Chapter 123

Zoe went downstairs and got into the car. The chauffeur noticed she

was in a foul mood. So, he spoke ever so softly, “Shall we head home

now, Ms. Zoe?"

She sat there quietly and looked out the car window. Neon lights were

flickering in the city.

All of a sudden, she said softly, “I'm going to take a stroll. Go on back

home, Luke!”

Luke, the old chauffeur, frowned and said, “That's not happening, Ms.

Zoe. I can’t leave you alone in the dead of night. Mr. Mason's going to

be worried sick if he finds out!”

Smiling faintly in response, she asked, “Do you really think he'd care?”

Luke immediately stopped talking. Lately, his master hadn't been

spending the nights in his own manor and the servants were gossiping

behind his back. It'd be a bald-faced lie if he claimed he hadn't heard

any of it.

With that said, he was worried about Zoe. So, the car crept along the

road, following Zoe as she took a stroll on the streets.

She had no idea how long she had been walking. It was about two

o'clock in the morning when she came upon a wall full of graffiti. All

sorts of naive confessions strewn across its surface.

Crouching, she brushed her fingers longingly across a spot at the

bottom left corner.

"Zoe loves Mason forever.”

Staring at the scrawl, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. The

love she had for Mason when she was young was such a precious

thing. However, years came and went and no one cherished it. Her love

had no place to go.

There was an eerie silence in the dead of night. Luke was concerned

that she might catch a cold. So, he tried to convince her to go back

home. She nodded and got into the car. It was warm in there, but it did

nothing to chase away the chill she felt in her heart.

Checking her phone after she reached home, she found that she had

received a text from Mason. The content was something along the lines

of how sorry he was for not being able to keep her company because of

his work.

The next morning, a top jeweler came by the manor, bearing a set of

ruby jewelry. Judging by its quality and size, it was worth at least fifty

million dollars.

Zoe took the gift and sent a text to Mason. She thanked him for giving

her an anniversary gift, despite his extremely busy schedule. After that,

she tossed it aside.

The fact that he didn’t reply to her probably meant that he was terribly

worried about Lilith's condition. However, none of it mattered to her

anymore. She had her own business to attend to.

It was already Saturday by the time they met each other again. He

came back around half past four in the afternoon. One of the attentive

servants saw the black Bentley as it pulled into the manor and darted to

the third floor to tell Zoe. She spoke cheerfully, “Mr. Mason's back, Ms.

Zoe!”

Zoe was in the middle of her violin practice. She stopped when she

heard what the servant said. Mason probably came back to change for

the party. It was Aiden’s private party which he needed to attend with

Lilith.

How ironic, she thought to herself. In any case, she put down her violin

and went downstairs to welcome him home.

She ran into him on the second floor. There was an awkward silence as

they locked gazes with each other. It had been a few days since they

last saw each other. He looked paler now. It inferred that Lilith's

condition had gotten worse and he had exhausted every bit of his

energy, staying by her side.

After a brief pause, she spoke softly, “Welcome home!”

His eyes grew darker. They were both mature adults now. He couldn't

afford to keep treating her like a fool. After a brief contemplation, he

decided to explain himself, “Things aren't looking too good for her.

That's why I have to keep her company. There's nothing going on

between us, Zoe.”

She stared at him wordlessly for a while before putting on a faint smile.

She chose to avoid the topic.

“You're home early. Is it because you found the time to meet my friend?

I thought you said you couldn't do it, Mason.”

If he could just apologize to her and come clean that he still couldn't do

it because he needed to keep Lilith company, she might've been

impressed by his honesty. For that matter, she would've been willing to

let him explain himself.

However, that wasn't what he did.

Standing by the window, he took out a cigarette from his front pocket

and started smoking. About halfway through the cigarette, he turned

around and said lightly, “Get me a set of formal attire. I need to go back

to the company in a while.”

Lowering her gaze, she tried to hide her disappointment.

Then, she put on a considerate smile and said, “Work takes

precedence, I guess. One set of formal attire, coming right up. Also, are

you going to have dinner at home? If you are, I'll ask Layla to..."