Chapter 23

Zavier’s POV:

“Are you serious right now?” I asked. Did she drink today?

“Yes. Did I say something wrong?” Mom shrugged, leaning back into her seat.

“Grace cheated on me and had the audacity to try and change the narrative as if I were in the wrong—” I stated.

“Well, you’re always so busy, so—” Mom started to say. My blood was boiling. Didn’t she understand when to let something go?

“Amara’s not even in a true relationship with me, yet she’s remained loyal to me. When I go out with her, she gets attention, yet she brushes it off and focuses on me and solely me,” I told her, my voice rising a little, but I had to keep in mind that Amara was somewhere inside.

“But—”

“Papa was always busy too. Did you ever cheat on him?” I asked, raising a brow at her, clearly overstepping the line a little, but enough was enough.

“Don’t you dare go so far, Zavi.” She stood up, pointing her index finger at me.

“I’ve tolerated enough from you, Mama. You come into our house, and you disrespect her like that? She’s better than Grace or any other girl you prefer for me because, unlike the others, she has a personality I like. But to you, you see that she’s not wealthy, so she doesn’t deserve your respect." I got up too, glaring at her, this time keeping my voice down a little.

“How dare you speak that way to me!” Mom huffed, glaring back up at me too.

“I think you should get going before it becomes any darker.” I picked up her bag and handed it to her.

“Yes, I’ll be going.” She grabbed it from my hand and walked out. I followed behind her to open and close the gate once the driver picked her up.

I stood outside and looked up at the sky for a moment as I took deep breaths, trying to calm down before heading in. Perhaps tonight wasn’t the right day to tell Amara about my feelings…

~~~

Carolyn's POV:

I paced around the room, biting the gel polish of my acrylic nails as I stewed in my thoughts. I felt conflicted about whether to do this or not. I walked to the desk and picked up my phone. Upon unlocking the phone, I scrolled through my contacts and made a call.

“Hello.” Luckily, they answered. It had been years since I had contacted them. “Yes, of course. It’s me,” I replied, a little annoyed, rolling my eyes. “I think it’s time for you to come back.” I smirked, as I could already hear them get excited on the other end of the line. I wasn’t too sure if my plan would work, but it was worth a try. “Next week. I’ll text you the time and place.” I looked out the window and waved at my mother. “I can’t wait. I missed you,” I said before ending the call. I looked over at the door when I heard it open and saw Charlotte entering the room.

“Who was that?” Charlotte asked me as she stepped into the room, staying by the door.

“No one important,” I brushed her off quickly, putting away the phone.

“‘I missed you’ sure seems like someone important. Make sure this one knows you have a twin, so they don’t accidentally kiss me,” Charlotte replied, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at me, making me roll my eyes.

We definitely didn’t agree on everything, but despite our differences, we were still as close as two people could be. We had been womb mates, for God’s sake.

“Don’t worry. I won’t make the same mistake twice.” I chuckled, shaking my head as I picked up my water bottle and sipped the lemon, strawberry, and mint water.

“Let’s go work out?” Charlotte asked. Usually, we worked out together whenever we lived together.

“Mm-hmm. Why did you move out? I miss you here.” I pouted, following Charlotte to the gym room.

“I'm your personal motivator?” she teased.

“Yes, but since you decided to be Ms. Independent, I’m all alone,” I replied, rolling my eyes after letting out a loud sigh. I was the only one in the mansion with Mom. Arlo used to stay over four to five days a week here, but lately, he had been staying at his place more often.

“I really wanted this. I asked you to join me.” Charlotte pouted, holding the door open for me to go in first, before following me into the room.

“I guess I didn’t want to leave Mama all alone.” I shrugged, setting down my towel and water bottle on the table and then looking at Charlotte as she did the same thing.

“Understandable. Come on, then. Cardio first.” Charlotte sighed and walked to the treadmills.

