Zara struggled to focus on her work, but no matter how much she tried, her thoughts kept circling back to Nathaniel. Every ti she rembered how she had thrown herself at him under the drug’s influence, pleading for his touch, a wave of embarrassnt washed over her.
Her cheeks burned as she bit her lip. She had never acted like that before. She had kissed him so desperately, losing all control. The fire raging inside her had driven her mad. She had even started in the car, forgetting where they were and who might be watching.
Mortified, she hung her head down. ’Did the driver see that? Oh God, how humiliating.’
Thankfully, Nathaniel had managed to restrain himself. If not, she might not have been able to face anyone. Yet, a sting of disappointnt lingered in her chest.
It made sense that he had resisted in the car, but once they were ho, he could have eased her tornt, made love to her. Instead, he had plunged her into cold water and called Eugen.
’Why doesn’t he want ?’ The thought gnawed at her.
It wasn’t as though Nathaniel lacked desire. Zara had felt how much he wanted her. The way he kissed her, the way his body responded when she was close to him, even the ti he had teased her at the office—it all revealed his desire for her.
Then why this resistance?
Zara was left utterly bewildered.
Knock-knock...
The sharp rapping on the desk jolted Zara out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Bree standing there, arms crossed, and a frown etched on her face.
"I’ve been standing here for quite a while," Bree muttered, sounding complaining. "And you didn’t even notice. What has got you so lost in thought?"
Zara’s cheeks ward as she lowered her gaze to the draft spread out before her. "I was... working on the design."
"Really?" Bree narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You looked completely distracted. What is on your mind?"
Zara avoided her gaze, unable to admit the truth. She tried to focus on the sketch in front of her, but her hand wouldn’t move.
"You left the party without telling ," Bree continued, her tone tinged with both disappointnt and reproach. "I thought you’d co back, but you never did. You didn’t even answer my calls."
Hurt flickered across Bree’s face. She had assud Zara had left with Nathaniel and forgotten about her entirely.
Guilt pricked Zara’s chest. "I wasn’t feeling well," she murmured, finally looking up. "I’m sorry. I didn’t notice your calls."
Bree’s expression softened a little. "But why didn’t you call ? I could’ve co and helped you."
Zara faltered, her lips pressing into a thin line as she debated whether to say it or not. But lying to Bree wasn’t an option.
"I was... drugged," she revealed at last.
Bree’s eyes went wide, pure shock flashing across her face. Of all the things she had imagined, this wasn’t one of them.
"Drugged? What do you an? We ate the sa food. The champagne too—" She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing as a thought struck. "Wait... was it the champagne?"
"I think so," Zara replied softly. All morning, she had replayed the incident in her mind, going over every bite and sip, until it all pointed back to the glass of champagne a waitress had handed her. Soon after that, she started feeling uneasy.
Bree dragged a chair out and sat across from her, worry clouding her expression. "Who would spike your drink? Riya? It has to be her." Her eyes burned with anger. "She argued with us last night. If not her, then who else?"
"No... it wasn’t Riya," Zara said, completely unaware that Riya and Jaxon had been working together. "It was Jaxon. He drugged and pushed onto another man’s bed."
Bree stared at her in disbelief. "Jaxon? Your half-brother? He was at the party?"
Her shock gave way to fury. "Zara, this is serious. You should go to the police. He already kidnapped you once, and now he is trying to ruin you. You need to be very careful. Why don’t you tell Nathaniel about it?"
Zara had wanted to confide in Nathaniel, but he had already left before she even woke up.
"Are you alright?" Bree asked gently, her tone softening with worry. "How did you get out of that situation? Did soone step in?"
Zara gave a faint nod, her thoughts drifting back to the mont Nathaniel appeared like a storm, pulling her away from danger. "It was Nathaniel," she whispered gratefully. "He ca just in ti. He fought that man... said he’d destroy him."
Bree let out a long breath of relief, recalling how Nathaniel had been desperately searching for Zara. "So he really does care about you," she said with a small smile. "Saved you like a hero once again."
Zara’s lips curved into a faint smile, too, the image of Nathaniel striking the man flashing in her mind. But the warmth quickly faded as another mory followed—his rejection last night.
Bree caught the flicker of change in her expression imdiately. "What’s wrong? Are you hiding sothing else from ?" she pressed, curiosity sharpening her tone.
Zara t her gaze, dithering whether to take any suggestion from her.
"Tell ," Bree urged. "Maybe I can actually help."
Bree was the only close friend she had, yet this was sothing so personal that Zara hesitated to voice it. What would Bree think of her if she told the truth?
"Is this about Nathaniel?" Bree pressed, her brows knitting. "Did he scold you?" She imdiately grimaced, imagining Nathaniel blaming Zara for what happened. The gratitude she had felt a mont ago vanished.
"This man," Bree muttered, shaking her head. "I thought he had changed, but no...he is still arrogant, cold, and rciless. How could he ever bla you? You had no way of knowing Jaxon would crash a high-class fashion event and try to hurt you. Instead of being mad at you, he should have hunted that guy down and taught him a lesson."
"That’s not it," Zara interrupted. "He isn’t blaming . It’s sothing completely different."
Bree leaned forward, eyes sharp with curiosity. "Ugh, the suspense is killing . Just tell already."
"It’s about Nathaniel," Zara admitted.
"I knew it," Bree exclaid before Zara could say another word. "It’s only he who can upset you. He is always so grumpy. Compared to him, Shay is amazing—handso, kind, successful. I just love him. But Nathaniel..."
She snorted. "He saved you, which is great. But he really needs to learn how to be nicer to you, to make you feel better."
"Wait," Zara interjected, holding up her hand. "Hear out first."
Bree leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, and nodded. "Alright, I’m listening."
Zara pressed her lips together, then asked slowly, "Why would a man resist having sex when he clearly wants it?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)