Ezrah was baffled by the news. Twice, he had asked her for a divorce and saw how gloomy she turned at the subject.
This was what he wanted but he couldn’t help the unease filling his heart. Was it because Zora was the one asking? Was she trying to mess up his reputation with the loss of the child? Ezrah was confused.
Zora descended the stairs, walking to the dining table. Ezrah did not utter an acceptance or rejection of her request for a divorce and went up the stairs, returning after ten minutes in loungewear.
Seemed he wasn’t going out or was it the shock from the news? Seeing the dinner table hosting different delicacies, excitement filled his heart as he took a seat. If she really wanted a divorce, then she wouldn’t have cooked for him.
At this moment, Piper was momentarily forgotten. Ezrah avoided Zora’s gaze as this was the first time she was so cold to him. Without alerting her of his arrival, she still ensured that his supper was ready.
As he uncovered one of the dishes, his eyes darkened as he glared at her. It was not the food he was expecting but rather, the cold divorce papers, with a pen beside them, waiting to be signed.
“What is this?” Ezrah was furious, being famished from not having time to eat. In times past, Zora would have been worried and tried to appease him but that Zora was gone with the miscarriage.
After crying her eyes out for days, she waited to serve Ezrah these cold documents, she had no more tears to shed but her eyes were dangerously red.
“Do I need to get you a pair of glasses?” Her voice was taunting, as she saw the shocked expression on his face. He must have taken her request as a joke the first time but the documents exposed the reality. “Why? Were you expecting me to cook when I had no idea when you will be home?”
Ezrah’s expression was blank. She could have made the maids do it. It burned Zora that she could not read his emotions but she didn’t care anymore. “Please sign the papers. In case the prints are too tiny, I got you a magnifying glass,” she dropped the item in front of him.
Ezrah was not irrational. When he asked for a divorce, he ensured that there would be nothing for the media to feed on but now that they just lost a child? What will people think? His parents liked Zora, except his two elder brothers who always saw her as a threat.
The miscarriage has complicated the situation. Ezrah never thought she would stand on it to ask for a divorce because of how she always claimed to love him, not caring if he was just cold to her. He needed time to think.
“We shall talk about it later,” he finally said and was about to stand up when Zora played an audio from her phone. With her mind made up, she wanted the divorce here and now.
The woman in front of Ezrah was different from the one he always came home to. She always wore attractive clothes with a little makeup to seduce him which sometimes worked but after his release, Ezrah would return to being cold.
Today, Zora did not have on any makeup. Her hair was not even combed. All she wore was pajamas, her long dark hair looking lifeless, in contrast to Ezrah who was looking so attractive.
He had the looks and physique Zora used to die for but not anymore. All she felt for him now was resentment. She suddenly matured past looks or smartness in a man. What was there in being as hot as hell and a genius in business when there is no conscience or empathy?
Zora was just seeing that the man she has always been obsessed with was a selfish monster, caring only about his own image, money, and passion. Whatever blinded her eyes before was removed the moment she woke up on that hospital bed.
The voice from the audio was as clear as daylight. A female and a male but the male voice was indeed that of Ezrah.
Female: I’m sorry. I thought it was urgent.
Male: Nothing about Zora is ever urgent.
Female: Ezrah, are you sure you will divorce her?
Male: You don’t believe me? I’m only with her because she’s carrying my child. As soon as he’s born, I will divorce her.
Zora caught an expression of guilt on his face but there was no remorse. His voice was hard. “Where did you get that?” He demanded. Piper could not have done this, right? She had no contact with Zora.
But it was just the two of them in the room. Were there secret cameras? Though confused, his expression returned to being blank. “You have to destroy that audio before I sign this paper,” he threatened her.
Zora could not tell how she managed to pretend that she was fine. Up until now, he didn’t even care to apologize for sharing their private information with whatever name he calls the woman in his life.
What on earth could have made her fall in love with such a man? He was different from that man from a long time ago who saved her from the pool when she was bullied by some jealous friends.
Ezrah did not remember that day but that was when Zora fell in love with him. She calmly showed him another caption on her phone. ‘Mr. Ezra Gannon admits to reigniting his love for his old flame, Miss Piper Henshaw.’
This time, Ezrah paled but his eyes were dark and he picked up his phone instantly. He couldn’t find the person who took those pictures and how they went viral but had to get someone to take them down. The hacker would also be able to find out who sent that information to the press.
Zora had grown thorns after listening over and over to the audio and reading that news on her phone. Ezrah had already told her the same thing so this shouldn’t hurt.
“It doesn’t matter. The hindrance has already been removed and you already have a woman waiting for you. Just sign the damn papers.”