~~~

Zavier’s POV

By now, a week had passed since my mother and I had our little disagreement. I honestly didn’t understand why she was keen on me taking Grace back. Amara was so much better. I actually felt like I had chemistry with her. This wasn’t set up by Mom or someone else. Since that night, Mom hadn’t called or texted me. She was clearly avoiding me in the group chat, and when the others asked questions, I didn’t fill them in. As for Amara, she did wonder why we didn’t go over for the Saturday lunch, but I just lied and said I had plans for her and Sebastian.

Things between Amara and I went back to normal—worse, even. It was like the first day we moved in together again. We only spoke when needed, and she only talked to me when I asked her something. I had no idea what had happened. It was like one moment, she did like me, and I missed that opportunity by not telling her that night, and ever since then, things went back to just being two strangers who only had a child in common and were sharing a house. She even canceled date night, but that might be because her face hadn't been seen since the day we went to the theaters. Maybe the media pressure was too much for her? I wanted to talk to her about it.

Breakfast was over, and Sebastian went to play. I picked up my cup with the remainder of my smoothie. I slowly walked up the stairs as I sipped it and found myself lost in thought. I picked out a white dress shirt and put it on, tucking it in. Then, I put on the other pieces of clothes belonging to the red suit. After putting on my tie, I picked up the empty cup and walked downstairs. On the way to the kitchen, I winked at Sebastian, making him giggle.

I looked over at Amara. She stood by the sink and washed the dishes as she stared out the window. See, this—I loved this. Something about just seeing her made me feel so happy, and I could only imagine how much better it would be once things were official.

“Amara, I think we’ve got to talk,” I said, walking closer to her.

“About?” she asked, drying her hands and turning to face me.

“Us,” I answered, looking down into her honey eyes.

“Is it time for the breakup already?” Amara asked, breaking eye contact.

“No, not that," I was quick to answer her. That was the last thing that I wanted.

“Then, what is it, Zavier?” Amara asked.

“I—” She waited for me to say something, but I couldn’t say anything. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My mind went blank. By the look on her face, it was as if she were searching for something in me, but she gave up.

“You’re running late for work.” She sighed. Sebastian came running up to me, pulling me out of the failed conversation. I looked down at him and picked him up.

“Bye-bye, Daddy!” He kissed my cheek.

“Uh, goodbye, buddy.” I kissed his cheek, set him down, and then leaned down to give him a high five.

“Have a good day, Amara,” I told her, watching as she nodded and replied with a soft, "Be safe."

I walked to the car, disappointed in myself. I should’ve done better. I would take her out on a date, and I would finally confess how I felt—no more chickening out. I just had to brainstorm the perfect date. What would she want?

For now, I had enough on my plate. The collection Mr. Fischer wanted was delivered, and today would be the photoshoot. Then, if he approved, we could start producing some more, besides the exclusive collection. I walked into the office, past security, and went straight for the elevator. The first stop was my office, after that, the floor to where the shoots would be held.

I got off on my floor, walked through the lobby, and looked around. Where was Tessa? She was never late, especially when we had photoshoots. She was in charge of making sure those went well.

I pulled out my phone and called her.

“Hey, Tess, is everything okay?” I asked, walking to my office and taking a seat.

“Y-yes. Why do you ask?”

“Because you’re never late? Is that a man I hear in the background?” I replied.

“Um, yes. My car broke down, and Arlo was the only person I could call at the moment, so I’m coming to work with him,” she replied, making me sigh. I knew she was responsible, but for a moment, I did think differently.

“That explains why you’re late. Okay, tell him to drive safely,” I mumbled and ended the call. I continued to work while I waited for her.

Once Tessa arrived, she took the files from my desk and rushed down a floor to organize the shoot. I had some paperwork and my emails to go through.

“Hey, will you be dropping by for lunch?” I texted Amara, biting down on my lip. Maybe I could tell her during lunch?

“Do you want me to?” she responded.

