Chapter 717
Standing Before Love
As soon as Zayne finished his sentence, he noticed the strained expressions on Heather and Leonâs faces. There was an inexplicable embarrassment when he brought up the subject of engagement directly. Sensing the embarrassment he caused, he smiled and decided it was better to directly skip the topic. After all, he couldnât fathom womensâ minds despite being a great detective, let alone Heatherâs thoughts since she never let anyone see through her innermost ideas.
The three decided to get on the plane first and discuss the other matters later on. While they were on the helicopter, Leon quietly sat aside in a rare occurrence, whereas Zayne sat next to Heather. He opened his mouth, but there was something that he couldnât bring himself to say. On the other hand, Heather noticed Zayne was troubled and simply winked at him. When Leon noticed their little gestures, he understood at once that the two seemed to have some secrets they didnât want him to know about.
Time flew swiftly by on the helicopter, and the three of them remained silent as if the air were condensed. Only when the helicopter landed safely and steadily did Leon, who had been pretending to be asleep the whole time, slowly opened his eyes. He noticed that the distance between Heather and Zayne was extremely close, and it seemed as though sheâd melt into Zayneâs arms if they got a little closer.
When they got off the helicopter, Zayne said jokingly to Heather, âIt cost me a lot of money to rent the helicopter this time. You must be billed for all of that.â
Heather looked at Zayne with a faint smile. âIâll pay you double the money.â She knew that Zayne was trying to alleviate their embarrassment. She didnât know what was wrong with Leon, but he didnât want to say anything and seemed depressed.
They had landed on the outskirts of Bradfort City. There was still a long way to go back, but Leon didnât choose to go the same way with them this time. âYou two should just go ahead first. Someone will pick me up later,â he suggested.
Heather and Zayne didnât delve into it either. They had seen the luxury car that was waiting for them at one side long ago, and Zayne even had a driver arranged. Such actions would undoubtedly expose their whereabouts, so Heather looked at Zayne in puzzlement. However, the latter merely gave her a mischievous smile without offering any explanation.
Heather followed Zayne, and he opened the car door gentlemanly before signaling her to climb in first.
On the other hand, Leon stood nearby without looking at them. After taking a look at him, Heather immediately got into the car before Zayne followed suit.
As soon as they were seated, Heather asked directly, âWhat do you mean by this, Zayne?â
The latter merely shrugged as the corner of his mouth turned up in a roguishly handsome smile. âLeon is giving us space to be alone,â he replied without answering her question.
âDid you reach an agreement with Leon?â Heather thought that something was fishy, so she needed an explanation.
âThere arenât so many conspiracies. Heather, you must at least try to trust someone else.â Zayne thought that Heather was thinking too much, but he couldnât blame her for this. After all, Leonâs behavior was indeed suspicious.
âIn that case, can you tell me exactly what youâre hiding from me?â Heather noticed while on the helicopter that Zayne had something private and personal to tell her.
âItâs something about Leonâs family,â Zayne replied while looking out of the car window. He was still hesitating if he should tell Heather about this unconfirmed guess.
âIt doesnât seem like a good thing, right?â Heather asked affirmatively. Otherwise, they wouldnât have to avoid talking in front of Leon.
âThatâs right. As far as I know, the current person in power in Leonâs family is his grandfather. He seems to like you a lot and hopes that you can get engaged to Leon sooner.â Zayne seemed to know a lot.
Heather nodded. It surprised her that Zayne knew this too, but it was normal for him to know about this given his capabilities. âSo, are you suspecting that the one trying to kill me is related to Leonâs family?â
She associated this with the attempt on her life since she couldnât think of any other explanations.
âNo, thatâs not the case. Itâs definitely not someone from Leonâs family.â Zayne shook his head with the corners of his mouth turned up in a rather annoying half-smile.
âIn that case, why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?â Heather didnât like how Zayne deliberately kept her in suspense.
âI just want to remind you that youâd better keep some distance from Leon to avoid becoming someone elseâs pawn like him.â Zayneâs smile became even brighter, and there was an insinuation in his remark.
âSomeone elseâs pawn? I donât quite understand what you mean.â Heather felt a bit funny. Since when has Leon become someone elseâs pawn? Zayne is a bit of an alarmist, she thought to herself.
âThe matter isnât as simple as you two think. In short, the situation in Bradfort City is particularly complicatedâwe mightâve been reduced to someone elseâs pawns,â Zayne replied in an airy tone, but what he said made Heather feel very nauseous.
âIt seems that a fierce battle is about to begin in Bradfort City.â Heather seemed to have realized something, but she still didnât understand the specifics.
âYou can say that. Iâm also puzzled as to why this bunch of people have chosen Bradfort City as their battle arena.â Zayne increasingly felt that this job was a difficult one. The deeper he looked into the matter, the more details he found out. At the moment, many families were already involved in this. On the surface, these families seemed to have nothing to do with each other, but now that all these families were involved, Zayne was quite troubled.
âWhat should we do now?â Heather asked with a frown. Things would get out of hand if this went on.
