Ophelia asked with a deep sigh, âIf youâre not interested in me that way, Zachariah, then why would you be so nice and caring to me? Donât you know how hard it is for a woman to fall out of love with a man once she falls in love with him?â
Ophelia gently fondled his cheeks. âYouâre the cruelest man I know. So good at capturing oneâs heart, but so bad at returning it to the original owner.â
âWith this baby in my belly,â said Ophelia, simultaneously smiling and crying, âIâve grown a lot more sentimental. Do you detest this long-winded version of me?â
Ophelia leaned carefully into his embrace. âIâm not going to divorce you, Zachariah. And I will keep you around with some tricks if necessary. I am never going to desert you for as long as you need me.â
And then she, too, shut her eyes and gradually fell asleep.
After a quiet night of sleep, Ophelia woke up the next day to find the other side of the bed empty, and so was the bathroom. When she got out of the bedroom to look downstairs, there was no sight of Zachariah, either. Plucking at her hair, Ophelia was spotted by Mrs. Miriam as the latter came out of the kitchen to serve breakfast.
âUp so early, my lady?â
âGâmorning, Mrs. Miriam.â
âMorning.â
Plucking again at her hair, Ophelia asked, âDo you know where Zachariah is?â
âThe young master left at around 8 oâclock this morning, and he specifically told me you needed a bit more sleep before he left â thatâs why I didnât go upstairs to wake you up. Come down for breakfast then, since youâre up. The food will lose its nutritional value if eaten at a later time.â
âIâll brush my teeth first,â said Ophelia as she reentered the bedroom. The phone told her it was already 9 oâclock â no wonder Mrs. Miriam said that.
When she completed her toilette, Ophelia got downstairs and sat down at the dining table to have the breakfast Mrs. Miriam prepared for her.
Serving her a bowl of porridge, the nice woman said, âSir Zachariah specifically asked me to boil an egg for you, saying that it would add extra nutrition to your diet. Why donât you give them a try, maâam?â
Ophelia stared at the boiled egg on her plate. To be honest, she wasnât a big fan of boiled eggs, but still, she was secretly delighted that Zachariah would have someone to cook this specifically for her. Even though she knew full well that it was nothing more than a strategic move at being nice to her by Zachariah, she couldnât help but fall a little deeper for him.
Picking at the boiled egg, Ophelia said, âI assume you havenât had breakfast yet, either, now have you, Mrs. Miriam? Why donât you sit down and letâs eat together?â
Mrs. Miriam replied smilingly, âDo enjoy your meal, maâam. Iâll grab a bite later.â
âI think of all of us here as a big family,â insisted Ophelia, âand youâve been working here for two, approaching three years. So stop with these polite formalities; weâre closer than that.â
Mrs. Miriam had no choice but to sit down.
Ophelia allocated quite some food to her. âHere, help yourself, Mrs. Miriam.â
The older woman grinned widely. âIâm probably the only person in the world to be able to enjoy a meal with my employer.â
âYouâre many years my senior, and as such, itâs certainly as it should be if you sit down and eat with someone younger.â
Still beaming, Mrs. Miriam gushed, âYouâre too kind, maâam. It is very rare that one should meet a girl as pretty, polite, and well-mannered as you one of these days. Most of the young ladies I come across are arrogant big-spenders.â
Smiling faintly, Ophelia said, âStop with these out-of-proportion complements, please. You will make me an extremely vain woman.â
âNothing wrong with that. Maâam is an extremely rare mixture of perfections â apart from your outer beauty, you are so kind-hearted, too. If you hadnât married Sir Zachariah and my youngest son were still single, I would have introduced you to him, if, you know, a wonderful girl like you should fancy my immature boy.â
Ophelia had on a warm smile. âYou kid, Mrs. Miriam.â
âBut that wasnât a joke! I meant every word I said.â
Ophelia flashed an even bigger smile.
After breakfast, Ophelia received a call from Cora. Scowling, she could already feel her good mood dissipating.
She didnât want to answer the phone at first. However, Cora was nothing if not persistent, making five more calls when Ophelia didnât pick up the first one.
Even Mrs. Miriam was annoyed. âMaybe turn off the phone if you donât want to answer those calls, maâam. What kind of an uneducated beast should be on the other end of the line? Because who would keep calling if their calls werenât answered?â
Billionaire Lost to His Surrogate In A Love Game ï¤Chapter 200 A Phone Call Say You Will Be Mine ï¤Chapter 38 Pay You Back for the Rest of My Life (The End)
The Vixen's Man ï¤15 Ophelia smiled slightly at her. âIâll be right back, Mrs. Miriam. Iâm going out to take this call.â
âWhy donât you head back up, maâam? You really should watch out for your health and the health of your baby.â
Ophelia nodded and then went upstairs.
Inside her bedroom, Ophelia picked up the phone. âI wonder what Your Ladyship is calling me for?â
Then came Coraâs voice from the other end. âAre you free today? Letâs meet up.â
âI happen to be unavailable,â said Ophelia, âso feel free to speak your mind over the phone.â
But Cora was unyielding. âLetâs meet at Starry Café in an hour. And if you are a no-show, then I will personally come knocking on your door. Zach would love to see me, I presume.â
âCora Fletcher,â demanded Ophelia through gritted teeth, âhave you no shame at all?â
âZach has promised that he will marry me as soon as possible, because he doesnât want his baby with me to be born a bastard. So, the house youâre living in is destined to be mine at some point. What is wrong with the mistress of a house exercising her rights a little early?â replied Cora unabashedly.
Ophelia was so angry that she was almost amused. âFine. See you at Starry Café in an hour.â
And then, she hung up the phone.
The Vixen's Man