡°Will do.¡± Zaria promised. When she hit the eighteen week mark, the doctor had told them they could find out the gender of their baby if they wanted. They were still deciding whether or not they wanted to know.


    When they left the board room, Lucy finally had the chance to talk to Natalie about Dawn.


    ¡°Like we feared, Nathaniel is not the only one who knew about Dawn. It has beenunched.¡±


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Natalie let out a long sigh. ¡°That slimeball is six feet underground but we cannot get rid of himpletely, can we? He still left traces of himself.¡±


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be upset, sweetheart. Do you think I would be Lucy Roatta if I let him have his way?¡± She mysteriously smiled.


    Natalie thought about it and shrugged, unable to find an exnation that made any sense. ¡°Are you really going to make me ask?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun.¡± Lucy admitted. ¡°You see, Creszone was stolen from me before. I was able to get it back before it went live but I decided since then that I would never make the same mistake again. When I created Twilight, I also threw in a few viruses only I could detect, they were so hidden. I only cleaned it up seconds before Iunched it.¡±


    Natalie finally caught up. ¡°And now, the version of Dawn that has beenunched has viruses in it? What if they have an antivirus?¡±


    ¡°I thought about that. An antivirus can only detect a threat. What I have in Dawn are a series of iplete antiviruses. Launching the software will activate them and boom!¡± Lucy was having way too much fun with that. The way Natalie saw it, she might have even been looking forward to Dawn getting stolen.


    ¡°So what will happen?¡±


    ¡°Although they made the big announcement, they still have it in the test run stage. Which means they are going to use all theirputers to get it running for the sake of testing. Within half a day, the virus will spread and they can say goodbye to all their projects. Yup, including the backup. I only spared their gadgets because their poor employees would lose their phones and PCs in the process. They don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on and don¡¯t deserve that kind of fate.¡±


    Natalie shivered. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to mess with you.¡±


    ¡°Come on, it will be fun.¡± Lucy jokingly coaxed her.


    ¡°So, where do Ie in?¡± She reminded her of the important business they were discussing.


    ¡°Right.¡± Lucy opened a file. ¡°Once I teach those pesky flies a lesson, Dawn will be ready tounch with its real name. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I was born ready.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Lucy smiled. ¡°Because theunch banquet will be tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow night? That¡¯s not even enough time to n a banquet, let alone one as huge as this.¡± She protested.


    ¡°You are worried for nothing. Elena nned the banquet ages ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Natalie let out a breath. For a moment, she had forgotten that Lucy was not talking about Preston and Fort Group but about Twilight. So she would be a partner of Twilight now. No wonder Lucy didn¡¯t want the board of Preston and Fort Group to know she would be stepping in for Desmond. While Twilight was now a partner, it was still a differentpany.


    _____


    The following evening, Natalie was getting ready for the banquet when Devonte walked into her room.


    ¡°You are early.¡± She kissed him gently on the lips and held up her dress for him to see. ¡°I didn¡¯t have much time to prepare since Lucy sprung the banquet up on me. What do you think? Is this dress good enough?¡±


    He studied it with a hand on his chin. ¡°It feels like something is missing.¡±


    ¡°Or not.¡± She ditched it on the bed and rummaged through her closet for another. After what felt like an hour of hunting through the innumerable gowns, she took out a ck one and showed him. ¡°This one? I¡¯m trying to look like a bossdy without being too intimidating.¡±


    He pulled her into his arms. She was only wearing her strapless bra and panties, and he was already hard as a rock from seeing her this way when he walked in.


    ¡°You¡¯re not helping. I¡¯ll not get dressed at this rate.¡± Sheined, but not without leaning into his embrace and wiggling her backside against his hardness.


    ¡°You of all people should know that I enjoy taking off your clothes more than helping you put them on.¡± He kissed her neck.


    ¡°No, no, not the neck!¡± She reminded him. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have a turtleneck gown¡ªnot that I would look good in one¡ªso you better be gentle.¡±


    ¡°You would look good in anything, babe.¡± He kissed her gently, carefully not to leave a mark. ¡°But you would look even better wearing nothing.¡±


    As soon as he said the words, he cupped her boobs through her bra. Her nipples were poking through the fabric and he couldn¡¯t wait to touch and taste them. He unbuckled her bra and palmed both of them, earning a moan.


    ¡°Do you know what the surest cure to stress is?¡± He asked against her ear as he rubbed her nipples between his thumb and forefinger.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°My tongue.¡±

 Chapter 325 - 325 Brand new CEO

    325 Brand new CEO


    Natalie¡¯s phone chimed just as Devonte¡¯s hand ventured into her panties. She had to stop him.


    ¡°I hate to stop right now but that¡¯s my reminder to get going. I don¡¯t want to keep Aunt Lucy waiting.¡± She kissed his lips to cate him.


    He groaned in frustration because he knew exactly what she meant. Lucy could be friendly and all but only if her time was respected. She detested tardiness and would rage if they were even a few minuteste. So, since they were not caught up in something they couldn¡¯t stop¡ªyet, he let go of her begrudgingly.


    ¡°Okay, but you have to make it up to me tonight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll spend the whole night making it up.¡± She tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, then decided to go with the ck gown. Devonte wasn¡¯t of much help anyway. She could change into all the gowns in her closet, disying them to him, and he would find all of them perfect. His exact words would be ¡°You could be wearing a gunny sack and I¡¯d still think you look awesome, babe.¡±


    When she had slipped it on, she needed help with the zipper and nearly got lured into bed with him by the mere touch of his fingers against her skin.


    Heavens, this man was charming as hell and they had been together for all these years.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± She slipped her shoes on and grabbed his hand, dashing out before she found an excuse for her absence and pushed him down onto the bed instead.


    Their car was waiting, so they jumped right in, racing against time.


    .....


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing there isn¡¯t much traffic on this side of the city.¡± She sighed in relief. At this hour, they would arrive an hourter if they were in the north of Imperium.


    She smoothed imaginary wrinkles on her dress and peeked up at him.


    Having learned the telltale signs of her nervousness, he smiled. ¡°You know you can tell me anything, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She took in a deep breath.


    ¡°Well, my parents asked for us to join them for dinner tomorrow.¡±


    He quirked a brow. ¡°Are you three in the talking stage now?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Not that I know of. But to be fair, they have been reaching out.¡± She gripped the skirt of her gown, feeling the need to exin. After all, they were the worst when it came to her rtionship with Devonte and had been cruel in their attempts to match her up with someone else.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I care so much about their opinion. They already showed me that their pride matters more than what makes me happy. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want them trying to pull us apart, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I know, my love.¡± He raised her chin with his thumb. ¡°No matter what happens, I¡¯m not as insecure as I was before.¡±


    She hummed in amusement at that. The only reason for his insecurity in the past was Desmond. He didn¡¯t seem to care which man got close to her but whenever Desmond came into the picture, he would cause an argument about where her heart was.


    ¡°Is it because Desmond is getting married and you finally believe he wants nothing to do with me beyond friendship?¡± She teased.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m the only man you care about. I finally see that.¡± He pecked her lips. ¡°But yes, that too.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re crazy, you know that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡± He retorted.


    ¡°So, are youing with me for dinner?¡± She confirmed, since he had not given a definite answer.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I would love one more thing.¡± She slid her hand down his chest discreetly. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t do much in the car, since the banquet hall was only a short ride away.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He held her hand and guided it below his belt, pressing it against his hardness.


    ¡°Wait. Are you still¡­¡± She was puzzled. Or was it a new boner? She couldn¡¯t tell with him. In fact, she didn¡¯t think there was any single time when the two of them were alone in an enclosed space and he was not hard. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of youter,¡± she whispered, but it was directed below his waist, making him chuckle.


    ¡°You were going to say something?¡± He reminded her before she made him lose control with her teasing.


    ¡°Oh yes. I¡¯m in the wedding party and Zaria didn¡¯t give me a partner. She said she wanted me to choose my own partner. Oh, and by the way, she would love it if that partner were her favorite movie star. Just saying¡ªher words.¡± Sheughed. ¡°So, on behalf of two of your biggest fans, I would like to ask you to be my partner at the wedding.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He pressed another kiss on her lips and she was overjoyed. Something in her snapped¡ªit was as though he had said yes to being her husband instead of just a partner at her cousin¡¯s wedding¡ªand she couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    _____


    The banquet was a bigger st than Lucy thought it would be.


    When she announced that Twilight wasunching a new subsidiary in partnership with Natalie, the cheers of excitement were through the roof. Everyone wanted to download it and it hadn¡¯t even gone live yet.


    As soon as Lucy¡¯s announcement was made, Natalie was surrounded by tens of Lucy¡¯s partners.


    ¡°Miss Sparks, I have heard so much about you.¡± A portly middle-aged man pushed through the crowd to her to shake her hand. ¡°I have to admit, your photographs do you no justice and neither does every tabloid about you. You are smarter than they say.¡±


    Her lips twitched. This man had hurled the most insults when her family dragged her into the family business years ago. At the time, she was only fresh from university and didn¡¯t have much experience running apany but it was her family business and it was partly her responsibility to keep it on its feet. However, he had mocked her in every conference, every banquet and every single ce they bumped into each other. Yet here he was now, praising her now that she was associated with the woman everyone was looking up to.


    On the outside, she kept a smile. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You and my son have a lot inmon. You could have made a good match but since you belong to another now, how about you be business partners? You can learn a lot from each other.¡±


    She maintained her smile. ¡°No need. I¡¯m learning from the best.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He sounded shocked.


    ¡°Lucy Roatta. Heard of her?¡± She widened her smile to annoy him and started to walk off, only to be stopped by the mention of what was apparently what he truly wanted. ¡°I have something that might interest Lucy. I¡¯m aware she appreciates good talent and that¡¯s exactly what mypany offers. Can you be a doll and pass the word to her? I¡¯ll mail my proposal tomorrow morning.¡±


    She pretended to think about it for ages before she shrugged. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± He tried to keep his annoyance to himself in vain.


    She simplyughed it off. ¡°Lucy hates men who look down on women for any reason. I mean, that should be obvious.¡±

 Chapter 326 - 326 Brand new CEO (2)

    326 Brand new CEO (2)


    As she walked off, she bumped into someone and nearly tripped. ¡°Sorry! Devonte?¡± She was surprised to look up and see him, and he had a bouquet in his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to congratte the new CEO in town.¡± He presented the white lilies to her. ¡°Here¡¯s to new beginnings.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled and hooked her arm around his. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll introduce you to my new partners.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence, I was thinking of introducing you to some of the actors I¡¯ve been on the same set with.¡±


    She was puzzled. ¡°They¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°All ambassadors of Twilight and its subsidiaries were invited. Including the old ones.¡± He decided to let her introduce him first, then she did the same.


    She had always been curious about actors who worked alongside him in real life, knowing their social media lives weren¡¯t always real. For instance, one of the most popr actresses, Carmen, acted beside him in an old movie and had always made suggestive social media posts about them ever since. The movie fans began to ship them and it wasn¡¯t even a romance movie.


    When Natalie finally met her in real life, she had to remind herself to be friendly. The woman was probably only doing as she was told. Most of the time, superstars didn¡¯t even manage their own social media ounts, right?


    Wrong. The woman was staring daggers at her even before Devonte introduced them.


    .....


    ¡°Jupiter! It¡¯s so great to see you.¡± She threw herself right into his arms, taking him by surprise.


    He nudged her off. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too. Just not that nice.¡± He mumbled the second part. Before he could say a word more, she kissed him on the cheek and cast a nce at Natalie who she hadpletely ignored.


    ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡±


    ¡°Natalie. His girlfriend.¡± Natalie presented her hand for a shake before Devonte could say a word.


    ¡°Huh. I didn¡¯t know you had a girlfriend.¡± Carmen pursed her lips, staring down at her. ¡°Is it new?¡±


    ¡°If you knew anything about Devonte¡ªand you probably do from all those years of stalking him¡ªyou would know how long he¡¯s been taken.¡± She once again snapped.


    ¡°Natalie!¡± Devonte scolded in a whisper and finally had the chance to introduce them. ¡°This is Carmen. We once worked together.¡±


    ¡°And then you wrecked one of my dreams. You do know how lovely it is to fall in love on set, right?¡± Carmen smirked, nearly making Natalie explode.


    This time, she kept it in.


    ¡°Have you seen Nacho? He should be here somewhere. Ah, there he is.¡± Devonte used the name of another actor as an excuse to leave, but they didn¡¯t go to talk to him. Instead, he pulled her out of the banquet hall and into the first room he could find, which happened to be a small dining area.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± She crossed her arms when he shut the door behind them. ¡°Go on and scold me. I know you are dying to do it.¡±


    ¡°Why would you be jealous of her? She¡¯s not even an ex or anything. We just acted in one movie together. One without the slightest hint of romance.¡± He asked.


    Her eyes drooped. ¡°And then she was all over you and everyone knows how she feels about you.¡±


    ¡°Why would that ever matter?¡± He questioned.


    She didn¡¯t have anything to say to that. None of the things she felt seeing Carmen made any sense. She felt them nheless.


    He held her shoulders. ¡°You can tell me anything, my love. I don¡¯t want us to have bad blood between us because of feelings we didn¡¯t discuss.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°She¡¯s perfect, that¡¯s all. And you two look like the perfect match in your pictures. I mean, even your fans saw it.¡±


    ¡°The most important word being ¡®like¡¯.¡± He raised her chin so she would look up at him. ¡°You really need a mirror, my love. Because if you have one, you will know who is really perfect.¡±


    He grabbed her hand and led her into the bathroom.


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± She asked.


    He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°Look at that. How can you not see that we are two pieces of the same puzzle?¡±


    She smiled. He was right. Carmen was indeed beautiful¡ªhell, she was probably the star in many men¡¯s dreams. But so was she. She had momentarily forgotten that when she came face to face with the woman she found to be a threat.


    ¡°So, no more jealousy?¡± He snaked a hand down the slit at her thigh. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I know you only got jealous because you love me, but I don¡¯t want your feelings hurt no matter the reason.¡±


    ¡°Yes. No more jealousy.¡± She turned around and wrapped her arms around him. ¡®I hope¡¯. She added mentally. She knew if a woman put her ws on him, she would still want to wring her neck.


    Actually, maybe it was time they realized he was taken and she was not letting him go.


    He had his arms wrapped around her and his hardness was pressed up against her. She nced around and spotted the sink with a huge space around it. She smirked mischievously. ¡°Maybe I should start making it up to you earlier. You know, for the interruption before we came here.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± He agreed, right before his hand slid under her gown through the slit and ventured into her panties.


    _________


    The following evening, Ava and Owen were a little bit friendlier when the two of them arrived for dinner.


    ¡°You are here! I made your favorite.¡± Ava hugged and air-kissed her on both cheeks. This time, she greeted Devonte as well, albeit with a smile and zero words.


    ¡°You, in the kitchen?¡± Natalieughed. ¡°That would be a culinary emergency not even the best chef in Olphire would save us from.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Avained andughed along. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will not get wheeled into the emergency room after your first bite. I only told the chef what to cook and he did the magic.¡±


    She urged them into the dining room, where Owen was already sitting. While he wasn¡¯t overly friendly like Ava, he actually greeted and weed them.


    She sat next to her mother and pulled Devonte in beside her. She hoped the three of them would get along but she couldn¡¯t force it. So although she didn¡¯t want to, she brought up the few funny memories she could remember off the top of her head to lighten the mood. Which reminded her.


    ¡°I heard Uncle Norm left the city?¡± She asked, directing her question at Ava.


    Thetter didn¡¯t look concerned. ¡°No one¡¯s heard from him. But who cares, it¡¯s not like he cares about anyone, anyway. He can disappear for all I care.¡±


    ¡®Disappear it is, mother.¡¯ She thought.


    ¡°Why are we talking about him? I have something more important in mind.¡± Ava stated, then changed her mind when Owen cleared his throat. ¡°But first, dinner.¡±


    Natalie nced at them then at Devonte worriedly. They had not said what it was about but she knew her parents well enough and she had a bad feeling about this.

 Chapter 327 - 327 Final dinner

    327 Final dinner


    For the rest of the meal, Natalie was fidgety. Devonte had tried to calm her down, telling her everything would be okay, but she knew her parents.


    No matter what they usually had to say, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate. Unless it was something they were still thinking about, or something they knew was bound to hurt the other party. Something told her it was thetter case.


    When dinner was finally over, she couldn¡¯t eat any of her dessert. She had barely managed to stomach her dinner feeling so anxious.


    ¡°So,¡± Ava finally began when the table was cleared. ¡°Owen, why don¡¯t you show Devonte to the music room? You and him might just have a lot inmon. You can also y a game of chess while at it.¡±


    Devonte¡¯s first reaction was to narrow his eyes at Ava. ¡°Will Natalie be alright when Ie back?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ava scoffed at him. ¡°Do you think I would hurt my daughter?¡±


    He did think so, yes. If they weren¡¯t the kind of parents who dismissed their daughter¡¯s feelings, he wouldn¡¯t even think up such a thing. But again, Natalie now had Lucy¡¯s protection. They would be insane toy a single finger on her.


    With this in mind, and the fact that Natalie smiled at him in reassurance, he left the dining room with Owen, but not before leaving Ava with a warning. ¡°If a single strand of hair goes missing from her, I will shave your entire head.¡±


    Avaughed and only stopped when Devonte was out of earshot.


    .....


    ¡°So¡­what do you think? Is he good for you?¡±


    Natalie rolled her eyes. ¡°I have been with him for more than a decade, mom. Go ahead and say what you want to say.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Ava ced her hands on the table. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you so much in love. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this about a man who isn¡¯t Desmond but he does seem to make you smile.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you could take lessons from him? I could ask if he¡¯s taking in students.¡± Natalie retorted.


    Ava¡¯s brow rose. ¡°You know, you were never a rebellious teenager. Not that you didn¡¯t have your own infuriating side that nearly every teenager has, but you were different. You were always responsible.¡± She ced her hand on Natalie¡¯s, her voice breaking. ¡°Even when we were hard on you. It took us a long time to see it but you really are the best child a parent could ask for.¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Natalie probed. She couldn¡¯t be fooled by her mother¡¯s words. There had to be another side for her to give such a flowery speech.


    ¡°But, my dear, it started to change when you met him. Now that I did the math, I realized you started acting out soon after you got together with him¡ªif your recount of how long you¡¯ve dated is urate, that is.¡±


    Natalie didn¡¯t wait for her to finish what she was starting. ¡°I¡¯m not breaking up with him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to.¡± Ava coaxed.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°No. All I¡¯m saying is I don¡¯t know if this new version is really who you want to be, or who you think you are because you spent enough time with him for your mind to see it as the default.¡± Before Natalie could express her displeasure, she gave an example.


    ¡°In all arranged marriages I¡¯ve heard of, the man often cheats. They always give the excuse that they didn¡¯t choose their wife.¡±


    ¡°And yet you wanted me to marry a man you chose.¡± Natalie grumbled under her breath.


    Ava ignored that and continued. ¡°But the woman always takes care of the home and keeps the family together. Because she believes that¡¯s what she is meant to do. After a while, she turns a blind eye to what her husband is doing and adapts to a life simr to everyone else with the same kind of fate. But she would never truly find her happiness.¡±


    ¡°I never thought about it that way.¡± Natalie instantly thought of Nathaniel and then Alma within a few seconds. Those were two families she knew already that suffered the same fate.


    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not getting into an arranged marriage. What does this have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°We failed as parents.¡± She continued. ¡°We are sorry for not being there for you. In our absence, Devonte swooped in and gave you the attention you needed. But how can you tell if this is permanent? Do you want to find out?¡± taking Natalie¡¯s silence as yes, she finally said, ¡°I would like you to go on a blind date.¡±


    ¡°I have a boyfriend, mother. Devonte Lemaigre. Remember him?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t forget him when his name is everywhere.¡± Ava faceoalmed. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to break up with him. Just that you go out with someone else. If you really want to be with Devonte after that, I will never bring this up again.¡± She promised.


    Natalie covered her mouth with her hand with an exaggerated gasp. ¡°How exciting! I just have to two-time my boyfriend for a while to see if I fall in love with the other man. And if I don¡¯t, I go back to my boyfriend who I just cheated on and life goes on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a date, Natalie.¡± Ava shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°Let me guess. I have to keep this a secret from Devonte?¡± She stood, nting her palms on the table. ¡°And when our rtionship is going perfectly, you will send him pictures from this date, which no one will have known about?¡±


    Ava gasped in shock. When she finallyposed herself, she shook her head. ¡°I would say I can¡¯t believe you think that way of us but I don¡¯t me you. We didn¡¯t give you much reason to trust us. But honey, I didn¡¯t say you couldn¡¯t tell Devonte. I don¡¯t care how you go on the date, as long as you do. You can even make it a trio with him.¡±


    She straightened up. ¡°Thanks for offering to support us, mom. But I don¡¯t need a man to prove the strength of my love for another. I know my heart all too well.¡±


    Luckily, Owen and Devonte returned and saved her from having to deal with more of her mother¡¯s insanity.


    Devonte¡¯s first reaction was to rush over to her and hug her. ¡°Everything is alright, right?¡±


    Ava held up a strand of hair she had plucked out of Natalie¡¯s head while they talked,ughing. ¡°It sounds like I¡¯m getting a new haircut. Maybe a Pixie? What do you think, Owen?¡±


    Devonte red at her despite knowing she was trying to lighten the mood. What did she do now?


    ¡°Natalie and I have other things to do. Thanks for inviting us to dinner.¡± He announced, inwardly adding, ¡®we are noting back.¡¯


    As soon as they were on their own, she told him all about her mother¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Can you believe it? She wanted me to go on a date with another man.¡± She looked out through the window. ¡°Actually, it is pretty tame considering these are Ava Sparks and Owen Sparks. Maybe they really areing around.¡±

 Chapter 328 - 328 Bachelorette

    328 Bachelorette


    After what felt like endless nning and years worth of waiting, the wedding was finally drawing near. There were only two days until the big day and Zaria couldn¡¯t be any more excited. The fact that her friends spent so much time with her made it all better.


    By the time she woke up, Desmond had long left so the girls took this chance to steal her away.


    ¡°Finally, you can try out the gown without fearing that Desmond mighte running in to see you in it before the wedding.¡± Ximena wiped imaginary sweat.


    Everyone giggled in response. The gown had arrived a few days ago and since then, it had been their mission to keep Desmond away from it. The man was ready to do anything to see it, not believing a word of what they say about marriages having bad luck like the groom saw the bride in her gown before the wedding.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he would make up such a thing as that only being a made-up tale from many years ago when the bride and many other women wore the same kind of dress and the groom was to identify his bride from the bevy, and they made up the belief to prevent the groom from using the color of the bride¡¯s gown to identify her.¡± Elenaughed. Desmond was quite imaginative.