“Yes, I’d like us to have lunch together,” I typed and sent the text, watching as she was typing only to respond with a “Got it.”

I set aside the phone and finished checking my emails. I got up and saw Amara walking into the office. Had the time gone by that quickly? I really had to check downstairs.

“Hey, you.” I smiled, looking up at her.

“Hey. Here you go." Amara smiled back, placing the bag on my table.

“Thank you. Do you want to check downstairs with me first? We have the shoots going on for the Fischer collab,” I said, looking through the bag and smelling the delicious lunch she made.

“The one inspired by the red dress?” Amara asked in a slightly curious tone, finally showing some interest.

“Yes, that one.” I smirked, looking up at her.

“Of course, I’d like to see it!” she said excitedly.

“Okay, let’s go then.” I smiled and got up, walking and leading the way to the elevator. I pressed the button to go a floor down and looked over at Amara, seeing her looking back at me with a slight smile on her lips.

“Zavi, we’ve got a problem,” Tessa said the moment the doors slid open.

“What do you mean we’ve got a problem?” I asked as we got out of the elevator.

“Remember the Thakurs?” she asked, holding the clipboard by her side.

“Sorry, I’m bad with names,” I mumbled awkwardly, waiting for Tessa to respond. This shoot could not be canceled. Whatever issue she said there was must be fixed.

“Two sisters who model for us who are also allergic to shrimp,” she replied, raising a brow at me to see if I knew who she was talking about.

“Yes? I think so.” I shrugged. Amara still stayed by our side, quiet as this didn’t really involve her.

“There’s a small problem.” Tessa scratched the back of her head and started to walk, making us follow her.

“What problem?” I asked, looking around. Everything seemed normal right now.

“They went to a party, and something they ate must’ve contained shrimp, because they’re in the hospital. They’re okay, but the allergic reaction left some rashes and marks,” she started to ramble, and as glad as I was that they were doing well, I had other worries too.

“Please tell me only one of them was scheduled for today’s shoot,” I whined, knowing by the tone she used that both of them had become unavailable.

“I’d say that, but then I’d be lying to you,” Tessa said, resting the clipboard on a random table.

“Let me guess—there’s no one else on standby?” I sighed, resting my hands on my hips. I needed all six dresses to be displayed, not just four.

“Yes…” she mumbled and pressed her lips together.

I clenched my jaw and looked over at the models who were getting ready for the shoot. I was missing two. I walked over to where the dressed mannequin was. The emerald dress and baby blue dress were the only ones left, and I wasn’t planning on skipping over these two. They belonged to the collection. However, I couldn’t reschedule.

“Tessa, can you please come here?” I called her over, running my fingers through my hair. I’d have to put on the cutest face—the one that always made her sigh and say, "Fine."

“What’s up?” she asked as she walked to me and stood right in front of me now.

I lifted my hand, almost touching her, but of course, I had to ask first. “May I?” I asked.

“Sure.” Tessa frowned and stood still. I brushed her hair over her shoulder and lifted her chin, taking in the details of her face. She definitely radiated friendliness and confidence.

“No, no, no. I know that look.” She stepped back, eyes widened. So, she knew where this conversation was headed.

“Come on, Tess, there’s nothing else we can do,” I said sweetly, trying to convince her. “Arlo, what do you think?” I called him into the conversation as I caught him staring at us. He walked closer to us, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, Tessa, you’d be helping us out,” Arlo said.

“Fine…” She sighed. One down, one more to go…

“Where’s Caro or Charlie?” I asked. The two would make suitable candidates.

“I already called them, but they weren’t scheduled to be in. They’re stuck in traffic,” Tessa said, leaning against the wall and letting out a sigh.

There went my solution. I looked over and saw Amara standing by the window. She stared into the distance and seemed to be daydreaming. I bit my lip, watching her closely. It was no secret how gorgeous she was, and she had great posture, so this might come naturally to her.

