Chapter 104: Father and Daughter Confrontation

Zarah and Xavier woke up the next day in a much better mood.

"Good morning!" Xavier greeted his wife.

"Good morning!" Zarah greeted back.

"How's your sleep?"

"It was better than the last time I had," she honestly replied.

"Me, too," Xavier mimicked his wife's answer.

There was no better place to wake up every morning than next to each other.

"What's your schedule for today?" Xavier asked his wife.

"Well, I have to ask Mrs. Richard about our schedule today. Why?"

"We will have lunch with my Aunt and cousins today," Xavier answered.

"Okay! No problem! I'll ask Mrs. Richard if I could excuse myself for lunch."

Just then, Xavier pulled Zarah closer to him.

Zarah's eyes widened in shock when she felt something poking her.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," Xavier answered embarrassingly.

"Can we make love, mon amour?"

After a night of sleep with his wife, Xavier had a lot of energy.

"How about your injury?" Zarah asked him.

"You can check it yourself to believe."

Zarah would not take any chances regarding Xavier's health.

She didn't want to be a young widow.

Xavier got up and started unbuttoning his pajama top.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to do it myself, so you'll believe me," he said while tossing his top on the bed.

Xavier revealed his toned upper body. It was not the first time that Zarah had seen Xavier's bare upper body. However, Xavier's toned physic never failed to amaze her.

The muscles were well-defined even though they were relaxed.

Zarah started gulping the imaginary saliva that was pooling inside her mouth.

'Are you trying to seduce me, husband?' Zarah thought. However, she did not realize that she had blurted it out.

"Is it working?" Xavier asked with a smirk. Zarah's eyes widened like saucers in response. Then, she looked away.

Then, Xavier removed the bandage on his wound.

The thread was still visible. There were no signs of infection. However, Zarah could tell that it had not fully healed yet.

"It's not healed yet, husband. Do you want to make it worse?"

"Mon amour, please understand. I need you. There are positions that we can try where in I won't exert much effort," Xavier said in desperation.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Mon amour, I'm in extreme pain now. Please help me." Xavier said with a pitiful expression.

"Where? Wait here! I'll call Dr. Miller to have a check."

Zarah was about to get up when Xavier grabbed her hand to stop her.

"What are you doing?" Zarah asked her with a frown.

"Trust me, mon amour. Even Tristan can't help me--" Then Xavier's eyes traveled to Zarah's slender hands.

"--but your hands can," Xavier continued.

Zarah could not believe what she had just heard.

An hour after, Xavier left the bed to have a shower.

Zarah felt her hand had lost its strength.

She got up and entered the bathroom to wash her hand.

Xavier was showering inside, but the fog from the steam covered the glass and blocked the view.

"I know you want to join me, mon amour. I don't mind showering with you," Xavier teased his wife.

"You wish!"

Zarah stormed out of the bathroom after she heard his teasing.

She went to her suitcase and grabbed her comfortable sweatpants and shirts.

She went to check the kitchen.

Zarah wanted to prepare breakfast for them.

She opened the fridge, but she found it empty.

She went to check on the cupboards, but she found them, too.

She went back to their bedroom since there was nothing to cook.

She saw that Xavier was already changing his clothes.

"Sorry," Zarah apologized and was about to leave the room. However, Xavier grabbed her hand and pulled her in a hug instead.

"Thank you for earlier, mon amour."

Zarah's lips twitched in response. However, the teasing was not over yet.

"I owe you so much, mon amour. Don't worry. I'll make sure to make it up to you."

Zarah could feel goosebumps all over her body.

His words had ignited the fire in her body. She was sure that even a cold shower could not put it out.

Zarah rushed to the shower for her life.

Xavier chuckled when she watched his fleeing wife. Zarah

Zarah shut the door behind her.

However, the next second, she opened the door to grab her bathrobe and towel.

After thirty minutes, she went outside to an empty room.

She got changed and got out of their bedroom.

Xavier was in the living room. He was reading some newspapers.

"Are you hungry? Food service will be delivering our breakfast," he said.

Just like on cue, the doorbell rang. Xavier got up and headed to the door to open it.

He came back with a cart full of food.

Zarah went to the kitchen inside the suite with Xavier in tow.

After breakfast, Zarah went to Mrs. Richard and Hope.

She asked permission if could leave the hotel during lunch.

Zarah was surprised to know that Mrs. Richard had already known about this beforehand.

"Don't worry, Miss Jansen. Mr. Lockhart had asked permission on your behalf." Mrs. Richard said.

Zarah pursed her lips as she listened to Mrs. Richard.

Xavier's smiling face showed up in her mind. Zarah sighed.

"Thank you for understanding, Mrs. Richard."

Zarah was thankful that Mrs. Richard didn't ask unnecessary questions to her.

She did tell Mrs. Richard that she was married to a Lockhart. Hence, the latter could easily guess the identity of her husband.

Xavier and Zarah could no longer use the sibling excuse to cover their closeness.

"Your secret is safe with me, Mrs. Lockhart," Mrs. Richard said with a wink.

Just like that, what she thought had happened.

Mrs. Richard had put the puzzle pieces together. Zarah thought that it was useless for her to deny it.

