Henry knew the universe was in his favor when he bumped into Zoe on the first day he got to Italy. The woman he had been looking for appeared right in front of him after so many years. If that was not luck, then Henry did not know what was. Zoe ran away out of shock, but he did not mind. As long as they were in the same city, he would find his way to her again. One way or the other. He walked into the company's building and saw the receptionist first. "Welcome. You must be Mr. Henry Arthur," she said with a smile. "We have all been expecting you." "I bet you have." "Please come with me. I will show you to your office." She led the way and he followed her, taking in the surroundings. The building was far more smaller than Magatech with lesser staff. Even his office was just a small room with a normal desk and a chair. Nothing spectacular or grand like his office back in America. He did not know how long he was going to be staying in Italy, but he planned to renovate the place i
Zoe did not know what she was doing lying about her perfectly alive child being dead. Henry had caught her off guard, so she just told him whatever came to mind at that point. At least he would leave her alone now if it was Maria he was after. All she had to do was stay away from Henry and the company. Zoe was not sure yet how she would deal with Mario, but she would cross that bridge when she got to it. It was almost midnight and she had to tuck Maria in early for school the next day. Maria was already in her pajamas, holding her teddy bear with both hands. "Can you read me a bedtime story, mommy?" Maria asked with a small voice and yawned loudly. "Of course. Come here." Zoe lifted her from the floor easily and laid her down on the bed, tucking her under the sheets. "Which one do you want to hear?" "Beauty and the Beast!" Maria chirped. "You have heard that one a hundred times." "I want to hear it again." Zoe was smiling. "Why do you like it so much?" "I like how the wicked
He did not believe Zoe when she told him that the baby had died, so he had to check for himself and be sure. His gut feeling was right. The child was alive and very healthy. Henry saw Maria run outside to hug Zoe. She was already dressed for school, carrying a backpack. "Leo!" Zoe called out for her brother. "Why is Maria not in school yet?" So that was her name. Maria. Leo came out of the house and locked the door behind him. "We were just about leaving when..." he trailed off when he saw Henry standing in front of the house quietly, then exchanged awkward looks with Zoe. "The child is dead indeed," Henry said in mockery, raising a brow at Zoe. "Would you like to explain yourself?" "Leo, take her to school." Maria tugged at Zoe’s dress. "Mommy, who is this man?" "I will tell you when you get back from school," Zoe replied. "You are late already." "Okay. Bye!" Leo went ahead to pick her up, carrying her away from the ongoing tension between Henry and Zoe. When they were gone
Her cover had been blown. Henry already knew about Maria. Zoe could not begin to imagine the things Henry would do to have his way. It was what he always did. She would never allow it. Zoe needed someone to talk to about it, so she called Emily. The phone rang a couple of times before Emily picked up. "Hey, what's up?" "I am in trouble," Zoe said. Emily sighed over the phone. "I knew this was coming. It is about Henry, right?" "Of course it is about Henry. Who else would it be?" "Calm down now. There is no need to get your panties in a twist." "He says he wants us to get back together." Emily was dumbfounded. "Really?""What am I supposed to do? I am not sure what he would do to achieve this. You know Henry." Zoe knew that panicking was not going to solve anything, still, she could not help it. "There might be a way out of this," Emily reasoned. "Which is?""Hear him out. Daniel claimed once Henry cared about you. It might be true." Zoe rubbed at her forehead, letting her
Henry waited for Zoe’s response. He could tell she was fuming now, as he heard her heavy breathing on the other end of the call. Things did not have to be like this."Bring back my daughter while I am asking nicely," she finally said into the phone. "I will. After we talk like civilized parents," Henry responded. "Where is she? Tell me right now!" "Do not be in such a hurry. Maria is more than fine where she is. In fact, she is very comfortable here with me." Henry glanced over at Maria and Daniel on the dining table, chatting away like two jolly best friends. The girl sure did know how to talk. "Don't you dare touch a hair on her head!" Zoe warned. "C’mon, she is my daughter too. I am no assassin. Plus we have been getting along so well." "Henry..." "Come tomorrow to my house. I would love for us to discuss," he said. "I will text you the address." With that, he ended the call, not waiting for what she had to say after that. She would probably throw insults at him and the li
Zoe was astonished. No word could express the level of shock she felt.Five years ago, he had given her a condition to be his mistress. Now he was proposing marriage. Of all things. She sat down on a couch to calm herself down. She knew better than to yell or exchange words with him. That had happened many times before and they never worked in her favor. "It is a reasonable proposal," he continued. "I want her and you. You want her. We both want her. And we can't keep fighting this way if we both want to keep her." "We can co-parent. Marriage is out of the table." "I want what our daughter wants," Henry continued. "A family. Do you know how sad she gets when she sees other kids in school with a family and she does not have one?" "And you know that after spending a few hours with her?" Zoe deadpanned. "Maria and I have bonded so well. This should be a sign that we all belong together." Henry said. "Maria has a family. She has me and Leo." "You know very well that is not enough
"He said what?!" Emily exclaimed on the other end of the phone call. Zoe had just told her of Henry’s proposal, and her reaction was understandable. "It sounds crazy, right?" "Crazier than when he asked you to be his mistress? Yes," Emily said. "This is marriage, Zoe. You are going to spend the rest of your life with him. Are you sure you want to do that?" "Do I really have a choice? I want to do it for Maria." Emily sighed deeply. "I understand. But it is all just so surprising. You have been running away from him, and now you are going to marry him. The universe must really want you two together.""This has nothing to do with the universe. That bastard would not just leave me alone." "Did Maria and Henry get along?"Zoe scoffed. They did more than getting along. "I would say she even loves him more than she loves me at this point." "You know that is not true." "Emily, please. I know what I saw." Zoe was not jealous Maria seemed to like Henry a lot, she just did not think Mar
Zoe moved into Henry’s apartment by the end of the week. He was out with Maria when she stopped by the house. Daniel happened not to be home too. She had been instructed to pick up the house key from inside the flower pot just beside the front door. Zoe dragged her luggage inside the empty house, taking a look around. His taste in house decor had not changed over the years. Everything still looked expensive and shiny. She was conflicted on whether she should share a room with Henry or take a separate one. This was just a marriage contract because of Maria, she thought. Zoe did not feel obligated to share a room with him. Making up her mind, she chose a room and settled in it. Maria and Henry were out having father and daughter time, and Zoe could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy no matter how hard she tried to push it away. They were getting closer day by day and she did not want Maria drifting away from her. But then again, they both still had to make up for the five years