<h4>Chapter 40: Andrew ke</h4>


    <strong>**************</strong>


    <strong>Chapter 40</strong>


    <strong>~Zara’s POV~</strong>


    The next morning I was shocked to discover Snow never returned home that night. Had his rage led him to seek women’sfort outside, or was I overthinking?


    I pushed the thought of family and Snow out of my mind and immediately got prepared for my day.


    I picked up my phone, my eyes catching the missed call notification from my parents. I closed the phone screen, dropped it in my bag and walked out. Just as I went down for breakfast before heading to thepany, the front door opened with Snow standing at the doorway.


    My feet halted, lips slightly opened as I stared at not Snow but thedy in a wheelchair with simr features as Storm.


    My gaze darted back to Snow, hoping for a tad bit of exnation when the hurried sound of footsteps broke our contact as Storm’s chirpy voice echoed from behind me.


    "Mum? Mum!"


    ’Fuck!’


    His little footstepsnded on the stairs as he pushed past me, and straight into his mother’s hands he went.


    I remained frozen, my eyes darting between the emotional moments of little Storm and Snow, who stood watching and not saying anything.


    I was tempted to speak. To say anything but I did not want to seem hurt. Instead, I chose the next best thing.


    Tucking my hair behind my ear, I smiled at Storm, who nced at me briefly before burning his face in his mother’s shoulder, then walked off to the dining room.


    As much as I didn’t want to see Snow, I couldn’t leave through the front door, seeing as they made it their spot. Neither did I want to be seen taking the back door.


    My appetite was ruined, but I gobbled down some grapes, asked one of the maids to package some of the tasty looking fruits for me, and headed out when I felt the coast was clear.


    Unlike before when I rode in one of Snow’s cars with one of the drivers driving me, this time I already texted E, asking her to bring my car to Snow’s house.


    The shock on E’s face when I stepped out of the house and towards her was priceless. For a minute, Ipletely forgot my anger andughed at her awestruck look.


    "Hello, bestie."


    "Shut up..." E exaggerated with a wave as she rushed to hug me, but I knew there was more. "You fuckingnded a bloody jackpot, bae. This is huge."


    "Yeah, too bad his attention ain’t on me," I mumbled. "Anyways, in one year this would be all over."


    My downcast mood got to E pretty quickly. Her eyes raked over my face, her fingers holding my shoulders in ce. "What went wrong? How did you quench that spark between you too?"


    Within a minute, a series of questions flew from E’s lips, making my head churn.


    I shook her off and entered the driver’s seat, leaving her standing there.


    When my car came to life, E blinked before rushing in. "Hey," she called out while strapping her seat belt. "You want to talk about it?"


    "No. Just know, he has someone else and like every other flee scumbag, I messed up."


    Thankfully E fell silent till I dropped her off at home and headed to work. The morning went like every other day and by 9, we were informed Snow wasn’ting to thepany.


    Great. I had peace of mind.


    With Marcus dragging his feet on the deal, I decided to shift gears. If Marcus was proving to be a pain, I needed another option. Fast.


    I scrolled through my notes and contacts, hunting for someone who could rival Marcus in the industry. That’s when I found him—Andrew ke.


    Younger, sharper and known for closing deals quicker than anyone else. If I could get him on board, maybe Snow wouldn’t need Marcus at all and Ivan, God help that bastard.


    Picking up the phone, I dialled the number listed for ke Industries. My fingers drummed nervously on the desk as I waited.


    "ke Industries. How may I direct your call?" came the sweet voice.


    I straightened in my chair, pushing aside the lingering anger from the morning. "This is Zara Zephyr from Aurora Conglomerate Inc. I’d like to speak with Mr. Andrew ke about a potential coboration."


    There was a brief pause, followed by the soft clicking of keys on a keyboard. "One moment, please. I’ll transfer you to Mr. ke’s assistant."


    I waited, scanned my notes, holding my breath. "Good day. Mr. ke’s office."


    I greeted and exined my request again and waited. "Alright. Mr. ke can meet with you at 3 p.m. Does that work for you?"


    Perfect timing. Just enough time to finalize my presentation. "Yes, 3 p.m. is great. Thank you."


    I hung up, releasing my breath. I finally had something to focus on besides Snow’s cryptic behaviour.


    Maybe this deal would bring Sniw and me on a levelled ground. An hour passed and I remained neck deep in my presentation, editing things to suit ke Industries’ taste, when a knock at the door interrupted me.


    "Zara," Snow’s secretary poked her head in, looking a bit hesitant. "There’s someone here to see you. He says he’s from... ke Industries."


    I blinked in surprise. "Already?" I nced at the clock—3 p.m. was still hours away.


    The secretary mirrored my confusion. "Yes, but he insisted it was urgent."


    I sighed, pushing my chair back and standing up. "Alright, send him in."


    To my surprise, Andrew ke himself walked in. Tall, confident, with sharp features and an easy smile that instantly put me on edge. I stood up to greet him.


    "Mr. ke," I said, extending my hand, "I wasn’t expecting you at all, let alone this early. We had a meeting set forter this afternoon."


    "I like to handle things quickly," he replied, shaking my hand firmly. "I had some free time and thought, why not since I was driving through? Let’s see if we can get something going sooner."


    His directness caught me off guard, but I couldn’t help but admire his proactive attitude.


    As we sat down, Iunched into my pitch, exining Aurora’s vision and what we needed. ke listened intently, asking the asional question, but he seemed intrigued.


    Just as I felt like I was gaining traction, the door swung open—hard. My head snapped up and there he was—Snow, his eyes locked on ke with a deadly calm that sent a shiver down my spine.


    ’Oh shit.’


    This chapter is updat??d by f(r)eew??bn(o)vel