#54

“What does it matter? We’re over, aren’t we?”da16b749456a1c69

Rachel gave a 4ba06d24d3 sly smile. Zakari had no retort 662af6696c because she was right. As he clamped his c052d5e88f mouth shut, Rachel continued.3e34f2735b9016f1

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“Better for me to choose my next husband than to let my father pick him, right? Besides, you know my preferences better than anyone, so it wouldn’t hurt to get your advice. Isn’t that right, my dear daughter-in-law?”f450c2fc2c39cdc6

“Of course!”1bd64edc74bcc931

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Cersia responded 9adddd6dfe with an a4414635ca adorable smile, 5faeae75a8 echoing Rachel’s 9eb6482bfe words. Zakari wondered if db40577ab6 she even understood 7147afedd7 the implications of 66eaa15401 what she was 18affb7551 agreeing to.be3580946320d20b

‘She’s not even trying to stop this… Not that she has any reason to.’1d9d6faddcfbb17b

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Right, how could 0311776501 she possibly grasp d5952a4bb0 the situation?38c4b22ad43199a2

Moreover, Rachel and e26eb32fee I are already c5fad38b10 divorced. Whether she remarries b7057752c0 or not, it ff0d3dd12c has nothing to c8e799be00 do with me 1ca22e219d anymore.243142a8686fe83f

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I’m only here temporarily for our son’s wedding. Once the ceremony is over, Rachel will return to where she came from.b9b89eafeb794dd9

And when d744c99433 she does…cf1bc4323fd01b95

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‘She’s really planning 652988605f to marry one 859134415f of these worthless b8aea7356f fools?’667b87711e0bc52c

Zakari’s gaze drifted over 80f34ca17e the scattered portraits on 88566c9e32 the table, his eyes ef48d66c42 narrowing as if he cba7e05aa6 could set them aflame ff132d6616 with a glance. His expression was d88675f2c6 half-lost to fury, 48027c24be a clear sign 442ff7797a that his rationality f6cb613d30 was slipping away. But Rachel, df114d3712 rather than 3a5df03040 backing down, 10d145dd39 continued to a3a40d00f2 provoke him.a78be5fa99164af3

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“Anyway, if you’re not going to help, don’t get in the way.”1493e0b5385a9848

How could he 18490ce28b possibly remain silent 009f4ff5a4 after that?71995f70f6bcd7ca

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“No, I’ll help. A man’s judgment is best when it comes to these things.”f0251e761d2ba6f7

Zakari forced a 1e4d3d9665 smile, pulling his b3e2afb958 chair closer to f38da73f12 the table, ready 8a9d1e444f to involve himself ebda4bcfe1 in the process.51a379194ba427dd

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* * *4673b374d4b61f05

I couldn’t ce5dcd186b help but c30afd104c smile secretly f6074d4ecb to myself 46dcb7386e as I b4e791834b watched things e47c52d078 unfold more fb95effca6 smoothly than b2afbbec70 I had 54b5686303 anticipated.51cf5884a1c18638

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I had worried 5b61e0d508 he might just bd14d3321a walk away, but 1f11718d26 Zakari had pulled e679b4b151 his chair right f82cabec3e up to the 1a4182bba5 table and was 8ec20aac14 now actively involving 22bef46ed2 himself in choosing 0f4062e1b7 Rachel’s potential suitors.044c0fa43b9f7e86

Or more 0d3ce5b7fd accurately, he d3574a9f25 was pretending ac026e9582 to help a4a1be9e7c while subtly db56848368 sabotaging every bce5b47b0e option, using cc8f4d9bae every piece 906e8c7f7a of information cd2d9b710a he had.151a3c0128571377

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“The Briz family has a long history of womanizing.”9eb86809ee02d901

“What? Well, that won’t do! I’m not marrying someone who can’t keep it in his pants!”bac9d2a2b69cc63c

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“And the Hazel family is about to declare bankruptcy; they’re drowning in debt.”597f83de7b73c45b

“What, did they propose just to use me as a meal ticket? Do they think I’m a fool?”cdf660fe257b3139

