Chapter 106

Zarah felt anxious while staring at her phone screen.

"Don't worry, mon amour. They will not hurt Hope," Xavier reassured her.

Zane was driving the car as they were heading to Fisher Manor.

She would not be at ease unless she saw that Hope was fine.

She could not understand why she felt so affected because of Hope.

The things that Mrs. Richard said earlier made Zarah anxious.

She was used to seeing Hope's smiling face. She wanted to preserve that smile.

"Do you know anything about Hope's relationship with her parents?" Zarah asked Xavier.

"Other than what I know, nothing more."

What Xavier said did not help to appease Zarah's anxiety.

"We're close, Master," Zane announced.

"We can only wait outside, mon amour."

"What?"

That would not do! However, Zarah knew that Xavier was right. They could not just enter the compound. Hence it would be trespassing.

Zarah kept on ringing Hope's phone. However, the latter would not pick it up.

Their car entered the subdivision and underwent a security check.

The guards recognized Xavier's car plate. Xavier had two properties inside this subdivision. One of his properties was on a lease contract.

Neville Hills was one of the high-end subdivisions in the suburb. As a real estate enthusiast, Xavier found the location suitable for business and luxurious living.

Well, all the manors in Neville Hills cost tens of millions of dollars. Others had reached a hundred million.

After receiving the clearance, Zane drove inside the subdivision. After three minutes, they reached one of Xavier's properties.

The gate opened, and the car drove inside.

"We're here," Xavier announced.

Then, they got out of the car. Zarah frowned as she thought they would be waiting outside the Fisher family's manor.

"Why are we here? We should go to Hope."

"Mon amour, the Fisher's manor is there." Xavier said while pointing at the gated compound across the street." And don't worry, this is ours."

Zarah was rendered speechless.

Zarah was so focused on her thoughts about Hope. Hence, she didn't realize there were other people around them.

"Why don't we wait inside first? I'll ask my men to bring Hope here when she walks out."

"Lima, escort your Mistress inside first," Xavier told the woman wearing a black and white suit.

"This way, Mistress," Lima said.

Zarah was not listening to her. Her attention was on the gate across them.

The gate opened. Zarah's heart dropped the moment she saw Hope's depressed face.

Hope ran toward the gate and opened it.

Xavier looked at his wife helplessly.

Lima felt lost the moment Zarah ignored her and ran away from her.

"Shall I follow her, Master?" Lima asked Xavier.

"No, you don't have to follow her. I'll handle my wife," Xavier said.

Then, he started following behind Zarah.

"Hope!" Zarah called out Hope's name when she was out of the gate.

"Sister?!" Hope exclaimed in shock.

Zarah saw the tears on Hope's face. She immediately ran to her sister and pulled her into an embrace.

Zarah wanted to kill someone now.

"What happened?"

Being hugged by her sister, Zarah could no longer hold back her sob.

"What's wrong?" Zarah anxiously asked since all she got was a sob.

Zarah pulled Hope closer. She hugged her protectively.

"Let's get her inside first. It's not safe here." Xavier said behind them.

Zarah understood what he was saying, and so she pulled her closer.

Little did they know, someone had seen them from the Fisher's manor.

The sisters entered the manor and stayed in the living room.

Zarah was hugging Hope. She was coaxing her to calm down.

Zarah could not explain why she felt bad seeing Hope in this state.

Unbeknownst to her, it was their sisterly bond affecting her.

They were soul and womb mates. Therefore, their connection was strong.

It took time for Hope to stop crying. Hope felt comfortable in Zarah's embrace. That was why she let go of her grief. It was rare for Hope to cry in front of other people.

She would mostly cry in the dark.

After thirty minutes, Zarah helped Hope wipe her face.

"Are you feeling better now? Look at you. Your eyes became puffy and red." Zarah said. She was trying to light up the mood.

Hope pouted after she heard that her eyes were puffy.

"Don't worry. You're still beautiful like me," Zarah said, and Hope smiled.

Zarah had no idea what her words meant for Hope.

'Of course! We are sisters!' she wanted to say that loudly.

However, she was holding it back because she did not want to be disappointed.

