56 WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

Meanwhile, as Zoe and Azra were on their course to Lord Howe Island…

'Am I really safe now?'

Zoe observed her surroundings as Azra was oaring to the shore.

She was still wary that there might be someone who wants to intentionally kill her again.

'Red reassured me. I must calm myself.'

She drew in a deep breath. Nevertheless, she peeked at the sea waters every now and then.

She wanted to check if someone underneath it might possibly be following them.

"Where do you want me to take you, my lady?"

Azra sensed Zoe's apprehension for her assured safety, so he sought to open up a civil conversation with her. 

"Huh?"

That's the only time Zoe communicated that she was with somebody.

"Oh, I'm sorry,"

She shook her head to fight off her fearful anxieties.

She put her flowing hair behind her ears and worked on focusing on the person in front of her.

'His name is Azra.'

He presented the appearance of being a little older than Red.

He was dashing in his own way, but he seemed timid and aloof.

As soon as she looked over at him, he quickly darted away.

"You can just drop me at wharf 2b where the Reeftastic boat launched. If you're familiar with that place, that is."

Azra confirmed as he shifted his speed to a faster rate. 

"Affirmative, my lady,"

Zoe kept her eyes on him, wondering where they came from.

'He and Red both have unique accents and different choice of words than the average. If Red was cautious about it, perhaps Azra isn't.'

Zoe contemplated.

She couldn't keep count anymore how many times they ran into each other.

She's already doubting whether it was by chance or fate that pulls them close like an irresistible magnet.

 'I know! I could ask for some juicy information on Red while I still have a kick at the can.'

She pulled herself together.

"So, how about you? Are you also in a hotel with Red?"

Zoe started to grill.

She shaded her eyeballs from the dazzling sun and got a load of Lord Howe Island from their distance.

"Red?"

Azra glanced in her direction with furrowed eyebrows.

Like a lighted bulb, she suddenly realized that Red is just a nickname that she handed out to him.

Maybe at this point, she could get to learn his real name.

"What I mean is your beloved boss?"

She narrowed her glistening eyes and stared at him.

Then, she continued to probe him with her interrogation. 

"You mean, Raigon?"

Azra blurted out his thoughts.

Zoe made a hearty peal of phony laughter.

"Yes! Haha. I mean Raigon, not Red. Silly me!"

She exclaimed with a wave of her hand and cupped her lovely mouth demurely.

'So his original name was Raigon. I caught you on that one!'

Zoe whispered to herself triumphantly.

"No, my lady." Azra gave a curt response.

Zoe twisted, at this stage, her entire body is facing Azra.

But she still acted as if she was just starting a conversation to kill boredom.

"Oh, so where do you stay?"

Zoe responded in a nonchalant manner.

But deep inside of her, she was very eager to make head and tail of it.

'Raigon has always been mysterious, appearing, and disappearing. I wondered where he was coming from every time. Or maybe I could pay him a pleasant visit before leaving the island.'

She had recalled their last moments before they separated.

Her dainty fingers fled to her lips unconsciously.

'He must be growing on me.'

In a flash, she shut her eyes tightly and tightened her lips. 

Fortunately, Azra answered abruptly, which distracted her from her train of thought. She didn't like where it was leading.

"I apologize, my lady. It's better if my master would answer that for you."

He half-smiled at her, hoping it would somehow pacify his crisp reply.

Zoe was a little disappointed in not knowing his exact location.

But she was pleased with his statement as she chirped back at him.

'He was loyal to him.'

She didn't receive the answer that she was searching for, and Azra seemed uncomfortable with her. But she appreciated the fact that he was faithful to him.

"Oh, it's okay. I just hope we can meet again before we take off for the island. With you, of course."

She grinned at him.

Now she was all eyes and ears to Raigon.

She wanted to see the light where he was coming from, his family, and his motivations.

She was having a good frame of mind, so she hummed a lilting melody; a recognizable tune that was familiar to Azra.

Azra glanced at her as he was directing the private boat to Lord Howe Island.

'I must have a good musical voice.'

Zoe allowed him to listen to her.

Because she was looking far away, she didn't realize Azra's actual expression towards her action.

He was scrunching his forehead and was clenching his prominent jaws at her.

His mood was somehow shifted up when he saw a lovely woman waving at Zoe as soon as they reached the port.

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Knowing a person is like music,

What attracts us to them is their melody.

And as we get to know who they are,

We get to know their lyrics.

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