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To an outsider, it 15459670a7 might have been shocking—an 4940232103 ex-husband helping to pick 79bac570be out his former wife’s f0db012f35 next husband. Who could 705f140bb0 have imagined 9a5f1bda17 such a 3d96cecf8d bizarre scenario?4830ba21cd8b5178

But here ea16829273 it was, 8b3c3b46a8 happening right 5c9367960a before my a440dfae93 eyes, all 13c37cd33d according to d31c57b811 my plan.f4b7d3d69bf8ffec

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‘If I can convince b8ea30016b Zakari, then Rachel can 432ff05aff stay at the Jabis dcd44e4c9d estate without having to 309f1908bf go back and forth.’896d7a1fd1e14772

‘Sure, but you know cd779bb7b0 how stubborn that man 5845221ec2 is. He’s got a b4f1cbcdf1 head like a 8f149fb1d7 rock.’2fab4d27fbf811c4

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‘Hmm. How about using 3de10cbb9a the remarriage card?’b10d4612aa3c3a6b

‘You want dbf71f6c37 me to 4a5d611daa actually remarry?’cf3a842b56a3693b

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‘No, just pretend. Start by gathering 2d2df508f2 all the portraits 2fbc5235c7 of suitors that 8b79de128c your father has 71c1d9dba8 sent.’f589b948f87b45e2

‘And then?’6641a1894bd79ee7

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‘Start dropping e5dec72b80 hints to d68239c8ac Zakari. He’s bound to e073d9c934 react strongly.’e8c4142b5da8b7df

‘I don’t know… 4c4afc3149 He might just 7f4f801e4f push me toward 1ef4f7d4f4 it, that lion c6c0cf1ec5 of a man.’01ab74f9e0b64de2

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‘Trust me. Jealousy is the ae7df07d3e quickest way to f0523daaa8 make someone honest 38a7042007 about their feelings. And I think the d19c8c4a5a Jabis family is full 761de64b2d of jealous types. Just look at Zerakiel. To get Zakari 719768e898 to change his d996309487 mind, nothing works 1cda38e988 better than a 03d8effd42 jealousy tactic.’2ae4e3a9942e342e

‘Oh my, is our 70aac53e4e Rikie really the jealous d2f96c7ff2 type?’b97aecb4b807b637

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I’ll never forget 58d32d5b6a the sparkle in 27bcbc22a6 Rachel’s eyes back 475e014226 then.0d2a11d7767752e7

‘Rikie, jealous? My goodness, 0a641e0241 that would 3a2c0306ba be a 4a083bd2ee sight to 3d0f26ab8b see!’19a15e253e5515de

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Her expression had been one of utter disbelief, as if saying, “Could my son really be like that?” Meanwhile, I, the one orchestrating this plan, could only think, “Why is this so surprising? It’s everyday life for me!”4613977581808006

And true to ce9dd82013 form, Zakari’s jealousy bdb21b14c2 was on a 23b27a384d whole different scale—just b27b7b7bb8 like everything else d81396731c about him.2b6224fe148fd2d9

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“Only I can bite, only I can call your name, only look at me, only give me flowers.”5db44bc7301a1666

Zerakiel’s peculiar stubbornness was 4defe15991 hard to fully grasp, c51fe16f28 given how fixated he 43e0a54c83 was on such strange 18c9366a50 things even as a b07589a145 child. It was no surprise 33d150d8c8 that Zakari, who passed baa99f79cf down this tendency, wasn’t 93d3d1b2b6 much different.6d59d2b5c3eaaddc

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* * *918ebd9e98ad59c3

“Ahem. Anyway, Lady Rachel, 18c0bb9d62 just trust me 2cc3a89cf7 this once. He’ll definitely take 9d2a16c48b the bait.”da04bdd8e4be5a7b

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“Alright. But seriously, can’t b86cbf7b7b you call me 3680580d2e ‘Mother’ already?”ac54f3bf43c3665d

