Zayden pulled the phone away from his ear as the old man's booming voice echoed through the phone.
"You got married and didn't even think to invite your old man?" he spat, his anger and frustration clear in his tone.
Zara held back her laughter by clamping her lips together. While she understood the big deal for the old man, she still found it humorous.
"It's not a big deal, Dad," Zayden said, his brows creased with concern and irritation.
Zara's eyes widened as his words struck her like lightning; her eyes nearly popped out of her head, and her lips parted in shock.
'Dad?' She felt doomed now that his father had discovered the news of their marriage.
What was he like? Was he colder than Zayden?
"It's not a big deal when I find out through your uncle and the news, making this old man look like a fool in front of him," he continued, his voice becoming slightly more relaxed, though a hint of anger remained.
Zayden pinched the bridge of his nose, a sign of the frustration evident in his expression and silence.
Zara stood several meters away from Zayden, feeling like an innocent child listening to the conversation between adults.
"I want to meet my daughter-in-law. Bring her to me," he commanded before abruptly ending the call, leaving Zayden and Zara speechless.
Zayden groaned inwardly, leaning back in his seat. His uncle, Leo, was to blame for his father's newfound interest in him. He wondered what the old man was planning now that he found out about the marriage.
It would be better if he wasn't planning to act like a responsible father.
He rested his hands on his head just as he noticed a small leg clad in white slippers. His gaze shifted to Zara's face, where she was innocently staring at him.
A sly smirk curled at his lips as a thought struck him: Let's see how you handle this family drama.
Zara blinked, batting her eyelashes as if unaware of the predicament she was in. Then it struck her—she was the daughter-in-law of the Wellington family.
She gasped, realizing the implication behind Zayden's smirk.
He stood up from the chair, and she instinctively stepped back. Her heart raced like drums in battle at the thought of meeting Zayden's father—no, her father-in-law.
She wanted to scream and refuse the idea, but it was too late. As Zayden walked past her, he said, "You should start preparing for a vacation."
It was too... too late. Zayden had made up his mind to go to his father's house.
Snapping back to reality, she emerged from her daze and quickly turned in the direction where Zayden had gone, rushing after him.
She glued to him like a pest and asked, "Do I have to go?"
She waited for a response, but all she got was silence and a smile from Zayden.
"You can leave me alone here, and I won't cause any trouble for you," she continued to pester, her hands clasped together in a pleading manner.
Zayden took a book from the shelf and opened it, his full concentration on what he was reading.
Seeing that she wasn't getting Zayden's attention and realizing that she wouldn't change his mind if he kept pretending she wasn't there, her gaze fell on the book, and she noticed it was upside down. A smile crept onto her lips.
Without thinking, she bent down and slipped through the small space between Zayden and the book he held.
"One of the benefits of being small," she thought to herself with a grin.
But as soon as she looked up, she regretted it. She wished the ground could just open up and swallow her.
His hands, which had been holding the book, were now wrapped around her small waist, their eyes locking together.
His fingers intertwined to form a gentle cage around her slender waist.
The air between them seemed to fill with tension, their eyes locking in a warm embrace as if they were both waiting for the perfect moment to connect.
The world around them melted away, leaving only the two of them lost in the depths of each other's eyes as if they were each in their world.
Zayden's heartbeat quickened with each passing moment. He leaned closer, unknowingly reliving that moment when they were together in his world.
He moved closer to her, his gaze fixed on her delicate, soft lips. Zara clenched her gown tightly as she felt him nearing, her heart racing with anticipation.
She tilted her neck, giving him better access as she closed her eyes, her lashes fluttering even in their closed state.
One heartbeat, two, three... and then, in a movement that felt almost inevitable, he leaned in, ready to press his eager lips to hers, wanting to devour her. But a voice echoed within Zara—a voice she recognized all too well.
"Forget it," it said, accompanied by a face that seemed just out of reach, buried deep within her memory. She pushed him away, her hands pushing against him with a turbulent mix of emotions swivelling within her.
Where had she heard that voice before?
The face she was trying so hard to recall slipped away from her, especially since she had nearly fallen asleep at the crucial moment. It felt so real that she couldn't determine if it was a reality or a dream.
She held her head as a sharp pang of pain struck her like a bolt. Her hands gripped the shelves for support.
"Are you okay?" she heard Zayden ask, and she looked up to see him—a blurry figure in her vision. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out who stood before her.
"Zane?" he called out, tapping her shoulder.
"Zane?" he called again, shaking her with more urgency.
"Forget," she heard those words again, a sharp pain gripping her heart. She clutched her chest, her hands tightening in a painful embrace.
A mix of sandalwood and an unfamiliar scent wafted into her nostrils, filling her senses. Slowly, she began to regain her consciousness.
Zara's eyes narrowed, her gaze flashing with a mix of fear and warning as she jerked her arm away from Zayden's touch. Zara's heart raced; she tried to step back, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move as Zayden's eyes held her captive.