    Ximena frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this but he does have a point. Only, it¡¯s a myth I haven¡¯t heard of.¡±


    ¡°Me either.¡± Natalie added. ¡°I know this sounds old-fashioned but better safe than sorry. I don¡¯t want to jinx the wedding in any way, so Des is not seeing that gown before Zaria walks down the aisle.¡±


    ¡°Unless he convinces Zaria to show him.¡± Ximena raised an eyebrow at Zaria, who scoffed.


    ¡°Guys, you can rx. It¡¯s just two more days. He will see it for the rest of his life.¡± She was nning to keep the wedding gown for years after. While it was old-fashioned, she wanted to keep it in case Rosaly were to want it for her own wedding many yearster.


    .....


    She tried the wedding gown on and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I thought it wouldn¡¯t fit. My bump is growing so fast.¡± She twirled. It felt morefortable than she would ever expect.


    Ximena circled her and tied theces of her corset-style bodice¡ªbut not without stuffing a piece of fabric down Zaria¡¯s back before tying it, to ensure it wasn¡¯t too tight when she took out the piece of fabric.


    Zaria smiled at her overprotectiveness. She had long given up telling Ximena she was overreacting¡ªeveryone supported her when she brought up her concern about the corset being too tight.


    She spun around ncing at her bump through the mirror, surprised that she couldn¡¯t see it at all. ¡°This is magical. No one would even know I¡¯m pregnant.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why Wan Jia is known to be the best wedding dress designer. Right, have you tried out your reception gown? It¡¯s mesmerizing.¡± Ximena skipped over to a box and opened it, revealing a gown the same color as the wedding gown. ¡°Come on, try it on. Wan Jia will drop over tomorrow in case there are any adjustments to be made.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. They were all made by the same person. If one fits, the others must fit too.¡± Zaria protested.


    ¡°She has a point.¡± Natalie agreed.


    Zaria let out a sigh of relief. Changing in and out of clothes had be such a nightmare.


    ¡°So, about your bachelorette,¡± Elena started.


    Zaria huffed. ¡°You guys know I can¡¯t drink. I¡¯m Pregnant, remember?¡± She pointed at her growing bump.


    ¡°We know that. But who said you can¡¯t have fun without alcohol?¡± Natalie teased.


    ¡°This will be the best party of your life.¡± Ximena cheered her on and added, ¡°and the best part is¡­¡±


    ¡°Is what?¡± She asked, not sure she wanted anything that would tire her out.


    ¡°Lucy ising! And so is Rosaly.¡± She winked.


    Natalie grabbed Zaria¡¯s arm. ¡°Forget that. That¡¯s not the best part. The best part is you¡¯re allowed to sleep the entire time.¡±


    ¡°Really? What are we doing? Let¡¯s get going!¡±


    ¡­.


    When they said they were throwing a bachelorette, thest thing on her mind was a pic in Zeus¡¯s garden. Though she had to admit having robots at their service as though they were actual humans really was amazing.


    And Natalie was right. The girls had made a huge deal of perching her up against pillows. This time, she couldn¡¯tin. It wasfortable and she could fall asleep any time she wanted. She had been sleepier than usualtely and the mere thought of being in a ce where she couldn¡¯t nap when she felt like it was unbearable. It wasn¡¯t that she slept like a log any second of the day, but being aware that she didn¡¯t have such freedom made her anxious.


    ¡°How about a movie?¡± Natalie suggested. She had to admit, nning a pregnancy-friendly bachelorette party wasn¡¯t nearly as easy as she had thought. There were so many things to keep in mind. But as soon as she mentioned the movie, she instantly knew they were doomed when she remembered Rosaly was with them. Now everyone had to watch Frozen because Rosaly didn¡¯t think anything else was worth watching.


    ¡°Or we could watch Moana. Or Brave. The Boss Baby? Anything, really. Just not Frozen the seventieth time!¡± Elena whimpered. She had watched it so many times she could recite the whole script and she hadn¡¯t even spent that much time with Rosaly.


    ¡°Speaking of Baby,¡± She continued, ncing over at Zaria. ¡°Did you guys find out what you¡¯re having?¡±


    ¡°Fingers crossed it¡¯s a baby unicorn,¡± Lucy mumbled, making everyone burst intoughter. Elena was the most shocked. So her boss had a yful side as well.


    Now that they had talked about movies, they had doomed themselves to an hour and a half of watching Frozen.


    Natalie wished she could take back the suggestion. ¡°I wonder what the guys are doing.¡±


    ______


    Meanwhile, said guys wereughing their hearts out at Desmond, who had just fallen for yet another of their pranks.


    ¡°Guys, it¡¯s not funny.¡± He pushed himself out of the swimming pool where he had fallen as a result of their silly pranks.


    Of course, they proceeded to take pictures of him in a drenched suit.


    Though, he couldn¡¯t quite me them. He had rejected their idea of a bachelor¡¯s party so they had resorted to this childishness.


    But who cared? He was getting married! He still couldn¡¯t believe it was only two days away. He felt like he had waited all his life for this.


    ¡°Did you invite Alyssa?¡± Liam asked when he finally stoppedughing.


    He shrugged. ¡°My wife-to-be asked for it. How could I say no?¡±


    Zaria had talked him into offering to start over with his mother and invite her to the wedding, even if it didn¡¯t mean the past was forgotten. He had to admit, it was a relief that she was willing to put the past behind them. It would be great if Alyssa felt the same way. If she didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t be their fault that the Fort family fell apart forever. They had tried to mend it, after all.


    ¡°What if she causes a scene?¡± Evan wondered aloud.


    ¡°No wedding goes entirely as nned. If she tries to ruin it, we give up on her.¡± He exined. Though he hoped that wouldn¡¯t happen. It would be nice if they stayed peaceful even if they didn¡¯t reconcile.

 Chapter 329 - 329 Finally, wedding (1)

    329 Finally, wedding (1)


    Song rmendation: How long will I love you¡ªby Ellie Goulding.


    _


    Thanks to his friends¡¯ pranks, Desmond had to get changed. He grudgingly red at the men when he left the changing room. ¡°Pranks end today. I don¡¯t want anyone ying tricks on my wife.¡±


    Evanughed. ¡°What? But it¡¯s going to be so much fun. Besides, she isn¡¯t even your wife yet.¡±


    Desmond smoothed his hair with a grin. ¡°She will be once she says yes. I don¡¯t want any single thing that could possibly make her unhappy. So you prank, you die.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Liam grumbled. He, too, had been looking forward to ying a few harmless pranks on Zaria. But on the bright side, their best friend was finally getting married! Now, that was something to look forward to.


    Desmond caught sight of a man carrying a bouquet of red roses as he left. It made him think about Zaria but he gave up the thought of getting her flowers. She was going to be doused in so many flowers in two days that she wouldn¡¯t want anything to do with them for a year afterward. However, there was indeed something she would never have enough of.


    ______


    After two torturously long days, it was finally the day of the wedding. The wedding would happen in the evening but Desmond was brimming in excitement. If only there was a way to make time tick faster.


    .....


    He patted the space beside him and sat up curiously. Where had his bride run off to? He was yet to call out for her when the bathroom door opened and she walked out¡­wearing nothing.


    He was already hard having just woken up and he swore she was trying to kill him.


    ¡°If you are going to ban sex before the wedding, can you at least wear some clothes?¡± Heined.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a week.¡± She winked and made her way to the closet. He could swear there was a deliberate sway to her hips to drive him crazy. He was fixated on her butt before she turned around and caught him in the act.


    In his defense, ¡°It¡¯s a week of you seducing me and not letting me touch you. How would you feel if you were starving and your favorite meal kept sauntering around in front of you, dripping in your favorite sauce and you weren¡¯t allowed to take a bite?¡±


    She instantly pictured her favorite ice cream. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fun.¡± She admitted, but then she added, ¡°but once I was allowed to taste it, it would be worth it.¡±


    His cock twitched at her words. She was right. The tradition of not sleeping together for a week or two before the wedding was meant to make the honeymoon more intense.


    Though he had to admit, he was bing more obsessed with his wife-to-be by the minute. At first, she was scared of showing her baby bump in fear that he would no longer be attracted to her but she soon realized how wrong she had been. It drove him crazier than ever. Their honeymoon was going to be intense whether or not they followed the tradition.


    On the other hand, she knew how much he wanted her so she wasn¡¯t going to ride in the same car as him. Heaven knew he was capable of seducing her into breaking the tradition she had tried so hard to keep despite wanting him as much as he wanted her.


    So as soon as she had her breakfast, she set off with Ximena and Natalie. But before they left for the beach, there was something else she needed to do.


    It had been months since shest came here and despite having been told not toe back, this was important to her.


    The hospital hadn¡¯t changed much over the months and although Nina had been transferred to another unit, it wasn¡¯t hard to find it. Ryan was there too, so she decided to speak to him first.


    She signaled a nurse passing by and heading in the same direction as Nina¡¯s room. ¡°Hello, could you please help me pass a message to the gentleman in that room?¡±


    The nurse gave her an odd look.


    She bit her lip nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t want to show up unannounced and potentially upset his sister. Please tell him Zaria¡¯s here.¡±


    Since she had witnessed patients getting upset over matters others may find trivial, she nodded and entered Nina¡¯s room.


    But when the nurse left and the door opened again, Ryan didn¡¯te out to speak to her. He waved her over.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She swallowed.


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course. Come in, stranger.¡±


    She entered the room cautiously and before she could say a word, Nina came running to her and wrapped her arms around her.


    ¡°Hi, Nina.¡± She felt emotional. The girl didn¡¯t speak so she nced over at her trantor.


    Ryan smiled. ¡°I missed that. Nina doesn¡¯t talk much yet but she is upset you didn¡¯te all this time.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry. To both of you¡­I was selfish and¡­¡±


    Ryan cut her off. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t need to be sorry. I was at fault too, pushing you hard and hoping if you had to choose between us and your new job, you would choose us. But I forgot your job was no longer just about your boss who I didn¡¯t like. It meant you finally had the chance to put your potential to use, the chance to get your dream home, and your happiness. But friends don¡¯t make each other have to choose. They support each other¡¯s choices.¡±


    Speechless, she hugged Ryan. ¡°Thank you. I thought you would be mad at me.¡±


    ¡°I was, but not anymore.¡± He admitted. ¡°My judgment was clouded by my feelings for you and I missed out on so many of the things you would have loved to do with your friend. Like the best bachelorette of the year.¡±


    Sheughed. ¡°You didn¡¯t miss out much. I slept the whole time.¡±


    He nced down at her stomach. ¡°That too. Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Nina hade over once again, this time giving her a familiar gold-framed card. Wasn¡¯t that an invitation card to her wedding? The words confirmed it.


    She squinted her eyes at Ryan in confusion.


    ¡°Ximena knew you would want us at the wedding even though you didn¡¯t have the balls to admit it. She invited us.¡±


    ¡°I owe her another life.¡± She sighed in relief. She had known it would be toote to invite the man who had been there for her for so long. But she was curious. ¡°Are youing?¡±


    ¡°That was Nina¡¯s way of letting you know to expect us.¡±


    She kissed the teenager on her cheek, leaving her basking in happiness. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    They talked for the next half hour and it was a relief to learn that Nina was doing so much better that she would return home soon. Ryan had found a job that allowed him to work from anywhere so he would spend enough time with her for her not to feel lonely.


    _______


    When Zaria decided on a beach wedding in the evening, she had pictured walking down the aisle barefoot as the sand caressed the soles of her feet. She never would have imagined the beautiful backdrop that was the setting sun. The glow of thest sun rays beamed upon them, filling the venue with warmth.


    Her blue gown was of the same color as the ocean, with a corset-style bodice. The wedding dress designer had managed to make it look like a real corset bodice despite being loose around her belly. She loved it¡ªshe had always wanted a corset-style wedding gown, and the rest of the wedding theme was a dreame true.


    Her groom looked dashing in his royal blue suit with a pocket square the color of her dress, and he could barely stand still as the moment he had waited for all his life approached.


    She walked down the aisle with her hand in Theodore¡¯s arm and her father had tears of happiness in his eyes. It was a short walk but a million things swam through her mind. The first time she met Desmond, how different she thought they were, and how perfect they were together now that they had given it a try. Her eyes were watering too and when she looked up and met her man¡¯s gaze, it didn¡¯t take a genius to guess what he was feeling.


    Theodore finally put her hand in Desmond¡¯s. ¡°When my princess was a little girl, I vowed I would not walk her down the aisle unless she is marrying a man who loves her at least as much as I do.¡±


    That was Theodore¡¯s blessing in so many words, Desmond observed. He kissed Zaria¡¯s hand and promised him, ¡°I will treasure her.¡±


    When Theodore stepped aside, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. ¡°I love you, Zaria.¡±


    _____


    AN


    So for the big announcement I promised, do you guys remember how Zaria and Des met? For those who don¡¯t, she published an article about the Fort family and angered him, triggering a series of events that brought them together. But what if she didn¡¯t publish that article at all?


    I¡¯ve been thinking about it and I will write an alternate universe version of Des and Zaria as a free bonus chapter(s). You guys try it too in thements. It will be fun!


    Though writing this chapter made me think about Encanto¡¯s We don¡¯t talk about Bruno ha-ha. ¡°It was my wedding day¡­¡±

 Chapter 330 - 330 Naughty vows

    330 Naughty vows


    She had to bat her eyshes to stop herself from crying again. Ximena had been right to use waterproof makeup on her or she would already be a runny mascara mess from how emotional they had gotten in the dressing room earlier.


    ¡°I love you too, Des,¡± She said.


    ¡°I want to kiss you so badly right now.¡± He whispered, having forgotten all about the tiny mics tucked at the neckline of her dress and at his breast piece for them to be heard even if the sea got wavy.


    The officiant cleared his throat. ¡°Mr. Fort, it¡¯s not time for that yet.¡±


    He looked bummed. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t steal a very quick kiss? My bride looks so beautiful after all.¡±


    The guests burst intoughter while the officiant shook his head at Desmond sternly. When he pouted like a kid denied candy, Zaria couldn¡¯t helpughing at him either.


    ¡°Once we are married, you will get to kiss me as much as you want.¡± She whispered, covering her mic so no one else would hear.


    Taking that as a promise, he held her hand as they walked to the altar.


    The officiant finally fired off the opening speech, which Desmond found too long. He should have just dered them husband and wife and let them go off on their honeymoon.


    .....


    Of course, that was not going to happen. He had to hear him ask for whoever found reason to stop the wedding to step forward.


    He already knew no one on his side would have any reason to stop him from getting his happiness. Neither would Zaria¡¯s side. But for good measure, he turned to the side of the guest seats where Zaria¡¯s family and friends were seated and blew them a kiss, just to charm them in case they had any doubts.


    The guests roared inughter.


    Zeus lowered his voice and muttered, ¡°if it wasn¡¯t because the wedding would have to stop, I would object to the wedding to see his reaction.¡±


    Lucy red at him, but her re came out as a gentle gaze since she was so happy. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare. Your sister would kill you.¡±


    ¡°The bride and groom have written their vows.¡± He finally moved to the next part, letting the couple sigh in relief. They had secretly been afraid Alyssa might change her mind about maintaining peace with them but didn¡¯t want to think aloud in case they jinxed it.


    Desmond took out a sheet of paper from his pocket and read his vows first.


    ¡°Whoever said one mistake can lead to a chain of repercussions forgot to add that it can also many good things to happen. I made one selfish mistake and it led me to you.¡± He looked up at her. ¡°And when I thought meeting you was the best moment of my life, I was in for a pleasant surprise. Zaria, you have made my life better with each day you spent in it.


    You have made me the happiest man on earth and most importantly, the best version of myself. I don¡¯t believe I have done anything to deserve you, which is why I promise to spend the rest of my life rectifying that.


    I want to ensure you wake up every morning with a smile on your face.¡± He lowered his voice and covered their mics so only she would hear the next part. ¡°Except the many times I¡¯ll wake you with my tongue and you will be too busy moaning my name to remember to smile.¡±


    She blushed. ¡°Des!¡±


    He grinned. This was their wedding and he had to make sure he was urate with the vows he made to his wife, right?


    ¡°I promise to be there for you every time you need me¡ªeven when you don¡¯t know it. If the world fails you, you can lean on me. Every time I make you cry, it will be tears of joy. And I will cherish every moment with you and our family.¡±


    She was rendered speechless by his words, especially since she knew he was not promising any of those things to please her or their guests. She knew better than anyone that he would make sure to fulfill every single one of his promises.


    When the officiant reminded her to read her vows, Natalie gave her the sheet of paper but she had to reject it.


    ¡°None of the things I wrote sound good enough. I guess I¡¯ll wing it.¡± She remarked, sending the guestsughing even though she didn¡¯t think it was funny.


    ¡°Desmond, before I met you, I didn¡¯t think spending the rest of my life with anyone with anything to look forward to.


    You changed my mind and I¡¯m d you did. I love you so much, Des, and I can¡¯t wait to find out what adventures await us.


    I promise to be the best¡­¡± she paused when her voice broke. ¡°You certainly were serious with that tears of joy part.¡±


    She continued when theughter died down. ¡°I promise to be the best wife I can be, and the best mother to our children.¡± Like he did, she covered her mic and he knew to cover his own before she added, ¡°and when you don¡¯t get the chance to wake me up with your tongue between my legs because I woke up before you, you will wake up in my mouth.¡±


    It was his turn to be rendered speechless. ¡°You have such a dirty mouth, Mrs. Fort.¡±


    The officiant paid no heed to the secret vows going on between them. He knew not to ask. The couple finally exchanged rings and he knew Desmond would kill him if he stalled for a second.


    ¡°By the power granted to me by the Republic of Olphire, I dere you husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride.¡±


    By the time his words werepletely out, Desmond had unveiled his wife and kissed her. He wanted to deepen the kiss but he knew this was not the time or ce with everyone watching.


    ¡°I love you.¡± He whispered again, pressing his forehead against hers. He couldn¡¯t say it enough.


    _______


    The reception was being held on Lucy¡¯s cruise ship that she had given to the couple as an early wedding gift.


    Initially, they had decided to hold it in a hotel a few miles away from the beach but apparently, Lucy, Desmond, and the wedding nner had nned this as a surprise for her. She couldn¡¯t thank them enough and when she thought about it, this had Ximena¡¯s name written all over it.


    When they were little girls ying wedding dress-up with their dolls, Zaria¡¯s receptions had always ended up on a boat or a ship. Ximena had remembered it after all these years and linked it with Zaria wanting a cruise reception herself.


    The trio had taken care of everything¡ªincluding giving all the guests motion sickness tablets just in case. She knew weddings didn¡¯t always go as perfectly as the couple dreamed them to be but this was perfect.


    She fiddled with the rings on her finger. While her engagement ring had a diamond, the wedding ring was a rose-gold band with tiny diamonds dotting its surface all around it, which made the two a perfect match. She had just finished changing into the reception gown¡ªa much shorter sparkly a-line gown in the same color as the previous¡ªwhen Ximena came to pick her up for the reception.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s waiting. And Rosaly has a gift for you.¡±


    She was curious about that. She had assumed Rosaky would ce her gift with the others but she couldn¡¯t wait to see it.


    When she finally met the girl at the reception, her cheeks flushed in nervousness as she handed over a small box. ¡°For you.¡±


    Zaria took it with a smile. ¡°Should I open it right now?¡± When Rosaly nodded, she pulled the ribbon from the box and opened it, her heart melting when she saw the three blueberry muffins inside.


    ¡°You got this for me?¡±


    Rosaly nodded. ¡°I baked them. Grandma Lucy taught me how.¡±


    Zaria crouched and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    But that was not all. It turned out. The girls had not been practicing ballettely simply for their love of it. They had prepared a performance for her and Desmond, choreographed by their instructor.


    Her heart melted watching them twirling on the stage like two little professionals in their tutus, with the grace she imagined swans would have if they danced ballet. At the end of their song, they danced off the stage and returned with a small bouquet of roses and chocte.


    Just when she thought the night couldn¡¯t get any better, it was time for her and her brand-new husband¡¯s first dance, after which it was time for the father-daughter dance. Only, there wasn¡¯t only one pair of father-daughter dancing. She and Theodore waltzed alongside Desmond and Rosaly, and when the song ended, Desmond asked for another dance with her. This time, he didn¡¯t let go of Rosaly¡¯s hand. He hugged them both, then he went on one knee and kissed her belly. This was his family and it was perfect.


    ______


    Mini theatre.


    Desmond: Babe, can I use your phone? Mine¡¯s off.


    Zaria: Sure. The password is the day, ce, and what I wore when I became yours.


    Three hourster.


    Des to Liam, Evan, and Natalie: Guys, does any of you remember my wedding date?


    Natalie: If you¡¯re trying to find Zaria¡¯s password, I won¡¯t help you. Though I have to remind you that she was yours long before the wedding.


    Desmond: Crap.

 Chapter 331 - 331 Mrs. Fort

    331 Mrs. Fort


    For a while after the dance, everyone wanted a dance with Zaria and suddenly, Desmond couldn¡¯t get his wife to himself. To say he was jealous was an understatement, especially when the male guests kept telling her how lovely she looked¡ªnot that they were exaggerating it.


    When he finally had the chance, he pulled her away to the ocean view balcony closest to them and sat her down on the lounge chair, earning herughter.


    ¡°Des, it¡¯s a wedding. Everyone will want to dance with us. Have I mentioned how many women have asked you to dance?¡± She pointed out.


    ¡°Mostly ones with daughters your age, who don¡¯t mind offering them to me as mistresses.¡± He rested an arm against the railing,ughing when she sat up straight like she was ready for violence.


    ¡°What did you just say? Who said that? I will w her eyes out before doing the same for her daughter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Heughed. ¡°No one would be so disrespectful at a wedding.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t be so certain. Some people were too shameless to consider their environment before making inappropriate jokes. She had invited some of the employees of Preston and Fort Group that she was close to, and one of them had brought his mother along, who found it appropriate to tell her that marriage didn¡¯t always work out and she was free to ask for a divorce if she and Desmond were notpatible.


    It was great advice to give to a couple whose marriage was on the rocks, not ones who were just getting married! Oh, and by the way, she knew a great divorce attorney whose business card she had slipped to Zaria when no one was looking.


