The following morning, Zara arrived at work like any other day, her thermal mug in hand. She headed to the break room to fill it with hot water. Work had not officially started yet, so she leaned against the counter, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number.Zara had been feeling uneasy ever since Yosef brought up her mom. She had spent the last couple of days tracking down an old neighbor's number. She wanted to see if they knew anything about her parents."Hello?" The voice on the other end sounded."It's Zara. Mrs. Kelly, remember me?" said Zara."Zara? How did you get my number?""I saved it a while back," Zara replied quietly."What can I do for you, dear?""Are you still neighbors with my parents? How are they doing?"Mrs. Kelly explained, "Oh, I moved away. I live with my son and his wife now. I don't see your folks much. They were fine last I heard, but I'm not up to date."Zara's heart sank a little. "Oh, okay.""Why don't you call them yourself, Zara? I heard you m

Yosef, who was always pretty stoic, got to the spot where he was meeting Harper. Harper was scarfing down a cookie like he had not eaten in days.Yosef gave him a quick once-over and took a seat.Harper nodded at the papers on the table and mumbled through a mouthful, "Your info's right there. I haven't eaten since yesterday. I'm starving.""Nobody at home to make your meals? Didn't your mom say she'd find you a wife?" Yosef casually remarked as he flipped through a folder.Harper's stomach turned when he thought of that older woman who had barged into his life, claiming to be his fiancée. He chucked the cookie back into the bag and wiped his hands with a tissue, sounding quite annoyed."My mom must be dreaming to think I'd marry her just for her inheritance. It'd be like having another housekeeper... Let's drop the subject."He glanced up. "Why are you suddenly digging into these small companies? They're peanuts compared to your Azure Cloud, aren't they?"He wondered why Yosef

Zara kept her cool and asked, "What are you planning to do with her?"Mr. Chapman gave a cold laugh. "That's my business, not yours.""Doing something to her that's a crime will put me into trouble too. It definitely is my business.""I'm trying to help you out. If I'm right, you got stuck with this tough job because Mr. Webb took her side. In a way, she's been in your way. Let me take care of her, and you'll have one less person to compete with. Wouldn't that make your life easier?"Mr. Chapman talked it all out slowly, making it sound like there was no downside.Zara thought it over and nodded. "You're right, she's been a pain."Mr. Chapman squinted. "So, you're in?""I'm in. I'll call her now." Zara pulled out her phone and dialed the number. After waiting a bit, she started talking."Ms. Fischer, your old boss, Mr. Chapman, told me to bring you here under false pretenses. He said he wanted to show you something. We're at the Hilton Hotel right now. Why don't you come and se

Yosef's face turned serious in a flash. "When did this happen?""Just last night," Zara said, still calm.Something bad had happened to Zara last night.Yosef knew the truth better than anyone else.He turned to Charmaine. "What did you see?"Charmaine's face went white. She finally realized that Zara was not kidding.Panicking, she blurted out, "Zara! What are you talking about?"Zara answered, "What do you mean? Didn't you tell everyone with such certainty about me and Mr. Chapman? You made it sound so real, with all the details, but I don't remember any of it. Our coworkers believe you, so I guess I should too."Charmaine never thought Zara would deal with it by calling the police!Starting rumors was so easy, like a snap of the fingers. It was impossible for the person involved to clear things up. Even if Zara tried to explain, some people would probably not listen.She wanted to wreck Zara's good name. She had even planned out what to say if Zara confronted her. She neve

Zara got back to her desk and started working. Her coworkers came by to comfort her or to say sorry for believing Charmaine's lies too quickly.Zara told them it was no big deal.Melanie, on the other hand, did not join in. She sat at her desk with her head down. She was busy with something, and she seemed upset.She had been so eager to clear up the rumors about Zara that she had the butler get the hotel's security footage before the police could. She never expected to see Yosef in the footage. He went into the elevator with Zara. They both headed upstairs and went into a room together.Even someone as innocent as Melanie could guess what a guy and a girl alone in a hotel room might be up to.She felt like Zara had betrayed her trust.It was Zara who had introduced her to Yosef, playing matchmaker. How could Zara do this to her now, being in the same room as Yosef?Was she stealing her boyfriend?Zara did not pick up on Melanie's sour mood. After watching Ophite leave, she pro