Chapter 119
“Mom!” James snapped, his tone sharp with irritation. “Stop saying that. This isn’t Sarah’s fault. When I went to her place, Zachary Reynolds was there. The Reynolds family is clearly involved now.”
Zachary Reynolds at Sarah’s apartment?
Charlotte felt her heart sink. Were they together now? They were getting far too close for comfort.
Mrs. Chancer’s voice rose sharply, bitter and angry. “Of course, now the Reynolds family is helping that little witch deal with Lucy. My poor Lucy–how could this happen to her!”
“Sarah won’t even talk to me anymore,” James admitted helplessly.
Charlotte seized her chance. “Well, of course not. The Reynolds are one of the most powerful families in the city. Sarah probably doesn’t think she needs to be polite to us anymore–not with Zachary Reynolds in her corner.”
Her implication was clear, and James caught on immediately.
Mrs. Chancer jumped in, her voice dripping with venom. “Charlotte’s right. That woman only cares about power and status. She took everything from us–our money, our house–and now she acts like she doesn’t even know us! I don’t believe for a second that Zachary would stick his neck out for her like this. She’s the one refusing to let Lucy go. She just wants to watch us suffer!”
“James, don’t do anything rash. We’ll find another way,” Mrs. Chancer added, trying to defuse the situation.
After leaving Mrs. Chancer’s room, Charlotte went to the kitchen and returned with a bowl of homemade soup, presenting it to James like a treasure. “James, I made this for you. You’ve had such a long day–please try some.”
The aroma reminded James of the food Zachary had brought earlier. He rubbed his temples and sighed. “You have it. I’m not
hungry.”
“James…”
Before Charlotte could finish, James had already turned and headed upstairs without another word
Staring at the untouched bowl, her face twisted with frustration. Unable to contain her anger, she slammed it onto the table, the
sound echoing through the empty room.
at together over d
Upstairs in Sarah’s apartment, she and Zachary sat together over dinner.
“This was specially made by Steven,” Zachary said as he poured the soup into a bowl. “Try it.”
Sarah accepted the bowl and inhaled the aroma. A delicate fragrance wafted up. “It smells incredible.”
1/2
“It’s his signature rose petal consommé. He’s still perfecting it–hasn’t even put it on the restaurant menu yet.”
Sarah took a spoonful, her eyes widening. The flavor was exquisite–subtly sweet with just a hint of floral notes.
“This is amazing! You should try some too.”
She glanced at the thermos, which still held half the soup.
“Alright.” Without hesitation, Zachary reached over, took her spoon, and tasted it.
Sarah froze. “That’s… my spoon.”
“Oh, is it?” Zachary replied, deadpan.
“You–you-!” Sarah stammered, at a loss for words.
She set her bowl down awkwardly, watching as Zachary calmly returned the spoon to her bowl.
“Go on, finish it. Steven will be devastated if you waste it,” Zachary said, his lips quirking into a slight smile.
+20 Bonus
Sarah stirred the soup absently, feeling flustered. Her mind kept circling back to one thought: Zachary used my spoon. The same spoon I just used. And he just… used it.
Before she could overthink it further, Zachary placed a fresh spoon in her hand and pushed a new bowl of soup toward her–the
other half from the thermos.
“Have this one instead,” he said, pulling her previous bowl toward himself. He began eating without another word.
For a moment, Sarah looked at him and felt… something she couldn’t quite identify. Was she actually feeling sorry for him? She
must be losing her mind.
They ate in silence, the air heavy with unspoken thoughts.
The awkward quiet was broken by a phone ringing. Zachary put down his spoon and answered, his expression immediately
turning serious as he listened.
Sarah watched him curiously, noting the slight furrow in his brow.