She decided to admit it shyly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Richard."

Zarah then looked around and started looking for Hope.

"Where's Hope, Mrs. Richard?" Zarah asked after she could not see her in the room.

"Hope left in a hurry this morning after receiving a call."

"Do you have any idea who called?"

"I heard her calling the person dad. I'm not sure if I heard it correctly. She was talking to him in their language." Mrs. Richard honestly answered.

Zarah had an unsettling feeling inside her heart after she listened to Mrs. Richard.

"Thank you, Mrs. Richard. I got to go," Zarah said and excused herself from the room.

"Okay! Enjoy! Be sure to be early tomorrow." Mrs. Richard had the urge to remind Zarah about this.

Zarah went to look for Xavier. She was worried for Hope.

Meanwhile, Hope was boarding a cab. She was heading to Fisher's Manor.

Her father called very early and summoned her. Should she disobey, she would face the consequences.

Hope had no other choice but to obey. She was in their territory, after all.

The cab drove inside the subdivision after passing the security check.

The car pulled over outside the tall gate of the manor.

Hope paid the driver her taxi fare before getting out.

Hope pressed the doorbell, and the guard opened the gate.

Inside the breakfast hall, Jacob, Felicity, and Stella were eating their breakfast.

A female servant rushed to Jacob's side for an urgent matter.

"Let her wait in my study," Jacob told the servant.

"Who came?" Stella asked her husband. However, Jacob was not in the mood to answer her.

He grabbed the table napkin and placed it on the table.

He then got up abruptly and left the breakfast room.

After being told by the servant, Hope followed the new butler to her father's study.

Hope knew that this time would come.

She saw one of her father's people at the restaurant where she and Cole had dinner last night.

She had prepared herself for this moment.

Hope settled inside the office. The new butler didn't know her. Hence, he was not warm to offer anything to her.

Hope wondered where their old butler was.

Just then, the door opened, and Jacob Fisher entered the room.

Hope looked at Jacob's face. She was stunned to see the changes in his appearance. He seemed to have aged a few more years.

She wondered what trouble her sister had done this time.

"Do you hate me so much that you didn't greet me?" Jacob asked her.

"I don't think it's necessary to do it," Hope told him frankly.

"You!" Jacob was enraged by how cold Hope was talking to him.

"I did not come here to argue with you, father. Now tell me what you want to say so I can leave." There was impatience in Hope's tone.

Hope's tone made Jacob angry and displeased at the same time.

"You're in my house. Show your respect!" he yelled at her.

He could no longer recognize Hope. She had changed tremendously. She was no longer the meek and obedient daughter that she was before.

"I'll only pay respect to those who are worthy of it. I still have things to do." Hope responded in an impatient tone.

"Is this how that crippled man taught you how to talk to your father?"

Jacob blamed this change on Xavier.

He thought that Xavier was a bad influence on Hope. She was no longer respectful to him.

Hope became rude and cold. He thought Xavier was not a good person. Hence, Xavier was not suited to be Felicity's husband.

Now Jacob started attacking Xavier. His foul words against Xavier were something that Hope could not tolerate.

"Now you're calling yourself my father? Are you even one?" Hope sarcastically said.

"Where were you when I needed you the most?" she continued.

Jacob had no words to refute what Hope said.

"I'm sure you've summoned me to do something for the sake of this family."

Jacob avoided eye contact as he was guilty.

Jacob tried clearing his throat before speaking up.

"I want you to replace your sister as Xavier's wife."

Hope's lips twitched after listening to a joke.

She was not surprised to hear it. She had been anticipating this as one of the possible reasons.

"I'm sorry, but I will not do it."

"What? Are you going to disobey me now?" Jacob's anger flared up.

He grabbed his pen holder and threw it to Hope.

Hope did not dodge, and so it hit her forehead. The pen holder's bottom cut her forehead.

Blood started gushing from the cut.

Hope ignored the pain. This pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain she had felt.

This family had broken her.

Meanwhile, Jacob was stunned to see the blood coming out from the cut.

It was the first incident in which Jacob had been physical to his daughter.

He did not know what to do.

Perhaps, Hope was right to insult him. Hope was right to be cold to him. He was useless as a father.

He was so proud to claim himself as one. When in reality, he was nothing but a pathetic sc*m.

"What? Do you feel guilty now?" Hope asked him.

A sad smile showed on her lips as she continued, "I'll apply for emancipation from this family. I no longer want to be your daughter."

Hope dropped the bombshell on him.

"But before that, I want to know who my mother is. Where is she? Why did she leave me here with you?"

After she found out that Zarah was her sister, Hope was determined to know about their parents.

There was no doubt that Jacob Fisher was their father. However, she didn't know anything about their mother.

Jacob had made sure that she would not find anything about it.

"What are you talking about, Hope? Sheila is your mother!" Jacob said with a frown.

He failed to realize Hope's disappointment.

He shouldn't have missed this information, too.

"No, she isn't! No mother would mistreat her youngest daughter as she did to me. She was biased toward my sister. Meanwhile, she treated me like a piece of trash! I never saw the affection in her eyes every time she looked at me. So please tell me who my mother is!"

***