Chapter 193: A bait
Nathaniel smiled slyly. After Lina had been cast out of the Moore family, she had no place to live. So she had been returning to her hometown when fate intervened. An accident occurred, and she had lost her memory.
Nathaniel had sent her to a mental facility, erasing any trail that might lead Jaxon to her. It had been punishment for the man who had kidnapped Zara.
Now, with Jaxon holed up under Zachary’s protection, Nathaniel thought of using Lina as bait to lure Jaxon out.
"Yes," Nathaniel said. "I know where she is. Spread the word to him about his mother. Make sure he knows she has been found. Leave the rest to me."
"Alright. I can do that. I’ll reach out to you once the task is done." Kelvin was about to stand up, ready to leave. But then he paused as something crossed his mind. He leaned back in his chair again.
"I heard you are hiring an assistant."
Nathaniel was about to take a sip of his coffee, but froze mid-motion, the cup hovering just short of his lips. His brows drew together sharply. "I didn’t hire you to keep an eye on me."
Kelvin smirked faintly, unfazed by his sharpness. "I’m not watching you. I’m watching what happens around you. As I said, you can’t trust anyone blindly. Not in your house, not in your office. For that reason, I’ve arranged someone for you. His name is Ian."
Nathaniel’s frown as he murmured the name. "Ian..."
"You’ll find his profile among the applicants. Keep him temporarily as your assistant," Kelvin advised. "I’ll communicate with you through him."
He finally rose to his feet in one fluid motion, slipping away as sneakily as he appeared.
Nathaniel instinctively turned to him, but Kelvin was already gone, vanished into the bustle of the café.
"This man," Nathaniel muttered under his breath, setting the cup down. "He is like a wind."
A heavy sigh left him. He hadn’t even had the chance to ask about his injured leg, whether it had healed or not. Gathering his thoughts, Nathaniel drained the last of his coffee, rose from his chair, and walked out of the café.
~~~~~~~~~
Later that day...
The front door had barely shut when a bright, excited voice rang out.
"Daddy, you are back."
Zane’s little face lit up like sunshine as he spotted Nathaniel walking in. Dropping the crayon he had been clutching, he leapt from the sofa and dashed toward him with eagerness.
Nathaniel set his briefcase aside and bent down just in time to catch his son in his arms. Lifting him, he pressed him close, the boy’s laughter ringing through the house.
"Seems like my little boy is very happy today," Nathaniel grinned, studying his son’s radiant face. "What’s the reason?"
Zane wrapped his arms around his father’s neck. "I’m happy because you came home early. And Mommy brought yummy chocolate cookies and pastries. I love them."
"Yeah?" Nathaniel’s smile faded a bit. He instantly recalled the photographs Riya had shown him—Zara sitting in a café with another man. A sharp pang of jealousy coiled in his chest, shadowing his expression.
"Yes." Zane nodded eagerly. "You’ll love them too. Mommy saved some cookies for you."
Nathaniel’s gaze softened slightly at his son’s innocent excitement, though the storm in his heart remained quietly brewing.
In the meantime, Zara emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands against the apron tied around her waist.
Nathaniel’s gaze instantly latched onto her, and for a heartbeat, his expression stilled.
Zara looked slightly messy—her apron carried glossy streaks of oil and flour, and her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, a few rebellious strands falling loosely to frame her face. Yet to him, she looked nothing short of breathtaking. There was an effortless beauty in her simplicity that stirred something deep in his chest.
Just moments ago, jealousy and unease had clawed at his heart at the thought of her with another man melted away now. His mind flickered back to the memory of the intimate night they had shared.
Then his gaze dropped to her widely stretched lips. A primal urge to claim them, to remind her she belonged to him, coiled within him fiercely. His muscles tensed with the desire simmering inside him.
He lowered Zane to the ground, his eyes never once leaving hers.
Zara blinked, caught off guard by the ferocity of his gaze. The smile she wore faltered. Her lips parted slightly as though she wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words.
He stepped toward her and stopped only a breath away. His hand twitched at his side, aching to touch her, to pull her close. At that point, he even forgot Zane was there.
"You look too beautiful like this."
Zara’s pulse quickened as she saw the raw hunger etched into his features, the longing that he was no longer trying to mask. Heat rose to her cheeks, but before she could look away, Nathaniel tilted his head, his gaze lingering on her lips.
He couldn’t resist any longer. His hand rose, fingers brushing her cheek gently at first, then inched toward her lips.
Zara shivered at his touch. Sensing Zane staring at them, she stepped back, pushing her hair behind her ear.
"Go and freshen up. The dinner is almost ready." Zara took up the briefcase quickly, avoiding his gaze.
Nathaniel, suddenly aware of Zane’s silent presence, cleared his throat awkwardly. He forced the raw, feral desire down, masking it with a calm tone.
"Are you cooking? Where is Mrs. Jules?" He glanced around the room.
"She has a fever," Zara replied, her cheeks still hot where he had just touched her. "I gave her medicine and told her to rest. She’ll be fine in a few days."
Nathaniel nodded understandingly.
"Daddy, play with me for a while," Zane piped up, wrapping his arms around Nathaniel’s legs and gazing up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
Zara turned to Zane. "Daddy has just returned home. Let him freshen up first."
"It’s okay," he said, his hand gently ruffling Zane’s hair. "I can stay with my boy a while."
Taking Zane’s tiny hand in his, Nathaniel led him to the sofa. "Show me what you were drawing."
Zara lingered for a second, watching the father-son scene before she quietly slipped away toward the bedroom, clutching the briefcase.
Zane eagerly spread out his drawing sheet on Nathaniel’s lap.
"There is an activity at school tomorrow," Zane explained with excitement. "We were asked to draw anything we liked. I drew this—my parents and I."
Nathaniel’s chest warmed at his son’s enthusiasm. He held the sheet, studying the drawing carefully.
It was a simple but heartfelt sketch: a little boy standing between two tall figures.
Nathaniel’s expression faltered as he noticed something. Whenever Zane drew his family, there was always his birth mother blessing them. But this time, Nora was not there in the drawing.
Nathaniel felt the air around him thicken. "Where is your Mommy?"
Zane, without missing a beat, pointed confidently to the woman beside the boy in the picture. "This is Mommy."
Nathaniel’s brows rose. "You mean Zara Mommy?"
"Yes," Zane replied with certainty. He took the sheet back and returned his attention to the half-finished colors on the page.