Chapter 94 Untitled CCHAPTER NINETY-FOUR: THE QUEEN FOR THE THRONE. hapter
ZARA
From: Alexander Knight. To: My daughter-in-law Zara Crawford.
The tag makes no sense to me at all. Alexander had treated me like a stain earlier today and expressed his joy that I had not ended up with his son, but now he was trying to spin this narrative on me? The wedding arrangement between the Knights and the Crawfords can no longer hold, so what did this box mean?
“Zara?” Michael’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Our eyes met, and without a word, I could feel his worry.
I gently turned the box to him so he could read. I watched his reaction, the way his jaw tightened and the way his nostrils flared with anger. Did he already know something about this?
“Why would the chairman address me as his daughter-in-law? Isn’t he aware that I am married to you and can’t be married to his son?” I asked.
“Mr. Alexander Knight is quite different,” he said.
Of course, he would know these men better than I did. He had been working with them his entire life. Maybe he could think of a reason why this box was in my hands right now.
“That doesn't explain the box.”
“It’s hard to tell what he is thinking,” Michael explained, and I nodded.
He was here with me, so how could he tell what a man two houses away was thinking?
“Don’t think too much about it,” he said, taking the box from me before I could decide if I wanted to open it up.
“The gala would definitely smooth things over.”
The event was in ten days, and it felt like a lot of things were waiting to be revealed at that time as if it was some kind of auspicious time chosen for it.
“What do you mean?”
“I hear the real Aiden will be revealed. That should smooth a lot, right?” He asked, and I nodded.
I was hoping he was right. That night I would talk to Aiden to let Michael go and declare him as my husband so no one would try to play with him again.
I stared at him; this man was too innocent to be tossed by the Knight family, and I had to make sure I took care of him.
“You are right.” I nodded with a deep breath. “Just ten days, and we would be somewhere soon, sipping out of coconuts and having the time of our lives.”
He nodded but didn't seem as excited as before. He grabbed my things off the floor and held my jacket, bag, and the box in one hand as he pulled me through the house with the other.
“I made dinner,” he declared, and a smile unknowingly climbed my face. “Why don’t you freshen up and come down for dinner?” He asked.
“I think that is a good idea.” I took the things from him, kissing the side of his face and then his lips before I ran up the stairs to have a long soak in the bath before dinner.
I set the box on the vanity. I didn’t want to open it because I was not going to allow Alexander to play mind games on me. My focus now was on Michael's and my job. The knights were nothing more than a business agreement to me.
AIDEN
As soon as I saw her walk up and disappear, I pulled out my phone and walked to the garden outside, dialing my father’s number.
“I assume you’ve already gotten the gift,” he sounded too smug.
“Why did you send that here?” I asked.
I had barely been able to cover my ass the past few weeks. “Are you intentionally trying to blow my cover?”
“You said two months…”
“And I still have ten days left on those two months,” I shot back at him.
Rylan had caused so much chaos that even cleaning up was taking more time than it should. Zara was already sure that the Knights were trying to steal from her company. I had to put everything in order so when I came out with the truth to her, it didn't sound like another well-cooked-up lie.
I wanted to tell her before the gala. To set the record straight. She deserved to hear the truth from me and not anyone else. I knew my father. He was going to tell her the moment he set his eyes on her.
He let out a mocking laugh. “Did you know your wife came to see me today?”
My heartbeat sounded faster and louder in my ears. Was that where she had hurried off to this morning?
“She asked me to let you go. This pauper role you are playing, you seem to be taking it a little too seriously.” He paused, and I could predict what his next words were going to be.
“I raised you not to become an actor but to lead the company to be the richest in the world. You are wasting away your potential”
“The gift was unnecessary…”
“I was just giving my daughter-in-law a gift. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“You didn’t like the idea of me being with her, and now all of a sudden you want to gift her?”
I couldn't help but get suspicious. He was acting out of character.
Everything was going smoothly, and now it was time to tell the truth, but I knew how this was going to end. She would be pissed at me, and I didn't have enough for damage control.
“I finally met her, and even though my money was on Lysandra before now. I have to say Zara is a much better fit. She would fit in well, and your mother would be proud in her grave as well.”
He didn't sound mocking or like he was teasing, but still with him, one couldn't be too sure about anything.
“Stop pulling stunts like this,” I said, my voice rising higher than it should. “You know better than to do stuff like this.”
“Aiden, you have ten days left, and then you can’t play on your terms anymore.”
I knew what he meant. He had turned the annual gala into an announcement. I was supposed to have at least three more years before he handed over, but after what Rylan tried, it was obvious he had to move faster.
“Your throne is waiting; don’t keep it cold for too long.” Silence returned between us. “And don’t forget to bring your queen.”