Chapter 187: The waitress is dead
Zara looked at Bree, unsure if she should accept his invitation. But Bree quickly made the decision for her.
"Oh, I just remembered something," Bree said with a meaningful look in her eyes. "I need to rush back to the office. You two go ahead." She stepped away, leaving Zara and Shay alone.
Once Bree was gone, Zara turned to him. "Um...what is it?"
"First, I need to apologize," he said, his face full of regret. "I’m really sorry. Something so terrible happened at my event, and you had to suffer because of it. I feel ashamed."
Zara stared at him in shock. Nathaniel had promised her that the incident would be kept completely secret. No one in the media or the industry would ever hear about it. So how did Shay know?
She shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you apologizing? It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known something like that would happen."
"It was still my failure," he insisted. "I should have kept my guests safe. Ever since I found out, I haven’t been able to rest."
Zara frowned. "But...how did you even know? My husband told me no one would ever find out. So how did you?"
Liam hesitated, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Honestly, I wouldn’t have known—if Dr. Eugen hadn’t told me."
"Dr. Eugen?" Zara’s jaw dropped, shock clear on her face.
Liam nodded. "Yes. He is a close friend of mine and also my family doctor."
Zara gave an awkward smile. "Really? What a coincidence. He is our family doctor too."
Liam smiled back, though his eyes avoided hers. He wanted to reveal who he really was but held back, worried she might be upset by his lies.
"Shall we go somewhere else? I know a nice place nearby."
Zara agreed without hesitation. "Let’s go."
Together, they went out.
He brought her to an Artisan Café. "I love the freshly baked cookies here," he said as he found a table in the corner and took his seat. "I come often just for them. You should try the chocolate ones. They are the best."
Zara’s face lit up. "Chocolate cookies? Perfect. Zane loves them. I’ll take some home for him."
"Done," Liam said, raising his hand to call a waiter. "Please pack some chocolate cookies for us. And we’ll also have pastries and juice."
The waiter jotted everything down. "It’ll be ready soon," he said before leaving.
Liam’s smile slowly faded, his face turning serious. "I’m just glad you’re okay," he said, looking back at Zara. "When I heard what happened, I was really worried."
Zara lowered her head, still uneasy whenever she thought about that incident.
"I checked the hall’s footage," Liam went on. "Someone gave money to that waitress."
Zara’s head shot up, her face full of shock and curiosity.
"And this morning... that waitress was found dead in her house."
"What?" Zara gasped, a chill running down her spine.
"She was killed," Liam said quietly.
Zara covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. ’Who would kill the waitress? Could it be Jaxon?’ The thought made her shudder.
"Maybe the person who bribed her didn’t want to leave any trace," Liam said.
Zara blinked, feeling numb. She couldn’t believe Jaxon would go this far. ’He already exposed himself when I recognized him. Why kill the waitress?’
Her brows furrowed as doubts and questions swirled in her mind. Something didn’t add up. Even though she didn’t trust Jaxon, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t need to kill the waitress since she had already identified him.
’Something is off here,’ she muttered to herself. ’It’s not Jaxon.’
Looking back at Liam, she asked carefully, "Do you know who gave the money to the waitress? Did you see that person in the footage?"
Liam wanted to tell her what he suspected, but he stopped himself. First, he needed to know how Zara felt about Riya and what their relationship was like. Besides, he wanted to see what Nathaniel would do about it first. So instead, he said carefully, "The person was hiding behind a pillar, avoiding the camera. It’s difficult to say who it was."
Zara’s eyes narrowed as her mind went back to Jaxon. ’Could he have sneaked into the hall and paid the waitress? But where did he get that much money?’
She remembered how he had once kidnapped her with the help of local thugs. Now, she was convinced he had found stronger support—maybe he had joined forces with a more dangerous gang. Otherwise, he would never have dared to appear at such a high-end hotel full of security.
"Can I see the footage?" she asked, hoping she might spot some clue.
Liam stayed silent for a moment, just watching her, then finally said, "I already gave it to your husband."
"Oh!" Zara was surprised. "You met him? When? Where?"
Liam nodded. "This morning. I wanted to go to his office to find him and show him the footage. But I happened to run into him at Dr. Eugen’s office."
"I see..." Zara grew even more confused, wondering why Nathaniel had gone to see Eugen. She tried to stay calm, but her mind was restless as s sudden thought hit her: ’Why did he need to find Eugen at the hospital? Is he okay?’
Liam’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as he remembered what he had seen at Eugen’s office. He wondered if Zara had any idea about Nathaniel and Eugen’s secret affair.
"They seem really close," he said carefully.
His words pulled Zara back from her thoughts. She smiled and replied, "Yes, they are. They have been friends since school. Eugen is such a nice guy, always cheerful, and spreads joy wherever he goes. He has also become my good friend."
"That’s great." Liam smiled, although his eyebrows lifted with surprise. ’You sly man,’ he thought bitterly. ’To hide your affair, you even built a good bond with Nathaniel’s wife.’
He never imagined that someone like Eugen—who was known for being with various women—could secretly want to be with Nathaniel. The mere thought made his skin crawl.
"How is everyone in the Grant family?" he asked quickly, forcing his mind away from those unsettling thoughts.