"Mommy!" Zenon cried out when he saw a familiar silhouette. Zeth looked up to see an unfamiliar woman looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you this child's mom?" he asked and went closer to the woman. Daphne couldn't do anything but stare at the man standing right in front of her. It didn't even take a minute for her to recognize that the man was Zeth—the Zeth that she only ever heard of in stories and only ever seen in pictures. Adriel surely wasn't exaggerating when she said that the man she met on the farm was charming and handsome. Daphne's now got mad respect for her best friend for not caving in to a man such as Zeth. If she was Adriel, she would have jumped into his arms the moment that they met. Zenon pouted when he saw that it wasn't his mom who had found him but his aunt instead. Nonetheless, he went to where his aunt was standing and hugged her thighs. Daphne looked down on Zenon and smiled, carrying him into her arms. At that moment, the light finally illuminated
All throughout his drive home, Zeth couldn't get the little kid's face out of his mind. Moreover, for some reason, he also wants to relive their conversation over and over again since it brought him inner peace. Talking to the child just felt so natural that it made him question his past beliefs. Zeth had never been fond of children. But the short conversation he had with the strange little kid made him believe otherwise. He pulled up into his driveway with a smile on his face. However, as soon as he opened the door, the smile on his face quickly fell. "Zeth," a woman exclaimed when he saw him coming into the house. Zeth's eyebrows furrowed when she smelled the woman's sickeningly floral perfume. "What are you two doing here?" "Zeth," his mother wiped the tears from her eyes. "We need your help." He looked at his father and saw the same distressed look on his face. He looked down at the ground and internally cursed in his mind. Just when he thought he was getting better, his p
Adriel's eyes widened in surprise. Is he already aware that she knows about his real identity? That he's Earl Gray's grandson rather than the farmer that she always thought he was? "Sir?" she asked, confused about the situation. Zeth chuckled coldly as he raked his hands through his already messy hair. He always looks kempt and well-dressed. However, today, it seems like he didn't get an ounce of sleep. "Stop it with your pretense," he smirked. "I already know everything." Adriel tilted her head to the side. What is he talking about? Is he really talking about the fact that she already knows about his real identity? But then, how does he know that? Only Daphne and her conversed about it during the weekends. "What are you talking about, sir?" "So, you're going to pretend like you don't know anything about this? Fine," he scoffed. "Be that way then," he leaned back on his seat and clenched his jaw. Adriel frowned. She honestly doesn't know why he's acting like this. All she wa
"Kayden?" Adriel asked, surprised to see the man she hadn't seen in four years' time. "Adriel," Kayden smiled at her. "I knew that it was you." "What are you doing here? I thought you were still staying at the farm." Kayden's expression darkened a little bit, but it went away in a blink of an eye. "Oh, I moved out of the farm about three years ago. I've been on my own ever since." "Oh, wow," Adriel said. "And you're now staying here in the city?" "Yeah," Kayden nodded his head. "I've got a small business just right around the corner," he said. "That's great. I'm happy for you," she genuinely said. Kayden has changed a lot since Adriel last saw him. If back then, he seemed a bit shy and reserved. Right now, he is exuding charisma and over-confidence. It's as if he changed into a completely different person. And Adriel doesn't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Kayden glanced down at the sandwich that Adriel was eating and frowned. "You're having a sandwich for
"Take this to the final editing team," Zeth handed Adriel a folder containing the copies of the new spring collection of the company's brand. "Yes, sir," Adriel said as she took the folder from Zeth's hand. "Make sure that only the final editing team gets a copy of this, alright? Don't go wandering around with these files at hand," he reminded. "Got it, sir," Adriel nodded her head and went out of the office. After Cedric and Zeth's conversation that day, Zeth gave Adriel only an adequate amount of work compared to the heaps of work that he used to give her. However, although her work situation has gotten better, it seems like their relationship is just getting worse. If back then, they could talk about casual topics during their breaks. These days, they can't even look at each other in the eyes for more than ten seconds. It breaks Adriel's heart every time Zeth avoids her eyes, and it makes her wonder if their relationship really doesn't have a chance anymore. She shook he
"What's going on?" Cedric asked as soon as he got to the highest floor. The entire building is in chaos after finding out that K brand had posted their new spring collection—the spring collection that looked like what they are trying to put out just next week. Adriel, who is currently feeling under the weather, shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Jo and Sir Zeth are talking inside his office. It seems to be a very urgent matter." Cedric stopped in his tracks when he saw Adriel's pale skin and lips. "Are you alright?" he gently asked. Adriel weakly nodded her head. "I've just caught a cold, but I'm alright. It's something that I can handle." "Have you drank your medicine?" "Yeah," she nodded. "Don't worry about me, Cedric. I think what Jo and Zeth are talking about is a much more serious matter than my cold." "Wait. Let me go inside," Cedric said and invited himself in. Adriel, too, trailed behind him to see what was going on. "What's wrong?" Cedric asked as soon as he saw Z
Zeth felt another sharp pain in his jaw, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He covered his lip with the back of his hand when he felt blood dripping on the side of it. "What the fuck was that for?" he exclaimed when he realized that Cedric had punched him. "For being a fucking asshole," Cedric spat. "Shit, man. What has gotten into you?" he asked as he wiped the blood on his hand on his trousers. "What has gotten into me? What has gotten into YOU?! Ever since you talked to your parents, you've been nothing but an asshole. And you made Adriel the center of your rudeness even when she didn't do anything wrong!" "I'm like this because of her, okay? My life was going well. I had already forgotten about her! But then, she comes back to oscillate my fucking life. And she still has a hold on me as she did more than four years ago!" "That isn't an excuse, Zeth," Cedric said. "You're acting like Adriel's the one at fault for every little inconvenience in your life." Zeth clos
Zeth couldn't say anything. He was speechless. The kid that looked exactly like him just called him daddy, and he didn't know what to feel about it. One thing is certain, though—he doesn't hate the feeling. Just then, the two of them heard a thud coming from the bathroom, causing Zenon to snap out of his daze and hold onto Zeth's hand. "Mister, can you please help my mommy?" he sobbed. "My mommy is feeling sick." Zeth thought for a second that he knocked on the wrong unit, but for some reason, there was already a suspicion in his heart that he had entered the right one. And if his suspicions are right, his heart felt more at pain for all the unfair things that he did to Adriel. "Bring me to her," he said. Zenon didn't hesitate to pull Zeth to the bathroom. "My mommy was shaking, mister. And she went to the bathroom to take a shower," Zenon said, still sniffling. When they made it in front of the bathroom, Zeth kneeled down to Zenon's level and caressed his hair. Shit. Looking a