MasukZARA’S POV“Oh, What!” Lena exclaimed. “So you wish to have dinner with your husband while leaving your single, lonely best friend to eat alone? That’s not fair at all.”I chuckled, surprised at how clingy Lena could be, “You have Mackenzie right here, ready to eat with you. There is a partner so you won’t be lonely. Moreover, I will be right here, watching you eat and telling you how filled up I get whenever I watch you eat.”“You want to tell lies,” Lena frowned.“You are cute, girl,” I told her honestly.“That’s my line. You were always the cute one until you got married-” Lena said, brandishing the fork as if it was a weapon. “I can’t wait to see your husband and let him know how displeased I am at him for stealing you away. Both of us were supposed to be with each other forever.”“That can still work out,” I pointed out.“Not anymore,” Lena responded with a frown. “You choose him over me with mere dinner, that tells me everything I need to know.”“Sounds like somebody is very jea
ZARA’S POV“Then I will come with you,” Lena said over the phone.“Erm…” I muttered. “I already have someone coming with me. If I take you too, it will be too crowded. It's not as if Cael is the president or something, he doesn’t need a crowd to welcome him.”“I am only one person and you feel like I am enough to make a crowd?” she asked.“That’s not what I mean-” I tried to explain.“Nevermind, I should never have brought this up. You can go with whoever you want, whoever is more special than your best friend,” Lena said, sounding hurt. I had to compromise.“I’m sorry, you can come with us,” I told her.“Now you are talking!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I will get ready. Where should we meet?”“At my house, you have the address, right?” I asked.“Resend it to me. What time?” she asked in reply.“His plane lands by 11pm. We will head out an hour early so be at my place before ten,” I said.“That is ridiculous!” she exclaimed. “I will be at your place by seven, let’s have dinner together
ZARA’S POV“But I will be fine,” I added. “The person that would be hurt by this situation is John. All I have for him is sympathy, it’s not as if I’m truly grieving for the poor child.”“You don’t have to say that,” Kate cut in. “Anyone would feel overwhelmed after hearing the sad news.”I nodded in acceptance, “Sure, if you say so.”“Zara,” she called my name.I turned to her, “I’m fine. By the way, I think I should do something for John. He must be feeling very down right now. I will send him a letter and a bouquet of flowers.”“Some money would also help,” she pointed out.“No,” I disagreed. “Right now, he will need sincerity more than money at this period.”“I don’t think so,” Kate told me. “It might look like he is rich because of how much he is getting paid here but he has been spending a lot of his daughter’s medical bill and that has made him broke. I’m sure some money would go a long way for him.”I heaved a sigh, “He is very pitiable. His life is so-”“I know,” Kate agreed.
ZARA’S POVFor the first time in a while, I didn’t need to be hassled into bed by Kate. My test results had shown that I was fine and it seemed as if Kate could finally take a breath of relief. I slept that night without worrying, it was the first since Cael went on that business trip. I woke up with body pain though but that’s a story for another day.**“Morning sunshine,” That was Kate trying to be romantic this morning and I didn’t turn away from her gesture.“It’s a beautiful morning,” I replied. “Did you sleep well?”“I did. I see you did too, you’re literally glowing,” she muttered.“Well, if you say so,” I scoffed. I was in the dining room for breakfast and it was my first time getting served by the chef on duty. I would have asked about the head chef normally but I didn’t want to be so nosy today. They would tell me if there was something important, you know.“Is it because Cael is coming today?” Kate asked. It was as if her primary assignment was to tease me.“I doubt that i
CAEL’S POV“You will pay for it tonight… You are mummy’s good boy,” Luisa said, stroking my hair slowly. She was seated on my lap, clearly enjoying herself. I could feel myself getting hard, too bad my third leg had a mind of its own.She touched my face slightly and when I didn’t react, she started to rub on it and then she pulled my trimmed beards gently. She was biting her lower lip actively while wearing an amused expression.“What are you doing?” I asked.Out of the dictionary of the most stupid questions you could ask in that situation, that might just be the most stupid of all. I knew exactly what she was doing since she had expressed it both physically and verbally yet I was still asking, just like a fool.“Prepping you…” she replied. “I need you hard enough for me.”I took a deep breath in a bid to stabilize my breathing.“This can’t be happening, Luisa,” I muttered. “I am a married man.”She scoffed, “I should be the one sounding old-fashioned here, not you. I am five years
ZARA’S POVInstead of replying, Gabriel smirked and though I might have not taken offence on a normal day, today was very different. Anger surged within me and I hoped he would stop before I lost myself.“I was only stating my opinion earlier. Did it trigger you?” Gabriel asked. That wasn’t helping things.I tried to explain with calmness, “There is a clear difference between stating your opinion and being offensive. You literally criticized me out there.”“I stated that we need a leader who makes quick decisions,” he said confidently. “You might hate that I said that in the presence of everybody but I was right. If you are going to lead the company, your decision making skills will need improvement. You will also need to stop nitpicking about every single thing.”“What?” I asked, stunned by what he had just said.“You need to be able to accept criticism, that is the way you improve,” he told me carefully. “I believe you have understood me and I will take my leave now.”“I didn’t give
ZARA’S POVI looked outside the window, taking in the bright city lights that shone ahead of us. I sat in the passenger seat, as my heart pounded like a free rock-and-roll concert was being held there.While Cael on the other hand was driving calmly, his eyes on the road, one hand on the wheel, and
ZARA’S POVI pushed open the apartment door, my overnight bag was still hanging from my shoulder. The place was quiet. A little too quiet if I might. Marcus was supposed to be at work, but his car was parked downstairs. I smiled a little. Maybe he came home early to surprise me.“Marcus?” I called,
ZARA’S POVCael Ashford stood there in the doorway like he owned the place.Which, apparently, part of me now did too. He was dressed in a fresh black shirt and trousers, looking far too composed for a man who had just walked into a woman’s apartment uninvited.In his right hand, he held my missing
ZARA’S POVMy head felt like someone was driving nails into my skull from the inside.The worst hangover of my life had arrived with its full force, punishing me for every single terrible decision I made last night.I woke up slowly, squinting my eyes against the bright sunlight pouring in through







