Chapter 7

Zane’s eyes turned chilly as he fumed with rage. “What’s your relationship?” The man straightened his back and pulled the woman into his arms. “Our relationship is none of your business. I’m warning you. Don’t harass us, or I’ll make sure you’ll regret it.” The door slammed shut with a bang. Zane looked at the closed door. The thought of what they did in the house, and the man’s intimate embrace with the woman made Zane sick to his stomach. He could make up an excuse for her and lie to himself if he had not seen it with his own eyes. Now that Zane witnessed the whole thing, he could not deny that his wife slept with another man. Even if he did not want to believe it, he was being cheated on. He turned around and dumped the roses into the trash can before storming off into the elevator without looking back. Seeing that Zane had left through the peephole, Tyler patted his chest to calm his racing heart. “Sierra, do you know that scary man?” Sierra shook her head and mumbled, “He’s scary. So scary!” “Oh, sh*t! Gummy must be home soon from her supermarket trip…” The pair dashed out of the house as the door of the other elevator opened. Lianne carried her gifts for them and the bottle of seasoning when she saw them looking panicked. “What are you guys doing outside?” Tyler pulled Lianne aside for a look. His mind was at ease once he was certain that she was fine. “Did you run into any weirdos?” Lianne was confused. “No. Why?” Tyler dragged Lianne into the house, closed the door, and peeked through the peephole before answering, “A man knocked on our door just now. He must be into something dark because I gave an honest answer to all his questions. It was a good thing I woke up from his spell and drove him away.” Sierra incessantly bobbed her head. “That’s right. The man looked at me as if he wanted to eat me alive. It was scary! Thank goodness Ty reacted fast.” Lianne immediately hugged Sierra. “We have a lot of people coming and going in the neighborhood. I heard of a theft case a few days ago. Let’s practice extra caution from now on.” Tyler pulled out his phone. “I’m going to get a security camera online and get it installed on the door. Give me a call if you’re working late. I will wait downstairs for you.” Lianne nodded her head. “Sure.” Sierra sighed in a corner. “Sigh. A shame, though. He was a hunk.” Lianne and Tyler said in sync, “Don’t be fooled by a man’s good looks, girl.” Sierra replied, “But the man was seriously good-looking.” Lianne and Tyler had no words. … Zane got into his ride and instructed the chauffeur to take him to Southhill Estate. As the journey took more than two hours, it was late by the time the vehicle arrived at Southhill Estate. The lights were on in the place. A tottering figure emerged from the yard before Zane could get out of the car. With her grandson’s ride pulling up in the driveway, the old lady excitedly shook the arm of the butler and approached Zane. Zane hurried out of the car and went to hold the old lady up. “Grandma…” “Where’s Lianne, Zane?” The old lady looked into the car but could not find the person she was looking for. Her bright eyes dimmed. “What are you doing here without her?” “Grandma, I’m here to discuss her with you.” Zane helped the old woman into the residence and dismissed the butler. Sally felt perturbed. She had a bad feeling about it. “Is Lianne mad at you and won’t see you? Why don’t I give her a call to clear the air?” Zane callously curled his sexy lips. “She has another man.” “What? What are you talking about? Lianne isn’t that kind of person. I can assure you she would never do such a thing. Don’t put that on her.” Furious, Sally picked up a cushion on the sofa and whacked Zane with it. Zane answered with a smirk, “I saw it with my eyes. How can I be lying?” Sally was dumbstruck. “Was there some sort of misunderstanding, Zane? Do you want me to call and ask?” Zane solemnly said, “I called her on the day of my return and heard a man talking next to her. I could tell myself that it had been a misunderstanding. However, I doubt it’s a simple case of a mix-up after I went to her house to pick her up, only to find her cuddling with another man.” No one could accept their spouse’s infidelity, and Zane was no different. Even though he did not marry Lianne for love, Sally understood it was a hard pill to swallow for her grandson. Sally closed her eyes and opened them once she got a grip on herself. “What do you plan to do now?” Zane faintly said, “I want a divorce.” The last thing Sally wanted to see was the kids ending in divorce. Nevertheless, separation was the only way since Lianne had found someone else. Sally uttered, “I know you’re angry, Zane, but I hope you can see it from Lianne’s standpoint. She got married to a man she had only met, and her husband disappeared after signing the papers. Since she doesn’t have feelings for her husband, it’s not her fault she found someone else.” Zane raised a brow. “So?” Sally replied, “How about we wait for her to ask for a divorce? Show each other some decency.” “Decency? If it wasn’t for your sake, I would’ve made the couple disappear from Rosewood. Why should I show her some respect when she gave me none by screwing around with another man?” Sally sighed and responded, “I met Lianne a few times before you guys got married. She’s a lovely girl. I thought you’d be happy together, so I played the matchmaker. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have pushed you into marriage just because you’re not getting any younger. Then, this wouldn’t have happened.” The former business powerhouse, who weathered the storm in the corporate world, and remained calm in the face of the strongest rivals, was now apologizing to her grandson because of a girl. Feeling sorry for his grandmother, Zane found his anger resurfacing. “Grandma, no one can force me to do anything. Just like how no one can betray me either.” Through all his years, Zane had not met a girl he liked, nor had he ever thought of falling in love with anyone in the future. It was his grandmother’s wish that he would settle down with a girl, so he agreed to the marriage since it did not matter who he got married to. Although love did not bring them together, Zane decided upon getting married that he would spend the rest of his life with her. He never once thought of betraying her. However, what about her? It never occurred to Zane that he would be welcomed by her living arrangement with another man when he zealously showed up at her door with a car loaded with gifts. Sally knew her grandson too well. She took the blame upon herself to protect the girl. “Zane, I promised Lianne’s grandmother that my grandson would treat her granddaughter right, and she had given her blessing of her granddaughter’s hand in marriage. I don’t want to be ashamed to meet my old friend. Just do me one more favor, and I won’t interfere with your marriage again. You are free to stay single or marry whoever you want.” Unable to stand his grandmother’s subservience, Zane nodded in agreement. “Fine. I will leave her a shred of dignity.” Even though the danger had passed, Sally could barely catch a break as Zane dialed the number of his attorney. “Get the divorce papers ready.” Sally said, “Zane…” It appeared she did not know him well enough. Zane hung up the call and said, “Get some rest, Grandma. I’m heading back to Rosewood.” Looking at his tall but lonesome back, Sally wondered for the first time whether or not she had made a mistake. She did not want her grandson’s marriage to be quid pro quo like his parents, so she set him up with a girl from an ordinary family. She hoped the pair would have a healthy marriage together but neglected the fact the couple needed to work on a personal relationship with each other before that could happen.