Chapter 38 JUST ACTING NICE?

Chapter 38 JUST ACTING NICE?
ZARA'S POV:
I really thought Lucas had finally come to his senses. After everything that happened between us in the kitchen island, I allowed myself to believe something dangerously hopeful. 

For a moment, I thought he had finally chosen us but I was wrong. Painfully and embarrassingly wrong for thinking that way because Lucas Blackwood had never been a man who changed his mind easily, and whatever happened between us…it didn’t mean anything to him. 

He was just horny, and I allowed him to use my body. I knew he was a bastard but why was I hoping at all?

I felt so stupid when he left in the evening without telling me where he was going. Of course, I knew he was going to see Giselle. After blaming myself for being so naive and stupid, I felt like I needed a drink. 

I should have known it was going to end this way but my heart remained restless when it came to Lucas Blackwood. And tonight, the only way I could ease the pain of being betrayed over and over was by drowning myself in alcohol. 

Just for tonight, I thought. 

The following morning, I woke up with a pounding headache, despising the familiar sensation of a hangover after indulging in too much alcohol. Perhaps, I went overboard last night. 

“Shit!” I cursed after my eyes landed on the table clock. 

Ken would be late!

Oh no…

I quickly got up and went to my son’s room. It was empty but I could smell the faint scent from his daily cologne. I followed his scent downstairs but when I got there, I didn’t expect to see Lucas wearing his usual suit.  

I stood frozen, realizing he had caught me in this state. But anyway, it wouldn’t matter to him if I looked like a mess or a witch. In his eyes, he only cared for Giselle. To him, Giselle was a goddess. 

Don’t look down on yourself, Zara! I thought.  

I pushed my thoughts aside to think clearly but while I was lost in my thoughts, Lucas touched my arm, sending an electric shock through me. Startled, I pulled away. He looked at me with such seriousness, an intensity that became unbearable, and I had to avert my gaze.

“If you can't handle drinking, you shouldn’t have touched the beer,” he scolded me.

My face flushed with embarrassment. I recalled leaving the room last night, feeling nauseous, and ending up vomiting. Then I remembered that someone was helping me get back to my room! 

Oh, how I wished the walls would swallow me whole!

I muttered. “Did you sleep here last night?”

He nodded. “In your bed.”

“What?”

“Why do you react like that? I should be the one to complain because I couldn’t get a wink because of you,” he told me. 

I thought I was just dreaming! 

“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!” I apologized.

“Never mind. You should go back to bed now,” he said. 

I shook my head. “I have to take our son to his school,” I replied. 

“I’ll take him to his school, Zara. As for you, there’s food in the breakfast room,” he said but when he mentioned food, I knew it wouldn’t be edible if he was the one who cooked it. “My secretary ordered it, don’t worry.”

“Oh!” 

Wait, did he just roll his eyes on me?

“Ken! We are leaving now,” he said and before I could react, he planted a kiss on my cheek. “See you later.” 

Then he was gone. 

What was that all about? I was too stunned to move!  

When I recovered from being shocked, my legs brought me to the breakfast room and there was really food on the table. Then I blinked my eyes in disbelief. I thought it was something healthy but it’s a breakfast meal from one of the 24/7 fast food restaurants in the city.  

I took a deep breath and prepared my black coffee before eating the chicken nuggets, sausages and sunny side up eggs. Earlier, Lucas looked too proud when he said there was food in the breakfast room. Who would have expected to see the simplest meal on earth? 

After breakfast, I freshened up with a cold shower, changed into a decent black shirt and pants, grabbed my bag and hopped into my car to tend to my business. As Antoinette was heavily pregnant, she couldn’t check the shop anytime, so it was my job whenever she got pregnant. 

Thirty minutes later, Mariz greeted me as soon as I stepped inside the shop. She had been one of our most reliable employees at the mall for almost five years, always neat, always polite, always the first one to arrive.

“How are you, Mariz?”

“Just fine, Miss Zara,” she answered with a warm smile.

I nodded and placed my bag behind the counter, glancing around the store out of habit. The displays were already arranged, the shelves organized just the way I liked them. Mariz had always been very meticulous with her work, that’s why she deserved all the bonuses and other perks. 

“Did the new stocks arrive yesterday?” I asked while checking the inventory list on the tablet.

“Yes, Miss Zara. They came around four in the afternoon,” she replied. “I already placed most of them in the storage room, but the new dresses are still inside the boxes,” she reported.  

“Alright. We’ll check them later,” I said. 

The shop was still quiet since it was early and only a few people were walking outside the glass doors of the malls, some carrying coffee and others were slowly browsing through the stores that had just opened. 

“I didn’t expect that the sales are going well during this month,” I mumbled after checking our sales report. 

“It’s because of a famous model who dropped by before. She just bought a purse, and that’s it!” Mariz reported with excitement in her voice. 

“It seems that you are also a fan of this model, Mariz,” I said. 

Mariz laughed shyly and nodded. “A little, Miss Zara. She’s very famous and very elegant, too.”

I closed the sales report and leaned back against the counter. “Oh?” I said casually. “And who is this famous model that blessed our little shop with her presence?”

Mariz’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Miss Giselle.”