15. The expected
Leo was in his office working late, he saw a shadow on the floor near the door and looked up. "You must be looking for me so I thought I'll show up myself", Zara said as she walked in and stood near the sofa, a few feet away from Leo's desk. He walks over to Zara without saying anything as he held her gaze and stops a few inches away from her. She pulls out a knife from her pocket, "Hold it", she said and Leo followed. She then grabbed his neck and pulled him towards her neck. Leo felt her soft warm hand against his skin, sending shivers down his spine. He holds her to balance himself with one hand on her back. A part of him wanted to move closer, at the same time he felt his cheeks heating up. "Bite me, I know once you bite, I'll be knocked unconscious. Then you can kill me with that knife", she said in her calm usual tone but she was full of remorse and guilt. He smirked and slowly moved away.
"You didn't kill my brother", he said in a composed tone. "What?", Zara asked in disbelief as her eyebrows knitted. "Mr. W swapped my brother with one of his men", he revealed. Zara breaks eye contact, not feeling relieved but confused. She walks towards the door but Leo stops her by holding her wrist, Zara doesn't turn around, she stood still. "Are you thinking you'll ask Mr. W about this man. Then go to his family and ask them to kill you?", he asked. "I don't think it should be of your concern anymore", she replied looking over her shoulder, she jerked his hand away but Leo holds her wrist again and pulls her to make her face him. "He wants to take revenge for her sister, Sofia, the one you killed in high school", he said in a coaxing tone. He then let go of her hand when he saw that Zara wasn't trying to go anywhere. "Don't worry we will get back at him. My brother had to suffer alot because of him too", he assured Zara.
Zara's parents were sitting at the dining table. Mrs. Lee was too distracted to eat anything, she was worried about her daughter, genuinely missing her. "Serve me some more chicken", he ordered. Her mother nodded. "And don't waste what's on your plate", he said and continued chewing on the chicken. It wasn't his way of showing love or anything, he just wanted to make sure the money he spent on buying something doesn't go to waste. "I wonder where Zara is", she sighed. "Wherever she is it doesn't matter she is not a part of our family anymore. How dare she run away", he hissed. "Moreover what were we even thinking? She isn't even beautiful, or knows how to cook. Who would even like to marry her. She is of no use. It's better if she stays away from our family", Mr. Lee grunted.
Zara overheard the conversation, she was leaning against the wall near the window outside her house. That was the reaction she expected from her parents. No matter what she always had this in her mind. The plan to ruin the wedding and going far away from them. "What are you doing here?", Jane asked as she patted on Zara's shoulder. She leans on the wall beside her. Zara gets away from the wall and stands in front of her, she didn't expect Jane to appear like that. "Do you just hang around my house like that or?", Zara inquired. "Nah just saw you earlier", she replied. "I don't think you can go back to that house. Where will you go?", Jane asked. Zara glances around, trying to come up with an answer. Jane scoffed, "You don't have any? My family has a farmhouse. We hardly visit there", she pulls out a key from her pocket.
Zara looks at the key then at Jane, "Thanks but it's fine", she smiled and walks away. Zara went on to the other side of the house, she glanced around to make sure no one was looking at her then took a jump and landed on the roof. She then went inside her room through the window. She looked around her room, it was the same as she had left it. Zara starts packing her clothes and other belongings.
Lawrence was in his car, he saw Jane coming out from the gate. He stops the car and got out in a hurry. "What were you doing there?", he asked thinking Jane might have seen Zara. "Wait so you're that guy who was wearing a mask that night and almost killed me with your car", Jane recognized him. Lawrence turned his head to the side and sighed, he didn't want Jane to recognize him. "No, I'm not", he answered confidently. "008, I remember the car number", she folds her arms and stared at him. "Fine, it was me but did you see Zara", he asked curious. "You're late, she was there but went away", Jane replied. "And all this time you were pretending you have some sort of mental illness", he queried. Jane avoided the question but asks one instead, "But why did you try to kill me?". Lawrence walks close to her and runs his finger through Jane's hair. "I like to play", he said as he reached the end of her shoulder length hair and moved his hand away. "See you later", he went towards Zara's house.
Jane looks down at her hands which were shaking, she tightly grips on the other hand to control, but it didn't help. She opens the gate to her house, and struggles to lock it. After she entered the house she locked every door and staggered on the way to her bed. She lied down on the bed and covered her head with the blanket. Her heavy breathing started to become calmer but her mind wasn't. When earlier Lawrence was stroking her hair her gaze fell upon his hand. He was wearing a dagger bracelet.