Doom

"Zayden had a wife," she thought, stunned by the fact that he had a wife.

"That cheater!" She clenched her jaw, remembering the contract she had signed last night. She felt like a complete fool, but the next words uttered by Robert brought her some ease.

"Yes, Zane, but it was a long time ago," Robert said, his gaze dropping to the ground.

Zara looked over at the sacred door; her curiosity slowly gnawed at her, urging her to look inside the bedroom, but thankfully, the door was closed. If she had been alone, she knew her curiosity would have gotten the best of her.

"If he had kept that just for his wife, he probably loved her. So, why did he make me sign a contract?" she thought, her expression slowly turning sad.

She knew that he didn't love Zane, yet she couldn't help but wish she had been in his wife's place.

Robert, upon seeing her downcast gaze, immediately said, "But she's dead, and Mr. Zayden must have moved on to bring you here. You are the first lady he has ever brought to this place," he added, and a forced smile appeared on his lips.

The news hit Zara like a tidal wave, sweeping her off her feet; her world crumbled like a house of cards. Shock and grief swirled inside her.

Tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes. She didn't know who Zayden's ex-wife was, but she couldn't help feeling pity for her.

A lump formed in her throat, choking her, and all she could do was stare into space. She couldn't help but feel pity for herself and Zayden, wondering what had killed his first wife.

"How long have you been working for him?" Zara asked, rubbing away the tears that lingered at the corners of her eyes, changing the topic.

"I have served three generations, and that's about 65 years," Robert said, shocking Zara with his sudden revelation.

Since he had joined the Zayden family 65 years ago, that meant he should be close to 70 or 80, but the butler resembled no one over 70; instead, he looked around 50.

"You don't look like you're in your mid-80s or late 70s. I thought you were around 50 or 40," she stated as she walked alongside Robert.

"I get that a lot. Surprisingly, I do age," he chuckled.

A silence enveloped them once again as Robert, the butler, led the way, and Zara followed, observing his youthful appearance.

"Zayden has loved the garden ever since he was young," Robert said as he opened the glass door, revealing the most attractive, luxurious garden she had ever seen.

As she entered the garden with Robert, the warm sunlight danced across her face through the glass ceiling, illuminating the vibrant blooms of each flower.

The lush greenery of the perfectly manicured lawn stretched out before her. Petals of every flower—red roses, lavender, tulips—swayed gently in the breeze like ballerinas on stage. The garden's beauty was a feast for the eyes.

Caught up in the garden's allure, Zara couldn't help but move around in awe; the sweet scent of the blooming flowers enveloped her.

The gentle rustle of the flowers and the buzzing of bees created a soothing melody, calming her mind.

With each step, she felt her tension and worries melt away, replaced by a sense of peace and tranquility.

She gazed around, storing the scene in her memory, cherishing it like a precious moment she didn't want to forget.

The garden was large and expansive, and all the flowers, carefully tended by the maids, bloomed like shining stars.

There were so many varieties of flowers, and Zara wanted to feel them with her hands.

"Do you want to tend to them?" he asked, and Zara nodded in response.

He brought a watering can, and Zara took it from him.

Slowly, she bent down to the flowers' height. With delicate fingers, she tended to them.

A warm smile spread across her face as she weeded the soil, feeling satisfied.

Her hair fluttered in the sunny breeze. Robert grinned from ear to ear as he watched Zara with great attentiveness.

He observed as Zara walked over to a flower that stood apart from the others.

"Are these daisies?" Zara asked, her expression filled with happiness, her eyes sparkling and radiating warmth.

Robert nodded in agreement, and Zara bent down to study the flower in amusement.

It had a central eye of tightly packed tiny flowers, showy petals, and a slender stem with dark green leaves.

Its appearance was simple and delicate. The whiteness added more beauty to the flower.

"You must have the same taste as Mr. Zayden's ex-wife. She also loved daisies," he said.

Zara stared at the flowers with a longing gaze. A pang of jealousy hit her like a bolt, knowing that Zayden had left something to remember his ex-wife.

She tried to dismiss her thoughts and feelings and asked, "Does he still love her?"

She gritted her teeth in annoyance. Zara scolded herself for asking such a stupid question.

"Do you have a picture of her?" she asked again, before she could hear the answer she desperately didn't want to hear, but at the same time, she felt her curiosity catching up with her.

Robert faked a smile before answering, knowing Zara must have asked the other question absentmindedly.

"None of us have seen her, and we don't know her name," he lied smoothly. Though within him, he felt anxious from those questions. Neither of the two questions could end well for him. He knew any more words about Zayden's ex-wife could lead to his doom. He couldn't possibly tell Zara that his boss wasn't human like she thought, so he kept it short and concise.

Silence enveloped them as Zara stared at Robert, batting her eyelashes.

"Is anything wrong with my face?" he asked, touching his face, hoping Zara hadn't seen through his façade.

"No, nothing. I was just shocked that you haven't seen her since you've lived here for ages," Zara explained, earning a sigh of relief from Robert.

"Uhm, I heard they got married secretly. He left home at age eighteen and grew up with his aunt. He came back recently after his father persuaded him," Robert said, sweat beading on his forehead, even though the sun had gone down and the breeze was blowing.

"Ooh. Was there a reason he left?" Zara asked, unaware of the tension she was causing Robert again.

"Nothing, you know, when teenagers are almost entering puberty, they might want to change their environment," he said, chuckling deeply, hoping that this new madam would stop asking questions.

"Ah, I see," Zara said, nodding slowly in agreement. Another silence enveloped them as Zara continued to tend to the flowers.

Robert noticed she had been tending to the daisies for over 10 minutes, and she showed no sign of stopping soon.

The thought that Zayden had a wife still bothered her, and she thought maybe asking Zayden personally would make her feel relaxed.

What was her name? What did she look like? Did he still have the same old feelings?

She fought her curiosity inside her mind, like she was having a battle with her inner demon.

"What if I ask and he gets angry? What should I do?" she mumbled to herself, her voice barely audible, so Robert could hardly hear her.

It's none of your business, Zara. Your only focus now is on how to live.

"We should probably go inside to see other places," Robert said, jolting Zara out of her thoughts.

She was about to stand up when Robert's phone rang.

He answered the call after excusing himself and returned a second later with a confused expression.

"What is it?" Zara asked, her face etched with urgency and confusion.

"You need to go to the court bureau affairs," he said.

"What?" Zara asked, standing up as the watering can fell from her hand.