    Deciding not everyone was ready to enjoy a wedding without being salty, she ignored the woman¡¯s advice and said, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe we are married. Do you think this is just a dream and I will wake up to find I dreamed the entire thing including the proposal? Heck, what if our entire rtionship is a dream as well, and I wake up to find we don¡¯t even know each other? Maybe I read an article about you and triggered this super-long and realistic dream.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± He took a seat beside her and rubbed her belly. ¡°This can never be a dream. If it does happen to be one, let me sleep forever because I¡¯m living the best days of my life.¡±


    She closed her eyes, taking in a waft of cold air that blew their way.


    Desmond, on the other hand, took it as his cue to take off his coat, put it around her and suggest they go back inside.


    ¡°Not you too,¡± sheined. Everyone was treating her like a fragile piece of ss. They all knew a little cold wind couldn¡¯t affect her, especially when she liked to spend her time on cold nights on the balcony. Even so, her brand-new husband was determined to bundle her in a nket if he had to. Their nket battle came to an abrupt halt when they heard a voice from nearby,


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the view lovely?¡±


    ¡°Ang?¡± Zaria was shocked to see the woman she had not met in months. She nced at Desmond questioningly and when she met his shock that mirrored her own, she knew he did not invite her here either. Then how did shee in?


    Desmond¡¯s forehead creased. They should never have expected Alyssa to maintain the peace. The first chance she got, she had brought his ex-girlfriend who wouldn¡¯t just jump at the first chance to ruin the wedding, but she would also enjoy doing it.


    It was as if Ang knew what was going on in Desmond¡¯s mind because she forced augh. ¡°You can rx. I¡¯m not here to cause a scene. Besides, what would it benefit me if I ruined your wedding? You are already married. Not that you would consider getting back together with me if you weren¡¯t.¡±


    Desmond looked her up and down skeptically. He did not believe a word that came out of her mouth. Those words that sounded like her self-realization might very well be her attempt at getting them to lower their guards before she did something much worse than anything she had ever done.


    ¡°What do you want, Ang?¡± Zaria stood from the chaise to face her.


    ¡°I just want to see my daughter.¡± She faced Zaria, ¡°You are going to be a mother soon too, you understand how I feel, right?¡±


    Zaria felt the need to protect her baby at the mere mention of it from Ang¡¯s mouth. She tilted her body to be closer to Desmond and retorted. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I love my baby. I would never use someone else for my selfish benefits, especially not my child, so I would never understand how you feel.¡±


    Ang shrugged as though she had expected that kind of response. ¡°I understand why you would put it that way. But Zaria, I love my daughter. A day hasn¡¯t gone by that I haven¡¯t missed her, wished we were still together and hoped the two of you could allow me to see her again.¡±


    Zaria nced at Desmond quietly. If she loved her daughter so much, how could the court decide to give her and Desmond full custody of Rosaly? If she was a good mother or if she tried at the very least, the court would have favored her for being the mother and the parent who had spent most of the child¡¯s life with her. However, Rosaly had preferred to be with her dad despite missing her mother.


    Desmond finally spoke up, ¡°you are her mother, and I know you will simply cause trouble if I say no to your request.¡±


    ¡°Des!¡± Zaria warned in a whisper. She would never be against a mother¡¯s reunion with her child but this particr mother was a selfish woman who would not care about her daughter nearly as much as she cared about herself. Rosaly would suffer the most from this arrangement. Desmond held her hand to reassure her as he continued his negotiation with Ang.


    ¡°However, I will not make it easy for you. You have to prove that you care about her. I also have to be certain you are not trying to use her against us. Which means, no monkey business. Aside from that, you have to respect my marriage and not try to use visitation as a way to get close to me or turn Rosaly against us. Only if all the conditions are met will we allow you visitation time¡ªunder strict supervision.¡±


    He thought she would scowl at them for the strict conditions, but she was overjoyed.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled and left the balcony, leaving them to continue their battle.


    Zaria was no longer in the mood for it, too puzzled by what had just happened.


    ¡°What if she is working with someone against us? What if the first chance she gets to see Rosaly is the one she uses to hurt her?¡±


    She didn¡¯t believe she was thinking such things about a child¡¯s biological mother but with Ang¡¯s track record, not only was that possible, but it was also highly likely.


    Desmond pulled her closer to assure her. ¡°She can try whatever she wants to try but this time, I will be ready. She will never hurt you or our kids.¡±


    She tiptoed and kissed him on his cheek.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Saying ¡®our kids¡¯.¡± He still had a frown on his face so she rolled her eyes. ¡°Never mind if you don¡¯t get it. Hey, let¡¯s go back to the reception. It will soon be time for our grand takeoff.¡±


    So they went back to the reception party. As expected, everyone was waiting for them and as soon as they arrived, Natalie shoved the wedding bouquet back into her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for the grand toss.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be fun,¡± Lucy remarked, standing on the sidelines. She wanted nothing to do with the bouquet¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean Theodore wasn¡¯t going to tease her about it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be forced to kiss me?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°If it was something as mild as a kiss, I would be up for it. But having a garter put on me in a crowd is not something that interests me.¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°Besides, who needs good luck to get married?¡±


    He blinked in confusion. Was she implying that she could marry him any second of any day?


    She had not said any such thing but the way she looked at him¡­ maybe he was imagining it, he thought. But Lucy was the queen of saying things that sounded perfectly tonic with that flirtatious gaze that he couldn¡¯t be so certain even after all these years. He probably needed an expert to be able to understand whether or not she was secretly wishing for him to ask for her hand.


    On the other hand, Zaria nced through the females gathered around for the bouquet toss and frowned. ¡°Where¡¯s Ximena?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her for a while,¡± Natalie answered.


    She knitted her brows. ¡°Guys, give me a second.¡± She said, then she ran out to look for her friend. There was no way Ximena would want to miss this part of the wedding.


    But if she knew what she was going to walk into, she would have simply waited for Ximena to show up on her own or proceeded to toss the bouquet without her.

 Chapter 332 - 332 Wedding night

    332 Wedding night


    She walked towards the ce she knew Ximena would be after such a long day¡ªher room. There was no way she would wait a second longer before going back to her room to grab a snack and take a nap.


    But when she got close to Ximena¡¯s room, she realized the door was only partially closed and by the time she heard the unmistakable gasp, it was toote.


    Her cheeks reddened as she turned to walk away, but Liam¡¯s voice stopped her in their tracks.


    ¡°We have to leave tonight if no one is to notice.¡± He said.


    She paused. Leave?


    ¡°I know, but¡­¡± Ximena hesitated.


    She debated between barging in and asking what they were nning and what it had to do with leaving, and going back to the party since she shouldn¡¯t be here eavesdropping on her best friend anyway.


    Before she could decide, Ximena said what she had in mind. ¡°I still think we should at least speak to Zaria and Desmond. I¡¯m sure they would support us.¡±


    ¡°They will still be mad at us either way.¡± Liam interjected.


    .....


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go back to the party. I¡¯m sure they are waiting for us.¡± Liam said, and it was toote by the time Zaria realized he was walking toward the door. She crossed her arms and waited for them to step out of the room before she asked,


    ¡°Where are the two of you nning to go without telling anyone?¡±


    ¡°Zaria!¡± Ximena gasped, cupping her hand around her mouth. ¡°Oh my God¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you ever n to tell me?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°Yes. We just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not her fault.¡± Liam stepped in between them to shield Ximena.


    Zaria rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Get out of the way. Ximena Morel, I¡¯m going to kill you and no one will stop me.¡±


    Liam peeked behind him at Ximena to ask if it was okay to leave. Was Zaria serious about killing her? No one could tell with this firecracker. What if she meant it?


    Zaria narrowed her eyes at him and he had no choice but to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll just check on the flowers.¡±


    ¡°You better have a good exnation.¡± Zaria demanded.


    In response, Ximena pulled her into a hug. ¡°How could I tell you? You were preparing for your wedding and you were so happy. I didn¡¯t want to ruin it.¡±


    When Zaria huffed, she made the pitiful face she used to make to Theodore while begging for more cookies when she was a little girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that.¡± Zaria ignored her.


    ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± She asked.


    Zaria frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m furious! What the hell made you think wedding preparations were more important than my best friend¡¯s feelings? How could you not tell me you felt so trapped?¡±


    Although she was being scolded, Ximena felt so emotional she was on the verge of tears. ¡°I swear, if I knew this is how you would see it, I would have long told you. I thought you would want me to stay, so I had to wait until the wedding was over to break it to you.¡±


    ¡°That makes one of us.¡± She pretended to huff even though she knew deep down she couldn¡¯t stay mad at Ximena. Not when thetter was giving her those eyes again.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll forgive you under one condition.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡± Ximena asked, but Zaria was already walking out of there and was headed for the reception. By the time Ximena gathered with the other women to catch the wedding bouquet, she still had a gazillion questions on her mind. What was the condition? And why did it feel like Zaria was deliberately holding back so she would spring it on them when they least expected it?


    Perhaps, because that was exactly what Zaria was nning, she thought. The woman was way too cunning.


    After the countdown, most of which she had missed, the bouquet came flying toward her. No fucking way! Zaria had been nning this and she didn¡¯t want anything to do with the bouquet now or ever. She dodged and dragged and nudged at the next woman beside her, who she realized was Natalie just as thetter managed to grab it before it could fall at their feet.


    ¡°Nice catch,¡± she winked at Natalie.


    ¡°You should have caught it.¡± Natalie pointed out, cradling the flowers. ¡°Not that I¡¯mining.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want luck in marriage.¡± As soon as her words fell, she met Liam¡¯s gaze in the distance and instantly realized he had witnessed what had gone down. Oh no¡­


    Now that the bouquet was out of the way, Desmond took Zaria¡¯s hand and led her to a couch that had been prepared, then he took her leg and kissed it.


    Zaria blushed. Luckily, he wasn¡¯t nning to do more than that, aside from take off her garter in a room full of people, that is. Was it toote to give up and run for the hills?


    He held her gaze as his hands ventured under her dress without exposing too much of her skin, but he was not just taking off her garter. He was caressing her skin and making it harder by the second for her to keep a straight face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for thister.¡± She whispered under her breath, to which he simply smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting, Mrs. Fort.¡±


    When he finally slipped the garter off her thigh, he straightened up as the male guests hooted in excitement at the thought of slipping the garter on one of the most beautiful women at the wedding. They had been eyeing her all evening.


    To their disappointment, Desmond tossed the garter at Devonte, who grabbed it with a sigh of relief. When the guys booed theirint to Desmond, he chuckled.


    ¡°Sorry, gentlemen. She¡¯s taken. Now, since I wouldn¡¯t want my wife to be a widow before the night ends, let¡¯s leave it to her boyfriend, shall we?¡±


    Theyughed even though they were not cated. Why were all the beautiful women taken? First, Zaria, and now Natalie, not to mention Ximena!


    Speaking of Ximena, she had just followed Liam out of the hall yet again.


    ¡°Babe, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He was still angry when she approached him but when she ced her hand on his shoulder, it was as though that soft hand was magical. He couldn¡¯t be angry anymore. He held the little hand against him with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. This wedding business just made me think a lot. Too much, it seems.¡±


    She didn¡¯t dare to ask. She had seen his gaze when she evaded the wedding bouquet. She knew what he thought her evasion meant.


    That wasn¡¯t what she was thinking. She was not afraid ofmitment. Hell, he was the right man for her and she knew they were perfect for each other or they wouldn¡¯t be nning their escape. However, marriage wasn¡¯t something she had ever desired.


    It worked for some, but when she thought about every marriage she knew of, her heart shattered. Marriage did not strengthen love. In most cases, it ruined perfect rtionships.


    s, she didn¡¯t want to open this can of worms just yet. She wanted to enjoy her time with him for as long as itsted before their differences in beliefs caught up to them.


    When he caught the sadness in her smile, he kissed her lips. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my love?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. This whole marriage business made me think a lot too.¡± She skirted around the question and said, ¡°Zaria wants to throw us a farewell party. You know her¡ªshe makes a big deal of such things. But before that, you and I are going to face off against each other in a few minutes, outside the bridal chamber.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what she meant until she was dragged away by thedies and him by the men, and soon they were standing in front of the door to the bridal chamber.


    Apparently, Zaria was inside the room but Desmond couldn¡¯t get in unless he passed one test from each of the women. He and Evan were here to help him pass the tests, some of which involved riddles.


    When they mentioned riddles, Desmond dragged over Leo and Carlos and they hooted in joy. They were sure to win¡­but that was until the evil Ximena managed to lure Shera, Nina, and Zaria¡¯s recently-discovered cousin Kara to their side.


    He shot his best friend with a sympathetic look. ¡°I hate to rain on your parade but you¡¯re not seeing your bride tonight.¡±

 Chapter 333 - 333 Keeping (naughty) promises

    333 Keeping (naughty) promises


    ¡°You wish.¡± Desmond dragged Evan who was trying to use the excuse to leave and find his ballerina. He had taken quite an interest in rion, Rosaly¡¯s ballet instructor and was finding every excuse to talk to her even though she kept shutting him down.


    ¡°Are you going to start any time tonight?¡± Desmond raised an eyebrow at their opponents, who were taking too long to challenge them.


    ¡°Sure. How well do you know your bride?¡± Ximena cleared her throat. ¡°My first question is this. How tall is she?¡±


    ¡°Ximena!¡± Thedies growled while the menughed excitedly. She had made it too easy for them.


    Zeus squeezed in on the men¡¯s side just as Ximena finished asking her question and did the honors. ¡°Five feet five, if she¡¯s wearing those five-inch high heels she loves.¡±


    Natalie rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of Zaria. Also, aren¡¯t you supposed to be on the bride¡¯s side? You¡¯re her brother.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the groom¡¯s best friend?¡± He retorted.


    Fine, they had each stolen someone from each other. Though technically, Natalie belonged on either side depending on what role she was taking.


    When it was Kara¡¯s turn, she asked, ¡°What is Zaria¡¯s favorite snack?¡±


    .....


    The men made a semicircle to discuss but Desmond couldn¡¯t risk this one. He spoke up before any of them did. ¡°Blueberry muffins, blueberry ice cream¡­anything with choices of vor, insert blueberry and it will be her favorite.¡±


    Kara nced at Ximena to silently ask if he had gotten it right, and Ximena¡¯s smile told it all.


    After having to answer several questions about when and where they had their first date, why Zaria chose a blue wedding gown, and ces Zaria would choose to go on a vacation, they ended up answering questions that had nothing to do with Zaria. This is where the other guys came in.


    But when it was Natalie¡¯s turn, they were rendered speechless by her question.


    ¡°What¡¯s the fear of long words called?¡±


    Everyone burst intoughter while Desmond looked at Natalie like she was a traitor. ¡°Are you really my friend, Nat?¡±


    ______


    After a tough game of ¡®how well do you know your bride¡¯ that had turned into questionspletely unrted to Zaria, Shera had asked Desmond to do fifty push ups and gasped in surprise when all the men dropped on the ground to do ten each. At least thedies got to feast themselves on eye candy, after which Desmond promised to treat them to a girls¡¯ vacation. Anything to get them off his back.


    When he finally earned his way into the bridal chamber, his wife had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him. If he wasn¡¯t so happy to finally have her as his wife, he would be mad at the girls for making her wait so long.


    He kissed her forehead, pushed her hair off her face so it wouldn¡¯t be a bother and picked her up to put her in bed.


    She woke up when he lifted her and rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°You are here.¡±


    ¡°I am now.¡± He kissed her lips softly.


    She had already taken a shower while waiting for him and changed into a revealing nightgown that he would have torn right off her body if she wasn¡¯t so tired.


    He put her in bed, thanking the heavens that the rose petals decorating the room didn¡¯t extend to the bed. He would have had to rip them off so his wife would sleep without having petals sticking onto her skin and interfering with her sleep.


    Kissing her cheek, he climbed off the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll take a quick shower and be right back.¡± He promised.


    She nodded, or at least thought she had nodded. Her head felt too heavy to be certain.


    It felt like only a few minutes when he came back and she opened her eyes, which grew wide when she saw what he was wearing.


    She burst intoughter. ¡°Choking hazard?¡±


    ¡°I should never have let Liam take care of things here.¡± He frowned, looking down at himself. Now that he thought about it, he and Ximena must have had a field day selecting their wedding night outfits. Why else did they choose to make Zaria wear a revealing nightgown and him boxers with a ¡°choking hazard¡± warning on the crotch?


    ¡°They do have a point.¡± She peeled the covers off her and nudged at her nightgown. ¡°It¡¯s a match.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a match?¡± He asked, right before she showed him the caution warning on her thong. Slippery when wet.


    He hummed uncertainly. ¡°We have a lifetime to find out.¡± He climbed into bed and although he wanted nothing more than to hold her, he stopped himself.


    She scooted closer to him. ¡°Why are you holding back?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long since I was inside you.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°So¡­how does that exin you holding back?¡±


    ¡°You are tired tonight.¡±


    ¡°Never too tired for my man.¡± She pressed her lips on his and let her hands roam his body. She paused at his waist and slid her hand into his boxers. He groaned in anticipation. It had been way too long for her too.


    He cupped her face and kissed her. ¡°Is it just me or do you taste sweeter as a married woman?¡±


    She rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness but he had a point. Being his wife did something to her too, and suddenly she couldn¡¯t have enough of him.


    Although it had been long since they had their hands on each other, they wordlessly agreed to take it slow tonight. The little tease was igniting fire under his skin without any intention to put it out, so he flipped her over and slid the nightgown off her body, covering her skin with his kisses and caresses instead.


    He kissed a trail down her body, making her toes curl with each stroke of his tongue. She was on edge, craving for him even though he was only getting started. When he kissed her crotch, she parted her thighs to give him more ess, but that wasn¡¯t what he had in mind.


    He kissed and caressed her, showering her body with the attention it craved¡ªwell, all parts of her body except the one that needed him the most. She ground her hips in invitation and when he finally took off her panties, her thighs parted farther of their own ord.


    He held them apart and she thought he was going to taste her, but he pushed his cock right into her. He was doing it on purpose, making her expect one thing and doing another¡ªnot that she wasining. It felt like heaven.


    ¡°I was right,¡± he growled as he pulled all the way out and mmed into her. ¡°I love the taste of Zaria Williams but Mrs. Zaria Fort tastes a hundred times better.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that the same person?


    Though she couldn¡¯t argue. Making love while married felt different to her too and she didn¡¯t think she could ever get enough.


    He turned her on her side and came up behind her. cing her thigh on his, he slid into her gently, kissing her neck. Finally, they belonged together.


    _______


    The following day, she woke up to his tongue bringing her to a climax and it was the most blissful rm she could ever ask for.


    ¡°You really are serious about keeping that particr promise.¡± She remarked.


    ¡°It was for selfish reasons.¡± He licked his lips like he had just feasted on his favorite delicacy. ¡°I¡¯m addicted to your taste.¡±


    She kissed him. ¡°Good morning, husband.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting all week to say that, haven¡¯t you?¡± He chuckled.


    She ced her hands on his shoulders. ¡°Maybe. Maybe all month.¡± She yawned.


    ¡°Do you want to go out for breakfast?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I feel too tired to move.¡± She felt her limbs. It was as though she had been broken apart and fixed again. She didn¡¯t think weddings could be so tiresome even with a wedding nner and everyone helping out.


    Instead of dragging her out of bed like she thought he would, he joined her. ¡°Good. Because I ordered breakfast. We can eat in bed and sleep all day, then we can go outter and watch the sea.¡±


    At the mention of the sea, she finally remembered they were on a ship. They must have docked at night.


    She remembered something and shot to her feet. ¡°Did the guests leave already?¡±

 Chapter 334 - 334 Honeymoon gift

    334 Honeymoon gift


    ¡°The others have left.¡± He said just as they heard a knock on the door to announce the arrival of their breakfast.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± He told her and opened the door. He then received the tray and ced it on the table. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    She grabbed his arm. ¡°Because we have a farewell party to prepare.¡± Her stomach growled before she could take one more step. Sheughed and rubbed it. ¡°Right after we have our breakfast.¡±


    She freshened up and returned to the bed, where he had just poured them each a cup of coffee and set it beside a te of cookies, bacon and sunny-side ups.


    ¡°Yum.¡± She dropped her towel and sat down to eat, making Desmond eye her body with desire.


    ¡°If you keep walking around naked, thest thing I will eat is breakfast.¡± He warned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not walking around, I¡¯m sitting.¡± She batted her eyshes innocently.


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡± He took a long sip of coffee to calm himself. His was caffeinated and luckily, it was also iced and might cool him down a little. His wife was in a hurry to start nning the farewell party, after all.


    As soon as they finished their breakfast, she slid into a sun dress and dragged him out the door. Thankfully, Ximena and Liam had not only filled their bridal chamber closet with skimpy lingerie. There were normal clothes too, just not normal sleepwear.


    .....


    He followed her down the ship,ughing at how jovial she was. ¡°You are quite fast for a woman in her second trimester.¡±


    She did a hair flip in exaggeration. ¡°What do you know? Not even pregnancy can hold me down.¡±


    She certainly wasn¡¯t going to be held down by anything. There was a marketce not too far from the port. She dragged him into store after store gathering things she would need for the party. By the time they returned, she was so tired that she slumped into bed for a nap.


    He kissed her forehead with augh. ¡°You can¡¯t be held down, huh?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± She swatted him away and fell asleep almost instantly.


    When she woke up, the sun was setting and she couldn¡¯t believe how long she had been asleep. Was it her new superpower?


    Luckily, the party was to be held this evening and Ximena and Liam knew better than to leave without saying a word. At least she hoped they did, because she would hunt them down and skin them alive if they tried to pull any funny stunt.


    After a quick snack, she went to find them and luckily, they were on the balcony with Natalie, Devonte, Zeus and Desmond.


    ¡°You are finally awake.¡± Natalie waved her over with a smile.


    ¡°Sleepyhead.¡± Zeus taunted.


    She red at him. ¡°Do you have any problem with that?¡±


    Seeing that Desmond looked ready to punch him for making fun of his wife, he waved his hands. ¡°No problem at all. You can sleep the apocalypse away if you want.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Zaria brought the gift she was carrying and gave it to Ximena and Liam. ¡°No matter where you go, if you need me, I¡¯ll be there for you.¡±


    Ximena pulled her in for a hug and then patted her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss you, little angel.¡±


    ¡°You know my due date. If you dare miss it¡­¡± She narrowed her eyes exaggeratedly for the threat to sink in.