The news of their mother's death was enough to ruin her day. Hope was afraid of being rejected.

Zarah could tell that something was troubling Hope.

However, she knew that the latter was not ready to share it.

Zarah looked at Xavier for help.

"Hope. Why don't you share with us what happened?"

"Can I not, brother-in-law? I have learned something devastating today. And it had not sunk in yet. I'm still grieving over the news."

"Okay. We understand. Always remember that Zarah and I will always be here for you." Xavier did not forget to express that he cared for her.

Xavier had understood Hope's feelings.

"Thank you, brother-in-law."

Xavier's subordinates went into a guessing game when they heard Hope.

'Brother-in-law? Did Master already marry Miss Felicity?'

They knew who Hope was. Hence they were speculating that she was addressing Hope concerning the engagement.

Her response somehow made Zarah disappointed. For some reason, she was upset. She did not like it when Hope wanted to hide it from her.

She wanted to know.

Zarah was unaware that this was what Hope had felt when she hid things from the latter.

She didn't like this feeling.

"I'm sorry," Zarah immediately apologized.

She knew it was the right thing to do.

Her sudden apology caught everyone by surprise.

"Why are you apologizing?" Hope blurted out.

"Because I hid things from you. I was a bad friend. I made you worried unintentionally," Zarah expressed frankly.

Hope was speechless. She did not expect that Zarah would apologize.

"I'm unaware that I was hurting you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Hope," Zarah said with a pout.

Zarah looked like a puppy, and she looked so cute.

Hope could not resist her cuteness.

She reached out and pinched her cheeks.

Zarah smiled, and Hope did the same.

"So, am I forgiven?"

"You don't have to say sorry. I will never blame you for anything," Hope reassured her sister.

Zarah looked around the living room and then asked Xavier.

"Why don't we invite them here instead?"

Everyone looked at Xavier in anticipation.

They were curious about Zarah's identity since Xavier did not introduce her properly.

"Are you sure, mon amour?" Xavier asked her.

This manor was pretty decent. It had everything needed in a house.

Zarah had the urge to cook for lunch. She wanted to cook lunch for Hope as a peace offering.

"I want to cook lunch for Hope. Hence I thought it is better to cook for everyone." Zarah proposed.

Xavier did not want Zarah to cook, though. However, he did not want to decline her outright.

"The fridge is empty, Master." Lima found it as an excuse.

However, she did not expect that this would not stop Zarah.

"Then, let's buy groceries. We still have time to do that. Give me a list of food to prepare, and we will buy the ingredients." Zarah proposed.

Neville Hills was close to the supermarket. Hence, it's not difficult to buy groceries in an hour.

Zarah was used to shopping in a rush. She had no problem with it.

"But the restaurant is already booked, mon amour."

"Then cancel it. If there's a fee, give me the bill. I'll pay for it."

Money was not a problem for Zarah now.

Xavier was rendered speechless.

After thirty minutes of useless persuasion, the group went to the supermarket. They came back an hour after.

Zarah headed to the kitchen to start preparing.

Xavier was following her in tow.

"How can I help?" he asked.

Zarah looked at her husband and said. "Please wash the vegetables while I'm washing the meat."

"Okay."

Xavier and Zarah went to business. The couple worked harmoniously in the kitchen.

After an hour, they cooked at least five dishes.

Well, the manor had an excellent kitchen comparable to five-star restaurants.

Cooking a meal was not difficult to achieve.

Then, they heard a commotion in the living room.

Their visitors had arrived.

Zarah and Xavier were in the kitchen, so Lima and Zane welcomed them.

"Where's my niece-in-law?" Aurora questioned, which caught Xavier's men shocked.

Zane, who was already informed about their relationship beforehand, answered her question.

"Master and Mistress are in the kitchen, Mrs. Lockhart. The Master asked you to head to the dining room first."

Dylan and Cole headed to the kitchen first, leaving their mother behind.

"Oh my gosh! Am I seeing it correctly? Since when did the almighty Xavier start wearing an apron?" Dylan started teasing his cousin.

"Stop standing there. Come and help us serve these dishes," Xavier told him.

Dylan had no other choice but to comply.

***