Chapter 393: I didn’t keep it a secret. I kept it private.

If Ray didn’t know his cousin better, he might think Zoren was here to give him a hard time. Or perhaps, to antagonize him and make him suffer more.

"Cousin, why would you bring up all those girls?!" Ray protested. "Most of them were just flings, and some were only friends! They didn’t wait with me because their purpose wasn’t to wait with me, but to make me stop waiting! Obviously, they didn’t do a good job!"

"Ah." Zoren nodded, his eyes drifting to the corner of the room.

"Cousin, you don’t understand because you’ve never been in love," Ray continued, only to stiffen when Zoren spoke again.

"But you said you never really planned to make her your girlfriend."

Ray gasped as he sifted through his memories, finally recalling what he’d said twelve years ago. "Cousin, how do you even remember that? I’d forgotten all about it!"

Zoren simply shrugged.

"That’s not important! It’s not valid anymore!" Ray insisted, shaking his head dismissively. "That was me when I was young."

"You were seventeen."

"Still young! I didn’t know any better back then." Ray nodded to himself, convincing himself that what he’d said was just a joke.

’I think you don’t know better now as well.’

"Yes!" Ray’s eyes sparkled as he grinned. "I only planned to tease her last night for old times’ sake, but my goodness, my heart dropped — she’s hot! Not just hot, but she brought the entire inferno on Earth!"

’I knew it,’ Zoren thought, leaning back in his seat. ’There’s no way he’d propose so abruptly.’

Although Ray was disappointingly a Casanova, often involved in short-lived relationships, he would never ask anyone to marry him.

Ray smiled to himself, reminiscing about that beautiful face and those eyes that looked at him as if he were the most disgusting trash in the world. Amid his happy thoughts, he noticed Zoren looking at him intently. Deep lines slowly formed between Ray’s brows as he realized something.

Normally, whenever Ray came to complain to Zoren, the latter would continue whatever he was doing. Although Zoren would occasionally hum to make Ray think he was listening, Ray knew Zoren couldn’t care less.

But now, Zoren was paying attention. He was looking directly at Ray and actively engaging in the conversation.

"Are you... really my cousin?" Ray squinted suspiciously. "Or did Dean discover the secret to making a clone?"

Confused, Zoren blinked. "Dean Pierson isn’t capable of cloning me."

"Wow!" Ray exclaimed in awe. "Then did I do something wrong? Cousin, you’re paying attention to me, and it’s kind of scary!"

"Haha." Zoren chuckled. "Am I?"

"Something happened!" Ray leaped off the couch and rushed to the desk. Slamming his hands on the surface, he studied Zoren’s face with wide, shaky eyes.

"Hah!" Ray gasped, pointing a finger at the man across from him. "Cousin! Look at you! You’re... you’re glowing! What happened?!"

Zoren blinked and touched his face, placing his palm on his chin, fingers stretched to his cheeks. "I’m glowing?"

"Yes!"

"Heh." The corner of Zoren’s lips curled up, making Ray gasp in horror. "I’m not glowing, I’m in love."

"!!!" Ray’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, overwhelmed by the light seemingly radiating from his cousin. He almost shielded his eyes from the brightness beaming at him.

When he recovered, Ray stared at Zoren in disbelief. "Cousin? Did you just say you’re in love?"

"Was I not clear?"

"Who?!" Ray asked excitedly. "Who is the person who made my cousin’s stone-cold heart beat?! Who is the person who got your blood circulating?"

Ray was so excited that he didn’t realize he was indirectly insulting his cousin. However, everything he said had some truth to it. Normally, Zoren’s paleness was so intense that one might think rigor mortis was setting in while he was still alive.

But now, Zoren wasn’t just glowing; he had a newfound vibrancy. Even Zoren’s smile was different. Not that Zoren smiled often, but when he did, it was usually a weary business smile or a cunning smirk.

"Cousin..." Ray calmed down a bit, noticing the slight dimple on Zoren’s cheek. "... you’re really in love, aren’t you? I never thought I’d see you smile like this — how come you look so good?"

Zoren chuckled, enjoying the line of questioning. "Who would’ve thought the day would come when I’d welcome questions, except from Benjamin?"

"So?" Ray urged. "Who is this woman? Do I know her? Where did you meet? What is she like? Is she pretty? Sexy? Smart? A little shy, perhaps? Or is she the dominant type?"

"It’s my wife," Zoren replied, raising a hand to stop Ray from bombarding him with questions.

"Your wife?" Ray furrowed his brows. "But isn’t your wife... a fake one?"

"Huh?"

Ray cocked his head to the side. "I heard about your marriage, but I immediately assumed it was just to make your grandmother happy! Is that not the case?"

’It was, initially,’ Zoren wanted to say, but he held back. Not because he didn’t trust Ray, but because it wasn’t important now. After all, Zoren and Penny were on the same page.

"It’s not a fake marriage."

Ray gasped. "Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent." Zoren nodded. "She’s in the country now, so we have more time together."

Ray studied Zoren’s face and could tell he wasn’t lying. "Wow... Cousin, how could you keep this a secret from me?!"

"I didn’t keep it a secret. I kept it private."

"Same thing!" Ray huffed before leaning in. "Cousin, is she pretty?"

Zoren didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he smiled. "She smells nice, her voice is pretty, and her mind... is a mystery."

"!!!!" Ray dramatically covered his mouth, his eyes tearing up.

"She’s also honest with her feelings, decisive, and knows what she wants and what she can’t tolerate," Zoren added, his expression softening as he described his wife more than just her appearance. His smile wasn’t big, nor was it too small to notice, but it was genuine and sincere. It was like the first morning of spring.

"I’m... happy."