    Ximenaughed while Natalie teased,


    ¡°What¡¯s the worst that could happen? If she misses it, I¡¯ll be right there then you will see she is unreliable and take away her role as godmother. I know someone who can fill in that gap.¡±


    Ximenaughed at her attempt to make fun of her. ¡°I hate to admit it but I¡¯ll miss fighting with you, Nat.¡±


    Natalie hugged her. ¡°You can call me any time of the day or night.¡± When Devonte cleared his throat, she corrected herself. ¡°Any time of the day. We can fight all you want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± said Ximena, then she hugged Zeus. ¡°Did you ever get together with the girl you wanted?¡±


    ¡°Forget about her. She doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her.¡± He huffed, making Ximena want to tease him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a sore loser. There are many other girls in Imperium. You just have to open your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t guys his age be the ones with women falling at his feet?¡± Liam remarked, but he was just jealous that his girlfriend was giving so much attention to another man. He was younger and not her type but still.


    After several more hugs and gifts, Liam and Ximena were the first to leave to start a new chapter in their lives.


    Meanwhile, Natalie asked, ¡°Where are the two of you going for your honeymoon?¡±


    ¡°We are traveling.¡± Zaria answered. ¡°I have always wanted to see the world and it turns out, so has Des. So we will spend these two weeks visiting different parts of Olphire, and each year afterwards, a different country.¡±


    ¡°We n to make the rest of our lives a lifelong honeymoon.¡± Desmond added, cing a hand over her shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet.¡± Natalie swooned.


    ¡°You mean cheesy.¡± Zeus rolled his eyes, making Natalie tease him yet again.


    ¡°Are you jealous that your sister got married? It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re allowed to be sad.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be sad? It¡¯s a good thing that she married the love of her life.¡± Though he had to admit, he would miss her a lot. He knew she would still be close to him since they worked in the samepany but after marriage, everything seemed to change as the couple focused on having their own family. He would miss making fun of her height at the dinner table and fighting for thest slice of pizza just to get a rise out of her.


    ¡°Oh, before we forget.¡± Natalie nced up at Devonte to remind him of something.


    ¡°Right.¡± He took out a USB sh drive and gave it to Zaria.


    ¡°You already got us a wedding present.¡± She reminded them. To be exact, it was a ton of presents ranging from gift cards to books they loved, to matching couples¡¯ outfits custom made for them and a coge of their pictures in a flowery frame. They certainly had gone all out.


    Natalie waved her off. ¡°Oh, this is not from us. Evan had to leave earlier so he asked us to deliver it.¡±


    Guessing it was a recording of their wedding, she thanked them.


    ¡­.


    Finally, everyone had left and it was just the two of them left. And the crew, who made themselves scarce unless they were delivering food or cleaning their room.


    She wasn¡¯t sleepy after taking a nap earlier so she sat on the bed and connected the USB sh drive to herptop.


    She then poked Desmond and peeked over at him. ¡°Are you sleepy, husband?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest. I took a nap.¡± He set aside his tablet fast so she wouldn¡¯t see it and ruin his surprise. He looked over at herptop and realized she was going to watch a movie.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Evan¡¯s sh drive?¡± He asked, pointing at the sh drive sticking out of her USB port.


    ¡°It is. I figured since he knows we love watching movies, he got us a movie. Or maybe it¡¯s a recording of our wedding? The photographer said it would take a week for him to send the video to us and I think that¡¯s way too long.¡± If that was the case, then how did Evan get it so fast? She wondered.


    But what else would he get them in a sh drive and specifically call it their honeymoon gift? She opened it and it was a collection of files, probably songs.


    ¡°You may want to lower the volume first.¡± He warned just as she double clicked to y the first one.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked and got her answer the next second when a moan sted the speakers. She covered her mouth in embarrassment and frantically tried to lower the volume, but of course herptop chose this time tog and not react immediately to her clicking.


    He finally came in to help her and managed to lower the volume when the erotic trailer had finished ying. They exchanged nces and burst intoughter.


    ¡°What did you think a honeymoon gift would be if it involved a sh drive, especially if it came from Evan?¡±


    _______


    AN


    What do you think of Evan¡¯s gift?


    2. Just to answer a question I¡¯ve gotten frequently: why I pause books randomly?


    Unless I¡¯m super busy outside writing, it¡¯s mostly because Ick motivation. I believe every creator needs motivation and getting zero reaction on content is one of the fastest ways to lose it.


    So if you would like to offer more motivation, you can do so by voting,menting on chapters and reviewing the book, just to let me know I¡¯m not the only one reading it. If you can, drop in a gift too!

 Chapter 335 - 335 The fate of naughty wives

    335 The fate of naughty wives


    ¡°Should we put Evan¡¯s gift to good use?¡± He teased.


    She peeked up at him wondering if he was joking. Concluding that he was serious about it, she nced at the film she had stopped. ¡°It¡¯s a little awkward that we know who sent it to us. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m not curious.¡±


    Taking that as a yes, he hit y and took a peek at her flushed face.


    For Evan who didn¡¯t care if his friends saw him half-naked and with women¡¯s panties thrown around his living room, it certainly wasn¡¯t a big deal for him to find a collection of erotic films and send it to his friend who just got married.


    As long as she didn¡¯t think about who gave them the film, it would be alright. However, watching an erotic film and doing so with her man beside her were two different things. Her face flushed when she caught him looking at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have never¡­¡± he started to tease her, and she jabbed him yfully.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Heughed.


    Surprisingly, the film was an actual movie¡ªalthough it was short and had a ridiculous plot.


    .....


    ¡°That¡¯s just a collection of clich¨¦ story lines that make zero sense separately and even less sense put together.¡± Sheughed at the next clich¨¦ plot twist that they had both seening from miles away.


    But the movie¡¯s next turn took a turn she didn¡¯t expect. One minute, the maid was cooking and the next, her boss was kissing her hungrily and venturing under her clothes. For a second, she thought she had missed something but then she realized that was how abrupt the movie was.


    Although it was the most ridiculous movie she had ever watched, it did remind her of something. Desmond was her boss before they started dating. In fact, he was still her boss.


    She peeked at him and caught the desire in his eyes. But he was not watching the movie. He was watching her¡ªand probably thinking the same thing she was thinking.


    She pushed herptop aside and crawled over to him. ¡°Do you want me to change into my uniform, sir?¡± she purred, quite aware that the clothes in their closet included cosy outfits. She had noticed one that was probably supposed to be an office attire but the skirt was nearly as short as a headband.


    Taking his silence as a cue, she shuffled off the bed after kissing his lips gently. ¡°Wait for me. Don¡¯t move a muscle.¡±


    ¡°Some muscles don¡¯t need me to move them.¡± He smirked and watched her as she disappeared into the closet. Sheter came out wearing the tiniest skirt he had ever seen and a buttonless blouse.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to touch her but she had other ideas. Before he got to her, she wagged her finger at him and grabbed a scarf from the bedside drawer.


    ¡°You are not allowed to touch your employees. Company rules.¡± She teased.


    He grinned. ¡°Who set those rules?¡±


    ¡°You did. Which is why you are not allowed to break them.¡± She climbed onto the bed and grabbed his hands, which she tied up and linked to the bar attached to the headboard. She had not been able to make much sense of its presence but whoever put it there was onto something. She tugged on the scarf to check if the knot was tight enough and smirked when she felt how secure it was.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± He asked. Nothing good ever came out of that smug look of hers. It was the kind of look she had when she was scheming something.


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering whether or not to blindfold you.¡± She bit her lip and grabbed another scarf.


    It was already enough that he couldn¡¯t touch her, and now she didn¡¯t want him to see her either? He frowned at her new torture method but said nothing of it when she blindfolded him.


    With his eyes closed, his senses were heightened. He could feel her scent every time she inched closer, and every touch of hers set him aze. He was already on the verge of losing his sanity before she immobilized and blindfolded him. Now that she was touching and teasing him, he strained against the scarf around his wrists.


    Crap. She was way too serious about tying him up. He felt her inching closer and running her hands all over him, settling at his waist. Instantly, he knew what she was up to. She kissed a trail down his body, her hair brushing against his skin.


    He sucked in a breath when she pulled away, only to settle her hands at the sides of his boxer shorts. She pulled them down and contrary to his expectation that she would tease him some more, she closed her mouth around him and sucked him all the way down.


    Her moan vibrated against him and he no longer knew what was harder to bear. Her mouth was equal parts pleasure and torture. She knew exactly how to make him lose it and she was using it to her advantage.


    She pressed her lips firmly against his cock and sucked all the way up and for a second, he was certain he had died and gone to Zaria¡¯s-mouth-heaven. But just when he was close to the edge, she pulled away and took off the blindfold.


    He realized for the first time that she had taken off the blouse and now only had her tiny skirt on.


    She had a wicked smile on her face. ¡°Like what you see, boss?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a trick question.¡± He groaned. He was so hard it was bordering on painful. She knew that, because she winked and slid a hand between her legs.


    ¡°It¡¯s about to get better.¡±


    She parted her legs and traced a trail up her inner thigh. Before she could process it, he broke out of his restraint and grabbed her, pinning her onto the bed.


    ¡®I¡¯ll show you what happens to naughty wives,¡¯ he thought, but he was too busy kissing her to say it out loud. Her tiny skirt was off her within seconds and, fondling her boob, he parted her thighs further and nted himself inside her in one hard thrust.


    _____


    The following morning, Zaria woke up to the sun shining right on her face. The drapes weren¡¯t doing much to block it.


    She groaned and turned to face the other way to try and catch some more sleep. Seconds after closing her eyes, she remembered where she was. In the bridal chamber, and she was married! And today was the first day of their honeymoon.


    It would have sounded like a dream if she didn¡¯t have the soreness between her legs to prove what happenedst night. After teasing Desmond, she had been taught a lesson for most of the night.


    Her face flushed. What kind of punishment was that? It felt more like a reward. Speaking of which, where was her husband?


    As if her internal question had summoned him, the door opened and Desmond came in with a tray. This was the same way she had seen him the day before. She could get used to the sight.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, sleepy head.¡± He ced the tray on the table.


    ¡°Who should I thank for sleeping too long?¡± She retorted teasingly and inhaled the aroma of bacon. ¡°You are spoiling me. Are you sure you don¡¯t have an ulterior motive?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. I n to fuck the hell out of you and it¡¯s proper manners to feed your wife before you tie her to your bed.¡± He sounded as though he was joking but based onst night, it was likely that he meant it.


    He poured her a cup of coffee and ted her bacon. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°About your scheme? You¡¯d have to do more than just food.¡± She pretended to be unimpressed.


    In response, he uncovered the blueberry waffles she had not noticed. Seeing her lick her lips, he asked again, ¡°how about now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re evil.¡± She cleared her throat. She couldn¡¯t resist blueberry waffles. ¡°Still, not enough.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because I¡¯ve already packed for our honeymoon and I¡¯ll have plenty of time to impress you.¡± He gave her the waffles, which she dug in enthusiastically.


    ¡°I also have something for you.¡± He stated, and brought a white envelope.


    She eyed it suspiciously. Judging by the thickness of the envelope, it had to be some kind of multi-paged important document. She swallowed. Should she be scared?

 Chapter 336 - 336 New page

    336 New page


    Ximena started awake to the sound of a child screaming and nearly couldn¡¯t believe her eyes when she looked around. She was no longer in her apartment in Imperium. This was an entirely different environment from everywhere she had ever spent time.


    The warmth of the sun had her opening the windows to feel it on her face. It felt warm and refreshing, much like the cottage that was now their new home.


    Unlike the cold, blue hues of her childhood home and the ck and white color of her apartment, the cottage bedroom was decorated with brighter shades of gold and purple.


    She didn¡¯t think she could ever stand this much color but it felt strangely like home. It was as though the home she had known ande to tolerate no longer lived up to the definition of the word.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± Liam entered the room just as she was starting to wonder where he ran off to.


    She blinked in surprise. Was this really him?


    The man who always wore suits or other equally intimidating outfits was now wearing jeans and a t-shirt.


    ¡°The sun must have risen from the west.¡± She remarked, noticing that his hair was disheveled. It was usually neatlybed, not a strand out of ce. She didn¡¯t know which version she liked better.


    ¡°Like what you see?¡± He teased, cing a basket on the bedside table.


    .....


    ¡°You know that I do.¡± She walked over to him and kissed him lightly on the lips before she peeked into the basket. Her jaw must have dropped to the floor. ¡°On top of your different dressing code, you went fruit shopping as well? Did I die and wake up in an alternate universe?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re still alive. I wouldn¡¯t go fruit shopping to save my life.¡± He snickered.


    She let out a dramatic sigh of relief when he exined that their neighbors had given him the fruits to wee them into the neighborhood.


    Though she had to admit, that was fast. They had not even left the cottage once since they came here. Apart from Liam who had clearly been outside, that is.


    She picked an apple from the pile and bit right into it. ¡°Is it just me or does fruit taste better here than in Imperium?¡±


    He smiled at her overexcitement. ¡°Everything feels better here because we are free to do whatever we want. Speaking of which, I¡¯ve been waiting to practice that freedom all morning.¡±


    She chuckled as he picked her up with ease. ¡°You would say anything to get into my pants.¡± Not that she wasining.


    ___


    By the time they got out of bed, they were famished. Their stomachs grumbled one after another, making themugh.


    ¡°Is that your stomach? Because I swear I heard thunder.¡± She teased him and slid out of bed.


    ¡°Yours sounded like a dragon¡¯s roar.¡± He retorted,ughing when she pouted.


    She grabbed a pillow and smashed him with it, running to the kitchen before he coaxed her into ying or more. She would drop down if she didn¡¯t eat something soon.


    While she gathered the ingredients to start cooking, he slid up behind her. ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°You can chop onions.¡± She changed her mind as soon as she remembered the lumps Desmond had chopped while she cooked with Zaria. These men had grown up with servants doing everything for them and she doubted they knew how to boil water. Instead of onions, she gave him some potatoes. ¡°Forget the onions. Peel these.¡±


    At least it was easy to do as soon as he figured out how to use the peeler.


    When he was done, he washed his hands and crept up behind her to hug and kiss her. His lips left a tingling sensation on her ears.


    ¡°If you want to eat any time soon, don¡¯t do that.¡± She swatted him away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind having you for lunch.¡± He remarked, and she knew he was serious. But that didn¡¯t mean she was ready to starve. So, knowing it would take him ages, she asked him to help her unpack.


    With no time when she packed the luggage, she had thrown her clothes into the suitcase with no order, some of them still hooked to their hangers.


    It wasn¡¯t a problem if he was simply taking them out of the suitcase and cing them in the closet but she knew what he would have the most trouble doing¡ªfolding. Even she had trouble folding some of her own clothes, especially tops. She giggled when she soon heard himin ¡®how does one fold this thing?¡¯


    The cottage was quite small and there wasn¡¯t much distance between the kitchen and the bedroom. She took a few steps out and peeked into the bedroom through the open door. He was holding a tiny top of hers that was all strings and silk, the one she usually simply threw into the drawer because there was no logical way to fold it. Hell, wearing it was a nightmare too.


    ¡°Good luck with that one.¡± She thought. By the time he figured it out, the food would be ready.


    She was right. She finished cooking and set the table before checking on him. He had managed to organize most of the clothes and had the stubborn top in his hands. He gave up as soon as he saw her.


    ¡°Can you finish up on your own? I give up.¡±


    ¡°A for effort.¡± She winked and put him out of his misery. ¡°The food is ready.¡±


    ¡°Thank heavens.¡± He looked like he had been pardoned from a death sentence. Was it that bad?


    They sat down at the table and she ted their food.


    It wasn¡¯t often that he had a meal at home without his family. The few times he did, it was either at Ximena¡¯s apartment or his vi but nothing felt like this.


    He didn¡¯t know what was missing until it was just the two of them together, with no one trying toe in between them. There was also something different about her cooking today. It was nearly the same as always but much better.


    ¡°Can I have some more?¡± He asked for more chicken stew when he cleared his te.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She ted some more for him. Coming here was the best decision they had ever made.


    When they finished eating, they decided to take a walk and explore the town.


    It was a little town and it didn¡¯t take long for them to walk past one of the only few schools nearby, the only cathedral, and the nearest convenience store.


    She caught sight of a signpostbeled Humville and asked the woman at the grocery store cashier, ¡°How did the town get its name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s known for beekeeping.¡± The woman responded with a smile as friendly as the ones she had seen on everyone¡¯s faces when they greeted them. This seemed to be a small town with friendly people wherever they went.


    As if to prove her conclusion, the woman picked up a jar of honey from a shelf above her and ced it in their purchased goods. ¡°You must be new here. This is to wee you to Humville.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She regretted noting out with something to give back. However, the woman didn¡¯t even allow them to tip her.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your story?¡± She asked, eyeying Liam and then her suspiciously.


    ¡°What story?¡± She flushed.


    The woman rolled her eyes and settled her gaze at Liam. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like he would belong to a ce like this and neither do you. Besides, you are a couple. There has to be a story. Did you elope?¡±


    ____


    Mini theatre


    Xim: How did the town get its name?


    Stranger: Ava named it. How else do you think?

 Chapter 337 - 337 Kiss the chef

    337 Kiss the chef


    While Desmond and Zaria nned for their honeymoon, everyone had fought over the chance to take care of Rosaly in their absence. Ximena and Liam would have loved to look after the little ballerina if they weren¡¯t leaving themselves. On the other hand, Lucy didn¡¯t think Zeus could take care of a doll if given one, let alone a child. Since she didn¡¯t want her granddaughter to end up being turned into a robot by her unreliable son, she had been the most relentless in asking to take care of her.


    Of course, Theodore didn¡¯t want to miss out either. After the long battle of everyone trying to prove they were the best choice, Rosaly had been asked whether she wanted to stay with Theodore, Lucy, Natalie, Devonte, or Izzie. Her answer was all of them.


    In the end, the couple decided that everyone would have a turn for four days each. Natalie and Devonte would take care of her together and so would Theodore and Lucy. On thest four days, Izzie would take her. The little puppy Des would follow Rosaly wherever she went.


    Lucy was excited to have managed to snag the first four days. Though since Rosaly was closer to Theodore than to her, she did not agree for them to split the days and wanted to spend the whole time with Theodore. She had to admit, Zaria must have known this when she decided that she should share her days with Theodore. The little cupid was trying her best to push her and Theodore together. Not that she wasining.


    It was Theodore¡¯s idea that she spend the four days at his house and she didn¡¯t mind it a single bit.


    Hence, after packing a small luggage and having it delivered to Theodore¡¯s house, she took a rose-scented bath that evening and found the best outfit to wear. It took ages of searching and asking for Elena¡¯s opinion before she finally decided on the blue knee-length dress that looked good on her without making it obvious that she was dressing up.


    ¡°You look beautiful, boss.¡± Elena gushed. ¡°Would you like any makeup? There¡¯s a set that Morel Beauty delivered, which wouldn¡¯t look like makeup if you choose the right color palette.¡±


    She checked herself out in the mirror. She still had youthful skin despite her age but since when did it hurt to look better? ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    Elena had her sit at the vanity and picked up the tools.


    .....


    ¡°Would you like your lipstick to be as pink as your natural lip color?¡± Elena asked to make sure. Lucy liked red lipstick, after all.


    ¡°Elena, how many questions do you need to ask? Should I call a makeup artist?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Elena giggled to herself. Lucy was acting like a young woman in love and didn¡¯t even realize it. After years of seeing her boss being all cunning and serious, this new side of her was quite wee.


    She finished Lucy¡¯s makeup and made her hair into luscious waves. She was just finishing up when Lucy¡¯s phone rang.


    ¡°Check who is calling.¡± Lucy instructed. When Elena returned to tell her it was the Morels, a frown settled on her face. Nothing good ever came out of the Morels and their phone call was no exception. Still, she took her phone from Elena to answer it.


    ¡°To what do I owe the displeasure?¡± She asked.


    The woman on the other end scoffed. ¡°The feeling is mutual. I would not call you if I didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so why did you decide to waste your precious time?¡± She was getting impatient. If she didn¡¯t already guess why they were calling, Lucy would have hung up without answering the call.


    Just as she thought, the woman began to talk about her daughter. ¡°I received a call from the Preston family. They let me know that Liam is to marry the daughter of their business associate. The Watson family, if you have heard of them.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone in Imperium who has not heard of that bunch of self-absorbed idiots.¡± Lucy sneered. When the line went quiet, she almost thought Ximena¡¯s mother had hung up. It would be expected, since most people couldn¡¯t take her brutal remarks.


    ¡°Well,¡± continued the woman, ¡°I would like to know where Ximena is. Hello, are you still there?¡± She called when Lucy went quiet.


    Lucy finally snickered. ¡°In all the years I have been alive, this is the first time I¡¯m hearing such a ridiculous question. Why would I know where your daughter is? Last I checked, you were her mother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Ximena doesn¡¯t know that. Anyway, isn¡¯t she your daughter¡¯s best friend? Your daughter must know where she is.¡± Came the desperate response.


    Lucy sighed in exasperation. ¡°Since you know all about my daughter, you also know she just got married and is on her honeymoon. I will not appreciate you bothering her over matters you should know better than anyone. I¡¯ll let her know you called.¡±She said and hung up.


    Elenaughed when she realized what Lucy had been up to the entire time. She had endured the whole phone call just to reveal that she knew how to reach Ximena and was not willing to share that information. It certainly was suicidal to get on Lucy¡¯s bad side.


    True to her word, she dialed Ximena¡¯s number as soon as she ended the call with thetter¡¯s mother.


    ¡°How did you¡­¡± Ximena sounded shocked when she heard Lucy¡¯s voice.


    ¡°How did I get your number?¡± Lucyughed. The couple had gotten rid of everything that could be traced to their current locations. They had also gotten new contact numbers with their aliases.


    ¡°On second thought, I don¡¯t want to know how you got it.¡± XImena decided. ¡°Did you call me just to unt your ability to find even the most hidden information?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Your parents called. Liam¡¯s parents realized you were both missing and probably gave them the scolding of their life and an ultimatum or your mother would not be desperate enough to call me. You and Liam may want to be more careful.¡± She told her.


    ¡°Thanks Aunt Lucy, we will be careful.¡±


    ¡°I would like no interruptions while I spend time with my granddaughter.¡± She instructed as she stood up to leave.


    Elena followed her frantically. ¡°What if there is an emergency at thepany?¡±


    Lucy slid her shoes on as she answered. ¡°If it¡¯s an emergency regarding Preston and Fort Group, call Natalie.¡±


    She was relieved. ¡°What about Twilight?¡±


    Lucy nced back at her. ¡°If the sky is falling over Twilight, you can give me a call. But I will not answer it.¡±


    Elena was speechless. She didn¡¯t just disregard herpany to spend time with Rosaly, did she?


    When she remembered that now that she had her family back, Lucy wouldn¡¯t care if she lost everything overnight, she let out a breath. It was up to her to make sure Twilight didn¡¯t crash overnight. The kind of things assistants had to endure when their bosses were in love¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡°Grandma Lucy!¡± Rosaly ran to the door when she heard the car drive into thepound and threw herself into Lucy¡¯s arms when thetter got to the door.


