James had taken the reins of his family's business empire, and his dad saw the upcoming birthday bash as the perfect chance to introduce him to the company's allies.Sure, James could round up a whole squad of dates if he needed to, but none of his usual crowd of models and social media stars were suited for the cutthroat corporate scene. He was not about to mess up his big debut, which was exactly why he needed Zara by his side.Everyone in the industry knew Zara was the top secretary at Azure Cloud Group. She was in a league of her own when it came to getting the job done.Zara mulled it over for a hot second before sighing. "Mr. Sate, you've got yourself a deal. I'll be your plus one and get you through this event. After that, we'll be even." "Deal!"...James was too psyched to keep the news under wraps. The moment Zara gave him the thumbs-up, he bolted to the bar where his crew was hanging out to spill the beans."Ms. Lowry is on board!" he announced.Ophite raised an e

In the very next moment, she felt the overwhelming presence of a man closing in on her."Looking for James, are you? Since when were you two so chummy? How long have you been sneaking around with him behind my back, huh?""Mr. Webb?" Zara's voice trembled as she was still reeling from the shock.Yosef's gaze was dark and heavy in the shadows. "Mhm."Zara breathed a tiny sigh of relief. However, her relief was short-lived. She stiffened up again and pushed back harder. "Mr. Webb, let go of me.""So, you've taken a liking to James?" Yosef could read her like a book. The moment he saw her smile at James, he knew she was not totally uninterested.Zara was not bothered by his words and continued to struggle quietly. She just thought James had this innocent, endearing quality.Yosef sneered, pulling her over to the storage room's window and cracking it open. "Take a good look."Without thinking, Zara peered outside.There, in the secluded rockery of the back garden, was James with a

Suddenly, all eyes were on Zara, thanks to James' big announcement.There she stood in a deep purple gown, looking drop-dead gorgeous. However, her face was a blank canvas.The Sates were actually pretty stoked about Zara, especially after watching her schmooze and mingle with James all evening.They were no dummies. They knew James was not exactly a business whiz. Snagging a wife who could handle that stuff was top of their list of priorities when it came to looking for a daughter-in-law.Sure, they had heard Zara did not come from the fanciest of backgrounds. However, that was a plus in their book. It meant she would be easier to guide, and they would not have to stress about her using the company to bail out her own folks.Thinking this, Olivia stepped right up to Zara and gripped her hand with a warm, grandmotherly smile. "Absolutely, I'm all for Zara too."Zara immediately withdrew her hand. Olivia blinked, surprised.With a slight press of her lips, Zara started speaking

Yosef was not the type to play the field. In the three years Zara had been by his side, she was the only one for him.Now, however, he was playing by Beatrice's rules—no messing around before marriage. That meant he only came to Zara when he needed something.She could still hear him singing Beatrice's praises that day, going on about how 'well-raised' she was.In his eyes, Zara was anything but that. If she were, she would not have spent three years in a nameless, no-strings-attached situation with him. In the end, she was tossed aside like yesterday's laundry.At least she walked away first and did not stick around to mess up his perfect little plan to get hitched and have kids.Kids...Without thinking, Zara's hand drifted to her stomach. Her heartache welled up until it spilled out of her eyes in tears.The bitterness was overwhelming.…Yosef dropped Beatrice off at her place, like he always did, with his usual reminder, "Stay safe out there and hit the hay early, okay?"

Ever since the birthday bash, James had been cooking up every excuse in the book to hang out with Zara, but she was not biting.He got the hint after giving him the cold shoulder a few times. Being accustomed to the role of the golden boy, he did not see the point in chasing someone who was not interested. Thus, he backed off.Then, there was that awkward moment at the supermarket. Zara bumped into him flaunting some internet-famous arm candy. He acted like she was invisible and whisked his date away. That was the end of that chapter.With James out of the picture, Zara found herself pretty much out of the loop with the in-crowd. She was clueless about the latest happenings.Perched on her vanity, Cecil could not resist spilling the beans. "So, a guy from my office who's always at those high-society shindigs overheard that Chairman Webb isn't Beatrice's biggest fan. "He's shipped her off on the down-low and didn't even clue in Yosef about where she has gone. Yosef's been moping a