Chapter 82: The Call

Zarah sighed as she decided not to tell her yet.

It was not because she did not trust her at all but because she didn't want things to be awkward.

"Will you take the case or not?" Zarah asked to change the topic.

"Don't worry. I will. This case is child play to me," she confidently said.

"Good!" Zarah was satisfied with it.

Kelsey then turned her attention to the second folder. As she read the documents inside, Zarah decided to express her intention.

"I'm planning to acquire Gil Corporation. Can you help me with the acquisition process?"

Kelsey looked at Zarah and a grin flashed on her face. 'Now, this was the real deal!' she thought.

"Of course! However, only if you promised to hire me as your attorney and be your legal representative."

"But I'm based in Oakridge City. Are you telling me that you'll move here?"

"Well, for starters, I have friends who have established law firms. One of them is in Oakridge City. I can just apply and be their associate."

"What about your firm?", Zarah asked.

"I haven't started mine yet. I have been helping my mother at her firm back home."

"Will that be fine?" Zarah inquired.

"They won't mind. I was gone in their lives for twelve years. I'm sure they will not miss me that much," she said bitterly.

Perhaps Tyler will be worried and her dad, too. As for her mother, she's busy with her career.

Zarah pursed her lips while listening to Kelsey.

She was glad that Kelsey returned to her family safely and received the love and care from her family as what she hoped for.

"Don't say that. I'm sure they'll care."

"They'll be good with it once I tell them that I'm going to be working for you."

"So you told them about me?"

"Well, I did tell them that I have a commander who did everything her best to keep me safe all those years I was gone."

Of course, she had put in good words about Zarah to her parents and siblings.

However, only Tyler and Dwight took her seriously. Her parents tried to find Zarah to adopt her into their family.

However, the police officer who was one of the rescuers said that they had not seen a child that matched the description given by Kelsey.

Of course, everything about Zarah was top secret and that police officer was reminded sternly to not disclose it to anyone.

Kelsey looked at Zarah and she sighed.

Well, I guess I'll draft a new contract then," it was Zarah's turn to heave a sigh. What she said made Kelsey to be delighted.

"Really?!"

"Don't you want to?"

"Of course! I'd love to!" she squealed like a child and then rushed to hug Zarah tightly.

"Yey!"

"Let go. I don't want to lose my life in your hands," Zarah said and Kelsey let go immediately, "Sorry. I got carried away."

"Let me help you with the contract draft," Kelsey added.

After their conversation, Zarah went back to the office and continued with her clerical job.

For courtesy reasons, she didn't ask Kelsey to stay at the office while waiting for her to be done.

When it was time to go home, Zarah gave her the key to the apartment which was next to Olivia and Trixie's apartment.

Josh had moved out of the apartment and Zarah decided to not sell it.

She planned to have it for lease instead. It happened that Kelsey would be its first tenant.

"This property is nearby. Bear with it. It's not as luxurious as what you used to live."

Kelsey rolled her eyes but still, she thanked her, "Thank you."

Should Zarah throw her to live in the slums, she will happily live there. She didn't mind at all.

Zarah was driven to the mansion by Julie.

That night, Zarah did not sleep as she had other things to do for the company and her thesis.

The discussion about her in the forum had subsided drastically. However, there were still foul opinions about her. They didn't affect her much now though.

As she scrolled up, a new comment appeared and they questioned the legitimacy of her marriage.

Someone argued that she probably faked it to avoid the rumors. And in reality, she was a kept woman and had just received the inheritance recently.

This post garnered a lot of support.

Zarah rolled her eyes as she read it.

Meanwhile, Hope was preparing to sleep when she received a call from a very familiar number.

Her eyes were glued to the screen until it turned off.

Her phone rang again and this time, she decided to pick it up.

"Dad," Hope said.

"Come home, Hope. You have wandered enough outside."

Hope sneered deep in her heart as she heard her father's words.

"What happened to Felicity this time?"

Every time Felicity got in trouble, it was Hope who would solve the problem for her.

She would always take the blame for her sister. She became the sacrificial lamb for the sake of the family she badly wanted to be a part of.

She became the punching bag just to make her sister and her mother happy.

Regardless, all her efforts to please them were deemed useless in their eyes.

Eventually, she got tired of this role in the family.

"I'm not going to come back, Dad," Hope said firmly.

There was no room for negotiation.

"Hope! Don't be selfish!" Jacob Fisher yelled and Hope distanced her phone from her ear.

"Selfish?!" Hope could not believe what her father had said. Tears started rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"For twenty years! Your family mistreated me because my birth is a mistake. I do not want to belong in your family Dad. It's so exhausting to be your daughter."

Jacob Fisher frowned when he heard his daughter's grievances.

He knew he had neglected her. He was aware of the mistreatment she suffered yet he didn't do anything.

He failed her as her father and he had no excuse for that.

"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up," Hope said.

"Wait!"

"Have you found her?" Zarah chuckled bitterly.

"Seriously, Dad? What can a twenty-year-old like me do about it? You have lost her twenty years ago. Do you think I can solve a case that happened while I was inside the NICU fighting for my life?"

Hope did want to tell her father that she had found Zarah.

However, she wanted to be selfish and kept her sister to herself.

She felt inwardly happy every time Zarah expressed how she hated their parents.

Her sister was so good to be in that family. She deserved better.

She hadn't thanked Xavier for helping her locate her sister.

"You're right. I should have known." Jacob Fisher said in disappointment.

He ended the call and heaved a sigh.

For years, he neglected her two daughters because he was consumed with guilt.

Hope threw her phone on the bed and cried her grief.

She grabbed her phone back and called someone.

"Hope? It's late. Why did you call?"

"Sister?"

Zarah had just finished talking to Xavier over the phone when Hope called her.