    Lucy picked her up into her arms and spun around with her. ¡°Hello, sweetheart.¡± Theodore must have told her she wasing. Only after the excitement died down did she take note of the mess that had be of Rosaly¡¯s clothes and hair.


    ¡°Why are you covered in flour?¡± She asked the girl.


    ¡°It poured on me.¡± She shrugged as though she didn¡¯t know why the flour spilled all over her.


    Theodore poked his head out as she entered the house with Rosaly in her arms.


    ¡°We are baking cookies but more flour made it to her clothes and hair than the bowl.¡± He answered, inviting her to join them. ¡°Do you want to bake with us?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She entered the kitchen and wrapped an apron around herself. Theodore had gotten them all aprons with adorable chef caps printed on the front with ¡°Kiss the chef¡± printed on them. She stared at Theodore. ¡°I certainly want to kiss the chef.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She picked Rosaly up again and kissed her cheek, making Theodore frown. She had made it sound like the chef she wanted to kiss¡­.never mind. She was doing it deliberately.

 Chapter 338 Honeymoon gift (1)

    Chapter 338 Honeymoon gift (1)


    Realizing her stalling was ridiculous, Zaria opened the envelope, finally allowing herself to check out the content.


    Her eyes widened when she had read enough to understand what this was. "Adoption papers?"


    More specifically, adoption legal work for her to adopt Rosaly. She was overwhelmed as she read the uses over and over to make sure she was not seeing things. After the umpteenth check, she finally asked, "how did you get these so fast?" Adoption was a slow procedure and being Rosaly''s biological father and legal guardian didn''t help speed anything up.


    He ran a hand through his hair and answered vaguely. "Well, someone owed me a favor. Do you like it?"


    She threw herself into his arms. "Thank you. This is the best gift I could ever get."


    He pretended to sulk at her remark, his hand weaving around her waist. "It is? I thought I was the best gift to you."


    "You are." She kissed his cheek and added, "you and Rosaly are a package deal, the best one of its kind. Marry a hot dad, get an adorable daughter. Who wouldn''t want that?"


    He smiled as she stopped fooling around and looked for a pen. Without reading any part of the contract, she uncapped the pen and flipped to thest page where she should sign.


    He held her hand to stop her. "I think you should always read any contract you put your signature on."


    She scoffed. "What will you do, trick me into selling myself to you? Not like that''s a bad thing."


    He smiled, sitting on the bed. Even though he already knew the answer, he asked, "Once you sign it, Rosaly will be a part of you. No matter what happens between us, even if something were to happen to me, you would be legally obliged to take good care of her."


    "Tell me something I don''t know." she turned to him with a frown.


    He was a little nervous when he asked, "are you okay with that? The knowledge that if I were to turn into a deadbeat and¡­"


    "Desmond," she ced the pen on the document and walked over to sit on hisp. "I love Rosaly, okay? It doesn''t matter what happens. I''m willing to be her mother forever. Now, can I sign the damn document?"


    He held her close for a little longer and only let her go when he knew she was going to chew him out if he held onto her for a second longer. He watched as she signed the document with the happiest smile on her face and he could swear it was the best thing he had ever watched.


    He had watched her sign her name on their marriage certificate only a few days ago and thought nothing could ever beat that. But now, she was not just disying her willingness to spend the rest of her life with him. The loose-mouthed plus-one was right. Marriage was not permanent¡ªnot most marriages, anyway.


    It took a lot of effort on both sides and divorce was moremon than anyone was willing to admit. However, motherhood could not be taken back. It was a lifetimemitment and she had just made it. To Rosaly, and although there was no document to show for it, to Rosaly''s little sibling¡ªwho chose that moment to kick.


    "Ow," she chuckled and ced a hand on her belly. "You''re excited too, aren''t you? She is finally your sister. Not just your stepsister, your sister in every way that matters. No one will bully her anymore."


    He was so caught in watching her talk to the baby that he nearly missed herst words. He frowned. "Bully?"


    "Oh. Uh¡­" She returned the signed document to its envelope, considering what she should say, and decided to tell him the truth. "Her friends think a Cindere situation will happen once our baby is born."


    "Those little¡­" He seethed. She ced a hand on his shoulder.


    "Children. They are innocent children who don''t think much of expressing their opinions. They didn''t know their words would hurt her feelings." She exined. It was the only thing she could do to stop Desmond from making a barely rational decision like taking Rosaly out of her current school.


    Heaven knew the remarks wouldn''t change just because she was in a different school. There would always be a friend or two to ask if her stepmother is anything like Cindere''s, or if she gave her a poisoned apple.


    "Besides," she continued. "It''s settled. I''m her mother now."


    The creases on his forehead let up, his shoulders finally rxing. "Did you ask to adopt her because of this?"


    "It''s just a bonus." She winked and picked up the document to stash into her suitcase. She wanted to send it home right away but she thought of a better use.


    She checked the time. "Let''s check in with Rosaly before we leave." She said, though she knew they didn''t have to. The girl was probably enjoying her time with her grandparents so much that she didn''t even remember they existed.


    _____


    "How am I supposed to know where we''re going if you blindfold me so soon?" Zaria grabbed onto his arm since she couldn''t see her thing against the silk scarf around her eyes.


    "That''s the point." He admitted.


    She followed his lead for a few steps before he carried her off the ground. From the whirling she could hearing closer before a strong breeze blew on her hair and dress, she guessed his helicopter was picking them up. To go where? She wondered.


    Knowing he would not answer her if she asked, she focused on trying to smell the air. Hisughter was evidence that she looked as ridiculous as she felt.


    Luckily, it wasn''t long before she felt themnding, then he helped her out and carried her yet again.


    "Almost there." He announced. From his footwork, she guessed they were going up some stairs, then he used his elbow to push a door open.


    "Wee, Mr. Fort." a man spoke, earning his grunt. She guessed they must have entered a house.


    He finally put her down, let out a breath, and pulled the blindfold off her. "You can look."


    She opened her eyes and took in the house they were in. She was standing in a living room, unfamiliar but warm in its antique d¨¦cor. It was a fairlyrge house and it took a while exploring the unfamiliar living room for clues before she finally got it.


    "A bed and breakfast?" but she was certain that was not his surprise. At least not all of it.


    "Not just any bed and breakfast. Is your memory that bad?"


    His question brought back the odd feeling that she knew this ce even though she was certain she had never been here. She tapped her chin deep in thought, her jaw dropping when she realized what felt so familiar about it. She ran to the window and looked out to confirm it.


    "We''re in Luxenville!" that was not all. This was where she had grown up. While it looked different after all these years, some things had not changed. "Is that¡­" she pointed at the neighboring house.


    "Your childhood home." He confirmed and was yet to exin that it was now upied by another family and this was the next best option when she threw herself into his arms.


    "I don''t know what to say, Des."


    That was enough. The way she drew his name out joyously. He was in heaven.


    ________


    AN


    Sorry for the slow updates in thest week. A lot has been going on in my country thanks to weather changes that didn''t allow me to work as usual. I hope it all gets better.


    Side note, if you love hot single dads, check out my newest book, Falling for the wicked boss. Tristan Lexington and his lovely little girl will steal your hearts and never let go.

 Chapter 339 Honeymoon (1)

    Chapter 339 Honeymoon (1)


    While he would have loved to bribe her into staying indoors the whole day, he knew how much she had missed her childhood home. She would want to explore, and check out what had changed and what had stayed the same.


    Her excitement was contagious. When she grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door, he could only smile and follow suit.


    "I can''t believe we are here. Do you know who lives in our old house?" She asked, then immediately realized it was a silly question. Desmond had merely scouted the ce for their first honeymoon destination.


    "I would ask to see all the ces you frequented as a child but you were too young to remember much." He remarked, sliding his fingers through hers to interlock them.


    She blinked. "I remember some ces. Those that I went to on many asions. Come on, I''ll show you to the antique market."


    "Antique market?" He wondered whether it was a market where one could find antiques.


    "It''s not a market where antiques are sold." She chuckled as if reading his mind. "On the contrary, everything there is modern. Used to be, at least. I have no idea how it got its name."


    It didn''t matter what was sold there, he just wanted to see more of that joyous smile. The market was not far from the bed and breakfast but it took a few twists, mostly because there were buildings where there weren''t any years ago, and the streets had changed quite a bit.


    When she finally found the right way, she pointed to the market. "There!"


    They walked in through the humongous rusty gates and he was awed. While she had imed it was not a market selling antiques, the first thing he caught sight of was a grandfather clock that looked to be at least a hundred years old. He raised an eyebrow at her.


    "I guess they sell antiques now." Sheughed dryly. "There should be stalls selling street food somewhere. Right there." She pointed when she finally saw one. He held back augh, finally understanding why she was so interested in the market. It was about the street food she had missed so much.


    She bought hot dogs and gave him one, which he stared at with no intention of eating. She snorted at his reaction. "Come on, try it. I promise, these are the best hot dogs you will ever have anywhere."


    He doubted that. It was an open-air food stall, after all. Was she certain¡­


    As if reading his mind, she red at him. "Don''t you dare tell me I can''t eat it."


    "But you''re¡­"


    "Pregnant. I know. Are you going to eat that hotdog or should I grab it for myself?" She threatened, but he was certain she wanted more. He had never seen her eat anything so happily. Eventually, he took a bite and had to admit it was different.


    When he asked what made the taste so different, she joked about it being the allure of the street and dragged him to buy something else.


    She halted at a stall selling a hundred different types of cookies. "Ms. Crane?"


    He nced at her with a questioning raise of his brow. "Who is that?"


    At the same time, the middle-aged woman packing cookies into a box looked over at her. "You know me?"


    It was probably not shocking for repeat customers to know her name but she looked as confused as he was by Zaria''s tone.


    Zaria broke into a smile. "It really is you. It''s me, Zaria."


    The woman''s eyes shifted as she tried to remember her. In the end, she shook her head. "I don''t know any Zaria."


    "Really, Ms. Crane? Does it only take a few years to forget all about your best friend? You loved me so much you would sneak cookies into my backpack when my dad wasn''t looking."


    "Little Princess?" The woman''s mouth fell in revtion. She shuffled over to their side and pulled Zaria into her arms when thetter nodded. She pulled back, her eyes wide in shock. "You have grown up! Wait. You''re even¡­" she nced at Zaria''s hand and gasped at the rings. "Married! And expecting a baby? Weren''t you a little girl just yesterday?"


    Zariaughed at her exaggeration. "That was two decades ago."


    Ms. Crane waved a boy over and stuffed the box she had just packed into his hands. "These are for your mother. Which means, they should not end up in your mouth." She chided just as the boy tried to open the box. Sending him off, she grabbed Zaria''s hands in disbelief. "It''s been so many years. I guess you ended up loving Imperium after all."


    She then patted Desmond on the shoulder. "Little Princess didn''t want to leave Luxenville all those years ago. Where did you find this handsome fellow, anyway?"


    Desmond smiled at her enthusiasm. "She shattered my windscreen with a rock and stole my heart while at it."


    "Des!" She blushed at his words while Ms. Craneughed heartily.


    "That sounds a lot like Little Princess. I knew she would grow up to be a firecracker."


    "Oh yeah? Tell me all about her as a child." Desmond asked. He had already heard all about embarrassing events from Zaria''s childhood from Theodore and Lucy but hearing them from someone else had to be different. And he was right.


    "The first time we met, she stole a cookie because her mom wouldn''t let her have any. That''s why I loved her so much." She paused as if remembering something and smiled awkwardly.


    Realizing what she was brushing off, Zaria reassured her. "Don''t worry. We found her. They are back together now."


    "They are? I knew they would reconcile. Those two were like Romeo and Julliet¡ªexcept the part where they both die for love."


    When she learned that they were newlyweds, Ms. Crane insisted on stuffing them with gifts ranging from couple lockets to an assortment of cookies they could never dream of finishing any time soon. It was a good thing they had a little cookie lover back at home who would be happy to polish everything off.


    "You probably have a lot of exploring to do. Check out the old theater on 12th Street. You two will love it." She winked and disappeared behind her stall to tend to a new customer, but not before slipping an address card into Zaria''s hands and threatening to kick her ass if Zaria didn''t keep in touch.


    Since they had the whole day to themselves, they spent it shopping for souvenirs in the market and eventually found an old diner to have their lunch. It was unbelievable but Zaria knew it from her childhood as well.


    It turned out, Luxenville didn''t change as fast as Imperium. Most people were satisfied with the lives they were living and did their best to maintain it as it was, so it wasn''t shocking when Zaria found certain people familiar.


    They even bumped into a boy she could swear went to her school, moments before they saw his dad and she realized it was the dad who had been her ssmate.


    "Do you want toe back here?" He asked after cing their order. He had seen her expression every time she saw something that had stayed the same for all these years.


    She tore her gaze from the dessert menu she was checking out and looked around. She shook her head. "Luxenville might be where I was born but I belong in Imperium. That''s where my loved ones are." That, and she loved a little change once in a while.


    "If I wanted toe back here and settle down forever, what would your reaction be?" She asked out of curiosity since he had brought it up.


    "We would have moved."


    He didn''t think about it and didn''t flinch. She smiled through her sigh. "Oh Des, what did I ever do to deserve you?"


    "Whatever I did to deserve you." He pulled her over to gain leverage to kiss her belly. "Both of you, and Rosaly."


    ______


    AN


    Loving the honeymoon? Hold tight for another thrilling ride in Volume 2: The Tyrant''s Wife. I thought volume 1 would be finished by now but there are still a few chapters left.


    While at it, check out my newest book, Falling for the Wicked Boss. But be careful, hold on to your heart or Tristan will steal it with his charm.

 Chapter 340 Honeymoon (2)

    Chapter 340 Honeymoon (2)


    Ciel had earned its name for being the perfect description of heaven on earth. Whoever had named it was not wrong. It was paradise¡ªwhich was why Zaria chose the ce for their next honeymoon destination.


    For thest two days, they had explored as much of Luxenville as they could within the limited amount of time. By the time they got to their hotel room in Ciel, they slumped into bed one after another in fatigue.


    "Oh, I forgot to give you something." He remembered as soon as he sat down and stood to find it. What was so urgent that it couldn''t wait until he had some rest? She wondered, moments before he returned with another envelope.


    This time, she didn''t wonder whether or not to be scared by the sudden appearance of what must be a legal document. She blinked in confusion. He had already gotten her enough gifts tost a decade. What else was he giving her?


    She took the envelope and opened it, only to find property ownership papers. Her jaw dropped. "Desmond, you can''t just buy a bed and breakfast out of the blue."


    His expression proved her wrong. Okay, maybe he could. But¡­ "I don''t need a bed and breakfast."


    "It''s close to your childhood home. Whenever you want to spend time there, you will be able to drop by any time of day or night." He exined.


    She blinked, trying to make it make sense. "Then we could simply book a room when we want?" she tried to reason with him.


    "Then we can stay anywhere else."


    "What if it''s booked out?" He argued.


    "Then we can stay anywhere else."


    He didn''t back down. "The owner was overjoyed when I made the offer. She knows she doesn''t have much time left to live and her unreliable grandsons will sell the ce to the first person who offers ten bucks to buy it. When she learned you lived next door as a child, forget selling the ce to me. She was almost willing to pay me to have it."


    If he put it that way¡­


    Though she was not entirely convinced, she knew better than to argue with her husband about spending too much money on her. He would simply crush her with the ''what''s mine is yours'' atomic bomb.


    So she thanked him and decided she might as well make good use of it.


    He sat down beside her and added, "You can turn it into anything you want if you don''t want to keep the bed and breakfast business going. If you want to turn it into a home instead, that''s alright."


    "I''ll think about it." It was an enticing idea, but she wasn''t certain how much time they could spend in Luxenville. Maybe the perfect choice was keeping it as it was.


    They fell asleep in each other''s arms and woke up in what felt like immense darkness at first.


    "What time is it?" She stretched her limbs, careful not to wake him up. She had fallen asleep in a chaotic position and in the clothes she was wearing when they left Luxenville. But now, she realized he was reclining against a pillow and had her nuzzled against his chest, and she was wearing a silky nightgown.


    It was not a surprise. She had been sleepy enough to snooze through the apocalypse. Pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek, she shuffled off the bed as gently as she could and checked the time. It was 11 pm. No wonder she was so hungry.


    Their suite had a pantry off the living area and she hoped it was stocked with food. There was nothing wrong with ordering room service at any time but she felt awkward about it.


    So when she found the cookies they had brought from Ms. Crane''s stall, she was relieved as she bit into one. Nothing like the taste of her favorite vor. She proceeded to search for anything else and stopped when she heard Desmond''s voice, nearly jumping out of her skin from his sudden approach.


    "What are you doing, little cookie thief?"


    "No one said I couldn''t have cookies." She rolled her eyes. "Are you hungry? I''m trying to find something to eat."


    She groaned as soon as she realized what she had said. Only months ago, she would have considered herself fed if she snagged a cookie or two. But now, she didn''t even think it was a snack. It was a pre-snack snack¡ªif that was a thing.


    "Your baby is going to turn me into an elephant by the time they make it out of me." She jokingly groaned.


    He smiled, his hand finding its way under her nightdress. For a moment, she thought he was going to rub her belly but she should have known. Her man was finding every excuse in the book to grope her boobs, which were so sensitive that all it took was a gentle rub for her nipples to stiffen.


    His other hand slipped into her panties and right through her folds. "You''re soaking."


    "That''s what happens when your husband''s hands are always on you." She leaned into his chest and let him fondle her, moaning when he rubbed her clit.


    "Let''s order some room service first. There''s nothing in here that can qualify as real food." He pulled his hands out of her clothes, leaving an unwee chill in his wake. She wanted him to keep touching her like he was a moment ago, but she was also hungry and it couldn''t wait.


    Luckily, the hotel''s services were fast and their food arrived much sooner than they expected. It couldn''t have been more than five minutes. Five agonizing minutes that she had to watch her man and not touch him because their food would arrive any second.


    When it arrived, she was distracted for a moment, taking in the enticing aroma of grilled salmon. She could smell a myriad of spices, all of which made her mouth water.


    The attendant ced the food on the table and she couldn''t wait to dig in when he left.


    "The reviews weren''t wrong." He picked up his cutlery, enticed by the aroma of the food. Most of the ratings from previous customers had pointed out the delicious food at the hotel and he had almost assumed it was exaggerated.


    "I know we shouldn''t think about work," she cut up a piece of salmon and chewed it, closing her eyes to savor the unique, delicious taste. When she swallowed it, she finally remembered toplete her statement. "But if The West served food half as good as this, it would be the highest earning resort in the world."


    "I agree with you but who the hell thinks about work on their honeymoon?" He raised a brow, though he had to admit he was guilty of thinking about it once or twice. He couldn''t help it, having been so busy before the wedding.


    She shrugged. "It''s either that or¡­"


    "Or?"


    He didn''t need to wait for her answer. She crossed over the table and crashed into his arms, attacking him with her lips. She impatiently fumbled with the hem of his pajama shirt and gave up when it didn''t immediately get off him, sliding her hand into his pants instead. She found his cock and stroked it, all while gyrating her center against his thigh.


    "Fuck," he sucked in a breath. The rest of his words were swallowed in her kiss. She licked and sucked his lips needily, impatiently while she squeezed him in her hand.


    Taking that as a cue, he abandoned the food and carried her off to the bedroom, barely able to restrain himself against her onught.


    When he put her down on the bed, she ditched her clothes faster than he could fumble out of his pants and pulled him against her. "Take me," she pleaded.

 Chapter 341 [Bonus chapter] Honeymoon (3)

    Chapter 341 [Bonus chapter] Honeymoon (3)


    Her legs were already parted in the invitation. He held her by her thighs and pushed into her hard. It was already torturous enough that she was so horny and ready for it. When he felt how wet she was, it took all his willpower to not pound into her as hard as he wanted to.


    She was grasping a handful of the bedsheet beneath her. "I''m not made of ss, Desmond. Fuck me hard." She demanded.


    He didn''t need to ask if she could take it. He sped up, thrusting his hips harder and faster until all that could be heard was the sounds of their skins pping against each other and the mming of the bed against the wall. He was certain they would need to refill a dent in the wall before they left but he didn''t care. Neither of them did.


    He reached between her legs, rubbing her sensitive spot in time with his thrusts. Her toes curled and he knew from the drawled-out moan that left her lips that she was close.


    "Where do you want me?" He asked, feeling his balls tighten.


    "Inside me."


    That was all it took.


    She came first, crying his name out in ecstasy. Her walls clenched around his cock, squeezing the orgasm out of him.


    "Fuck¡­" he groaned as he climaxed inside her, grasping her thigh so hard that he thought she would bruise.


    She copsed against a pillow, all spent and tired, and vaguely felt him cleaning them up before sliding into bed behind her.


    "You barely ate." He reminded her. They had not eaten more than a few bites before they ditched their food in favor of something better.


    "We can warm it up in a bit." She closed her eyes when she felt him run his finger against her naked boob. "That feels good."


    They warmed up their food after resting for a bit, then they decided to eat it on the balcony, watching the stars. Needless to say, the food was not the only thing that ended up being eaten. She kept rubbing up against him like the little tease she was, so he ended up having her on the lounge chair before carrying her back to their bedroom while she nuzzled against his neck.


    By the time he put her in bed, she had long fallen asleep from all the orgasms he drew out of her as punishment for teasing him. Though he had to thank her raging hormones. He swept her hair off her face and kissed her temples. "Goodnight, wife."


    ______


    The following day, she once again woke up to an empty bed, a waft of the aroma of coffee, and her husband looking like a delicious snack. He was standing by the window, talking on the phone with his bare back to her. She couldn''t help licking her lips at his back muscles. Maybe she was just horny as fuck or Desmond''s body had been personally carved out by the gods themselves.


    Whichever case it was, she wanted to touch him, so she climbed off the bed and crossed over to him to wrap her arms around him.


    "Miss me already?" he teased, pecking her lips.


    "What are you talking about? There are a million handsome men in Ciel. As if I would miss you." Although that''s what she said, she was clinging to him with no intention of letting go.


    "Then you better have your breakfast soon so we can go out and meet some of these handsome men."


    She was confused. "Do we have anything scheduled today? I thought today we would simply stay here and rx all day."


    "We will do that for most of the day." He borated, kissing her again. "We can enjoy the hotel''s services and take advantage of the weather to swim. But I do have something else nned before that. It will not take long, I promise."


    She nodded. Not that she would mind going anywhere with him.