Ezrah paced back and forth elegantly, his mind filled with confusion and fear after ending the call.“You want to blackmail me? How much do you want?” He was enraged and disdained that Zora would resort to such means, but he was willing to pay to prevent the audio from going viral.His parents would not hesitate to demote him despite his hard work in the company, while his lazy elder brothers would benefit without putting in the effort.“What I want, you already gave, but since the accident took it away, there is nothing you can give me.” She did not disclose her suspicions, as she had someone investigating the matter.Ezrah suddenly laughed mockingly. “Your father’s company is not as strong as you think. He has been seeking an alliance with me. You want fifty percent of my hard work.”This could be the reason Zora was pushing for the divorce. Fifty percent from the Gannon Group would elevate her family business to new heights. She felt bitter that he would think so poorly of her.Des
‘Ezrah, if you are reading this note, then I’m dead. I wish you happiness with the woman you love,’ the note read.It was clear that Zora must have committed suicide through the accident. Ezra felt as if the ground he stood on was spinning. He thought she was going to relocate somewhere but not like this.His phone rang instantly. Thinking it was Piper, he wanted to ignore it, but seeing a strange number and looking at the letter on the floor, he answered it.“Mr. Gannon, your wife…”“I’m her father. I will take care of everything,” he heard a familiar voice cut through that of the female one, which he was beginning to suspect was the nurse.Before he could ask about the hospital, the call ended, and even after ceaseless attempts, the woman at the end of the line did not answer the phone. Ezrah felt his eyes heavy, he began directing his anger to everything in the living room, kicking every piece of furniture in sight.If Zora’s father was already at the hospital, then could it be tha
“How dare you talk to me like that? Do you want to die?” Ezrah felt wronged to be misjudged like this.Since he didn’t love Zora, he assigned her a butler to take care of her. Therefore, he was not responsible for anything concerning her. If not for the baby, they would have divorced months ago.The baby was the only thing keeping them together and giving her the title of Mrs. Gannon, which rightfully belonged to Piper. She was the reason why he went to that party, but she had explained to him that her mother had fallen ill, which was why she could not meet up as planned.The butler’s unclogged attitude aroused both anger and irritation in Ezrah’s heart, yet this butler remained unremorseful.Turning around, he daringly retorted, “Yes, sir. I will be very glad if you kill me. What is the world and this house without Madam Zora? It's nothing more than an empty shell
"Where is my wife?" Ezrah asked, addressing no one in particular, trying to avoid the scrutinizing gazes. It was a shame that his parents and brothers had arrived at the hospital before him, but how could he have known? Zora had only mentioned leaving a parcel for him at home.How could he have known it was going to be a suicide note? The victorious glint in his elder brothers' eyes annoyed him the most. Even as the youngest of the three brothers, Ezrah excelled in everything. Undoubtedly, his brothers envied him as he was also the apple of his parents' eyes.The disappointed look in his father's eyes caused unease in his heart. Even his mother's gaze lost the usual warmth she always welcomed him with."You should have been the first to arrive, but I even got here before you," his elder brother, Ethan Gannon, sneered. As if that wasn't enough, Ezrah's second elder brother, Lucas Gannon, added salt to the injury."I just saw it from here. He must have been with that woman, and they wer
“Were your parents aware of everything?” Coco asked as they arrived at her two-bedroom apartment. Being old friends, they had a lot to catch up on as she hadn’t seen Zora in a long time.Talking on the phone once in a while was not enough for them to share all that was happening in their lives. Zora removed her shoes at the entrance, noticing how well Coco kept her small apartment neat with everything well arranged.Zora loved having things organized as well, and this was the first time they were going to live together, so she was sure she wasn’t going to inconvenience her best friend.“Dad sent the car with two dead bodies from the morgue. He also arranged for the jet and a hacker to cover the CCTVs somehow after I got down from the cab and walked towards the car he sent,” Zora revealed.The moment she was discharged from the hospital, she began planning everything but could not execute it without her parents' help.Being an only child, her happiness, more than anything else, mattere
Zora had no intention of taking that path. Her goal was to learn new skills to help develop the business she wanted to set up. Having honed her skills with the Gannons, it lifted her spirits, making her realize how profitable she could be in that field.“My mom moved in circles in the movie industry. It just doesn’t appeal to me.”She didn’t want to mention Coco either and instead added, “I’d rather explore something different. I want to learn ethical hacking, clothing design, and modeling. Anything related to fashion is what I want to pursue,” she said thoughtfully.The best revenge would be to develop herself to be better than she was before, and when she succeeds, she would ensure that nobody could help Piper for what she did to her unborn child.Although Coco knew that Zora could still achieve all the aforementioned with help from her parents, she still couldn't allow her to stay alone at the apartment.“While you're at it, don’t let this opportunity pass you by. I just don’t want
“I’m sorry, Piper, but let’s break up for now,” Ezrah's expression was aloof as he delivered those words as if they were inconsequential. Piper was dumbfounded, shock registering on her face.After carefully orchestrating that accident to leave no traces behind, she was relieved that even though Zora had escaped, another accident claimed her life, indicating that fate had intervened.Just when Piper thought everything was finally falling into place as it should have been, Ezrah dropped this heartbreaking news.“Ezrah, what are you talking about?” Her expression was so glum that not even all the makeup could brighten it. It was as if she had just risen from the grave.Ezrah remained aloof. At that moment, all he could think about was the Company and his image in front of the media.He may not have been a good husband to Zora, but she had still protected him. How could he let her sacrifices be in vain? Being with Piper would only disrespect those sacrifices.“You heard me, Piper. My wif
“Well, that is my condition. If you break up with me, I will tell my father to withdraw everything. So, what do you think? Do you still want to break up with me?”Piper was certain that Ezrah would change his mind. After all, he prioritized money more than anything in the world.Ezrah thought carefully. That partnership would boost the Gannons’ finances by twenty percent, but if he moved on so fast, then it would only confirm Ethan’s accusation that Piper was the reason for Zora’s death.In the worst case, he would lose his position to either of his elder brothers, and that would also mean disaster for the company, which has thrived over the years under Ezrah’s leadership. After coming to a conclusion, he pushed the file he was scrutinizing before back to her.“You should know by now that I’m not one who flinches at threats. Goodbye, Piper.”Piper was so shocked, a tear dropped down her cheek. Was Ezrah planning to remarry Zora’s dead body? How could he let go of such an opportunity b