âI donât know, but I have a piece of good news to tell you.â Zayne didnât want the mood between them to continue being so oppressive, so he decided to say a piece of good news to lighten the atmosphere.
Heather looked at Zayne. How is it possible for him to still have good news at such a time? It sounds kind of awkward, though.
âMyra has returned to the Hart Family safely,â Zayne announced with a wink, and he didnât seem serious at all.
Heather was speechless and astonished since this really came as a surprise. She said in disbelief, âYouâre not kidding me, right?â
âWhy should I joke about that?â Zayne looked at Heatherâs expression and thought that she was really adorable. Still, her response was very normal.
âI want to see Myra,â Heather said with delight. She didnât expect that Myra had safely returned home, which was probably the best piece of news she had heard as of late.
âDonât get excited just yet. Iâm afraid you canât meet Myra now because sheâs been in a confused state of mind since her return. She canât even recognize her husband.â Zayne regretfully told Heather the bad news.
âWhat are you joking about? Myra is in a confused state of mind?â Heatherâs expression changed at once, not expecting this to be the outcome.
âIt seems like sheâs lost her memory. Fortunately, thereâs nothing seriously wrong with her. Sheâs been in good health,â Zayne comforted the woman.
âI must see Myra. I must figure out what on earth happened,â Heather said emotionally as she couldnât wait to meet her friend right now.
âYou canât. Youâre in a dangerous situation right now, so youâd better take care of yourself.â However, Zayne disagreed with what Heather said. Had he known that she would react so strongly, he wouldnât have told her this.
âI must see Myra. Iâm worried!â Heather shouted. After all, she couldnât believe that such a thing would happen to her.
âDonât get worked up. As far as I know, Myra has probably been fed some kind of medicine to become like this. Generally speaking, everything will be fine as long as the antidote is found,â Zayne advised Heather since she mustnât act on impulse at this moment.
âAre you able to find the antidote?â Heather almost seized Zayne by the collar as she asked the question.
âThis is a bit difficult. I havenât exactly figured out why the person kidnapped her.â Zayne didnât dare to give Heather a 100-percent guarantee, but there had been some clues about the matter.
âI want to see Myra, and I must meet her today.â Heather wouldnât put her mind at rest until she saw her friend.
âYouâre still being hunted right now, so youâll only bring danger to Myra by meeting her. Iâd advise you to find a place to hide.â Zayne calmly analyzed the situation for Heather as she was becoming more and more irrational right now. He had discovered this a long time agoâHeatherâs so-called maturity was actually forced, for she was still a little girl at heart. After experiencing this series of events, her nature was completely exposed. In fact, it could be said that she was extremely vulnerable at the moment.
âAm I a failure, Zayne?â Heather had too much disdain for herself as she calmed down. Not only was she unable to do anything, she often acted on impulse as well.
âYouâre not a failureâyouâre just used to pretending to be mature. After doing that for a long time, youâve forgotten that youâre just a little girl,â Zayne replied curtly. In truth, he found this side of her a little more adorable.
âThank you for reminding me.â Heather decided to confront her truest self. She had been tired of pretending over these years. She kept pressing herself to act more maturely, yet the outcome was so miserable.
âI have arranged a place for you to hide, so you must stay there during this period of time. Keep in mind that you mustnât go anywhere, and your cell phone has to be confiscated as well,â Zayne said while taking away Heatherâs cell phone.
âHow should I contact you without a cell phone?â Heather clutched her cell phone tightly. She couldnât do without a cell phone, or else she would completely lose contact with the outside world.
âDo you know how dangerous your cell phone is?â Zayne remembered having talked to Heather about this. âYour cell phone can reveal lots of things, so you canât use a cell phone again in your current situation.â
Heather reluctantly handed her cell phone over to Zayne. There was still reluctance in her eyes, for she didnât know what would happen next without her cell phone. âIâm afraid that the police will call me.â She was still involved in a case. Since she was the victim, the police would definitely contact her.
âJust leave these matters to me. I want you to stay alone in the hiding place for three days.â Zayne looked confident, and it seemed like he had devised a plan to deal with the situation.
âWhat exactly are your plans? Why canât you tell me directly?â Heather found Zayneâs behavior extremely suspicious.
Zayne seemed to have thought of a perfect solution, though. âIâll help you ask Dr. Turner out and help Myra find the antidote. Just give me three daysâIâll give you something different.â
âYou were aware of everything?â Only then did Heather truly realize Zayneâs capabilities, and it seemed like she had underestimated his capabilities before.
âYeah, I know everything. I have figured out many things these days, and now itâs time for me to take action.â Zayneâs mouth curved in a confident smile, and his eyes were sharp as though he could put an end to all these complicated matters in the next second.
âIf thatâs the case, why did you ask me to get engaged to Leon?â Heather asked angrily, feeling that she had been fooled by Zayne.
âI was just kidding. Didnât you hire me back then because of my extraordinary capabilities?â Zayne knew that his recent performance had disappointed Heather, and now it was time to redeem his pride.
âHey! Have you been fooling me all this while, Zayne?â Heather was almost sent into a rage because of him. As it turned out, he had many hidden cards up his sleeve.