Nathaniel’s head whipped toward him. "What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped. "She is my sister."
Roberto dropped his gaze, regret flickering across his face. "Forgive ," he said softly. "It was out of line."
Still, the doubt remained in his eyes, a quiet unease he couldn’t shake.
"Instead of wasting your ti standing here, go check the surveillance footage. Find out who did it," Nathaniel snapped, his tone cutting.
Roberto didn’t flinch. "I already did," he said calmly. "But the caras were broken."
Nathaniel stared at him, stunned. "Broken?"
Roberto gave a short nod. "A fight broke out at the bar shortly after you left. Chaos followed. Lots of things were damaged. The caras were among them. It will take ti to recover the footage."
Nathaniel rubbed his temple, frustration simring just beneath the surface.
"And Riya?" he asked, suddenly rembering she had been left at the bar alone. "Is she okay?"
"She is fine," Roberto reassured him quickly. "I checked. She left the bar before the fight started."
Nathaniel exhaled, the knot of worry loosening from his chest. At least she hadn’t been caught in the ss.
"Keep digging," he ordered. "And keep an eye on that bartender. Track his movents. I’m not letting this go."
"Understood." Roberto gave a brisk nod. "Also, the driver dropped off your luggage a few minutes ago. It’s in the car. Let know if you need anything else."
Another thought crossed his mind. Nathaniel looked up and asked, "Any update from Isaac? Is he ready to sign the deal?"
Roberto hesitated for a mont, then replied, "Nothing from him yet. No response."
Nathaniel’s eyes hardened. "Make sure he transfers fifty percent of the shares to before I return. If he doesn’t, initiate the takeover."
Roberto straightened and said resolutely, "We are already preparing for it, sir."
"Good. Now let’s go pick up Zane from school. I want to see him before I leave."
"As you wish. I’ll get your luggage." With a final nod, Roberto turned and left the room.
~~~~~~~~~~
Zara stepped into her office.
"Thank goodness," Bree rushed over and pulled Zara into a tight embrace, sighing in relief. "You are finally out of that house. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I was so worried."
She pulled back, her hands gently gripping Zara’s shoulders. Guilt shadowed her expression.
"I’m so sorry, boss. You had to go through all that... because of . I shouldn’t have done that in the car. I shouldn’t have been so reckless. It’s humiliating—"
"It’s okay," Zara cut her off. Her voice held a note of weariness. "What’s done is done. There is no point going over it again."
"Nathaniel is such a scoundrel," Bree muttered under her breath. "I tried explaining everything to him—I even showed him pictures of and my boyfriend. But no, he just accused of fabricating the whole thing to protect you. Can you believe that?"
Zara froze for a heartbeat, her face carefully blank, but inside, her heart gave a familiar, painful twist. She had told herself not to care anymore. She had promised herself that his words, his judgnt, his disbelief couldn’t reach her anymore. But sohow it still hurt.
She inhaled deeply, pushed the ache down deep, and gave a small, indifferent shrug. "Let’s not talk about him. We have too much work to do." She walked up to her chair. "We don’t have much ti before the event. I want to wrap up everything."
This was her coback show, a way of reclaiming her identity, her voice, and the confidence she had almost lost in those five years. And nothing was going to derail it.
Outside the school...
Nathaniel leaned casually against his sleek black car, his arms folded, eyes scanning the steady stream of children spilling out through the gates. The sound of laughter and chatter filled the air, but his focus narrowed the mont he spotted Zane’s familiar little fra among the crowd.
Straightening up, Nathaniel took a step forward.
"Daddy," Zane called out in surprise and happiness, his face lighting up like sunshine breaking through clouds. He bolted toward him, backpack bouncing on his shoulders.
Nathaniel crouched just in ti to catch him, scooping the boy into his arms.
"You ca to pick up!" Zane’s voice bubbled with glee.
"Yes, love," Nathaniel murmured, holding him tightly to his chest. "We’ll go shopping, spend so ti together... and eat whatever you like."
"Can I get a new drawing set? Please?"
Nathaniel chuckled, brushing a hand over his soft hair. "Of course. Anything you want."
With a smile tugging at his lips, he opened the car door and helped Zane into the backseat, strapping him in with gentle hands. Then he slid behind the wheel and drove away.
~~~~~~~~~~~
They ca to a mall, and Nathaniel took Zane to the toy store.
Zane darted toward the action figures and remote-controlled cars with wide eyes, while Nathaniel followed at a more relaxed pace, watching his son with quiet amusent.
"Can I get this?" Zane asked, holding up a dinosaur that roared when its tail was pulled.
Nathaniel nodded. "If that’s what you want."
Zane picked out a few more things—so building blocks and a toy airplane—and then ran to the art section. "I need new crayons and markers, too. And a sketchbook."
Nathaniel found the sketchbook with a vibrant green dragon and added it to their growing pile. "You’ve got big plans, huh?"
"I want to draw my own comic," Zane grinned proudly.
After checking out, their arms filled with bags, the two headed to a nearby restaurant. Nathaniel ordered a simple lunch—pasta for Zane and grilled chicken for himself. They sat by the window, sunlight streaming across the table, turning the mont golden.
Zane chattered between bites, showing Nathaniel his plans for the characters he would draw. Nathaniel listened with genuine interest, nodding, asking questions.
Nathaniel looked at his son across the table, his little face content and sared with traces of chocolate from dessert. He finally asked the question that had been circling in his mind since last night.
"Zane, do you...miss your real mommy?"
Zane paused, spoon halfway to his mouth. He blinked, then shook his head. "No... because I have Zara Mommy with ," he said, before returning to his food.
Nathaniel’s chest tightened at his son’s innocent response. It was so honest, so pure, and it stung.
Nora had given birth to Zane, but it was Zara who had raised him, held him, and loved him like he was her own. She was his mother.
Nathaniel lowered his eyes, his heart twisting. If only he had thought things through before bringing up the divorce, Zara wouldn’t have been so angry with him. None of this would have spiraled into such a ss.
His resolve to keep Zara by his side grew even stronger. He had to make things right.
"Do you want a little brother or sister?" he asked, trying to sound casual. But his pulse raced with nervous energy, his eyes observing the boy’s reaction.
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