Forty-nine

“He what?” Maisie asked in surprise.

“He was responsible for my first accident.” Zach said as Maisie collapse on her chair.

Maisie knew that something was going on when Zach didn't want his family with him, but she would have never suspected the reason was this. “Are you sure?” Maisie asks Zach and when Zach glared at her she hurriedly continued. “I mean I always felt like something was off with Jeffery. Like, he was putting on an act, but this is too far.” Maisie stood up unable to sit still anymore. “I mean why would he do that.”

“Because he is my next of kin who is set to inherit everything when I die. I am sure that he decided to hurry the process of me dying.” Zach answered in a bitter tone.

Maisie stopped her pacing to look at her boyfriend who was certainly angry. Both at himself and Jeffery. “It wasn't your fault. There was no way that you would know what goes on in his head. Don't blame yourself for his actions.”

“I don't blame myself for his actions. I blame myself for not suspecting what he truly was. For not suspecting how he truly feels.”

“Okay. You were a bad judge of character in his case, but nobody can blame you for it. You have known him since forever.”

“Not forever, but long enough that I should have seen the real him somewhere.” Zach quietly replied.

“Stop beating yourself up. You have survived and now it's time to deal with him since you cannot forget about the threat he made on your life. The threat that almost worked.” Maisie said as she moved to sit close to Zach.

“I will think of something, but I cannot blame him for this. If I even suggest it, I am sure that I would be locked in a mental institution and Jeffery is smart enough not to leave any trace of evidence behind. I am just going to have to find something else to remove him from my life and also, I need to remove him from my next of kin. Immediately.”

“Okay. Who will you put and what will you tell your family? They are already wishing that I never stepped into your life "

Zach thought about it for a while. If he makes any of his cousins his next of kin, he will be putting them in harm's way, and they might decide to give everything to Jeffery since he is the brother, so his family is out of it. That only leaves his original option. The person he wants to give everything he owns, both body and spirit, Maisie. Now how to convince her to accept it.

“Do you want to be my next of kin?” Zach asked Maisie who snorted.

“Yeah right.” Maisie chuckles as she stood and started to arrange her bags. When Zach didn't say anything, she turned to look at him to see that his expression hasn't changed. “You are serious " Maisie realized.

“Yes, I was never joking.”

“Nothing is going to happen to you, and you can't make your girlfriend be your next of kin. It doesn't work that way. That is just a long never-ending lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“Nobody will say anything about it if you were my wife before I died.” Zach said as Maisie glared at him.

“Nothing will happen to you and I am not ready to get married.” Maisie said through clenched teeth.

“Fine. Fiancée.” Zach said.

“If that is a proposal then your answer is no.” Maisie tells Zach as she put on her sweater.

Zach groans. “Maisie help me out here.”

“I will, as soon as you don't need me around, I will continue working on the management case and since you have seen a breakthrough, we might find the culprit soon.”

Zach looked confused “how does that concern the present issue.”

“Have you ever reasoned that Jeffery might be responsible for this? The issues started the month he became the acting CEO.” Maisie asked as Zach's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he connected the dots.

Maisie sat down by her chair as she waited for him to finish arriving at the conclusion she already did.

Zach raised his eyes to Maisie with a hard glint in them “if he is the one responsible then I will make sure he suffers for it. Nobody messes with my handwork. Nobody messes with my company. The one I started from scratch.”

Maisie nodded; she knew that this reply would be the one Zach made. He was fierce about the things he loved, and he would protect them with everything in him.

“So, what should we do about your parents. We can't keep using the excuse we have been using since you are getting discharged today.” Maisie said in an attempt to remove Zach's mind from his company and Jeffery's issue.

“Can I continue to use you as an excuse? My father won't have the best opinion about you, but I promise to explain everything to him when Jeffery's issue is taken care of.”

“You can't use me as an excuse. Nobody will believe that I can prevent you from seeing your family because I don't like them.” Maisie said with a laugh which ends abruptly when she saw the cocky look on Zach's face.

“They would if they knew you were pregnant and almost lost the child because of my situation and now you don't trust any of them again and I would do whatever you want to make you take things easy so as you can carry my child to its due date.”

“If you ever get tired of being a lawyer, you can try being a writer instead. That story is... Hell no.” Maisie disagrees.

“Come on mase, you know that we need to get them off my back and that will be the only way they will understand and also agree to let the issue go.”

“Yes, but you would be giving us a time limit to remove Jeffery from our lives and put him in jail for a long time.” Maisie said.

“Yes, I know, and I am sure that we would solve everything within the next four months and also... You can now be my heir and they will understand.”

“And when I don't give birth in 9 months?" Maisie asks “Not nine, you are already a month pregnant so 8 months.” Zach said and when he saw the look Maisie was giving him, he cleared his throat. “Let's hope nothing will happen to any of us before then.”

“Let's hope so too. And don't think that I will accept for you to make me your heir.” Maisie said as Zach let out a huff of air. God, the girl is being stubborn.

But he wouldn't have preferred her any other way.