    Once again, he was determined to make it a surprise. No matter how much she begged him to tell her, he simply threw her that wicked smile and told her to wait and see. Well, there was no other choice.


    So she took a shower, changed into afortable dress, and followed him to wherever he nned to take them.


    _____


    "A photo studio?"


    This was not anywhere near the kind of guesses she had made regarding his surprise. In fact, she had not even realized it was anything of the sort until she saw the pictures on the wall. But when they entered the studio, she realized it was no studio. It was an art gallery with cameras and a booth.


    "Uhm, is it a photo studio or a gallery?" she asked him in a whisper.


    "Yes." Was his response.


    She didn''t need to guess for too long. A woman came over to greet them and wee them. "Mr. And Mrs. Fort?" She asked.


    "That''s us," Desmond responded, and she could swear she heard a hint of pride in his voice. As though being referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Fort made him happy. She could understand him, she felt the same way.


    The woman checked something on her iPad and shed them a smile. "Brilliant. The artist is ready for you. This way, please."


    She followed the woman and Desmond to an enclosed section, wondering if this was a wedding photoshoot. They had already done one but what was the harm in another? Besides, the woman had said ''artist'' not ''photographer''. Maybe this time he wanted a wedding painting.


    When they got to the private section, the artist was standing in front of an easel with a humongous canvas propped on it. Desmond finally satisfied her curiosity.


    "Are you ready for your first maternity painting?"


    Her jaw dropped. Just when she thought he couldn''t surprise her anymore, he was doing it again.


    "How did you know I wanted one?" Was the first question she asked.


    "You had all these pins saved and they had one thing inmon." He answered vaguely, once again not revealing everything.


    "I''ll help you get changed, Mrs. Fort." The woman from earlier showed her to a changing room.


    Desmond had already selected a dress for her¡ªan ocean-blue tulle gown almost identical to her wedding gown, but with an open bodice that exposed her baby bump. It was paired with a floral tiara and when she caught her reflection in the mirror, she was on the verge of emotional tears. This was exactly like the dream maternity photoshoot she had envisioned. And how the hell did Desmond know she wanted a painting instead of pictures?


    She was too happy to dwell on the details. She came out of the changing room and was awed when she saw Desmond was wearing a shirt of the same color as her dress.


    For the painting, they posed with him on one knee, kissing her bump, and her hand rested on it. As if the baby wanted to be a part of the painting in more ways than one, it chose that moment to kick and she was certain this would be the most treasured painting of their lives.


    "Would you like to change into something else for your photoshoot?" The woman asked them once the artist had taken a sketch of them.


    "Photoshoot?" She asked. She didn''t know they were having one as well.


    "We will have that one in Imperium. Just tell me where your Imperium gallery is located." He asked, and the woman gave him a business card with the address.


    On their way back to the hotel, she couldn''t help asking about his earlier statement. "When you say ''first maternity painting'', did you mean there will be another in the next few months or¡­do you have other ns?"


    In response, he ced a hand on her belly. "I can''t have enough of seeing you like this. If you don''t mind, of course."


    She had never thought about it, so she guessed she would have to wing it.


    They spent the rest of the day swimming, taking a short walk, and watching another movie which ended up in bed. Then she picked up her phone to y some music and realized she had not charged it. She plugged it in and powered it, her breath catching at the number of voicemails and text messages that came flooding in.


    They were all from Natalie, and that made it all worse. She took a deep breath to assure herself nothing was wrong, even though her heart was on the verge of jumping out of her chest. She willed herself to calm down and dialed Natalie''s number.


    "Nat, you¡­"


    "Zaria," Natalie sobbed into the phone. "Rosaly went missing."

 Chapter 342 Unexpected scheme (1)

    Chapter 342 Unexpected scheme (1)


    It took a moment for Zaria to register what Natalie had just said. She shot up to her feet, then sat back down in fear she may pass out from the horrifying news. It took even longer to believe that this was not some sort of sick prank. She would rather believe Natalie was insane enough toe up with something as unsettling as this prank, because the alternative would mean Rosaly was missing.


    She inhaled a sharp breath. "What do you mean? What happened?"


    "It''s¡­" Natalie gasped on the other end, sounding like she couldn''t believe it either. "Oh my God, I can''t believe this."


    That makes two of us, she thought.


    She clenched her hand around her phone, listening to whatever Natalie was rambling. She was talking so fast she could barely pin the words together so they would make sense. Or maybe her brain was misfiring and everything was happening too damn fast for her to make sense of any of it. "Natalie, calm down. Slow down, tell me what happened from the start." She pleaded.


    Desmond returned from the bathroom, towel wrapped around his body, and stopped what he was about to say when he saw her worried expression. He inched over to her. "Babe, what''s wrong?"


    She swallowed, not believing she was saying it either. "Rosaly went missing."


    "What? How did that happen? When? Why are we only finding out now?"


    He was as shocked as she was, and she knew he would drive himself crazy with worry if they stayed here for a second longer. They couldn''t just wait it out.


    If Rosaly was a little older, they would have assumed she was out ying with her friends. If she was a teenager, sneaking off would have been less concerning. But she was a child. There was no way this happened without someone else being involved. It was what Natalie was trying to say but she was too nervous to actually voice her words right.


    Knowing what would make Desmond move without letting himself sink into worry, she gave him specific instructions. "Just¡­we have to go back. Book us a flight. It will probably be faster than waiting for your helicopter to pick us up."


    As expected, that got him grabbing the hotel telephone. "Okay." He had not charged his phone either. How could they forget it?


    She gritted her teeth in terror. Howe the day they forgot to charge their phones just happened to be the day something so horrible happened? It was almost as if heaven¡ªor hell¡ªwas trying to make sure they couldn''t get the message on time. How long had Rosaly been missing?


    She put her phone on speaker and threw it onto the bed so she would dress up while talking to Natalie.


    "Nat, are you still there?" She asked, pulling on a pair of jeans.


    "Yes." Came a shaky voice from the other end. "I''m¡­where do I start? Right. Rosaly is staying with us today so Devonte and I decided we should treat her to something good. You know how much she loves eating out even if she will only end up eating the same thing."


    "Natalie!" She snapped without meaning to. Her heart was racing too fast. She needed something more.


    "I''m sorry! I''m freaking out, okay?" Natalie yelled into the phone and it didn''t take a genius to know she was pacing as she spoke. "We were at the restaurant and we went to the bathroom. I let Rosaly go into the stall on her own but stood before it. Then¡­she was taking so long, I decided to check on her. She didn''t respond. I was scared she had passed out and opened the door and¡­she was gone."


    "Gone?" Zaria repeated the word, hating how final it felt when she said it out loud. Gone, just like that? How was that even possible?


    "Babe," Desmond called out. She nced over at him. He was fully dressed as well, so she unplugged the charger and stuffed it into her bag just as Desmond said, "check-in is in half an hour. That''s as much time as it will take for our cab to get there."


    That sounded like too long. Considering the time it would take before take-off, she wanted to suggest calling the helicopter. But that would take longer. She wanted to pull at her hair. "Okay."


    They didn''t have time to do much, so they only grabbed her handbag and decided to deal with everything elseter.


    When they were finally in the cab with Natalie still on the call with Zaria, Desmond finally processed the news he had just overheard.


    "What do you mean, gone? Did anyone elsee in?" He basically roared his question at Natalie.


    "Unless I lost a chunk of my memory, no. Only the two of us were in the bathroom at the time." She gave the same answer she had given Zaria.


    Zaria shot him a look and then told Natalie, "We are on our way. Where are you?"


    "At the restaurant. I''ll send you my location."


    "Okay." She hung up and was relieved when Natalie immediately sent the location, which she wrote down on the palm-sized notepad she always kept in her handbag. It was a good thing Natalie sent it when she did, because her phone went off as soon as she noted the location down.


    ncing at Desmond, she knew what he was thinking even though he was not saying it. She ced a hand on his shoulder. "Des,"


    "Children don''t just disappear." He gritted his teeth.


    "I understand your frustration but don''t take it out on Natalie. She would never want Rosaly to be hurt." She reminded him.


    Then she slumped against the backrest with a sigh of defeat. Couldn''t a couple enjoy their honeymoon?


    __


    The flight felt like forever but finally, they arrived before they could go crazy with worry. They got to the restaurant faster than they should have, mostly because Desmond had mmed a wad of cash onto the cab''s dashboard and ordered the driver to floor it.


    They found Natalie pacing in the cubicle they had booked for their meal. She ran up to her. "Nat?"


    Natalie finally looked up, slightly relieved. Her eyes were red and swollen and her makeup was all runny. She approached the couple carefully and faced Zaria first. "Zaria." Then she nced at the furious man beside Zaria and felt her eyes pricking once again. "Des, I¡­"


    "Where is she?" He demanded.


    Natalie would have stumbled if he wasn''t holding onto her. "Do you want me to believe my daughter has teleportation powers? Is that "She''s gone. Like I told you."


    He wasn''t having it. He grabbed her shoulders with so much force Natalie would have stumbled if he wasn''t holding onto her. "Do you want me to believe my daughter has teleportation powers? Is that it?"


    Devonte returned to this scene, having just returned from the reception. He red daggers at Desmond and pushed him away from Natalie, shielding her behind him.


    "It''s not her fault and you know it."


    "Don''t tell me what to think." Desmond red at the two of them. "You two are the ones who wanted her to stay with you. You fucking insisted on it." He then turned back to Zaria with an equally furious re. "And you thought this was a good idea! What made you even think it was a good idea to pass my daughter around like some toy?"


    She was rendered momentarily speechless by his outburst. "I didn''t¡­everyone wanted to spend time with her. What the hell is wrong with that? I didn''t know such a thing might happen!"


    "Of course you didn''t." He clenched his fists, holding in the urge to punch the wall.


    "For fuck''s sake!" Devonte growled at them, getting their attention. "How about we all put our frustration aside and think?"


    Desmond shot a look at him. "Why didn''t I think of that?"

 Chapter 343 Unexpected scheme (2)

    343 Unexpected scheme (2)


    It took a battle of wits and immense self-control for everyone to sit down so they would finally discuss what happened. When Zeus came over, his first reaction was to cast a pitiful nce at Zaria.


    "I''m sorry you had to leave your honeymoon."


    "It''s nothing. Our daughteres first." She forced a smile. It was hard to actually smile when they didn''t know where Rosaly was or what was happening to her.


    Was she taken by an enemy? Did she lose her way? Was she scared?


    Devonte had nagged the reception for surveince footage and each time he had been told to wait for the correct procedure to be met, which exined why they called Zeus. They were taking way too long.


    While Zeus took out hisptop, the others were on the lookout to ensure the restaurant management didn''t catch on to what Zeus was nning to do.


    "You are certain you didn''t look away from the stall," Desmond asked for the umpteenth time. It was not an actual question. He was trying to figure out what they could have missed and like every other time, it all came back to that moment in the stall.


    Natalie nodded yet again. "Positive. I mean, there''s a second where I turned away to retouch my makeup, but I would have seen her reflection in the mirror when she left the stall. I didn''t see anything. And don''t even ask. I didn''t close my eyes¡ªI didn''t even blink for longer than necessary."


    "So my daughter vanished from the bathroom?" Desmond''s forehead creased. Then he let out a breath. "There is something you are not telling us, Natalie."


    It was not unexpected. She had expected that no one would believe her. Hell, she didn''t believe it either. If she wasn''t wide awake, she would have thought she was dreaming. She actually thought she was still dreaming even though everything was clear.


    "I''m sorry it''s not one of the things you want to believe, Des. But it''s the only truth I know. I would never be negligent with a child." Was all she could promise. Not that her word meant anything when Rosaly was out there with heaven-knows-who.


    After the initial shock of not finding her in the stall, she had gone running to Devonte to tell him and they had both scoured the entire restaurant in case the girl had tried to find her way back to him and gotten confused.


    No one had seen a little girl on her own, and even when they went out to the streets, they knew it was pointless. Everyone knew the kind of child Rosaly was.


    She would be terrified if such a thing happened and she was suddenly on her own. She would not go anywhere without someone she trusted. Besides, she was more likely to sit on the floor and wait for her parents to find her¡ªsomeone must have told her it was easier to be found in one spot than running around all over the ce.


    Rosaly had been kidnapped, and it was taking ages for any of them to believe it.


    "There is no surveince in the bathroom," Zeus observed.


    "That''s because it is a bathroom." Skeleton shrugged, digging into his ownputer.


    Zaria raised a brow. She wasn''t certain putting these two together was a good idea but as long as they got the job done.


    "Right." Zeus was thest to speak before the room fell into total silence.


    Desmond couldn''t sit still for a minute before he was back on his feet, uncertain whether or not to call anyone else. Once again, not everyone could be trusted. It could be anyone. And someone who could be borate enough to snatch a child right from under someone''s nose would also have ess to any calls they made.


    "Think¡­think¡­" he hissed, clenching his fists in fury. "fucking hell! I''m going to kill someone and then I''ll rip their flesh off their bones."


    "There should be something in the hallway." He said, finally responding to Zeus''s observation about theck of surveince in the bathroom.


    "And it should be wiped out." Zeus shot back. "Unless they want us to find them."


    Zaria speared him with a re for riling Desmond up even more. " Zeus, can you try to find out all the activity around the hallway at¡­" she nced over at Natalie, who had Devonte''s arms wrapped around her. "What time did you go to the restroom?"


    "Soon after we entered the restaurant. Our reservation was for 1 pm."


    "I can work with that." Zeus got to work, whistling an annoying tune. Only, everyone was too busy trying to pin the few pieces of the puzzle together to care about him and his antics.


    ___


    Staying at the restaurant for too long would attract the owners toe over to them, and they would soon find out that they had taken the investigation into their own hands. Since thest thing they wanted was an unnecessary squabble, they all left the restaurant but not before warning the manager about anything leaking out.


    "You can talk about this incident if you want." Desmond told him, only to narrow his eyes menacingly to add, "but that will also mean you no longer need your tongue."


    The manager shrunk away, trying to hide the fear in his eyes. "I have no idea what incident you are talking about."


    "That''s more like it." He gave a slight nod and followed Zaria to the car. She was giving him the cold shoulder and he knew exactly why.


    He finally caught up to her. "Babe,"


    "Don''t evene close to me." She shuffled closer to the window to avoid him when he entered the car.


    "I deserve that." He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. Then he inched closer to her, keeping a little space between them to not upset her. "Can you hear me out?"


    She crossed her arms with a huff. "I don''t know. Do I risk getting blown off?"


    He gave in to his urge to hold her shoulders. "I''m sorry, my love. It''s just¡­"


    "I know how much Rosaly means to you. But you can''t go off ming everyone for her disappearance. We don''t even know what happened. And she means the world to us too." She scowled at him. "Besides, it is obviously an borate scheme if Natalie didn''t see anything even though it happened right under her nose. It would have happened even if Rosaly stayed with Izzy the whole time."


    "I know." He took a deep breath.


    "You need to talk to Natalie." She told him, nudging him off when he tried to kiss her.


    "I will." He promised.


    Although he had promised to talk to Natalie, she got to her first. Natalie was on the second floor of Desmond''s vi, staring out at the city while leaning against the balcony.


    Having felt her footsteps, Natalie spoke up. "It''s been so many hours. I can''t imagine how she''s feeling." When Zaria didn''t say a word, she turned around to face her.


    "I feel like I''m going crazy, Zaria. I mean, I felt youe up here even though I didn''t know you were going toe. I had my back turned away too. Yet somehow I didn''t see Rosaly leave the stall? I don''t understand." She hugged her arms. "You know what''s worse? Every bad thing that has happenedtely is linked to me in one way or another. First the Nathaniel scandal, and now Rosaly goes missing in my hands. Am I the jinx or¡­"


    "We know you would never hurt us. It was a coincidence." Zaria assured her, yet again, and once again she didn''t know how much she believed her own words.


    Luckily, Evan spoke from nearby and had them both looking over.


    "You guys need to hear this." He hollered.


    "What?" Everyone stopped what they were doing to ask. She hurried down the stairs.


    "I asked around Rosaly''s friends'' families. Laia says she saw Ang at school." He announced.


    It took a moment for the words to sink in, then everyone exchanged nces, linking the words to their meaning.


    Desmond gritted his teeth. "Of course. That fucking skank."

 Chapter 344 Unexpected scheme (3)

    344 Unexpected scheme (3)


    Evan had onlye rushing to check out the situation when he heard about Desmond and Zaria''s sudden return and quickly joined in the search. He didn''t expect to find something so soon and it infuriated him as well.


    "Nothing good everes out of Ang appearing anywhere. She''s a jinx on legs."


    "What was she doing at the school?" Zaria asked. "When was this? More importantly, why didn''t anyone say anything about it?"


    "Yesterday." He answered. "Laia didn''t say much. In fact, she didn''t even tell anyone she saw Ang until her father asked if she knew where Rosaly could have gone."


    "Do you think we can ask her about it?" She asked, even though she knew she was wing at straws. There was no way Laia would know much more than she had already let on.


    As expected, Evan''s answer wasn''t in the least bit consoling. "I don''t think she would know much. She has a bad impression on Ang. She would run away from her."


    "Are we going to believe a four-year-old? You know kids get traumatized by shocking experiences. Maybe what she thought she saw is a result of something bad Ang did before?" Zeus spected, ncing up from hisptop.


    "I don''t think so." She tried to remember everything she could about Laia and it didn''t seem possible for her to say something she wasn''t sure of. If it was anything remotely close to a traumatic reaction, it would havee up much sooner.


    But the kind of suspicion she had when she pinned together Ang''s appearance and the nature of Rosaly''s disappearance made her wince. "Do you think Rosaly went away willingly?" She asked Desmond.


    "Why would you think so?"


    "Ang is her biological mother, after all. All she needs to do is call her over and Rosaly will want to go willingly." She didn''t admit it but the thought of it made her wince.


    He brought her close to him, knowing how she felt about it. "She is a horrible mother. Rosaly chose us. The court chose us and she knows that too."


    "But she also misses her." She argued. "And she thinks the court wants her to stay away from her mother." That was not easier to think about either but it made a horrifying amount of sense when she said it out aloud. Ang was as maniptive as a fox. She could say anything to get her way and she had witnessed that in the past. Who even let her into the schoolpound anyway?


    "Maybe Ang had her sneak out. It may be hard for someone to enter the bathroom stall and sneak her out under someone''s watchful gaze but a child sneaking through the door undetected is something that can easily happen. Besides, Ang was at her school. Maybe they talked."


    "Maybe they didn''t. We don''t know anything for certain." Zeus shot her another reminder.


    Desmond agreed with him. "The teachers would have notified us if they saw Ang. She must have been pretty sneaky to go undetected and talk to her."


    When he said it like that, it became less reassuring and more worrying. There were two possibilities here; that Ang met Rosaly undetected, or that Rosaly''s disappearance had nothing to do with Ang and they were dealing with someone they didn''t know. He suddenly didn''t know which was the lesser evil.


    Zeus leapt off his chair out of the blue and punched the air, nearly scaring the crap out of Natalie who was sitting beside him. She nced over at the endless codes on his screen. "Did you find anything?"


    "Still trying topare the footage for anything out of ce." He tapped a key and a series of footages showed up. "Anything, A weak link¡­hello, weak link." His face softened into a full on smile when he saw what he was looking for.


    "See this woman?" He tilted hisptop for everyone to see, and they inched closer to see the woman he was pointing at.


    "That''s not Ang." Evan remarked.


    "I know, dumbass. I wouldn''t mistake that woman for anyone. But she didn''t enter the restaurant through the door in any of the footage I checked. Unless she has some of that teleportation ability, she has been here for a while."


    "When did she get in?" Evan asked the question on everyone''s minds.


    "Still trying to figure it out. But at least we know what she is doing." He sat back down. "Skeleton, find out who she is while I figure out when she came in."


    Skeleton gave him the flip. "Are you ordering yourp dog?"


    "Just fucking, do it." Zeus red at him and got back to work.


    At least they were a step closer.


    ____


    While the guys tried to find the woman from the footage, Zaria was deep in thought as she rubbed her arms. As if magically, a coat appeared on her shoulders.


    She pulled it around herself and let herself lean into the embrace of the man who had brought it.


    "This isn''t how I imagined our first week of marriage would be." She blew out a breath. "We haven''t even settled into life yet and we have lost our daughter."


    "Someone stole her from us." He corrected her. "Someone who''s about to lose nine fingers." But he got the point. He didn''t expect this either.


    Worry was written all over her face. Nothing would happen to her, right?


    It had not even been a week since she vowed to protect Rosaly with her life, yet she had slipped from her fingers. If anything happened to Rosaly, she would never be able to forgive herself.


    That was what she was thinking about when Desmond''s phone rang. She whipped her head around at him and saw the understanding that shed in her mirror in his eyes.


    This was it. The ransom call.


    It was menacing, eerie, and unpredictable, knowing that whoever was calling must be Rosaly''s kidnapper. They hated that it confirmed their fears, that their daughter had been snatched away.


    Yet at the same time, it was a relief. Finally, they would know what they had to do to get her back. It was much better than running around in circles like dogs chasing their tails.


    If it was the kidnappers calling, that is.


    For all they knew, it could be a hospital or worse.


    He took his phone out of his pocket and a nce at the unknown number confirmed it. He answered the call stiffly, not knowing what to expect but hoping it was the call for the ransom. It was a much-preferred alternative than the hospital¡­or worse.


    "It''s been a long time, Desmond." Was all the person on the other end said.


    Zaria peeked into the living area and when she caught a clear view of Zeus, she dug into Desmond''s coat pockets for anything she could use to get his attention. Finding his wallet, she assessed its weight and tossed it downstairs to her brother.


    He winced when the flying wallet hit him in the back and looked up. He nodded when Zaria pointed at Desmond''s phone.


    It was time to find out what the kidnapper wanted¡­as well as his location.


    She finished her nonverbalmunication with Zeus and returned just in time to hear the man ask, "to what extent would you go for your little Princess?"


    ______


    AN


    The Tyrant''s Wife is ending soon! Check out mytest book, Falling for the wicked Boss

 Chapter 345 My fight

    345 My fight


    No matter how twisted they thought the first week of their marriage would be, nothing could ever beat this. This was not what anyone had envisioned.


    "How far would you go for your little princess?"


    The question was still stuck on Zaria''s mind hourster.


    The answer should have been the opposite of the truth.


    Whoever had Rosaly had kidnapped her to get leverage for something. If he was convinced that they didn''t care for her as much as he thought, maybe he would have let her go.


    But how could they even think of doing that when their daughter was in an unknown ce, captured by a psychopath who thought it was fun to keep them guessing?