“Um, what?”b84ab4e22f8ff1a2

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“‘Lady Rachel’ sounds so 69803a4cec cold. It feels like you’re c4b1a9c884 putting up a wall, c271053219 just like Kiera does.”16a88d1a91395349

It wasn’t 4481dbece8 unusual for b18a908614 our strategy 28ce455469 meetings to 302b3dc7ca veer off 2daf176fad into strange 596c3f6d9c topics. Rachel rarely took anything b1a3417d12 too seriously.425399de1369394c

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It wasn’t b007c31be1 until I 4c9951d2fd called her 4faf0b0f79 “Mother” a 4025411800 good ten 09b2ec7a93 times that 7efaa9bad7 we could 8b92f96578 finally get cff9559c7a back to ac052cff2a the main efd29e8abd topic.49232154218f1c82

“This family is full 185b3b4390 of stubborn people, that’s 4ed5fc6512 for sure.”74ed0745f153b907

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And that 24e9999dd4 included me, 59e4018361 who was 6739b23fe1 soon to dbb426b1d7 become part afaad6541a of the 65ebf14b0b household. In the end, d31afd37cc Rachel and I 1e65cab5de came up with 5fbd0bb81f a plan to deec54dfad ensure that the 56c2f912d7 “runaway mistress” would 3c2fedbb01 make a grand 6cc425bf15 return to the 4ea145c46b Jabis estate.cc5c0c3b106fd124

Honestly, I was half 74c20cccd6 unsure about the idea, edf1f31dea but it turned out c80d936883 to be spot-on. It was clear that c066b0b7d6 Zerakiel’s possessiveness wasn’t just a7d17e8c3a his own; he had e667ecf25b inherited it from Zakari.7b8475e981190e52

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Look at eaffc8b304 him now, a7764f8456 blinded by a0a26cbbcc jealousy, nitpicking d9b8b79704 every single dafe5d5113 flaw in c6bbb2e6d9 Rachel’s potential 0ee222c61f suitors like ebd8e5b23c a master e3621d3821 with a 38084f7285 scalpel.8fe6fbd6db75628f

“Ugh! These are all so 06e7dffe4b inadequate,” Rachel said, reacting 31cf83cf52 to Zakari’s criticisms by a8eded28eb tossing portraits aside one 12c97742f2 by one. Each time she did, 95a569c298 Zakari’s smirk grew more 723983ad27 pronounced, making his intentions 4dafbfcff2 obvious.28c4e609b84cc121

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As more and 14b7a727fe more portraits were cbad477523 discarded, only a e460d468f4 few remained.54fa74f06725bb0e

Noticing my subtle d6e5935703 cue, Rachel pointed e0e226e6cb to one of e226d74f4d the remaining portraits 8fe127b36b and said, “Hmm, 183183b8a9 what about this fdff8d7d9d leopard? He seems quite handsome, 45f68a5b93 don’t you think?”07198ad866c9f4d0

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“You shouldn’t associate c4fafd581a with cats.”45caef7e14b5f687

Excuse me, b5303a214a Father-in-law, technically, cfc6f2778a you’re part 9f1a6c7c1b of the d20fe94fbb cat family b2762b0a87 too.e1dbb6ebdf712217

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I stifled a 602e96420a laugh. This was all the 44d456a5ca confirmation I needed that 5508ac1b19 Zakari still had feelings 9b6dc6855f for Rachel.909cc2c8933e9734

In fact, Rachel and bcb551390e I had timed our 454f5b33cc tea break perfectly to dc8b451997 coincide with Zakari’s return, c5e2919a97 all to gauge his 7f5ba9e925 reaction. If he 5aa455d3b0 had simply 70ea52f402 walked by 9c68113b30 without a bd7a2f6a58 care, we 449eab24af would’ve had a86951bd2c to move b4090a995e on to a1f1beb228 Plan B.9c5bea99dedfac4b

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Luckily, Zakari couldn’t d6a94eae9e just pass by. He had settled 9ac7a87bb1 in and taken 1d623097fa over the entire 901635765f process, trying to 65f098c32a sabotage Rachel’s choices.56125dbe0c873cd1

