Chapter 104 Chapter 104. After the Bond
"Who allowed you in here?" Zephyr asked coldly. His face was rigid, his gaze frozen like ice.
Jenna was afraid of both Faye and Zephyr. She hid behind Lola, trembling, too scared to answer.
"Ms. Faye asked us to clean this place," Lola replied with a shaky voice. It had only been a few days, yet she already felt that the Alpha had grown far colder than before. There was almost no emotion left on his face.
Zephyr asked nothing more. He turned and walked straight into the garden. Faye was having afternoon tea at the time, seated in her wheelchair, holding a small plate of pastries in her right hand and eating with evident enjoyment.
When she saw Zephyr, Faye smiled brightly, like a flower in full bloom. She set the plate aside. "Zephyr, have you been very busy lately? I haven’t seen you in so long." Her voice was sweet, laced with a faint, sulky note.
Ever since Zephyr had brought her back to the villa to recover, he had often stayed away, always claiming he was busy with work. In the end, Faye had no choice but to pretend to be ill just to draw him back to her side. Recently, however, she had been too occupied renovating the villa to put on an act to lure him home, so she had not expected Zephyr to return today—let alone so early.
Zephyr nodded. His expression remained blank, all emotions carefully concealed. "Faye, did you tell them to clean out Zoria’s room?" he asked indifferently. His pale violet eyes glimmered with an unfathomable depth.
Faye frowned, displeasure rising in her chest. She could hear the dissatisfaction in Zephyr’s tone. Zoria had already been driven away—why did he still care about her things?
She clenched her hands tightly, crescent-shaped red marks from her nails appearing on her pale skin. She wanted to question Zephyr, but she could not. She had to endure it. The more pitiful she appeared, the easier it would be for Zephyr to soften and feel sympathy for her.
"I’m sorry, Zephyr. I thought Zoria had already severed the bond with you. If you saw her things, you would surely feel sad, so I took it upon myself to have her room tidied up. If you don’t like it, I’ll tell the servants to put everything back exactly as it was."
As she finished speaking, Faye’s eyes reddened, her voice sounding full of self-reproach.
Zephyr frowned deeply, an inexplicable irritation welling up inside him. "No need. From now on, lock that room. No one is allowed to enter."
"I understand." Faye lowered her head. The anger on her face was hard to hide, but she quickly reined it in. When she looked up again, she wore a gentle smile. "Why did you come back so early today?"
"Today is the Full Moon Festival. The company is closed."
Faye froze slightly. Lately, she had been caught up in too many things and had completely forgotten about the festival. The smile on her face gradually stiffened.
"Then tonight I’ll have Lola prepare a few more dishes."
There were less than two hours left before dinner. It was impossible to put together an elaborate feast, so Lola could only hurriedly prepare the ingredients and make a few dishes Zephyr liked.
Zephyr sat at the dining table, his eyes lowered, his deep gaze fixed on the food in his bowl. His thoughts were in disarray. These dishes had all been cooked by Lola—every single one was something he liked, and also something Zoria liked. Without realizing it, he was reminded of Zoria from two years ago, of the meals they had shared when she was still here.
Back then, Zoria did not know how to cook. Yet for Zephyr’s sake, an Omega who had been cherished and protected by Kieran since childhood had forced herself into the kitchen, learning to prepare the dishes Zephyr loved.
After she finished cooking, she did not eat first. She simply sat blankly on the sofa, waiting for him to come home. The moment she heard his footsteps, the instant he stepped through the door, Zoria would immediately scoop rice into a bowl and obediently carry it over to him. Her beautiful blue eyes were bright and clear, filled with expectation. Sadly, back then he was always cold and distant, accustomed to responding to her with careless, icy words. Little by little, he had extinguished the flame of hope in her eyes.
Zoria—was she doing well now? Where was she this year during the Full Moon Festival? What was she doing? Was she lonely? Did she still think of him sometimes?
Thinking of this, Zephyr suddenly felt as if he were already full, as though he had just finished eating.
“I’m full.” Zephyr stood up and walked straight upstairs.
“Zephyr, you haven’t even eaten yet, why are you—” Faye called after him, but Zephyr acted as though he hadn’t heard a thing.
When he reached the second-floor living room, Zephyr pulled open the floor-to-ceiling curtains and looked out at the distant city glowing with lights. It had been a month since he had broken the bond with Zoria. For that entire month, Zephyr had lived in constant pain; whenever he had even a moment of free time, he would think of her—so intensely that his heart ached.
To numb himself and force his mind away from Zoria, Zephyr could only throw himself endlessly into work, deliberately finding things to do so the pain would ease, even a little.
From his subordinates, Zephyr learned that Zoria had left Amberville. She was not with Lysander. Hearing that, Zephyr finally let out a breath of relief. He almost couldn’t stop himself from going to find her, but Zoria despised him deeply now. After some thought, Zephyr told himself that seeing her at this moment would be too rushed. He was afraid he would only frighten her, make her bristle like a startled animal and turn around to flee. After turning it over in his mind again and again, he decided it was better to wait a little longer. When she had calmed down, he would go and beg for her forgiveness.
At the same time, in another small city—
Zoria used what little money she had left to rent a tiny apartment. Right next to it was a garbage dump that occasionally gave off a foul, fishy stench. On the very first day she moved in, the smell had made her feel nauseous.