Chapter 13
1142 Words
ZARA’S POV
He was right. I was too nervous and it was showing.
“I’d better be careful,” I muttered.
Cael moved closer and touched my shoulders. He looked into my eyes and for some reason, I averted his gaze. I felt shy.
“I know how uneasy you must feel, surrounded by potential spies. However, you must not let it show,” he told me firmly. “You must not stay far from them. Remember you must keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Speak to them, relate with them, but make sure you don’t grow attached. You must not trust anyone no matter how heart wrenching their story is or how kind they are to you.”
“You want me to do all these yet not feel nervous?” I asked.
He smiled, “You can feel nervous, just don’t show it.”
His phone beeped and he checked it. He showed me the text he had received from his assistant, Charles. The team doing the security check had arrived.
**
The security check took over three hours and at the end of it, Cael and I spoke with the team leader. He had a look of frustration on his face.
“We have run an intensive check but there is nothing of concern,” he said carefully.
“What!” I exclaimed, unable to believe my ears.
“That is the truth,” he said confidently. “There are no hidden CCTVs, no secret recording devices, the entire place is clean. I don’t know why you had such suspicions in the first place but trust me, there is no cause for concern.”
I took in a deep breath while Cael simply nodded and shook hands with the team leader. He walked away now, his team members with him.
“What do you think Victor is plotting?” I asked the moment I was alone with Cael. “It doesn’t make sense that he would give us a house without bugging it beforehand.”
“It makes sense to me,” Cael replied casually. “I had a feeling there would be nothing to be concerned with but I just wanted to confirm. I think Victor might be smarter than we think. He definitely knew we would run security checks.”
“I still don’t understand,” I pointed out.
“He will use a person,” Cael said calmly. “We can run security checks on the house but we can’t run such checks on a person, at least not easily.”
I saw Kate from afar walking towards us. When she got to us, she gazed at the door the men from the security team had passed.
“Who were those men?” Kate asked curiously.
“They are from a security team, here to run checks on the building,” I answered eagerly. “You know, the house could be under-”
“I know,” she interrupted. “Your step-father is more than capable of planting spy devices in the house. Well, what did you find?”
“Nothing,” I replied, taking another deep breath. “They found nothing.”
“Then that’s a relief!” Kate exclaimed. “Why do you still look worried?”
“She is going to be fine,” Cael replied. “She is just worried that her step-father didn’t move as she expected.”
“I understand,” Kate smiled. “Both of you should go to the dining room. Dinner is ready.”
I nodded and jogged down to the dining room. Cael was behind me, walking comfortably. When we got there, we sat opposite each other and the head chef, John, appeared with another chef.
“You wanted a healthy meal and that is why I prepared…” John lingered as he unveiled the dishes. “For the main course, you have grilled herb-seasoned chicken breast, baked salmon with lemon and dill and turkey meatloaf. It is a healthier alternative to traditional beef meatloaf.”
“That’s new,” Cael muttered.
“I have had it before,” I said, twitching my lips. “I prefer the usual meatloaf but it’s always good to eat healthy, you know.”
John smiled and continued, “For the side dishes, you have roasted vegetables; broccoli, carrots, asparagus, brussels sprouts. You have mashed potatoes, brown rice, and quinoa salad. I have also prepared garden salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and a light vinaigrette.”
“This sounds like a nice treat. I am excited to try it,” I said, truly excited.
“I’m not finished, madam,” John said calmly. “Just in case you wanted soup, I prepared butternut squash soup. For dessert, you will get greek yogurt parfait with berries and baked apples with cinnamon.”
“Are you finished?” Cael asked, overwhelmed.
“Yes, sir,” John replied eagerly. “Ah, which do you prefer? Sparkling water with lemon or fresh fruit infused water?”
“Sparkling water, I don’t need the lemon,” Cael replied. He looked like he was trying so hard to smile.
“I will try the fresh fruit infused water,” I said, raising my hand.
“Of course, madam,” John replied excitedly. “I hope you both have a great meal.”
“We will. Now, give us some privacy,” Cael said calmly. Instantly, the chefs and maids vacated the premises. I started to eat while Cael looked on.
“Do you have something to say?” I asked between a mouthful of salad.
“The thing is…” he hesitated. “I know we wanted a healthy meal but this is too healthy, isn’t it?”
“Really?” I asked nonchalantly. “I like it. Don’t you like healthy meals like this?”
“No,” he shook his head sideways. “I prefer to eat a lot of meat. You seem like a vegetarian.”
“No, I’m not one. I love eating greens though,” I answered. “You can tell John about your preference, he can get you something quick to eat.”
“No, I will eat this,” Cael replied firmly.
“Why?” I asked curiously.
“We are a couple, we should do things together,” he told me gently. “If by any chance John is Victor’s spy and he has laced the meal with poison, we should eat it together so we can die together.”
I smirked, “You make it sound like you truly love me.”
Cael went quiet and that made me look at him. I raised my head slowly only to find him looking at me so seriously. My heart began to skip. What if Cael had genuinely fallen for my great beauty?
Oh no.
- Writer