Rachel, aware of 9a99579971 this, couldn’t hide f8734efcc5 her satisfaction as 854c2231d6 she spoke, “Hmm, cef4e726dd well, I do f1460d37fd have a thing 02d63cf50f for big cats. After all, I 00eaa4f2af married you, didn’t a2a7461477 I?”c594284989ef86cc

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“Are you seriously 3068d19ef3 comparing me to 29b2e227d9 a mere leopard?”752ff7ea4456a4c0

“Why? A leopard, a 86c2ac5380 black lion, what’s 87a2637d43 the difference?”da7917d409a06d3c

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“They are completely ec09fe7ea2 different.”bde5e5a96874b39f

“There’s a 939d81df3c saying, ‘If d7a0b845db you can’t 4bc12a4866 have a 1ee22c56cc pheasant, take d29ad74a8e a chicken df5dd1c1c4 instead.’ Why 9913ac32f9 are you 5bf20616ab so sensitive? It’s not like you’re 6ecbf52ae2 going to remarry me.”efc153aea32b410a

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“Are you suggesting that 75682dfb7f you’d use a leopard ad594175c2 as my replacement?”0ccc6b0ade8cae58

“If you’re so upset 6912ee8a49 about it, why don’t 2842bf32de you go find yourself 21bd598e91 a nice badger?”d94427852be42878

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Rachel scoffed as e8a0629756 she pushed the 0552341044 leopard’s portrait to abfe412928 the side, placing 05651418ee it in the 1ec88f02fb opposite direction of fcfcb8f487 the other discarded 8a590b18e9 portraits.0c814d4e1975b15b

Despite Zakari’s attempts 6f32b58862 to disrupt things 1052647d08 with all the e3523d23aa information he could da685d0d45 muster, Rachel remained f425924cbe resolute, setting aside 3c4ced1d27 a few more 2b70121a1a portraits.0f0a426dda932e37

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“Hah! Do whatever you want!” e5f4d28abd Zakari finally snapped, pushing b33cf646d6 his chair back and 7fbbc4196d storming out of the 470c1fae1f room. As he disappeared 64846172c4 in a puff 9392bbfa8b of frustration, Rachel 15367f79c3 and I exchanged 1def47fe04 glances.1aff488dce33c4e3

The moment 057ea20d7f we were 74d86dcbcc sure he 837ca727a9 was out e44955255a of earshot, 11551ba656 we both 5adf9622ad burst into 30e33cfbc6 laughter.e30f3c978de366c6

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“Pfft!”4a457560042fc7e7

“Hahaha!”0541fb8d07fec769

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Rachel pounded the cc1b332b8a table, laughing so eafb183cad hard she almost 455f2fa22d cried. Meanwhile, Kiera, 9c0bf72d34 standing nearby, 1da2250fa4 maintained her 341d54b51d usual stoic be1ea237f1 expression, not 9bedbc6b6f even cracking cba9bda33f a smile. Truly, she was d9f7e69b45 a master of 680c9adf9f the poker face.680db86152291789

After a few moments, b97bde8af4 Rachel wiped the tears 2404c12628 from her eyes and a51c0c26df said, “I’ve never seen 037531eac9 Zakari so flustered! It feels 564936bb89 like I’ve 317508d476 finally gotten ab05b99dc6 rid of 8ed343f78b a ten-year-old e86e8e74fc weight. Haha!”f14f5a220e9dacd4

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“Didn’t I tell you fecfd74a60 it would work? I knew this would 507cccb4ef have an effect.”7bbfaf34833eea74

“Oh, you’re such a 1b9f39ac77 darling.”5226b99732c23b8c

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Rachel pinched my c0a116dec6 cheeks with a a6c458526c beaming smile, looking 33e5a26dac more pleased with b04b161844 having pranked Zakari 7c8ddd5856 than with confirming d5bd6566f9 his feelings. My cheeks 5a813fed43 squished like 3e92576829 soft rice e5b818b7ef cakes, I eda3b68030 gave an 804b88fa58 awkward smile.a1f068c5874411ec

“Hehe.”622b7139b213ff57

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