Enrica left the lounge and headed back to the company, she worked overtime until on pm before finally going home
d to be in th As soon as she retered, she saw Zayne sitting on the couch in loungewear. A silver–gray laptop rested on his lap, and he seemed to be in the middle of work
Hearing the noise, he looked up, his deep gaze meeting hers. “Oh, you’re back”
“Veali,” Emricareplied as she changed her shoes. “Estayed late at work”
Zayn frowned. He had always known she was hardworking, but he hadn’t realized just how dedicated she was
After a pause, he asked, “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.” Enrica opened the refrigerator and saw the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes she had bought. She took them out, planning to make a simple vegetable junta Canually, she asked Zayne, “Do you want somer? I make pretty good pasta”
A hint of amusement flickered in his eves before he nodded. “Sure. Make me a plate too.‘
”
He could sense that after the lawont, Erica had become much more at ease around him it was a good start.
she responded with an “okay” and headed into the kitchen she thought this arrangement was quite nice. Zayne, though a man, shared her sexual orientation, and he was such a pleasant person. Living with him as a roommate couldn’t be more comfortable
She even started thinking about introducing him to Zack and Rachel after their marriage ended. It would be nice to add another friend to their little group
Soon, the pasta was ready. Enrica scooped out two plates and brought them out–Zayne took a bite and gave her a sincere compliment, saying, “It’s rally good.” Ishe grinned with pride. “It’s my mom’s secret recipe. It’s been in the family forever, I nailed it, no doubt. But too bad we’re short on ingredients today, but nest
ime. Ell make you the real deal. Trust me, it’ll be a hundred times better than this”
Zave watched her smile, his gaze softening. There was something so open and infectious about it that he couldn’t help but smile too. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he replied in a low, easy tone, “Alright”
Before they even realized it, they had already started talking about “next time”
After dinner, Zavor washed the dishes asusual When he came out, Erica was sitting on the couch, frowning at her phone. He walked over and casually asked, “ Havin trouble?”
She shook her head, forcing a faint smile. “No”
He nodded and didn’t press farther
Encast for a while before heading back to her room. She looked at the message on her phone and sighed softly.
It was from Enna, saving that julian had stormed out yesterday and hadn’t returned since. No one in the family had been able to reach him.
Lanca wasn’t worried about palian getting into trouble. Ar 18, he was old enough to take responsibility for his own actions. As long as be wouldn’t stir up trouble–especially not now.
What worried her was Julian’s constant troublemaking. If this kept up, Emma might end up neglecting Charles
After some hesitation, she tasally replied. “Til try to teach him.”
Exting the chat interface, she found Julian’s phone number and dialed. No one answered, so she tried again.
as he wasn’t reckless, he
She called again and again, and at some unknown attempt, the call finally connected, Julian answered with an irritated tone. “What now? You’re driving me crazy! Why are you calling met
Enrica’s tone was calm. “Your mom has been frantically trying to reach you. If you’re okay, give her call
beloce she could finish, he hung up
Enrica send a message to Enna. “I got through to him. He’s tine.”
Almost instantly, Ennacalled “Enrica, did you get a hold of him? Where is he?
Enrica told the truth. “He didn’t say much before he hung up, but he seemed fine.”
Enna was furious but restrained herself, knowing she still needed tonica’s help. She spoke with suppressed anger. “Seriously? Why didn’t you ask where he was? He doesn’t have muchmoney. Where’s he staying tonight? Is he eating properly? You’re his sister. How could you not think of that?”
Enrica had nothing to say, so she simply stayed silent, Jetting the words go in one eat and out the other.
Gradually, Euru calmed down when she realized Julian just didn’t want to answer the phone and wasn’t in any real danger, Once she was done venting her frustration, she said, “Fior. I’m hanging up. If he calls you again, askil he needs money. If he does, send him some.”
Lirica agreed. “Okay”
After the call, she took out her notebook, organd her work for the day, and went to bed.
The next day after work, she met Zack at the entrance of Psychedelic TF Bar
He was dressed in designer couture. He wore a smoky gray embroidered shirt paired with matching loose–fitting pants. He leaned against a silver–gray sports car, whistling at her. “Hey, gorgeous! Overheir!”
The women who had been secretly eyeing him radier sighed in disappointment and walked away when they saw Encic
22
zack shrugged with a look of helplessness. “What can I say? I can’t help being flüscharming. ”
She gave him an exasperated lock.
He tumed senous “so, what’s going on? Who are you meeting today? Why do you need a bodyguard?”
Enrica explained Julian’s situation. Zack disapproved, saying, “Honestly, I think you’re wasting your time. That kid doesn’t even like you, so why bother with him?”
she shook her head. “I’m doing it for my dad.”
Zack, aware of her family situation, sighed and dropped the subject.
By then, they had reached Rooms 106
He hesitated “Are you sure you’re okay going in alone? Maybe I should come with you.”
She quickly refused. “No way. If they really just want to falk, bringing you in will make me look too guarded, just wait outside. If anything goes wrong, call the police night away.”
Zack reluctantly agreed.
Enca took a deep breath and knocked on the door
