Zen is back?

A robotic voice was heard everywhere in the room and in an instant, a big screen was displayed in the middle of the room. A set of equipment seemed to pop up from under the floor.

Camellia wasn't distracted by what was happening and calmly sipped on her already brewed coffee while walking towards the center of the room. She sat on the one and only chair before punching a certain number on the keyboard in front of her.

"Boss, you're here!" an excited voice suddenly echoed in the room and a man in his thirties appeared on the screen.

"Brother Henry," she called out to the man who was now grinning upon seeing the sight of her.

"How's everything?" Camellia asked before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Boss, there are three organizations with a dragon as part of their symbols. I've dispatched three squads to investigate each org and will only get the news in two days time," Henry reported and sent three symbols with dragon details in each one of them. It popped up on the upper left side corner of the screen.

"Good. I'll ask again in two days time. Please get Sister Ariana to the screen," Camellia instructed after analyzing the symbols sent to her.

Before Henry could answer, a woman suddenly pushed him to the side and took over the screen.

"Ava! I'm here!" the woman excitedly announced her arrival.

Camellia laughed at the whole scene unfolded before her. Henry knocked once on Ariana's head, causing her to scream in agony. But, she quickly recovered and focused to look at the screen in front of her.

There was happiness in her eyes the moment she saw Camellia's face. From the time she saved her in the forest, she had developed a growing admiration towards the girl which also the reason why she was willing to work under her.

"Sister Ariana, how are you?" Camellia eyes soften at the sight of the excited Ariana. A funny smile emerged on her face as she heard her answered in another animated voice. They talked for a while regarding their everyday life. Now and then, Henry would pop up and join in their chat. There were like a family - similar to the one that Camellia managed to enjoy in a very short moment of her life albeit incomplete.

"Any movement in the Willow Household? How about Jerry? How is the situation at the company?" she finally went back to business. Her tone was no longer cheerful but carried a heavy pressure that somehow penetrated to the other side of the screen. She stood up and took the last sip of her drink.

"There will be a celebration at the household in two weeks time. The Cains are introducing Ivy as one of the directors in the company. There's also a possibility that it is to announce her engagement," Ariana reported. Her voice was filled with contempt as she recited every information she had dug in the past two weeks. To her, whoever crossed Ava were on her wishlists to kill!

"Hmm, it seemed that most of the seats are being taken by Cain and his underlings. Interesting. And you said Ivy is about to engage with someone. Do you know who?" Camellia had an amused look on her face. This news was shocking to her knowing that Ivy was the type that wouldn't settle down easily.

"About this-" Ariana seemed to hesitate. But, seeing the frown that was about to appear on Camellia's face. She gathered her courage to speak.

"There are rumors that she will be engaged to Young Master Zen,"

Upon finishing her line, the sound of shattering glass was heard. Both Henry and Ariana saw Camellia staggered before falling on the chair. Her face misshaped to anguish. Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop to negative.

"This-" both Henry and Ariana were looking at each other. They were clueless as to what can be said in this situation. Therefore, like fools, they just stood at their spots waiting for the woman on the screen to regain her composure.

They knew the effect the news would cause her. But, they also knew keeping even the smallest details would break the trust she had on them. That's why, Ariana decided to include the rumor in her reports.

"Are you saying Zen is in the country?" Camellia finally spoke after some time. She looked at the screen intensely. Although, she didn't dare to hear the answer to her own question.

"I'm not sure if he is in the city yet, but, yes, according to our spy, he will be back soon," Ariana explained.

"Ava, about the engagement, it isn't certain whether it is Young Master Zen," Ariana clarified, afraid that she would fall into grievance over the news.

"How is that so?" Camellia once again showcased a sad look on her face. Her eyes contained hope that the rumors were indeed just a baseless rumor. But, people often said that the tree won't shake if there was no wind. So, the rumor could be true to a certain point.

"The spy that works as Ivy's maid overheard her conversation with her father about it. Ivy was telling her father that she has been in contact with Young Master Zen for many years already and she is confident that he loves her. That was when rumors about them getting engaged started to circulate in the household. But, it hasn't been mentioned to the public yet," Ariana carefully answered. She took a deep breath after finishing her last sentence.

Camellia's brown eyes seemed to pierce through the screen as her mind processed all the info she just received.

Then, all of a sudden she laughed, letting it reverberated throughout the room, sending chills to the spine of the people who were listening to her.

"Of course! Hahaha... She could do that," Camellia continued to laugh a laugh that sounded as sarcastic as the sneer she had on her face.

There was only one way for Ivy to contact Zen. Her smartphone! The one gifted by Willow Sr. and the one she had used to communicate with Zen when she was at the Willow Household.

The vivid image of Ivy's sinister smile when she successfully snatched her phone appeared in Camellia's mind. Unconsciously, she bit her lips that it started to bleed a little.

Thirteen years ago, the moment Ava received the news of her grandfather's death, Zen was the only comfort she had. However, she hid the news from him afraid that it would add to the pressure he was facing due to his family issues.

In fact, she also buried her suspicion over Willow Sr.'s death from Zen's knowledge. Who knew, a week later, the Cains finally showed their true colors and tried to get rid of her several times. Thankfully, her mind-reading gift managed to save herself every time.

But, she trusted her personal maid too much that she had overlooked her betrayal.

Fiery contempt flashed in Camellia's eyes as the past flashed like a movie in her eyes. She was no longer the old Ava who was powerless. To all these people, she promised that if not death, then, at least an equivalent punishment should be given to each and every one of them that bear the surname Cain. None would be free from her wrath!

"Continue watching the Willow and report to me if there's news about Zen. That's all!" Camellia bid farewell and switched off the communication between her and the siblings whose anxious looks were portrayed on the screen. She didn't forget to flash a smile to tell them she was okay.

Soon, the room was back to normal again with no screen and high-tech equipment that occupied the space earlier.

Camellia stared at the empty space in front of her before taking out a phone from the pocket of the jeans she was wearing. A familiar number was displayed on the screen.

A while ago, the continuous vibration was shaking her thigh to the point of irritating her. She sighed after noticing that it was already past 8 PM. No wonder! She thought.

"Fifteen minutes," she immediately spoke as soon as she answered the phone and ended it the moment she heard the voice of a man.

A satisfying smile was formed on her face for she knew her unintentional tardiness managed to offend the man.

Camellia left the secret room underground and found herself in her study room again. She walked to the living room and took her car key which was kept inside the safety box embedded in one of the walls.

She lazily walked out of the house towards the garage. With a push of a button, a red car appeared before her very eyes.

Camellia stepped inside the car and soon, she pedaled on the metal towards the busy highway. Her shining red car roared as it overtook the other cars in a swift manner, moving fast with the heart of the city as its destination.