It was already midnight and so she should be asleep. However, she didn't expect to feel the pain in her voice the moment she spoke. She seemed to be crying.

"Are you crying?"

"No." Hope immediately wiped her tears and forced a smile. She cursed herself for disturbing Zarah at this hour.

"Sorry. Did I disturb you?"

"No, you don't. What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried. The forum -" Zarah chuckled and cut her off, "You should go to sleep. They don't bother me anymore."

"Okay."

"If there's anything else, I'll hang up now."

"Zarah?" Hope felt sad in her heart. Her sister was so close yet she was so far.

"What is it, Hope?" Had this been another person, what Hope was doing should have annoyed Zarah by now.

However, this was Hope. For unknown reasons, she had a soft spot for her.

"Nothing."

"Sleep."

"Okay."

After the call ended, Zarah felt unsettled. She turned off her computer and then went to their shared closet.

She changed her clothes and then headed out of her room.

She was surprised to bump into Julie on her way down.

"Mistress, are you heading out?" Julie asked in surprise.

"Yes. I'll be back shortly. I just want to check on Hope." Zarah was bothered by Hope's call and so she decided to check on her.

"Okay. Wait a minute. I'll go get changed."

"No. It's late. You should sleep."

"Mistress, it's unsafe to head out alone. And besides, I don't think there are cabs or Uber available outside?"

Zarah went silent and she nodded in agreement.

Julie disappeared to change her clothes.

After five minutes, they met at the garage. They got inside the car and Julie started the engine.

Seconds later, a black BMW was seen speeding out of the mansion after midnight.

Meanwhile, Hope could not sleep after the call.

She kept hearing her father's voice inside her ear and she felt like she was going to be mad.

Hope suddenly thought of her childhood.

Her sister Felicity would bully her and then the former would cry all of a sudden. Their mother would rush to her sister and then she would be beaten for the mistake she had not committed.

Felicity was two years older than Hope. Felicity used her age to order her around. As an obedient younger sister, she was at her beck and call.

Regardless, their mother was so biased toward her sister.

Perhaps because her sister looked like her mother while she resembled her father that was why their mom favored her sister more.

Nevertheless, she was proven wrong.

Growing up, she heard their servants talk about her parents and their marriage.

Her mother and father argued a lot but they were surprised that neither brought up the topic of divorce.

Of course, she heard the servants talking about her, too.

She was the unwanted child.

Her thoughts broke off when she heard a buzz from the living room.

She pulled herself up and went out of her room. She then checked on the security monitor and she was surprised to see Zarah standing outside of her unit.

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and forced a smile.

She opened the door in a haste and said, "Sister? What are you doing here?" at the same time, she asked her to get inside.

She looked outside to see if she had another companion but the corridor was empty.

She shut the door behind them and led Zarah to the living room.

"It's already late, why are you here?" she asked her, however, she didn't expect that Zarah would ask her back, "Did you cry? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. A bug entered my eye," she lied.

"You won't get a stuffy nose unless you've been crying," Zarah refuted.

Zarah knew about it because it happened to her a couple of times.

She knew her intuition was right. Something was bothering Hope that was why she was crying when she called her.

Though she tried to deny it, her red eyes sold her.

Hope sighed and slumped on the sofa and looked up.

"Is it Cole?" Hope's eyes widened in disbelief when she heard Zarah's question.

"No!"

Zarah heaved a sigh of relief.

"If it's not Cole, then who?"

Hope pursed her lip. Faced with Zarah's worried face, she felt like crying again.

She could feel that Zarah cared for her a lot. She would not be here otherwise.

Zarah could feel that Hope was having a hard time.

"Whatever it is Hope. You can trust me. I won't tell anyone," Zarah said in reassurance and Hope felt warm.

'Is it okay to tell you this?' Hope asked her inside her head.

No, she would not dare to risk it. Not now.

Hope closed her eyes and she heaved a deep sigh.

"My father called," Hope said with bitterness.

Zarah felt that this was a very sensitive topic. She should prepare herself at least.

"Are you sure to share this with me?" Zarah asked her.

"I'm sure. You can understand me better."

"Okay."

"Dad wants me to go home."

"You're leaving?!" Zarah asked in surprise.

The thought of Hope leaving her sad made Zarah sad.

"No. I'm not going to go back. I'm tired of being his daughter."

Zarah could see the exhaustion in Hope's eyes.

Zarah pursed her lips and then decided to ask.

"Hope, I hope you don't mind but may I know what happened between you and your family?"

She knew it was not a simple feud between sisters and biased parents. There was something more.

Faced with her sincerity, Hope felt compelled to answer it and she did.

"I'm not my mother's daughter. That is why I was being mistreated by my mom- stepmother."

She did find out when she turned eighteen. She heard it from the woman she recognized as her mother for eighteen years.

Needless to say, that alone had explained everything.

She was the daughter of her stepmother's love rival!

Zarah's heart ached for Hope however, she continued to ask, "How far did they mistreat you, Hope?"

Hope did not want to answer that question and tell her the details as she didn't want her to feel bad.

However, her silence was all she needed as confirmation.

For a child to hate the parent who raised him or her, the latter should have done horrible things to the former.

"You don't have to answer that now. I understand."

"Thank you."

"Do it when you're ready."

"I will."

Zarah got up from the sofa and so Hope thought she was leaving. However, to her surprise, she didn't.

"I asked Julie to not wait and go back first. Is it okay to sleep here?"

Hope was delighted to hear this from Eunji. Who was she to reject this?

"Of course!"

Zarah didn't want her friend to be alone in her sleep. She knew she needed company and she was willing to give that.

Fifteen minutes later, Zarah found herself on Hope's bed.

Her unit had three rooms but she made the two rooms her study and storage respectively.

"Go to sleep," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am."

***