Mason woke up the next morning and found that Zoe wasn’t by his side. Thinking that she was in the dressing room, he got off the bed and made his way there.His suit had been laid out, ready for him to wear. A matching watch and cuff links had been prepared as well, but she was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was preparing his breakfast downstairs, he thought. So, he freshened up and made his way down. The servant was laying out the plates and cutleries in the dining hall. Two freshly baked croissants and a cup of black coffee, his usual breakfast, had already been set on the table. The day's newspaper was on the left side of the table as well, as usual. Zoe had always made sure everything was set up in this way.The servant noticed Mason descending the stairs and greeted him respectfully. He sat down, flipped through the papers casually, and asked, “Where’s Zoe?”She was stunned. When she came back to her senses moments later, she said, “Are you asking about her whereabouts, Mr
Mason looked at his phone and smiled.Nothing could escape from him.If he wanted Zoe, then she would be his!…Zoe hung up the phone and exited the kitchen. Mia read her expression and asked, “Are you and Mason fighting again?”She shook her head and told her stepmother the truth. “We had a rough patch a few days ago, but he came home last night and acted completely different. I can’t read him, Mia.”Upon hearing that, Mia went back to her bedroom and came out with a ticket. Touching Zoe affectionately, she flashed her a faint smile.“This is an exhibition that displays your late mother’s artworks. Give it a visit to clear your head, Zoe. Come back for dinner. I’ll save some pizza for you.”An exhibition of her late mother’s artworks?Zoe took the ticket and fiddled with it. Her mother was a Kirk. Her talents shook Jovopolis when she was young. However, just as she hit her prime, she passed away. Hundreds of her artworks were distributed on the market, each of them valued bet
Vivid colors filled the evening skies in autumn, adding to dusk’s gloriousness.Zoe made her way back to the apartment. She had just opened the door when she heard Mason’s warm, sweet voice.“I used to fix my own pipes when I studied abroad.”“I’ll just change into a fresh suit tomorrow if I get wet! It’s no problem, Mia!”…What was he doing here? Closing the door, Zoe placed her keys on the hook by the door. Mia heard her movements and came to greet her. “He’s been here for an hour now. It just so happens that the pipe in the kitchen broke and he insisted on fixing it! Is he here to take you back home?” Mia was genuinely surprised. Mason was so conceited under normal circumstances. When had he ever fixed a pipe? All men were the same, it’d seem. They could do anything previously thought to be impossible if it was about winning a lady’s favor!Taking off her coat, Zoe said softly, “I’m staying here tonight.”Mia let out a sigh of relief. “Alright. I’ll make some dinner! Y
Curling her hair with his finger, he said somewhat lazily, “Did you earn that money when you performed at Leslie’s place? Did he pay you in thousands or tens of thousands? That can't even pay for high tea at the places our people are used to.”She rested her head on his shoulder, not saying anything. Perhaps that kind of money meant nothing to him, but it was a symbol of her courage when she decided to divorce him. It was true that she had returned to him, but she still wanted to try to support herself as best as she could. She no longer wanted to be dependent on him. She never wanted to receive another check from him after having sex with him.He knew what she was thinking. She didn’t have to say it. He continued to embrace her, enveloping her hands with his big palms. He held her like that for a long time.Eventually, she felt uneasy and freed herself. “I’m going to take a bath.” However, he held her hand, his fingers entwined with hers. Pressing his forehead against hers, he
Turning on the bedside lamp, Mason sat up, leaned on the headboard, and looked at her, “What do you think?”Zoe had no answer for that. Smiling faintly, he spoke. His deep voice sounded especially moving in the night. “I’ve never loved anyone from the bottom of my heart, Zoe, and I don’t know what it feels like to be in love. However, this is the first time I've ever cared about someone. I care about you so much that I ditched my principles. I even followed you to your parents' place and fixed the leaky pipe in their kitchen.”Pausing briefly, he kept going, “Do you think I did all that just to find someone to sleep with? I think you know that a lot of women would throw themselves at me if that’s what I wanted.”Zoe refused to go along with it. “Well. I’m not stopping you.” He chuckled in response. His eyes looked dashing in the glow from the lamp. His brows exuded a charm that only mature men possessed. She knew, deep down, that any woman would serve herself up on a silver pl
Mason flew back to Brookesville on Friday evening. Ava and his chauffeur picked him up at the airport. Ava asked him when he got in the car, “Are you going back to the company or your manor, Mr. Mason?” He had worn himself out, working for the entire week. Rubbing his brows, he said, “Take me to Zoe’s apartment.”Ava seethed with jealousy.After a brief pause, she asked softly, “Are you going to take her back home? Did you guys have a fight?”He frowned, “You crossed the line, Ava.”That frightened her and shut her up. Putting both of her hands on her knees, she clutched the hem of her skirt. Women had a sixth sense about these things and she could sense that Zoe was becoming more important to Mason as time went by. She found another photo frame on his desk a few days ago. Zoe’s picture was in it. After being married for three years, he had finally fallen in love with Zoe after all.The chauffeur dropped Ava off at her place on their way to Zoe’s apartment. By the time the
They had never talked about it, but both of them knew that Zoe was reluctant to have sex with him ever since she returned. The fact that she enjoyed some of it didn’t change the fact.However, it was very different tonight.Beneath the dim light, Mason was being very gentle with her. It seemed that every time he thrust into her, he did so with care and concern as if he was worried about hurting her. He even leaned in her ear and asked if she enjoyed it.She wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to give him an answer. However, her body was honest and betrayed her. This was the best sex she had had in the last three years. Both of them were immensely satisfied.After that, she took a bath. Mason put on a pair of long pants and a shirt. Then, he headed to the balcony and enjoyed the breeze while smoking a cigar.The wind blew past him and brushed his neatly trimmed hair. His normally stern face softened. He could hear Zoe in the bathroom. She had finished taking her bath, but it
Needless to say, Zoe was displeased about it. They had just finished having sex and he left immediately, claiming that he had to deal with some emergency at work. It took him the entire night, apparently.What kind of work emergency would take him the whole night?She wasn’t willing to ponder too much on it, but she had a good idea where he went. Surely, it had something to do with other women. She was ironing his shirt when her mind traveled back to the moment he told her that he wouldn’t meet up with Lilith anymore.…A series of footsteps disrupted her thoughts. It was probably Mason!He looked a little drained after dealing with the matter for the entire night. She felt him hugging her from behind and smelled the faint scent of disinfectant. It was the kind that was unique to the hospital.She could feel his warmth through his shirt, but she felt as thought someone had stabbed her right in the heart. He went to the hospital to check on Lilith.What was sad was the fact t