It had been a long time since the house had heard such joyful laughter, much less the jovial chatter that
presided over dinner that evening.
For the past two years, whenever Henry came over, Zachary would excuse himself for work.
Robbie had likewise remained aloof and distant.
Jamie and Ellie were the only ones who’d consistently remained on good terms with Henry.
Over time, Henry had stopped visiting.
Henry had only flown all the way back from M Nation this time in order to celebrate Jamie and Ellie
starting elementary school.
He’d spent even more effort this time getting to know the children and hoping to resolve the tension
between himself and Robbie.
Henry had all but given it up for lost. He definitely hadn’t anticipated that this night would come to pass.
He was thus overjoyed. Henry believed that his efforts had not been in vain. At the same time, he
began to harbor hopes for the future.
It was Henry’s wish that Zachary’s marriage would stabilize while Henry was still alive. The three
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtchildren would acknowledge Cynthia, and they’d all embark on their new life.
After dinner, when the three children had gone out to the garden, Henry turned to Zachary, saying,
“Cynthia’s awake. Come with me to visit her at the hospital later.”
“I’ll go. You’ve been up and about for the whole day. Rest at home,” Zachary replied.
Zachary had no qualms about going but thought it rather awkward to be accompanied by Henry.
“That’s fine too,” Henry said, exhaling. He didn’t want to seem too overbearing to Zachary so soon after
the ice between them had thawed. “I’ll accompany the children here. You go and visit Cynthia.”
“OK.” Zachary waved to the children and set off.
Along the way, Zachary received another call from Louis. Zachary grimaced when he saw the number
flashing luminous across his phone but gritted his teeth and answered. “What is it now?”
“Zachary, I’m just about to meet Charlotte. I’m so nervous! What should I say if she asks me about
what happened last night?” Louis’ anxious voice came from the other end of the line.
Louis was like a bashful schoolboy who had never been in love, always running to Zachary for the
slightest bit of advice.
“Do I have to teach you this as well?” Zachary was speechless. “Why don’t you just make up an
excuse?”
“I’ve thought of one. I’m going to say my friends brought me that and forced a woman onto me. I had no
choice…” Louis rattled off his plan.
“Why are you still asking me then?” Zachary said curtly.
“But she asked me yesterday who had brought me there. Should I tell her the truth?” Louis asked
cautiously.
So this was what Louis was leading up to.
“Up to you. You can tell her if you want,” Zachary said easily.
“I’ll be honest with her then,” Louis decided. “When she was questioning me yesterday, I didn’t think
that it would be right to sell a brother out behind his back. I had to ask you first.”
“So you’re going sell me out in my face?” Zachary retorted.
“Uh… well…” Louis stammered.
“Fine, take care of it yourself,” Zachary replied.
He hung up the phone. There was no discernible expression on his face to indicate that anything was
wrong.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Mr. Nacht, why didn’t you ask Sir Louis to keep it a secret? If Ms. Lindberg finds out that you were the
one who brought him there, won’t she misunderstand you for a player?” Bruce broke in. His
reservations were evident.
“She’s already misunderstood me enough. Once more won’t make a difference,” Zachary scoffed.
“Besides, even if Louis didn’t tell her, don’t you think Charlotte wouldn’t have found out on her own?”
“She didn’t get anything out of Sultry Night,” Bruce said, pondering.
“I’m the only one that Louis knows in H City. Other than me, who would dare bring him to a nightclub?
Who else would be able to persuade Sultry Night to cover up what happened in the private room?”
Zachary said evenly. “Charlotte’s smart. She’d surely have thought of that.”
“That’s true,” Bruce said, nodding. “But aren’t you at all worried about Sir Louis and Ms. Lindberg’s date
tonight?”
“What’s there to be worried about?” Zachary rejoined coolly, raising an eyebrow. “That woman’s totally
intolerant towards straying of any sort in her relationships. Even if I was the one who brought Louis
there, Louis wouldn’t have touched another woman if he had indeed resolved to be loyal. He
succumbed to temptation and was ultimately caught by her. That has nothing to do with me.”
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