CH 04. WHERE IS MY SON?

Ben drove into the Young mansion and parked the car where it was expected to be. He got out of it and locked the car before moving to the car's trunk to carry Zach's luggage. He walked into the mansion where he saw the rest of the family waiting for both him and his boss. He dropped the luggage beside him and waved.

    " I am back, everyone. " He greeted.

The Madam of the house walked towards him and tried to look outside for any traces of her son but there was nothing. She looked at Ben confusingly.

    " Where is Zach? Where is my son? " She asked. Ben stared at his boss's mother before giving her and the family the reply he was told to give.

    " Something urgent came up so he went to his penthouse. " He replied.

    " He will be back tomorrow morning. " He assured them as he looked from one member to another.

Madam Young gritted her teeth at her son's behavior.

    " That liar! Does he not know he ought to be here for family dinner? What is it that came up urgently that he had to forfeit his coming here, huh? " She ranted. She wasn't satisfied with Zach's attitude.

    " Aunt, it's okay. You don't have to get yourself worried at all, he must have been caught up in an unexpected business as usual. We all know that Zach never jokes with his family, right? " Delilah, a childhood friend of Zach came closer to Madam and tried to calm her down.

    " Even if he couldn't make it, shouldn't he have called earlier? I know how hard I prepared everything just to make him happy. You are also here just to welcome him, he should appreciate you for that fact. " Madam Young continued.

    " Jennie, it's fine. Let's get to the dining room and eat something. It's getting late already. " Her husband, Ezekiel spoke. He understood quite well what business could mean and what measures one needed to take just to be profitable so he got along with Zach's excuse for being absent that night since he was once in his shoes.

Madam Young, with displeasure and reluctance, followed her husband to the dining room. Delilah excused herself to make a phone call. Ben was about to take a step when he noticed that there was still someone in the sitting room. He looked up to see the only daughter of the Young family, Rose, staring at him and he felt awkward about what to do.

    " Hi. " He greeted.

    " Hi. " Rose replied and left. She had a small body frame that could classify her as being a teenager though she was a teenager. She was nineteen years old, had a middle height, and pale white skin. She had a beautiful face that could easily pass her off as a model. Ben sighed as he watched her retreating steps.

On Delilah's part, she went to a corner that wasn't a secluded one though, and dialed Zach's number on her phone. The call was answered at the first ring and this somehow gladdened her heart that even though he was in the middle of his tight schedule, he still found the time to talk with her.

    " Hi, Zach. " She greeted.

    " Hey, how are you? " Zach asked from the other end.

   " I'm pretty good. What about you? " 

   " Same. "

   " We were really expecting you tonight but Ben told us that something came up. "

   " Are you at the mansion? " Zach inquired.

   " Yes. "

   " Oh, okay. I am sorry about that, I didn't know you were around. "

   " It's no problem. I just called to check up on you. "

   " I appreciate your care. "

   " You're welcome. See you tomorrow morning. "

   " Yeah, thanks. " 

The conversation ended in a neutral way that got Delilah smiling ear to ear as she went back to join the family for dinner.

Zach was scrolling through the news on his phone when Delilah's call came in so he answered. During the call, he saw that Hera's hands were beginning to twitch and she had started gasping so after the call, he quickly checked up on her only to discover that she was having a nightmare.

Despite the air conditioner that was on, Hera was sweating profusely and she whimpered as tears came out of her eyes. Zach, with immediacy, pulled the chair out and sat beside her. He held her hand and stroked it gently. He stood up again and gently lifted her so he could sit beside her. He held onto Hera and she snuggled into his embrace.

    " Hey...Hey, it's okay. It's just a dream, nothing more than a dream so calm down. " He pets and gently strokes her black hair that was tied up in a bun before giving her a light kiss on her forehead.

Hera stopped whimpering and calmed down after hearing his soothing voice. Zach then placed her head gently on the pillow and made sure that all the elements were still attached to her body and in the right place. He sighed.

    " This is going to be a long night. "