Chapter 10

The video was longer than most short clips online, but Zachary kept watching until the very end.

Then, he replayed it.

Listening to Selena's voice and watching her graceful fingers move, his calm, composed expression darkened. His eyes grew heavy with something deep and unreadable. He closed them, picturing Selena in his head.

The feel of her in his arms, the impulsive press of their kiss, the softness of her lips, and the faint scent that clung to her skin…

Even though it had only lasted a few seconds, every detail replayed in his mind as if magnified.

When the video ended again, Zachary abruptly stood up and walked into the bathroom. The sound of running water lasted for quite a while.

-

The next morning, after breakfast, Leona stepped outside expecting her usual ride.

Instead, Zachary's car was waiting by the gate. The window rolled down, and there he was in the back seat.

"Get in."

Leona blinked, a little surprised, but climbed in anyway.

"Uncle Zach, you're personally taking me today?"

Zachary's voice was calm. "It's on my way."

"Oh, okay."

Leona didn't think too much of it. She figured he just had some business nearby and happened to pass the school.

On the way, she scrolled through her phone, leaving comments on Selena's cooking video and checking the numbers. She couldn't stop talking about it.

"Ms. Jones is amazing! Her food looks incredible, and the video itself is so pretty. The lighting and the framing are perfect. Uncle Zach, do you have this app? If you do, you should follow Ms. Jones's account, too!"

Zachary didn't reply, but Leona didn't really expect him to. She knew her uncle wasn't the type to sit around watching videos.

Then, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, we never paid Ms. Jones for the dinner she made for us! We can't just let her work for free."

Zachary glanced at her and gave a faint smile. "I'll handle her payment. Don't worry about it."

"Okay."

Leona couldn't figure out why he suddenly seemed in such a good mood.

When they arrived at school, she spotted Juliet and ran over excitedly. The two girls immediately started chatting about Selena's video and headed inside together without saying goodbye to anyone.

Jonathan, who had come to drop Juliet off, was surprised to see Zachary sitting in the car. He got out quickly, walked over, and bent slightly toward the window.

"Mr. Foster, what a coincidence. Are you here to drop off Leona? I'm Jonathan from Campbell Tech."

Zachary lifted his gaze lazily. His sharp, elegant face showed a cool indifference as he gave a faint nod. Then, he spoke to the driver.

"Drive."

Before Jonathan could say another word, the car pulled away, the window sliding up and cutting him off.

As he watched the car leave, Jonathan's face tightened. His expression darkened as he finally turned and got into his own car.

When he arrived at the office, he immediately asked his secretary, "How's the project with Foster Group going?"

"We're still in talks," the secretary replied. "But the other two competitors, they're new but strong. Mr. Schultz said he'd try to meet Foster Group's representative again."

Jonathan frowned, irritation flashing across his face.

"Get Malcolm in here. I want to know what he plans to do. Didn't he swear he'd secure the entire Foster Group contract?"

The truth was, the Foster Group representative Malcolm Schultz was negotiating with was still weighing all three companies. Their smart tech products were competitive, but the new rivals were quickly catching up.

"Also," the secretary added, "the representative from Foster Group mentioned their top boss might be leaning toward one of the other companies."

Malcolm promised he was still working on it, but Jonathan didn't want to wait.

After sending him out, Jonathan thought about how close Juliet seemed to Leona that morning, and a calculating look appeared in his eyes.

He picked up his phone and called Selena, who was at home working on the outline for her next cooking video.

"What is it?" she asked coldly.

Jonathan's tone softened, even carrying a hint of a smile.

"Lena, I heard from Juliet that the dinner you made for Ms. Foster's party went really well. I've been thinking, and I realized I shouldn't be stopping you from doing what you love."

"Get to the point."

He hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

"Juliet didn't say much, but she must be feeling something about the divorce. I want to do something nice for her and make her happy again. I love our daughter, too. Even if we end up divorced, I don't want her to be judged by others or scarred by this."

Jonathan's words struck a soft spot in Selena. She couldn't bring herself to argue.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, you hosted that dinner for Ms. Foster before. Maybe this time, we can throw something for Juliet and let her invite her classmates and their parents. It'll show everyone how much we love her. We've never done anything like that for her before. I'm sure she'll love this."

To be fair, it wasn't a bad idea.

Not caring whether Jonathan's intentions were sincere or not, Selena agreed.

But they still needed Juliet's approval.

That afternoon, Selena went to pick Juliet up from school. Leona, seeing her there, tagged along and ended up having dinner with them at Selena's place.

During dinner, Selena brought up the idea.

Juliet thought for a moment. "Do you want to do it, Mom? Don't worry about me. I'm not as fragile as Dad thinks."

Juliet had grown up surrounded by love. Selena told her every day how much she adored her, and though Jonathan had grown distant in recent years, he truly did love his daughter.

So, the divorce didn't shake Juliet much. She never doubted her parents' love. To her, the breakup was just a grown-up issue.

Selena smiled softly, her pretty eyes filled with warmth.

"I do want to do it. Mostly because, now that your dad and I are divorcing, I want everyone to see that you'll always be our beloved daughter. That will never change. I don't want them talking trash about you."

No matter what kind of man Jonathan was, having him as her father still gave Juliet a sense of protection.

Juliet nodded. "Then let's do it."

Leona jumped in, grinning. "Ms. Jones, you're cooking again this time, right? You should show everyone how amazing you are!"

Lately, a lot of people had heard that Selena quit being a rich wife and started cooking for others instead. Her classmates had plenty to say about it behind her back, and none of it was nice.

Some of those comments probably came from their parents.

People said Selena was just trying to embarrass herself on purpose, picking fights with her husband out of spite. Others claimed she started some kind of lifestyle blog just to get attention and become famous. They joked that after spending so long living the pampered life, she needed some drama to win her husband back or keep herself entertained.

Juliet had heard all those things too, but she never once mentioned any of them to Selena.

Leona, however, believed the best way to shut people up was to prove them wrong.

"My parents can't make it, but Uncle Zach and I will be there to back you both up!" she said proudly.

Selena's smile faltered just slightly. A flicker of awkwardness crossed her gentle expression.

Zachary…would be there, too?