“Amara,” I called as I walked over to her.

“Yes?” She jumped as I pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Remember when I told you you could model for us?” I asked, watching as she first frowned. Then, a moment of realization hit her.

“No, no, don’t—” she started to say, walking away from me.

“Amara, please, I really have no one else here,” I pleaded. She was our last option right now, unless I planned on walking the streets to find someone.

“I’m not a model, Zavier,” she reasoned, but that wasn’t true. At least for me.

“That’s because you won’t let me put you in a dress and in front of the cameras,” I replied, watching as she opened her mouth then shut it again and pouted. “I’ll owe you one.”

“Dammit, fine.” Amara finally gave in.

I thanked her and watched as she and Tessa went to get ready. I sat down and scrolled through my social media feed. I looked up for a moment and saw both Tessa and Amara walking through the curtains, their hair blowing over their shoulders due to the fans. Both were made up beautifully.

“Damn,” I mumbled, watching both of them as they sauntered towards us.

“You can say that again,” I heard Arlo mumble, making me frown.

“What do you think?” Amara asked, raising a brow at me, a slightly smug look on her face.

“That you both look stunning,” I replied, still in awe.

“I thought so,” Tessa smirked, flipping her hair.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” I asked, looking over at Amara.

“After the shoot. We’re kinda busy now,” Tessa told me, taking Amara’s hand. One photoshoot and they were full-blown divas.

“Wow…” I was left surprised and watched as the two walked away.

Tessa showed Amara the ropes, and soon enough, she was posing and smiling in front of the camera. It was all coming together again. I watched as all models had their photos taken. Each of them was breathtaking, but I might be biased as I was the one who designed these dresses.

~~~

Amara’s POV

This felt different, being in front of so many cameras. I felt a little nervous, but Tessa gave me quite a good pep talk before we came out. Tessa looked so different dressed like this, and I could tell Arlo, too, found her just as beautiful. His eyes were glued on her, just like how Zavier’s were on me. Was I not doing something well? Surely, he’d speak up if there was something wrong.

Once it was all over, Zavier called me over, but I told him to hold on. I walked back into the other room and stripped out of the dress gently, making sure it remained just as perfect as it was before I put it on. I walked back out to him, pulling out the pins in my hair. They were definitely irritating me.

“Yes, Zavi?” I asked, walking closer to him.

“Listen, I really need to talk to you about something. I’ve needed to tell you this for a while now,” he said in a serious tone. I noticed he had been wanting to tell me something, but each time, something came up.

“W-what is it?” I asked nervously, running my fingers through my hair.

“Zavier!” I heard a woman say out of happiness as he was about to speak. We both frowned and looked over to see a ginger-haired woman running up to him, his sisters and mother right behind him.

“Grace?” He frowned as he was pulled in for a tight hug. My mouth hung open for a moment. I felt this deep anger rising, but I couldn’t explain why.

“Who’s this?” I asked, turning to Zavier with an eyebrow raised at him.

“I’m Grace, his ex-fiancée, and also the mother of his firstborn daughter,” she introduced herself. I looked at her. It was her. I now recognized her from the pictures I'd seen online.

“Excuse me?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“What the fuck?” both Arlo and Zavier said.

“What did she say?” Tessa stepped forward, frowning.

“Shortly after you left me, I found out I was pregnant and left town,” Grace started to explain. “I-I was scared of what you’d say, so I never told you.”

“Whoever your daughter is, I’m not her father,” Zavier replied in a harsh tone.

“Oh, but you are. I have a birth certificate to prove the date,” Grace said, obviously wanting to be believed. “Look.” She pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to us. I checked the date that Andrea Tiffany Smith was born. She was born three months before Sebastian. I didn’t know why, but I felt so angry, as if he had betrayed me.

“I have to go. Goodbye, Zavier,” I mumbled, a hurt expression on my face as I walked off.