<h4>Chapter 29: Threat</h4>
<strong>**************</strong>
<strong>Chapter 29</strong>
<strong>~Snow’s POV~</strong>
"Storm?"
I blinked, trying to steady my racing heart. Storm stood there, peering at me with his big blue eyes, the same ones that reflected so much of my own.
He ran up to me, hugging my leg. "Daddy," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"
I forced a smile, kneeling to his level. "Yeah, buddy. Just... handling some things."
His face scrunched up in the way it always did when he was trying to figure something out. "Where’s the prettydy running to? The one from the office?"
I felt a strange jolt in my chest. <i>The prettydy.</i> Was that how Storm saw Zara? I resisted the urge to sigh, instead ruffling his hair. "To her room. She’s... busy."
Storm nodded slowly, epting my vague response. But as he nced up at me again, I saw something deeper in his eyes—something curious and observant.
"Daddy, why are you always fighting with her?"
I stiffened slightly, not prepared for that question. Leave it to a child to ask the simplest yet hardest questions. "We’re not fighting, Storm. Sometimes adults just... disagree."
Storm looked unconvinced, but before he could press further, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I nced at it—a message from my secretary about the uing business meeting I needed to prepare for.
"Come on, Storm. You should be in bed now." I stood and extended my hand to him. "I’ve got to get back to work. But I promise we’ll go somewhere fun this weekend, okay?"
Storm nodded, slipping his hand into mine. I knew he wasn’t done asking about Zara.
He was a curious little one, I’ll give him that.
<strong>***********</strong>
The next day, we were seated in one of thepany’s high-end conference rooms, finalizing preparations for a significant business deal with Blue Whalez Industries.
The room was filled with top executives from different sectors, each eager to close a deal to boost their influence within thepany.
But one man, in particr, caught my attention—or rather the way he looked at Zara, did.
<i>Marcus Devereaux.</i>
He was new in the country, an investor with a reputation for sealing high-profile deals, and judging the way his eyes followed Zara every time she moved, he was just as interested in her as he was in the business.
I watched, my fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of my chair, as Zara handled the presentations with confidence and grace.
She was good—<i>damn good</i>—and even though I had control over her, I couldn’t deny the satisfaction I felt seeing her thrive in her role.
But Marcus was watching her a little too closely for my liking.
cier growled within. I clenched my fist, controlling him.
"Impressive," Marcus said smoothly as he leaned forward after Zara’s presentation. His eyes flicked to her before settling on me. "You’ve got quite the asset here, Mr. Zephyr."
I caught the double meaning in his words.
Foring a smile, I masked my irritation. "Indeed," I replied coolly, my gaze shifting to Zara, who was now tidying up her notes. "She’s been a valuable addition."
Marcus’s smile widened, but his flirty eyes remained on Zara. "More than just valuable, I’d say."
I clenched my jaw, my fingers tightening around the armrest. cier stirred within me, sensing my agitation. I had seen that look before—men who thought they could take what wasn’t theirs.
But Zara wasn’t some prize for Marcus to im. She was <i>mine</i>.
As the meeting wrapped up, Marcus made his way toward Zara. I watched closely, every muscle in my body tensed.
He approached her smiling, extending his hand. "Zara, right? You handled that presentation like a pro. I’d love to get your insights on a few things over dinner sometime. Maybe we could discuss... other opportunities."
Zara blinked, clearly taken aback. She nced at me briefly before responding in a politely firm manner, "Thank you, Mr. Devereaux, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline."
But Marcus didn’t seem deterred by her refusal. "Maybe another time, then. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other."
He walked away after that. Zara looked at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What was that about?"
I stood up, fixing my hand in my pocket and holding her gaze. "He’s an investor. A persistent one."
She raised an eyebrow. "Seemed like he was interested in more than just the investment."
My jaw tightened. She noticed. Did she like the attention? "He’s not your concern, Zara."
Her lips curved into a slight smirk, her eyes gleaming with something that made my blood heat. "Why, Snow? Jealous?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Stay away from him. He’s trouble."
She chuckled softly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Trouble? I think I can handle myself just fine."
I stepped closer, my gaze darkening. "This isn’t a game, Zara. Men like him... they don’t y by the rules."
Her smirk faded slightly, but her eyes held their challenge. "And what about you, Snow? Do you y by the rules?"
I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I leaned in. "You already know the answer to that," I added a bit of danger to my tone.
Before either of us could say more, the door to the conference room swung open. One of the board members stepped inside. "Mr. Zephyr, we’re ready for you."
I stepped back. "This isn’t over," I murmured, my eyes locking onto hers before I turned and walked out of the room.
***************
<i>Later that evening</i>
Back in my study, the memory of Marcus’s smug grin and the way he had looked at Zara still gnawed at me.
cier had been restless ever since the meeting, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Marcus.
He was a threat. And I didn’t like threats.
As I went through the day’s reports, my phone buzzed on the desk. I picked it up, my eyes narrowing at the message from my father.
<strong>Father</strong><i>: Deal with Marcus Devereaux. He’s more involved than you think.</i>
I exhaled slowly, leaning back in my chair. My father never said anything without reason. I needed to be careful. I didn’t know what he was after yet but he had his eyes on Zara.
And I wasn’t about to let that happen.
<i>"Good. Not now. Not ever."</i>
Updated from fr??ewebnov??l.(c)om