    He wanted Desmond to guess what he wanted and then hand it over before the following evening if he still wanted Rosaly alive.


    When they demanded proof that the child was still alive, all they got was a brief few seconds of Rosaly''s cry.


    She turned on her back and let out a sigh. It waste into the night and she couldn''t catch a wink of sleep no matter how hard she tried.


    She had felt Desmond creep out of the bedroom too; she knew although they needed to be as clear-headed as possible to n this out, he couldn''t sleep either. Not even for a minute.


    So she gave up trying to sleep and got off the bed too. Desmond was not in the study when she checked. He wasn''t in the kitchen either.


    She took notice of an empty ss in the sink and guessed he must have been here. She knew just where to find him.


    ¡­


    "Hey." She knocked on the door softly and walked in when he looked up.


    He was sitting on the floor. She joined him, handing over the wine she had poured him on her way up here.


    He took the ss from her and downed the contents in one gulp. Knowing how horrible he felt, she ced a hand on his shoulder.


    He put down the doll he was holding when she came in and pulled her to sit between his legs, his knees trapping her on both sides. She reclined into his chest.


    "Des, you have been a wonderful father. Everyone can see that." She rubbed his hand in constion.


    He let out a breath and tickled her neck. For a while, he didn''t say a word, processing what all this meant. When he finally spoke out about what he had been thinking, it hurt more than he expected.


    "Theoretically, maybe. But I couldn''t even protect her.


    What was the use of fighting for her custody if I can''t evenst half a year before fucking it up?"


    "Hey," she held his arm. "Don''t think about that. Later when everything is settled, you can wallow in self-pity all you want." She said, knowing that would not happen. He only needed to get through this. "For now, we have to find a way to save our daughter."


    He blew out a breath. "The guys couldn''t locate the call. He must have made it on a burner phone."


    "And Rosaly''s cry?" She asked, shuddering at the possibility that came to mind.


    "He either has her with him on the move or what we heard is a recorded version."


    She cursed. "If I get my hands on that bastard, I will drag his eyes out of their sockets and feed them to him. And then I''ll chop off every single finger heid on my daughter."


    He hummed in agreement to her but there was something about it that didn''t sit quite right with her. For a moment, she didn''t want to think about it.


    "Hey,e on." She stood from between his legs and held out a hand to help him up. He didn''t budge, so she used a little bit more force and ended up breathless when he had not moved an inch. Sheughed. "Getting clumsy. Come on, you''re not going to let me drag you to our room, are you?"


    Thest thing he wanted was to sleep¡ªnot that he would be able to. He had tried, and it had ended in bloody nightmares even before he could fully fall asleep.


    He could still hear Rosaly''s scream from thest nightmare, haunting his ears, her tear-filled eyes with despair.


    Even then, he let Zaria lead him back to their bedroom. He didn''t have to sleep.


    She settled in beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, tracing the skin of his chest with her fingers.


    "I could make you feel better," she offered, her hand sliding down his body.


    He grabbed her wrist to stop her. "You don''t have to." It wasn''t lost to him how much she was bottling up herself.


    When morning finally came, it was a relief to see Zeus and Skeleton back at the house.


    "You look like shit." Was Zeus''s greeting when she came downstairs.


    "Thanks. Give me some good news." She slumped into the nearest couch.


    "Where is your man, anyway?" He asked, looking around, and changed his mind. "Never mind. You can tell him. The kidnapper couldn''t have gone far from the city, considering he wants something given to him by Desmond. Maybe he is still in Imperium."


    "Yeah, maybe." She hid her disappointment. How many people were there in Imperium? They only had until the sun went down!


    "Oh, and there''s something else. Although your husband has more enemies than Jupiter''s fans, there are a few that stand out." He showed a spreadsheet to Zaria but she was not looking at the screen. What she wanted was a definite answer.


    "Ang, obviously." He started. "But the only reason she would want to ckmail him is to get Rosaly back, which would mean she has no reason to make a ransom call. Besides, if the girl loves her mother as much as you made it sound, she wouldn''t be crying on that call."


    "We already wrote Ang off." She urged. While they couldn''t put it past her to use Rosaly for more of her selfish wants, she had more leverage than anyone¡ªbeing Rosaly''s mother. She didn''t need to y tricks such as kidnapping.


    "Alyssa." She suggested.


    "Clean as a whistle. Oddly." He added. He had also thought about her.


    "The Wests, on the other hand, have a more recent beef with him. I don''t expect them to let it slide after what happened to Gabriel. It may have been believable but some people just know the truth even without evidence." He shut hisptop with a dreadful look. "Which would also mean, it could be some offspring of Nathaniel."


    "For heaven''s sake!" She erupted. Did Nathaniel vow to haunt them as a ghost or something? He was everywhere, even though he was six feet underground!


    While they spoke, Desmond came out of the study with phone in hand. They didn''t need to ask to know he had just spoken to the kidnapper.


    "Des?" She stood to meet him halfway through the living room.


    "I know what to do." He assured her.


    Except, she was far from assured. "I''ming with you."


    He cupped her face and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. "No, my love. This is my fight."

 Chapter 346 Leverage

    346 Leverage


    "Wait." She held onto his arm. When he paused, she grabbed a handful of his shirt as leverage. "Who is he? Did he tell you?"


    "He didn''t need to. He is a West." He ced a hand over her fist but it was no constion.


    He hade to the same conclusion as them and it was not a good thing. This was tragic. It would mean the Wests knew what really went down with Gabriel.


    "What does he want?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer. She just didn''t want to ept it.


    "He wants back whatever shares of The West we have." He let go of her hand and pried hers off his shirt, soothing her with a kiss. "I have to go."


    He was hiding something, she could feel it. She grabbed onto his wrist before he could get out of her reach, earning an impatient sigh.


    "Zaria,"


    "Are you telling the truth, that they asked for the shares?" She pushed.


    "Not explicitly but that''s the only thing we owe them." He once again avoided her gaze.


    Another lie, she thought.


    "Take me with you." She demanded.


    "Not a chance."


    Her hand tightened around his. "If it''s only about the shares, why can''t Ie? We will simply go over to the location they want, sign some documents and take Rosaly with us, right? Nothing can go wrong." She looked up into his eyes. "But you won''t let mee because you know something could go wrong. You know you are putting yourself in danger."


    "Zaria," he ran his free hand down his face. "The longer we stand here and argue, the more danger Rosaly will be in."


    He was right, and she knew she would not be able to change his mind no matter what she said.


    "Then take Zeus with you." She tried. "At least that way you will have someone by your side."


    He ignored herpromise and ordered Zeus to take care of her, then he secured a glock to his waist and took off."


    She was still dazed when Zeus walked up behind her. "Did you see that? He just left. It''s as if he doesn''t care about his safety."


    "Maybe he doesn''t." He nudged her by the shoulder. "Come on, I need you to see something."


    "What is it?" She asked as soon as they were back to the living room where he was working on his clue.


    "I found her identity." He motioned to the woman in the video. "She works for the West family."


    "Okay." She frowned. That must be what Desmond had figured out before he decided to take off on his own to follow his lead.


    "One more thing, the bathroom stall that Rosaly went into is not just any bathroom stall. The back wall is a secret exit point. You won''t notice it unless you know what you are looking for but it''s a pair of maic doors painted white to resemble the rest of the walls. It can only be unlocked by a passcode."


    If Rosaly wasn''t the victim, she would be impressed by the level of scheming that must have taken. No wonder Natalie didn''t notice anything.


    "But¡­was this premeditated?" She asked. How would anyone know Rosaly was there and also know she would be in that stall?"


    "Not most of it." He pointed at a series of simultaneous footages. "Do you need me to maximize one?"


    "We don''t have time." She tried to follow as many of them as she could.


    "They had been nning this for days and already had trackers in ce. Rosaly showing up in that restaurant was like a prey identally exploring his predator''s nest¡ªit gave them an easier n. Criminals have some ways of escaping and altering public bathrooms is one of them. The Kryptonite just happens to be one of those locations and the Wests know it. Don''t ask me how. Even I didn''t know about it before today and I''m a Dark Knight."


    "Anyway they bid their time and counted on the fact that children tend to make frequent trips to the bathroom." He continued.


    She caught sight of the footage and gasped. "That woman ced ''under maintenance'' signs on all the stalls except one. That''s moments after Natalie and Rosaly headed for the bathroom."


    "How Natalie didn''t question the fact that four stalls were under maintenance at the same time, I will never understand. But maybe it was not what she was focused on." He rubbed his neck. "Should we follow Desmond or go after the rest of the Wests?"


    "You get some rest. I''ll go after the Wests." She ced a hand on his shoulder. He had been up all night investigating so he didn''t argue with her.


    "Hey, I''ll keep my phone on. If you need me, just give me a call."


    She hugged him briefly. "Don''t worry. I know a certain West who will be happy to help. Wait. Do you have a picture of the woman from the footage?"


    ____


    By the time she arrived at Evan''s house, Zeus had already sent the picture so she knocked with more confidence that he would help.


    "Zaria?" He was shocked to see her, then he peeked behind her. "Where''s Des?"


    "He followed a clue he got. May Ie in?" She held her breath hoping she wouldn''t find anything ufortable to look at this time.


    "Of course. Don''t worry, I''ve been keeping my house appropriate. You know, in case the girls want to visit? We have been ying a lottely." His face dimmed when he remembered Rosaly was still missing. "Why are you here? Did you find a clue too?"


    "Something you might help me with." She unlocked her screen and showed him the picture. "Do you know this woman?"


    "She is the woman from that footage." He remembered. "But when I saw her on the footage, she gave me this feeling that I''ve met her before and not just in passing. Is she the culprit?"


    "She must be." She tried her best not to let it make her give up. Maybe he could remember something.


    "I should have known." He slumped into his seat. "As long as my family suspected Desmond could be behind what happened to my grandfather, there was no chance in hell they were going to let it slide."


    "Just our luck. I need you toe with me to follow Desmond. I have a feeling he knew it would be dangerous."


    He wasn''t surprised. "Of course it will be dangerous. Why else would he leave you while knowing how worried you will be? But he would rather have you worried than let any harm befall you. That, and the fact that the Wests are sneaky as hell."


    "To fight a West, I need a West." She reminded him what she had just asked, but his response was unexpected.


    "Why should I help you?"


    She blinked. "Uh, because your friend is in danger? Make that two friends. Rosaly is your friend too, you said it yourself. And because it''s your family?"


    He scoffed. "I know that. I would do it for free. But can''t you humor a man?"


    She rolled her eyes. Evan was impossible. But right before she gave up, she remembered what had caught his interesttely. "I''ll put in a good word for you when I meet rion."


    "You got yourself a deal. Now, let''s go save my friends." He pulled a cab open and casually took a gun out, which he tossed at her, then he tucked another into his waist.


    "Just so you know, wherever our car stops, that''s as far as you go. I may want to help you but Desmond will kill me if I let you go anywhere dangerous."


    "Of course." She agreed, though she had no intention to stay in the car if Desmond needed her.

 Chapter 347 Getting her back (1)

    347 Getting her back (1)


    It was nearly unbelievable that anyone could be this friendly.


    By the time Ximena and Liam made it back to their new home, they had countless fresh ingredients ranging from vegetables, fruit, and spices to meat products and fish, enough for a feast. They were all freebies they had gotten after the cashier had made a big deal about them being the newest residents in Humville.


    "If we were in Imperium, I would be terrified of all the gifts." He remarked as they organized everything in the fridge. They were almost fully stocked just from the freebies.


    She smiled, holding the coconut a little boy had given to her for being ''a beautiful aunty''. "Everyone is friendly here. It''s easy to forget we have not been living here forever."


    He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her neck. "As long as we don''t forget we are not we are still on the run. Their friendliness could be a double-edged sword. What if they help our families find us?"


    She shuddered at the thought. It was a possibility she couldn''t deny but he was kissing her and there wasn''t anything else she could think about with his lips and tongue on her neck.


    She ced the coconut on the kitchen ind and turned around to wrap her arms around his neck. "That''s our cue to enjoy whatever time we still have left. That, and prepare for whatever maye our way."


    "I prefer the former." He kissed her, pulling her against him.


    "Did I mention how beautiful you look in ankle-length skirts and crop tops?" He punctuated his words by sliding his hand under her top and palming her breast. She moaned when he thumbed her nipple and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.


    "Only ten or eleven times," she gasped, the rest of her words morphing into her moan when he squeezed her boob. His hardness was pressed against her and she couldn''t help grinding against him.


    She tugged at his hair, gasping when he grabbed her by her butt and sat her on the kitchen counter.


    Her phone rang and she groaned. "Are you kidding me? Does Lucy have such horrible timing?"


    "Lucy?" He frowned.


    "No one else has my new contact number." She searched for her phone and finally found it in her purse, shooting an apologetic look at Liam.


    He didn''t buy it. He pulled her against him, pressing his cock against her backside as she answered the call, ignoring the look she shot him from over her shoulder.


    "Lucy?" She answered the call, partially nervous because thetter wouldn''t be calling her at random unless it was something important."


    "You may want to sit down for this," Lucy said, making Liam and Ximena exchange nces. He had heard what Lucy said clearly, being right behind her.


    "Just take a seat. I''m not kidding."


    "Okay." Ximena swallowed and decided to obey Lucy. They both did. When they were finally seated in the living room, she cast a nce at Liam and said, "we are seated. What do you want to tell us?"


    "Rosaly was kidnapped." Lucy dropped the bombshell.


    Ximena was d she had obeyed her and sat down because her head felt light. "How the hell did that happen? Who took her? Is it Ang? I knew nothing good was ever going toe out of that woman showing up at the wedding. We should have kicked her out. And to think I believed she would take the chance to turn over a new leaf."


    "That''s what we have all been figuring out. It''s not Ang." Lucy continued. "I wouldn''t have called you but I think you may know something. I sent a picture to your email, find out if you know this person."


    "Who?" She wondered.


    "The woman who the surveince camera picked up, having randomly appeared at the restaurant. Just check your email."


    "Okay." Ximena''s heart picked up its pace as she put the call on speaker so she could navigate her email without ending the call. Sure enough, Lucy had sent a picture but seeing it brought feelings she didn''t think she would ever feel.


    She shook her head in disbelief. "That''s my aunt."


    "I knew it." Lucy seethed. "We were convinced this has something to do with the Wests. I''ll call you backter."


    As soon as the call ended, Ximena grabbed a suitcase and started shoving clothes in frantically.


    "Baby, what are you doing?" Liam asked,ing up beside her.


    "I know what this is happening." She bit back her tears. "My parents are behind this."


    "We don''t know that. Just because your aunt is involved doesn''t mean your parents have a hand in it." He grabbed her by the shoulders to turn her around.


    "Lucy would not call me if she didn''t think my parents are involved. I know them, Liam. They would make Zaria''s life a living hell just to force me to go back home." She took several deep breaths and swallowed. "What was I thinking?"


    "Do you regret leaving with me?" He nudged her chin so she would look into his eyes.


    She shook her head. "No. I don''t regret being with you, it''s just¡­I should have thought about this but I didn''t and now¡­oh my God. Will Zaria be okay?"


    He pulled her into his arms. "It''s okay. It''s gonna be okay. Desmond will never let anything happen to Zaria or Rosaly. Besides, if you give up now and go back just so they let Rosaly go, what else would they force you to do if they knew they had leverage over you?"


    She buried her head into his chest. He was right. She couldn''t give in now, especially when they were not evenpletely certain that the Morels were responsible.


    But if they were¡­


    Her eyes darkened. She didn''t think she would ever resort to violence when it came to dealing with her family but they were not giving her much choice.


    _____


    Meanwhile, Desmond finally got to the safe house he guessed the Wests would keep Rosaly.


    It was on the outskirts of Imperium but not too far from the center. They couldn''t risk going too far and hence end up attracting too much attention to themselves. Besides, they couldn''t be on the move for long in case the city surveince system got a hold of them. If they pulled this off, they knew about Zeus and his ability to recover whatever they deleted.


    His guess was confirmed when he got a text message.


    [You guessed right. Now,e in. No firearms, make sure you are on your own. If you try anything funny, say goodbye to your little princess.]


    He gritted his teeth. Once he got Rosaly back, he would skin them all alive one inch at a time and make their death slow and painful.


    Even though they had said not to carry any firearms, he knew he would be stupid if he was fully unarmed. Heaven knew what they would do once they had him where they wanted him.


    Like the others, the text message disappeared as soon as he read it. Even then, he was certain Zeus and Skeleton would be able to retrieve them on time if they worked together.


    He slid a nano de into his sock and another into his pocket, then a pistol at the back of his waist. The pistol and second nano de were distractions. He wished he could have epted Lucy''s wedding gift¡ªa grenade.


    A small rock hit him in the shin and he would have dismissed it if he didn''t hear the low whistle. ncing over at the source of the sound, he tried not to frown when he saw a hand stick out from the hedge for a fraction of a second. He would have missed it if he wasn''t searching.


    Lucy.


    He walked over cautiously.


    "What are you doing here?" he whispered.


    "You may need this." She shoved the grenade into his palm.


    A fairy godmother. Maybe that should be her new title.


    He nced at the grenade and gave it back to her. "That''s where youe in. They may pat me down."


    [Don''t try to pull a smart one on us. The door is to your left.]


    They hadn''t seen him. He was relieved. No matter what tracker they had on him, it couldn''t provide a video feed, which was a relief. That was one more advantage for him.


    He turned left and entered the house. He didn''t know what he expected of a house that was holding a little girl hostage but this one looked too normal. He almost doubted he was in the right ce, but he felt the distinct scent of bleach in the air.


    If his guess was right, they didn''t use that hefty amount of bleach to clean normal stains. They had to be masking crimes.


    "There you are." A man finally showed himself, grinning when he was before Desmond.


    "It''s nice to see you."


    "The feeling is not mutual." He frowned. "Where is my daughter?"


    "Not so fast." He took a seat on the couch. "You know what we want."


    "I don''t. And I''m not going to give you anything unless you guarantee that my daughter is safe, without a single strand of hair missing from her head." He demanded.


    The man, a henchman, frowned but shouted an order anyway. It made Desmond pensive. Who was behind this, and why were they so scared of showing themselves?


    It didn''t matter, as long as his daughter was brought to him, safe and sound.


    Three more men emerged from where he guessed must be the basement, trying to keep their expressions straight.


    "You will not see your daughter until your end of the deal is done." He demanded.


    He shot to his feet. "What did you do to her?"

 Chapter 348 Too late?

    348 Toote?


    "What do you mean?" He forced a smile but Desmond didn''t buy it.


    "My daughter is not here. This is why you won''t let me see her before I give in to your deal." He called him out for his lie.


    "Luke?" The man called out, and his burlypanion stepped forward.


    "You don''t understand, Desmond. You are not leaving this house alive if you don''t give us what we want. If you are cooperative, we can consider letting your daughter leave. She''s a whimpering mess, anyway." The man called Luke threatened, then he nced at his fingers as he counted.


    "But maybe, she can grow up into an adorable doll and sell for a nice price. Let''s give her ten years."


    He saw red. He clenched his fists and before he could stop himself, he punched Luke in the neck, sending him hitting against the wall with a thud, and then sliding onto the floor in a pile.


    For a man as burly as him, he had expected a little more fight. However, Luke was all muscle and zero strength. If all his mates were as weak as him, he could probably take them down without using much effort.


    But again, it could be a trap, sending the weakest of the bunch to provoke him and then retaliate if he got confident enough to attack them.


    "Let''s make a deal." He suggested. "Show me my daughter, and I will do whatever you want."


    The man from earlier snickered, not giving a fuck about his battered counterpart.


    "Listen here, Desmond. This maye as a surprise but you don''t call the shots here."


    That was all he needed. He wanted them to reject his terms, which was probably part of their strategy to stall him. He shrugged on his way out. "Well, there is nothing to discuss then."


    "She''s in the basement." One of the men said. He paid no heed to his words, hurrying out the door and toward the bushes behind which Lucy was hiding.


    "What''s going on? Where''s Rosaly?" Lucy asked as he dragged her away.


    "Not here. We have to leave." He shoved her into his car and got in amid Lucy''s protests. Just as he drove off, he caught sight of the men scrambling out of the house, two of them lugging Luke in between them. Secondster, they both had to cover their ears as an explosion boomed through the air.


    Lucy peeked at the house that was now nothing but debris and gasped. "They knew it was going to explode. That''s why they left."


    "They knew the exact second before it would happen. That''s why they kept stalling me. They wanted to make sure I was in the building when it sted." His forehead creased. Where the hell did they keep Rosaly?


    Lucy was thinking about the same thing. "What if she was in the house?"


    "She wasn''t." He was certain. If he suspected even for a fraction of a second that she was in the house, he would not have left. Besides, they wouldn''t act so sketchy if they had such leverage over him at their disposal.


    All they had to do was hold a gun against her head to make sure he didn''t move¡ªthough he was d they didn''t have to do that. It was already bad enough that she had been kidnapped. She would not be able to handle such trauma.


    Lucy dug her phone out of her pocket and frantically dialed a number. It went to voicemail, frustrating the hell out of her.


    19:20


    "I''m going to kill someone, I swear." She groaned.


    He went through all the safehouses he knew from Evan but paused at a realization. The Wests always believed in hiding in in sight. They believed it was the hardest ce to be found. If they took Rosaly to a safe house, finding her would be easy. There was only one ce they could have taken her that wouldn''t rouse any hint of suspicion.


    ___


    They rushed to The West and were weed by Oliver West, Evan''s uncle and the asshole who had temporarily taken over after Gabriel''s death.


    "Veronica was right. You wouldn''t fall for such a trap." He opened his arms to hug Desmond, who dodged.


    "If you have done anything to my daughter¡­"


    "We haven''t done anything, yet." He grinned, just as Veronica appeared and looped her arm around his. The fucking bitch had yed them even though they had an agreement.


    "Veronica, dear, why don''t you show Desmond where to find his daughter? Or what''s left of her."


    _____


    Meanwhile, Zaria was out of breath when they finally arrived at the location Evan was certain they would keep Rosaly. She looked around in disbelief. The building had exploded into smithereens, the air thick with the smell of debris and blood.


    "Are we toote?" She whispered. "Des? Rosaly?"


    Evan hugged her shoulders, not saying a word. If he was right about this being the ce where Rosaly had been brought, then no one could survive the kind of explosion that blew the building up beyond recognition.


    He stopped her from making another step into what used to be the safe house. "You cannot go in there. You could get hurt."


    She shoved his hands away. "But my daughter and husband¡­"


    "They will be okay. Des is too stubborn to die easily." He attempted to console her, but that only made her realize they could be injured. Tears pooled in her eyes. He was helpless. "Don''t cry¡­I''ll go in and check. Promise me you will stay here, okay? I''ll never be able to exin myself if you got hurt."


