Chapter 18

Amid his thoughts, Zachary heard the sound of a door locking across the hall, and his expression turned cold. That damned woman—did she think he would do something to her? How ridiculous! Nonetheless, the night passed peacefully. … "Daddy." By the morning, Mason's soft, pleasant voice called out while Zachary was still asleep. It was rare for Mason to address him directly. Zachary opened his eyes, his usually sharp gaze softening. "What is it? Hmm?" Mason reached out and tugged at his hand, pulling him downstairs. His steps were quick, his face unusually joyful. What was going on so early in the morning? Perplexed, Zachary allowed Mason to lead him to the back garden—only to be greeted by an unbelievable sight. The once neatly trimmed exotic plants had been transformed. Now, there were rounded pandas, adorable rabbits, leaping goats, and even a graceful flower fairy. Each figure was lifelike and intricately detailed, brimming with charm. The arrangement was equally thoughtful, creating the illusion of a magical animal kingdom within a forest garden. It was breathtaking. Mason was filled with childlike wonder. He stood in front of a goat, his face lighting up with a rare and radiant smile. "I like this one. I like all of them. Daddy, is this your surprise for me?" His voice was innocent, and he was smiling sweetly. Zachary had never seen his son so unguarded or heard him say so much at once. Momentarily at a loss for words, he simply said, "Go play." After Mason ran off to explore, Zachary turned to Jesse. "Did you arrange for this?" Jesse shook his head. "No. I was just as surprised this morning. If I had known Mr. Mason liked these, I would've studied topiary to bring him joy long ago." So, it was not Jesse? Then who? While Zachary pondered, Jesse added, "When I checked the surveillance footage, I saw that it was Cynthia who trimmed them." Cynthia? Zachary's brows arched in surprise. He recalled how, last night, he had ordered her to clean the entire villa. It had been a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for her. He had expected her to complain or cry. Instead, she had transformed the garden into this masterpiece? And she was just a young woman. How could she possess such a skill? For the first time, Zachary's perception of Cynthia shifted. Jesse sighed. If only Cynthia were Janice, without all the troubling behavior, he imagined how perfect it would be. … By 11:00 am, Cynthia woke with a start and fell out of bed. It was 11:00 am! She slept until 11:00 am! This was downright embarrassing! Hurriedly, she freshened up and went downstairs. To her surprise, Zachary was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, leisurely flipping through a book. He didn't go to work today! This was beyond embarrassing—it was mortifying! Unsure whether to say "good morning" or "good afternoon", she spotted Mason nearby and quickly walked over to grab him. "Mason, I promised to take you shopping for new clothes yesterday. Let's go now." Mason nodded and replied, "Daddy, we're all leaving now." "W-What?" Why was he inviting Zachary? Cynthia was stunned. Mason explained, "It's my first time buying clothes, so Daddy has to come. Don't you want him to go?" "No, no, of course not!" It wasn't that she didn't want him to go—she very much didn't want him to go! Forcing a smile, Cynthia awkwardly led Mason outside and got into the car. She sat as far to the side as possible, using the seat as a shield to avoid looking at the wretched Zachary. He noticed her small movements, his sharp gaze cooling slightly. This woman—wasn't she supposed to be scheming to get closer to him? Why was she acting so resistant? Was this some kind of reverse psychology? For the first time, Zachary found himself unable to read someone.