Chapter 40 Chapter 40. Zoria’s Submission for Survival
"Zephyr, I will not cry anymore, and I will not hurt myself again. I promise that from now on I will obey you completely. Whatever you tell me to do, I will do it. I can be your slave. I only beg you not to… not to…"
By the end, she was choking so hard she could not finish her sentence. Zoria collapsed against him, clinging tightly, afraid that the moment she let go, Zephyr would go and harm her loved ones. She had already made too many mistakes and did not want to drag anyone else down with her.
Because she did not dare to cry, her voice trembled and broke, even her breathing carrying faint sobs.
Zephyr stared at her panicked face, his tone carrying hidden meaning. "You will obey me completely?"
Zoria nodded frantically.
Zephyr looked at her for a long time, then laughed. "Then if I tell you to bear many offspring for me, you’ll agree to that too, right?"
Zephyr, with his deep pale violet eyes, reached out and gently brushed Zoria’s face. The corner of his lips curved upward as he said, "Once you recover, you and I will have another offspring. You like them so much, then we’ll just keep having them. There is no need to stop."
Zoria’s face went deathly pale. A chill ran down her spine, her whole body trembling. Her lips quivered, but no words came out.
Zephyr had always been brutally straightforward with her. In his eyes, she was nothing more than a toy, not even as valuable as a pet. He kept her by his side simply because he saw her as a womb, a breeding tool.
Zoria suddenly felt it hard to breathe.
Zephyr lifted her chin. "Why are you not saying anything? Are you scared of having too many offspring?"
Her voice came out hoarse as she grabbed his shirt. "Zephyr, even if you do not care about how I feel, what about Faye? Can she really stand you being with me? Can she stand me giving birth to your offspring?"
Zephyr froze for a second, then burst out laughing. He took hold of Zoria’s cold hand. "Do you think Faye would nitpick like you? She likes offspring, but she cannot bear any herself, so she can only find another female to give birth in her place."
He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if this was how it was always meant to be. Zoria felt the blood in her veins turn cold.
Zephyr went on. "Faye does not allow me to touch any other female, but you are my mate. Touching you is only natural."
Natural? Zoria felt that she and Zephyr could not communicate at all. It was like trying to reason with a wild beast.
She was already in despair. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she had given up. Giving birth once was still giving birth. Two was the same. Whatever Zephyr wanted, she would accept. She should get used to seeing herself as something insignificant. Only then would it stop hurting.
Just then, the phone vibrated. Zephyr casually patted Zoria on the head, took out his phone, and walked outside.
He glanced at the number on the screen, moved to the corner of the stairwell, and answered the call.
"Zephyr, when are you coming back? I miss you." It was Faye. She had been waiting at home for nearly two days, her frustration boiling over.
Zephyr replied, "Zoria’s eyes are temporarily blind, so she needs to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days."
"Zoria is blind?" Faye sounded as if she were thinking about something else, different calculations flashing through her mind.
"Is there anything else?"
"Zephyr, I will send a maid to take care of Zoria. Come home tonight and stay with me."
Faye’s voice carried a hint of grievance. Even without seeing her, Zephyr could picture her wronged expression, and it softened his heart.
His heart wavered slightly. In the past, as long as Faye pleaded like this, he would have gone back to her without hesitation. But today, he hesitated. Zoria had lost her sight. Could he really rest easy leaving her in someone else’s care?
That thought startled him. He realized that he had started to care about Zoria again.
"I am not coming back tonight. I will come home to stay with you after Zoria is discharged. Tell the servants to prepare some nourishing meals."
Faye clenched her teeth and forced a faint smile. "Alright."
The moment she finished speaking, Zephyr had already hung up. Faye gripped her phone tightly, stared at the flower pots on the balcony, then rushed over and smashed them like a crazy female. Soil and shards scattered all over the balcony.
She trembled with rage, her eyes burning red.
Zoria, I will never let you go. I want you dead. I want you dead. I want you dead.
After ending the call, Zephyr was about to return to the hospital room when he suddenly remembered something. He took out his phone and sent a message to his assistant, telling him to investigate Evander’s hospital, to get the surveillance footage if possible, and to send him the videos from the villa as well.
Only after sending the message did Zephyr head back to the ward. Hearing movement, Zoria, who had been lowering her head, suddenly looked up.
Zephyr stood by the bed. "Have you thought it through?"
"I… I agree." While Zephyr was out, she had already sorted out her thoughts. Trading her body for her family’s safety was not a losing deal.
Zephyr’s feelings were hard to put into words. In the past, he had wanted Zoria to carry his offspring, but she would rather die than agree. Now she had agreed so easily.
He narrowed his eyes at her, his voice low and hoarse. "Zoria, you are being good."
Zoria shuddered. She lowered her head into the endless darkness, her heart hanging in midair.
The mattress sank as Zephyr sat down and pulled Zoria into his arms from behind. Her body curled up instinctively.
Zephyr unconsciously tightened his hold. He avoided her injuries, wrapped his arms around her waist, lowered his head, and lightly bit the sensitive part of her neck that carried her faint Omega scent.
Zoria tried not to dodge, but her back was stiff in his embrace.
Zephyr looked at the purplish red marks on her neck and said, "No wonder you refused back then when I wanted to sleep with you. So there was already the wild seed of another male growing in your womb. You were afraid that if I touched you, it would affect the fetus, right?"
That was indeed what Zoria had thought at the time, but she could not say it. Zephyr had already decided that the offspring was not his. No matter what she said, it would only make him angrier.
"Who got you pregnant?"