    She nodded but he was certain she would follow him anyway. Why did she have to be so stubborn?


    He pulled out the big guns. Holding her shoulders, he made sure she was paying attention before he said, "if you follow me, many things could happen. You could trip and be injured and then your baby¡­"


    "My baby?" She ced a hand over her stomach. "Nothing will happen to my baby."


    "Good. Then don''t follow me." He instructed. This time, her nod was genuine.


    "Be careful, okay?" she called, and he smiled. He had been worried she closed herself offpletely.


    The longer she waited for Evan, the more terrified she was that he might not make it out of the debris. What if the ground had caved in as he had guessed, and he fell in?


    She was considering checking on him when he returned. She let out a sigh of relief. He was on his own, which was probably the best news.


    He opened his palm and showed her a nano de. "It''s Desmond''s. He must have dropped it."


    She picked it up and inspected it. "He was here. But where is he now?"


    "Anywhere but here. Which is a good sign. I checked everywhere."


    She was only partially relieved. "Where the hell is he then? And if Rosaly wasn''t brought here, where is she?"


    She dialed his number and when it went to voicemail, she bit the inside of her cheek. "I''m starting to wish we brought Zeus."


    ___


    Meanwhile, Desmond and Lucy followed Veronica into the elevator. He was furious but he had to hold it in for now. Why were they stalling?


    The elevator dinged its arrival on the sixth floor and they got off, Lucy inspecting the ce like a hawk. Veronica led them to a conference room and took her seat, making it sound like they were here for a business deal.


    "How was your honeymoon, Des?" Veronica taunted. "Did she ditch you already? I expect her to be glued to her side, being newlyweds and all."


    Lucy huffed. She wanted nothing but to blow The West up. s, Rosaly was here somewhere and they didn''t even know which floor she was on, let alone which room. Besides, Veronica chose that moment to call a man and a woman in to pat them down.


    "Are you kidding me?" Lucy was displeased when her hairclip was taken away. It was not even sharp or anything she could use as a weapon. It was an ordinary clip.


    Once they were done, Oliver finally walked into the conference room. "I''m sorry to have kept you waiting. We couldn''t start the meeting before our guest of honor. Luckily, she is here now."


    Desmond narrowed his eyes and nced toward the door just in time to see Evan walk in¡­with Zaria in tow.


    "What the hell?" He exploded.


    "She insisted." Evan defended himself.


    "Baby, you know you shouldn''t havee here." He tried his best to sound calm but he sounded anxious and angry.


    "I couldn''t let you face the danger alone." She exined.


    Oliver smiled. "How cute. The two of you will die for one another. You truly are, as they say, a match made in heaven. Veronica, bring in the other guest."


    "I am not your dog." Veronica huffed but left the room anyway, returning minutester with Rosaly. Contrary to their expectation, their daughter was not bound with duct tape covering her mouth. She was holding Veronica''s hand, holding an ice cream cone in the other hand.


    When she saw her parents, her eyes lit up. "Daddy! Zaria!" She ran over to them and threw herself into their arms, rambling at lightning speed.


    "Aunty Vee is so cool! We went swimming, then we went to the theme park and¡­"


    Desmond red at Veronica. Aunty Vee?


    Of course. She was Evan''s sister and she could prove it. She didn''t need to kidnap Rosaly. The girl willingly went away with her with the right amount of convincing.


    He didn''t have time to stew about Rosaly going off with a woman she just met. Oliver sat opposite him across the table.


    "Now that we have established that Rosaly is safe and sound, you can take her with you. However," he pointed his chin at Zaria. "She stays."

 Chapter 349 Deal with the Wests (1)

    349 Deal with the Wests (1)


    "In your fucking dreams!" Desmond red at Oliver, then at Zaria. Why did shee? She knew it would be dangerous. He would have med Evan for bringing her but he knew his wife all too well.


    "Since it is settled, you and your daughter may leave." Oliver dismissed his protest.


    He shot a re at Oliver. "Don''t tempt me."


    Oliver thought it was the best time tough and make fun. "Stalling won''t help you. You''re just dying the inevitable. How about you simply leave and let us have the discussion we need to have. The sooner you leave, the sooner your wife will follow you home. Now, move along."


    "I''ll be fine." Zaria assured him.


    He knew the Wests weren''t stupid enough to actually cause her any harm. No one wanted to get on Lucy''s side. Even so, that didn''t guarantee her safety. There was always the tiny chance they were willing to self-destruct just to get revenge.


    However, Zaria was giving him that look that he should trust her.


    "Fuck." He ran a hand down his face in frustration. Was she sure about what she was doing?


    "I would like to have a word with her in private." He demanded.


    "Not a chance." Oliver didn''t feel the need to exin himself. There was no way he was letting Desmond and Zaria talk on their own when he could very well give her an escape n.


    It was exactly what Desmond expected but it still bugged him.


    Thinking about it, Zaria couldn''t put herself in a situation she wasn''t certain to get out of. Even if she were to be careless about her life, she would care about him and their unborn baby.


    "I''ll be outside." He relented. "But if she''s missing a single strand of hair on her head¡­" he warned.


    "Don''t worry. She will be in exactly the same state as she is right now." Oliver grinned, then he cast a nce at Veronica. "Except, she will no longer be hungry. I''m aware of how often pregnant women get hungry so we will feed her. Why don''t you be a doll and bring some food for our guest, Veronica?"


    Veronica groaned in frustration but left the room anyway, to return a few momentster with a tray in her hands. She had brought cupcakes and what must be coffee or tea in a mug, as well as sunny-side-ups and bacon. The aroma was so enticing that Rosaly nearly ditched her ice cream cone for it.


    "I''m not eating any of that. Let''s just cut to the chase." Zaria dismissed, making Rosaly change her mind about asking her father for some of the delicious treats.


    "Right after your husband leaves." Oliver insisted, ''your loss'' written all over his face.


    With ast nce at Zaria, Desmond held Rosaly''s hand and they left the room to wait outside. Of course, Oliver had to be super annoying about it. The door had pretty good sound instion but he made excuses to make sure Desmond was at the end of the hallway instead of right outside the door. If they didn''t have his wife hostage, he would never have tolerated such treatment.


    ______


    Only half an hour had psed before Zaria left the room but it felt like ages. Desmond had paced the hallways close to a hundred times until Rosaly asked him if he wanted to peepee, then he took her downstairs for a snack. That was a wee distraction. He didn''t have to pace for much longer before Zaria returned.


    "Zaria! I got you choctes." Rosaly held up the bar she had gotten¡ªor at least what was left of it. She had devoured most of it on their way back.


    Zaria bent down to hug her. "Thank you, sweetie.


    Desmond took the chance when she straightened up to check her all over. "Are you alright? That nutcase didn''t do anything to you, did he?"


    She cleared her throat. "Uh, Desmond, we have a child with us."


    Luckily, Rosaly was too busy eating her snacks to hear a word they said.


    "They wouldn''t try anything. Mother rigged the whole ce and made sure they knew it. If they did anything to hurt me, it would be thest thing they got to do."


    That did sound like something Lucy would do. He grinned in satisfaction. Although he couldn''t wait to hear all about what the Wests wanted from her, he wanted to get away from there more than anything else. He sent a quick text message to everyone to tell them both Zaria and Rosaly were safe and they were on their way home, then he hailed a cab.


    When it arrived and Zaria had helped Rosaly in, he grabbed her by the waist to pull her closer to him and whisper in her ear. "I''m still going to punish you for that stunt."


    She smiled at him over her shoulder. "You just want an excuse to spank me¡ªmake no mistake, I''m notining."


    "I can''t wait to have you all to myself again so we can continue our honeymoon where we left off." He whispered.


    "Sir, are youing or not?" The driver was irritated by their dy.


    "Coming." Zaria answered before Desmond could say something inappropriate and got in the car.


    While she didn''t think it would make any sense to go right back to their honeymoon as though nothing happened, they could still spend the rest of their nned honeymoon days together.


    _____


    That evening, they ordered pizzas for dinner and cuddled up in the den to watch a movie. For the first time, Rosaly was interested in trying something else.


    When it ended, Desmond struck up a conversation. "Zaria and I have something to tell you."


    Rosaly looked at him then at Zaria and perked up. "Tell me! Tell me!"


    "Are you sure?" Zaria asked him, though there was no way she couldn''t tell her right now. She was too excited. Desmond nodded in confirmation so she went right ahead. "Remember how you said you After telling Rosaly what was probably the best thing she had ever heard, Zaria apanied him for 14:05


    Rosaly''s bath time and bedtime story. It was clear how much she had missed Rosaly. She was wish I was your mother?" She asked, making Rosaly nod. "Well, that wish came true. I adopted you."


    "Well, adoption is when¡­" she stopped mid-exnation when Rosaly squealed and threw herself into her arms, hugging her neck."


    "Can I call you mommy now?" She asked.


    Zaria patted her back. "Of course. That doesn''t mean Ang is no longer your mommy. It only means you now have two." She added.


    Desmond grunted in dissatisfaction, but it was true. And no matter how much he hated Ang and what kind of woman Ang had turned out to be, he wouldn''t be the father of this amazing bundle of joy if things didn''t pan out exactly the way they did. Besides, if she wasn''t such a horrible person that the court decided she was harmful to Rosaly, Zaria would never have been able to adopt Rosaly. Courts usually wanted to keep the biological mother in a child''s life, especially a little girl. What an odd thing to thank someone for.


    After telling Rosaly what was probably the best thing she had ever heard, Zaria apanied him for Rosaly''s bath time and bedtime story. It was clear how much she had missed Rosaly. She was reluctant to leave her room.


    Desmond finally managed to lure her into the master bedroom and kissed her cheek. "Are you scared she will go missing again if we leave her room? We have a baby monitor."


    "I know. I just¡­" she shook her head. "She went missing under what would be assumed to be the safest circumstances and Ang was in on it."


    And that was the biggest problem. No matter what Ang imed was the reason for her return, she had too much ess to Rosaly''s trust. How did she even make it to Rosaly''s side, anyway?


    The worst part wasn''t even using her daughter for her selfish reasons. It was how easily she could do it. It didn''t make her feel the slightest bit of guilt.


    "If only Rosaly didn''t care about her so much. She would be six feet underground." He half-joked.


    She yfully smacked him. "Let''s take your mind off that. We can do more exciting things."


    Hey darlings, I''m back! I was feeling drained and decided to take a week break to recharge. Before I knew it, it was two months. Oops.


    Anyway, I will not take any more long breaks for this books since it''s already nearing its end.


    Avalorian_

 Chapter 350 Deal with the Wests (2)

    350 Deal with the Wests (2)


    "What did Oliver want from you?" Desmond finally had the chance to ask now that Rosaly was asleep and they had all calmed down from the roller coaster the day had brought.


    "You need to sit down for this." She cleared her throat with a slight giggle and pulled him onto the bed so he would recline against the headboard. He cast a confused nce at her. Why was she making it sound like he would want to kick someone''s teeth into their throat? Considering they were talking about Oliver West and his insanity, that was a very likely possibility.


    He followed her instructions anyway, and when she snuggled against his chest, he finally understood what she was up to. "You just want to use my body as a pillow." He said as she folded her legs and wrapped her arms around him in the position she liked to stay in the most.


    "Can''t help it when my husband''s body is so perfect." She purred, and cleared her throat again. "Anyway, as you may have already guessed, he wanted me to sign off all shares of The West that we have. It''s the least we can do for them after what you did to his grandfather for my sake¡ªhis words."


    Desmond frowned. "What did you tell him?"


    "Nothing, until he offered to pay half the market price for the shares. He said that was his most generous offer, seeing as we had a lot to pay for. I told him to shove his generosity where the sun doesn''t shine."


    He chuckled. That did sound like something his feisty wife would say. He knew that couldn''t have been the end of the conversation. It had taken the better part of an hour, after all. "What did he say to that?"


    "He was trying so hard not to blow up. He kept sweetening the pot until he realised he was not going to faze me. Not when The West was practically taking a nose-dive toward bankruptcy and we saved it. They cannot push us off the boat now that we have helped them through a storm. In the end, he said I could keep some of those shares if I was so fascinated by The West, but I would have to give something else in return. Namely, a marriage pact between a West and either a Fort or a Williams."


    He was confused. "Why does that sound like his way of asking for your hand in marriage?"


    She took a few deep breaths to stop herself fromughing. "That''s what I thought too. I''m the newest Fort in town, after all. And the official procedure to change my surname to Fort is still underway, so legally I''m still Zaria Williams. But that was not his aim. He wanted to be permanently entangled with both you and my mother."


    It took a moment for him to figure out what she had realised the asshole was implying. He looked down at her andughed when their gazes met. "He didn''t really suggest a marriage pact involving Rosaly, did he?" He asked. That was the only person he could think that was unmarried and connected to both him and Lucy.


    "He did. And I wanted to p his brains out. Turns out he had an illegitimate son that has never been epted into the West family. If that boy were to be engaged to Rosaly, the Wests would find him useful and ept him, seeing as Rosaly is both your daughter and Lucy''s granddaughter at the same time."


    "Right." He clenched his fists. If Zaria hadn''t given Oliver a piece of her mind, he would do it and he would use his gun to do so.


    That had to be the reason why Oliver insisted on him and Rosaly leaving.


    Well, not the only reason. They both knew what else there was to it even though they didn''t want to talk about it for the fury it would evoke in them.


    Evan thought since Rosaly was not Zaria''s biological daughter, Zaria would be less reluctant to give her away in a marriage pact.


    Thinking about it, Zaria finally understood Ang''s role in the kidnapping. "Wait. It''s not about what happened to Gabriel. They probably don''t even give a shit about it. But if Ang were to take Rosaly away and sign a marriage pact, it would benefit them. However, they must have tried to do it and found out I''m also Rosaly''s legal parent and they thought this would be more convenient."


    "If Ang made a decision about Rosaly, it could be legally nullified on the grounds of her not having any custody rights and therefore no right to make major choices. But if you were to do it, not only would it be valid, but it would also drive a major wedge between you and Rosaly when she finally understood what a marriage pact is. Of course, this is just the bonus and probably what they offered Ang in exchange for her getting the job done. The main benefit for them is their position in the family business."


    Zaria frowned. If she wasn''t aware of Lucy having rigged the whole room, and if opening fire wouldn''t put her and the baby in danger, she would have snatched Oliver''s gun that she''d seen peeking out of his waistband and shot his brains out. His son was better off without such a scumbag for a father. It still made no sense how one could have a child and be so selfish as to use them mercilessly.


    "Oh right! I have to tell Ximena we found Rosaly. She''s freaking out." She shot up and grabbed her phone.


    ______


    Ximena was pacing a hole through the living room floor. Liam grabbed her mid-pace and pulled her against him. "Baby, it''s going to be alright. Des just told us they are safe and Zaria told you the same thing. Rx, okay?"


    "I can''t rx! My parents had something to do with this and it will only get worse. They will do anything to get under our skins." She wanted to scream. It would be bearable if they only attacked her. After all, hitting the road was her idea and it wasn''t like she wasn''t capable of making her own decisions. Going after her friend was a low blow but she had to admit it was working. She couldn''t let Zaria suffer for her to be happy.


    She groaned when she realised that meant if Zaria was happy, she couldn''t be happy too. Why couldn''t both of them be happy?


    "I swear, I have never felt so much hate in my life." She pulled at her hair. Liam wrapped his arms around her. He didn''t want to go back. They had been so peaceful before all this.


    But again, he couldn''t ignore the fact that Ximena''s parents were a pair of lunatics just waiting for another chance to strike.


    "Maybe we can go back just to have a word with them."


    "How many words have I had with them?" Sheughed bitterly. "It''s never going to work."


    She let him lead her back to the bedroom and slumped onto the bed. "Your parents may be stubborn as yet another pair of mules but at least your mother cares about you. She would never let your father do something drastic. I wish I could say the same about mine." She gathered her hair in her hands and stopped herself from pulling it at thest moment. She was still baking in frustration. "I can''t believe I''m thinking this but I wish they were dead. It''s the only way I can ever truly be peaceful."


    She had said it on a whim but once her words were out, she was horrified by how true they were. She had just wished her parents dead. And that was not all. She was actually considering it.

 Chapter 351 Date (1)

    351 Date (1)


    Her phone rang for the umpteenth time and she wanted to explode. It was much easier when only Lucy had ess to her contact details. She didn''t know how her parents found them but they had resorted to blowing up her phone. She debated turning it off and decided that would not be a permanent solution. They would simply resume calling as soon as she turned it back on.


    She took a deep sigh and answered it, tapping her lips with her index finger for Liam to remain silent. "What do you want?"


    She heard a simr helpless sigh on the other end before her father spoke. "Ximena, your mother and I don''t want to be estranged from you, you know? It would be best if we could all get along as families should."


    "We would get along just fine if you didn''t resort to trying to ruin my life once you found out you could not control me." She snapped. She mentally counted the seconds until he blew up. He always did whenever he couldn''t get his way.


    However, the explosion she was waiting for didn''t happen. Instead, he calmly said, "I have not been a good father, I''m sorry. I''m also sorry it took me so long to realize this. Do you think you could ever give me the chance to make it up?"


    She frowned. Who was this man and what did he do to her grumpy father?


    As unbelievable as it was, she was not buying it. "You had my whole life to make it up but you didn''t."


    "Ximena," he sighed. "I know it takes a toll on you thinking about how horrible your rtionship is with me and your mother."


    "WHy are you wasting so much time coddling her?" Her mother snapped in the background, prompting him to growl at her.


    "Shut your mouth! I''m talking to my daughter." He put the call on hold for a bit and when he returned, she could no longer hear the low sound that must have been the television. He must have left the living room. "I''m sorry about that." He cleared his throat.


    "Just get straight to the point." She demanded. Her mother was not wrong. He was trying to coddle her and it wouldn''t work. They both knew he wanted to tell her something that would make her want to smash her phone. Might as well get it over with and save the phone bill.


    "Can we meet up for a meal? I cane over to wherever you are."


    "No." She cut him off before he could ask for her location. "Is this what you were after all along? Asking for my location?"


    "What? No!" He sounded so shocked that she almost believed him. "How about this, we can meet somewhere else. Somewhere that''s neither Imperium nor your current location. You can tell me where works best for you."


    "I''ll think about it." She said and immediately hung up.


    She was still reeling in shock when she told Liam about it. "Of all the ways they have evere up with to pin me down, this one takes the cake."


    He listened to her recount it. While he had heard her side of the phone call, it was hard to believe her father said any of the things he said. "What''s gotten into him?"''


    "That''s exactly what I want to know. Do you think he wants us to meet up for a meal so he can kidnap me?"


    He snortughed. "Kidnapped you? No kidnapper would dare put their hands on you. They would get kidnapped by you instead."


    She rolled her eyes, but he was not exaggerating it. If it was that easy to kidnap her, she would have been caged by her parents ages ago. She had only survived for this long because Theodore had taught her and Zaria how to fight. She had been more interested in it and wouldn''t stop until she was sure to defend herself if the need ever arose.


    Liam stopped joking around. "There''s a chance he wants to follow you here and find out where we live. We cannot pretend that''s impossible. However, there''s an equal chance he really does want to make it up to you. Maybe he realized he pushed you too far and is regretting falling out with you."


    That possibility made her shake her head. "I don''t know if I want that, Liam."


    She had begged them to be there for her all her life. Why would they want to do so now that she no longer needed them?


    When she curled into his arms, he smoothed down her hair. "I think you should go for the sake of closure. Tell him how you feel and even if neither of you gets to y happy family with each other, you will not feel like you left some things unfinished."


    She tightened her arms around him. "Will youe with me?"


    "Of course, baby. Anything for you."


    Once he had said hello to Theodore and the puppy who couldn''t wait for him to leave, he returned 14:07


    home to pick Zaria up for their date.


    ______


    The following day, Desmond dropped Rosaly off at Theodore''s house so he and Zaria would continue their honeymoon where they left off. He would have taken her back to Natalie but thetter was traumatized from nearly losing her and could no longer trust herself to take care of a child¡ªeven though it was not her fault.


    Lucy was overjoyed to see her, she practically ran to the front door when she heard the car drive in.


    "Grandma Lucy!" Rosaly ran over to her and threw herself into her arms as soon as she got off the car. Lucy picked her up and kissed her cheeks.


    "I missed you so much! Are you excited for our spa day?"


    Rosaly nodded even though she didn''t fully understand what a spa day was. All she knew was that her grandma would be there so it would be fun. "Is Grandpa Theoing too?" She asked.


    "If he must." Lucy grumbled and red at Desmond when heughed. He shrugged and pulled an imaginary zipper over his lips. He wasn''t going to be the one to call Lucy out for pretending not to want Theodore''spany when she had insisted on keeping Des for a few more days so she wouldn''t feel awkward about staying for a few more days.


    Lucy carried Rosaly''s bag while the girl zed through the house to find Theodore and Des. "Say goodbye to daddy!" She reminded her, thenughed. "Never mind." She shot a look at Desmond. "See you never?"


    He shook his head inughter. "Her mother will chew me out if I don''t bring her back home soon."


    Her mother.


    The words felt magical. It was the first time he was actually referring to Zaria as Rosaly''s mother and nothing had ever felt so right.


    He still felt a little guilty about the restraining order he had filed the morning after they returned from The West, but it was for the best. It may be a stretch to think Ang might cause her physical harm but sometimes psychological harm was worse. Rosaly deserved a mother who loved her, not one who wouldn''t hesitate to use her.


    Once he had said hello to Theodore and the puppy who couldn''t wait for him to leave, he returned home to pick Zaria up for their date.


    She was waiting for him at the door when he arrived and heavens, she was beautiful. She was wearing a calf-length ck dress with a side slit revealing a sliver of her gorgeous thigh, paired with gold strappy sandals and a purse of the same shade. Her hair was in one of those buns that were supposed to look messy¡ªthough he knew women spent almost an hour in the mirror getting it to the perfect level of ruffled.


    He got out of the car and took out the bouquet he had bought on his way, which he handed to her as he picked her hand. "Do you know what''s the worst mistake of my life?"


    She shook her head. "What?"


    "Not finding you sooner." He leaned down to peck her lips. "You''re so beautiful, my love." Then, as a ritual, he got on one knee to kiss her belly. She had ditched the clothes that hid her bump. Today, her dress brought out the curve of her belly and he didn''t think she had ever been more beautiful.


    She chuckled after what must have been the hundredth belly kiss. "Uhm, Desmond, the date?"


    "Right." He straightened back up. "After you, mdy."


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