Chapter 86
To make sure everything went smoothly that night, Lorelei played her
er part perfectly–blushing, eyes downcast, and nodded shyly.
Zack lit up inside, though his face stayed calm and polished. “Then how about we have both families meet next weekend to talk it over?”
Lorelei smiled sweetly. “Sue.”
Zack timally let out a breath of relief. He felt like he’d post pulled off the hardest part of the whole thing. He grabbed his phone and shot a message into their group chat “She said yes, Mission accomplished! Drinks on me next time right male models, VIP Suite at the club, let’s go!”
Enrica saw the message pop up while she was still in the cab and couldn’t help but chuckle. But a moment later, her smile faded. “You do realize this is basically fraud, right? Maybe slow down. Something about this doesn’t sit right with me.”
Zack replied, “Relax. She’s super naive. I’m being carett–she won’t find out.
Surprisingly, Rachel was also online and jumped in, clearly on Enrica’s side. “Zack, I’m just gonna say it you’re out of line, just because she’s naive doesn’t mean
It’s okay to take advantage of her
“When Enrica was about to marry a gay guy, you lost your mind, worrying she’d get hurt. And now you’re out here doing the same thing? It’s a total double standard If you ask me, just marry someone from your own circle. Cover for each other and keep it simple.
Given that they were close friends and this was about something as personal as relationships and sexuality, Rachel actually kept her tone unusually polite.
Zack replied with a bitter little emoji
It took him a minute, but then be typed back. “You guys don’t get it. With someone like me, if I marry someone below my status, my parents won’t allow it. If I go for someone above me, they’d never take me seriously.
“Even if I try to find someone on the same level, how many of them are actually like me? When I can’t take care of anyone else, I’ve got to take care of myself People are selfish. Right now, all I want is to break free from my parents. Once there’s a led, they’ll be satisfied.”
It was obvious Zack was speaking from the heart, and for a moment, neither Enricanor Rachel knew what to say.
They wanted to call him out. But deep down, they knew this was bigger than him. This wasn’t just one person making bad choices- it was the whole messed–up system. No amount of idealism was gonna fix it
He was their friend, and they’d said what needed to be said. The rest was up to him. It was his life.
Enrica locked her phone and let our a soft sigh.
Next to her, Zayne glanced over. “What’s wrong?”
Thinking about his situation, she asked, “What would you do if your family insisted you had to have kids?”
Zayne paused for a moment, then said quietly, “In my family, no one’s opinion matters more than mine.”
She let those words sink in. So basically, he called the shots in his family?”
“Must be nice,” she said with a faint smile. “That land of confidence only comes with power,”
Zack’s problem was that he didn’t have that kind of independence. He had to rely on his family, so they controlled everything, and he had no choice but to follow their lead.
Enrica couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Zack
Zayne took another moment to think and then said, “In high society, love is the last thing that matters. It’s all about leverage. Everyone w
wants something. No one’s
H
She blinked, caught off guard by how blunt he was. She didn’t entirely agree, but then again her marriage to Miguel pretty much proved his point.
She gave a soft laugh and let the topic drop.
They arrived in Fasola soon after. Enrica turned to him and said, “Wait here. I’m just dropping off the money. I’ll be right back”
Zayne nodded gently. “Alright.”
He watched her walk away, her figure slowly fading into the distance, a complicated expression flickering in his eyes.
He knew exactly what kind of situation she’d been talking about. What she’d never know was how much he’d gone through just to stand here now, just to be able to face these questions on his own terms, with nothing to hide.
