Evan was curious about their little exchange, finding it odd that Desmond had changed his mind and agreed to his meeting with Zaria simply because of a text message from her. He wanted to know what she had told him, but at the same time, he knew that they would not answer him even if he asked—she would have said it out loud if it was meant for his ears.

Even so, he couldn't stop his brain from running wild. Did the lady give an excuse because she wanted to see him so badly again? The strangest thing was that Desmond had always been the one to give instructions and forcefully change people's minds. He never took no for an answer and it was impossible to sway him once he made a decision. It made one wonder just what a capable assistant—or partner—she was, to be able to convince him so fast.

"About Samantha." Evan pulled them back to the main point.

"What do you have in mind?" Desmond listened even while knowing that he would probably not do as Evan suggested. He had his own plan and he was certain that it would suffice.

"I know where she was on the night that your father was murdered. And I have evidence to prove it." Evan winked at Zaria as though his words were directed at her.

"Why are you aware of her whereabouts?" Desmond did not trust Evan in the slightest. To be exact, he didn't trust anyone.

"She's a beauty." He shrugged like it meant nothing. He was then curious of Desmond's lack of reaction. "Don't you mind? She's your sister after all."

Was he supposed to mind? Zaria wondered. It sounded like Evan was trying to provoke Desmond on purpose by indirectly letting slip that he was with his sister that night.

"Her matters are none of my business." Desmond was nonchalant.

"Welp, you owe me a dinner then. I will give you the evidence of her true location." Evan concluded.

Desmond was about to stand when the other man jabbed him. "Have you heard about what happened to the Zhens?" He struck up a conversation.

"No. Not interested." Desmond stood up with Zaria.

"Let's play two games of golf? Who dares to leave a golf course without playing golf?" insisted Evan, but Desmond had already seen through him.

"You only want to keep looking at Zaria." He exposed Evan mercilessly.

"Can you not paint such a picture of me in her brain? Jeez!" The man complained, making Zaria wonder what picture there was for anyone to paint of him. Wasn't it evident enough from the rate at which he switched companions and how intimate he was with them?

As they left the golf course, Desmond finally had the chance to ask about the text message she had sent him. "What does this have to do with Liam?"

"Evan is under Liam's instructions. There isn't any other way that he knows so much about what's happening with you." Zaria explained. "Besides, I accidentally saw his schedule, and at the time that we bumped into each other this morning, he was going to meet Mr. West."

Desmond snickered as they got into the car. "Here I was starting to think that it's because Evan is close to Samantha."

"Obviously not." She was surprised that he was even swayed by that playboy's insane excuse. No one in their right mind would discuss such matters with the brother of the woman they have been with. Something was off about it.

"He must have offered to give Evan something that you couldn't, and this is why Evan is willing to listen to him. Long story short, Liam is trying to do the right thing but using the wrong means to do it."

His eyebrows were knitted and his eyes closed. From her knowledge of him over the past few weeks, she guessed that he was closing his eyes to suppress his anger. He rubbed his temples before gritting his teeth. "There isn't such a thing as doing the right thing using the wrong means when it involves you. There is only right and wrong. What he is doing is the worst thing in the world."

"When it involves me?" She was confused for a while before it dawned on her. The thing that Liam had promised to give Evan if he helped Desmond deal with Samantha couldn't be her, right?

"What the heck is wrong with Liam?" She facepalmed. First, he set her up to appear as Jaime's accomplice and now he was giving her to another man? Did he think she was an item to be possessed and given away on whim?

"He is asking for a beating." Desmond felt his knuckles itch for violence. Realizing that Zaria didn't know what Liam was up to, he opened his eyes. "He said that we couldn't be together. Something to do with your identity being complex."

He watched her to see her reaction, but she frowned then burst into laughter. "Is there something wrong with Liam's brain? You should consider signing him up for therapy."

"Good idea. I also think he's going crazy." The anger in his eyes had dimmed down significantly and he placed a hand on hers. "Zaria. As long as you are willing to be with me, nothing can stop us from being together no matter what it is."

Her lips slowly curled into a gentle smile before she nodded. "Let's talk about that when we're together."

"Right. The wedding." He recalled the main thing that was holding her back but this time, he was no longer feeling bummed. He had spoken to Natalie the previous evening and learned that it wasn't long before they could officially cancel their engagement with a valid reason.

…

In the evening, Zaria finally found Theodore home and rushed to him. Even Des was snuggling up to him like it had missed him.

"You're finally back! Where did you go for so long?"

He patted the space beside him, and she sat down. Then he gave her a chocolate candy that made her burst into laughter at his dramatics. Seeing that Zaria had received something that made her happy just because she had sat down, Des also sat on the couch obediently and waited for his treat with his tongue sticking out. Theodore had been waiting for this so he chuckled and gave the puppy the treat he was hiding. "He is smart."

Zaria gazed at the puppy lovingly as he jumped around then settled on her lap to ask for pets. "He makes me feel like I have a baby." Her eyes turned stern as she snapped them back to her father. "But nope. You are not going to use him to distract me."

"What's there for me to distract you?" He chuckled guiltily after being seen through. "I went to meet up with an old friend."

"Okay." She drawled out the syllables to indicate that although she was not going to probe, she was not convinced by his answer in the slightest.

"Is there anything wrong with that?" He questioned.

"You made yourself seem suspicious." She confessed.

"There is nothing to be suspicious about, don't overthink. How has work been?"

"Great." Came her monosyllabic reply.

"Just great? Nothing more to it?"

Knowing that he liked to overthink, she nodded. "We just have to snag some deals, deal with one asshole or two… or three. That's all."

He was glad to hear that she was doing alright. "I hope your insanely arrogant boss has started to realize your worth?"

She neither nodded nor shook her head as her hand continued rhythmically running over Des' coat, seeming like she was in deep thought. "Actually, he only appears to be arrogant when he is dealing with his enemies. In truth, he is a great guy. At least he is to me… we talked about our misunderstandings and he has been treating me well since then."

Theodore felt like he had been struck by thunder. It was confirmed. His daughter was officially in love with that man. It wasn't just like or a mere infatuation; she was falling dangerously in love. There wasn't any other explanation for her to suddenly stop hating the man she had vowed to destroy as soon as she had the means. It was too late for him or anyone to intervene.

What worried him was the fact that Desmond's reputation wasn't anything like any parent would want their daughter's boyfriend to have. On top of that, he was a harbinger of doom. How could Zaria fall for him?

What was worse, he couldn't bring himself to force her into something she did not want or away from something she wanted—especially not after the kind of childhood and past love life she had been through.

He took a deep breath and hoped that if Desmond was going to show his true colors and break her heart or dump her later, he better do so as soon as possible, before she fell too deep to get up again after the heartbreak.