A moment of silence settled between them as Zara felt her heart catch in her throat. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins, and her heart thumped loudly in her ears.
"Favorite obsession?" Zara thought innocently. Was that why she felt so attached to him lately?
To her, his words felt sweet yet bitter—like a bittersweet dream, she could never escape, serving as a warning to stay away from such dangers.
Zayden watched her, and the reaction he desperately did not want to see on Zara's face appeared. It reminded him of the time she had pushed him away as if he were some sort of plague. That same expression crossed her face, though he had no idea what thoughts were swirling in her mind.
"Take some rest," he said after swallowing hard, turning his back to Zara and pulling her out of her thoughts.
He placed the cup back on the table and began to step away when Zara sat upright, clutching the white bedsheets around her chest.
"I will go with you to visit your dad on one condition," she said, her eyes meeting Zayden's with confidence.
It seemed that if he didn't agree, she wouldn't leave at all. So, he asked, "What condition?"
"Wishes," she replied with a delighted smile, her eyes sparkling.
"Wishes?" he repeated, confusion evident in his voice, raising his brows.
"Yes, I have some wishes before…," she trailed off, her thoughts echoing in her mind, "before her eleven months are over."
Zayden opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
"There are just a few, and they are easy to fulfil. I will only go there if you promise to grant my wishes." Though she wore a delighted expression, the hurtful tone she tried to mask was still evident.
Zayden was unable to read her masked emotions, as he was also in inner turmoil.
Promise? He wondered. If only Zara knew the consequences of such words to him; even in her next life, she wouldn't dare mention promises.
He hated promises—both kept and broken. Only he understood how much he despised them since one had taken her life, and such promises had promised to bring her back. Yet here he remained, miserable and yearning for his beloved wife to be reincarnated.
Zara noticed his piercing gaze fixed on her and called out his name, "Zayden," in a sweet, soft tone.
Immediately, he snapped out of his reverie, and his gaze darted back to her, noting that she wanted to make a promise that could lead to their doom.
He stared at Zara, and for a moment, all he could see was innocence—nothing more, nothing less.
"Promise," he finally uttered and walked away, leaving Zara stunned and happy.
She knew Zayden had been cold to her for some time, but she never expected him to agree to her wishes. Overcome with joy, she jumped on the bed and giggled softly like a child.
***
Zayden stood outside the door, his hand gripping the handle. He could hear the faint sounds coming from the room and instantly knew she was happy.
He chuckled softly, even though it was an unintended reaction.
A tingling sensation spread in his chest, and he placed a hand on that sacred spot, reminding himself that it might just be the result of the new promises.
But then the thought of promises caused deep lines to furrow between his brows. He released his grip on the door handle, clenched his fist behind his back, and walked away.
"Promise," he muttered under his breath as his steps ended immediately. His brows remained furrowed.
"Do you need anything?" Robert asked, bowing his head slightly in greeting after noticing his boss standing by the stairway.
He avoided his master's gaze, aware of the anger that radiated from him, as per Ryan's words.
Robert wondered what had caused Zayden to become so furious that he could feel the heat seeping into his back.
"Send for Ryan and Kael immediately to the boxing room," Zayden instructed before leaving.
Once Zayden turned to walk away, Robert sighed in relief. He was still too shaken to move, but he was grateful that he wouldn't become his master's punching bag today.
Whenever Zayden was furious, Robert often found himself on the receiving end of that frustration.
The last time Zayden met his father, he returned home angrily; though no one knew of what they discussed, some had suspected it was due to the new lady upstairs; Robert had ended up being the one punished after Ryan and Kael set him up. It surprised him to see Zayden angry at home.
Feeling victorious, he moved his legs and marched toward the boys' quarters, where Ryan and Kael would be.
"I'm finally getting my revenge today," he said triumphantly, laughing eerily, and raised his hands in victory.
The maids who saw him striding like a champion giggled at his bravado. He could have easily succeeded in gymnastics, even at his age.
They shook their heads before returning to their tasks, preparing for dinner since their master disliked lateness.
Inside the boxing room, the atmosphere was tense, thick with the smell of sweat.
The room was dimly lit, with only a few flickering fluorescent lights illuminating the space.
Despite it being a wrestling room, it still had a horror-like aura, probably due to the man who stood inside the boxing ring, each punch he directed at the black punching bag echoing throughout the room.
The walls were adorned with boxing posters.
The floor creaked beneath Ryan and Kael as they both nervously swallowed hard, breaking out in a sweat.
Ryan was beginning to shake with fear due to the silent treatment they received from Zayden, while Kael, who was prepared for the worst, stood with a hint of apprehension.
In the centre of the room stood a large boxing ring, taking up most of the space, with Zayden in the middle.
The ropes were frayed, and the canvas was stained with a mix of sweat and blood. The sight of the blood sent a shiver down Ryan's spine.
"Damn that Robert," Ryan cursed, his body trembling with anger and fear.
With a loud punch, he struck the punching bag, causing Ryan to fall to his knees as sawdust from the bag scattered across the floor.
Slowly getting to his feet, Ryan felt weak in his legs. He took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
His eyes darted to Kael, who appeared unafraid, and then he pinched Kael to get his attention. Using his eyebrows, he motioned for Kael to meet Zayden.
Kael was about to ignore him, but the pinch nearly made him yell in pain. Furrowing his brows in annoyance, he turned to Ryan and noticed that Ryan acted as if nothing was wrong with his actions.
"What a coward!" he said as he walked past Ryan.
Ryan's mouth hung open in surprise. After closing his mouth, he scoffed and muttered, "That little…" but couldn't finish his sentence as Zayden turned towards them. He gritted his teeth at Kael.
"You sent for us," he said as he approached Zayden, who was wiping the sweat from his body with a white towel.
Zayden stepped out of the boxing ring and tossed the towel onto the mat. He wore red trousers that hung low on his waist, barely reaching above his knees.
Without a shirt, his muscles were on display, and sweat glistened on his skin despite his attempts to wipe it off. He ruffled his hair back.
"Find Liam," he said simply, his gaze a deadly one.
Ryan, who had expected to be turned into a punching bag, stared at him in disbelief.
Liam? He struggled to remember where he had heard that name, and then it struck him that Liam was his… his master's prey.