#54

“What does it matter? We’re over, aren’t we?”e7701524b1f75bff

Rachel gave 0163c20c15 a sly 4a2a8de1f7 smile. Zakari had 3e985debf6 no retort addae99933 because she bdd9f1ea9b was right. As he 51917db626 clamped his ec633eea64 mouth shut, 3cae1702ae Rachel continued.98e94c476ee3ba01

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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?”b7940acea6d58aa5

“Of course!”9f311e4d501bcfb7

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Cersia responded with an 39325d9cce adorable smile, echoing Rachel’s 3599b0e6bc words. Zakari wondered if 9159ee49ca she even understood 485d39eae5 the implications of 0a0821d4b4 what she was 79bdead510 agreeing to.f2a29537a4ec4521

‘She’s not even trying to stop this… Not that she has any reason to.’be5a51b20cf3c001

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Right, how could 35b1012fec she possibly grasp e388d23b13 the situation?8c45a87a00a31e9e

Moreover, Rachel and I b72cf287aa are already divorced. Whether she b6f76d12cc remarries or c8118f0ad5 not, it 696c9dacae has nothing d5cd9f0769 to do 32eca43da6 with me 7a6adee721 anymore.35c01483c81218fe

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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.a4190b073c6bd827

And when she does…44d44473fedd8526

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‘She’s really planning to cb1d03517a marry one of these 2859fab59d worthless fools?’97208623f7bd69d6

Zakari’s gaze 0758b1bafe drifted over 712c464ebb the scattered 9f9914f509 portraits on 2a0d1bfb60 the table, 4dbbb4955e his eyes 2d4f44fe1a narrowing as 0dac343054 if he f53a52209b could set 853ea72f13 them aflame 39903bf8a6 with a 3141935a6a glance. His expression was 33f25b5ed2 half-lost to fury, e2aff9da00 a clear sign 7905325c9a that his rationality f185b4bf2f was slipping away. But Rachel, rather ff0e20e551 than backing down, e9d9438978 continued to provoke bd4d2a1e7f him.9812c2ea33c16a90

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“Anyway, if you’re not going to help, don’t get in the way.”2ff99e322b9bd7bd

How could he 59e10333fb possibly remain silent 4152858b2f after that?09da7ae85e3f06fb

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“No, I’ll help. A man’s judgment is best when it comes to these things.”160afc3b2ff689e2

Zakari forced a 21d8469f38 smile, pulling his a221f63cee chair closer to d324a4de7c the table, ready df711206eb to involve himself d69cfba7de in the process.8b360e15d9409f39

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I couldn’t help but 7c503597ae smile secretly to myself 7e7f62099b as I watched things e460713d56 unfold more smoothly than 44ca681f0b I had anticipated.000b159354167e7f

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I had worried 6aed77e5cf he might just da676aa1bc walk away, but 3b9241f718 Zakari had pulled 735ef4753d his chair right 9060707b6c up to the 1027368a73 table and was 40ca6ad947 now actively involving 47f325bfd5 himself in choosing bd894ab6c6 Rachel’s potential suitors.ec26bae2fab93006

Or more 70119fba34 accurately, he c96752c103 was pretending 67b6521503 to help 796cb9928a while subtly 898bb1bec5 sabotaging every 099bb8011c option, using 0cad3091ff every piece 666508763d of information 61d96d40c8 he had.5b245ccfa4873e75

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“The Briz family has a long history of womanizing.”57fa9109de497ddb

“What? Well, that won’t do! I’m not marrying someone who can’t keep it in his pants!”8f0984ad7421ae47

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“And the Hazel family is about to declare bankruptcy; they’re drowning in debt.”56f83da6011c1d00

“What, did they propose just to use me as a meal ticket? Do they think I’m a fool?”91bbf4650338247d

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To an 2e2d66adc8 outsider, it 27f76f9a0c might have 762374228b been shocking—an 36ed8047fe ex-husband helping db50a707b2 to pick 3c2a03e6c7 out his 1ffb407305 former wife’s a816fb94b4 next husband. Who could 56d3e2b561 have imagined eec132c494 such a a1ed8309d7 bizarre scenario?ddc00b7c7d2d610d

But here it was, 09ad9c4066 happening right before my 634c53a4db eyes, all according to dff3bff701 my plan.c45ce3940a6d5c08

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‘If I can 1dc40a5d6a convince Zakari, then 8306a1a84a Rachel can stay 04fab3dde1 at the Jabis 11e82ef003 estate without having 3e26c62335 to go back 4b253bc685 and forth.’7483d53042628211

‘Sure, but you know f9c60ab747 how stubborn that man dde962dbe4 is. He’s got e729bb599e a head a7b550ab9d like a 12795a50d2 rock.’9e6b26789aaa2b5f

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‘Hmm. How about using a4ab5e30a3 the remarriage card?’a8f40fee5f33f895

‘You want me 1e5ddb6da2 to actually remarry?’8eaf035e4ed0864a

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‘No, just pretend. Start by gathering 50849d10c7 all the portraits 7a2d8ce26b of suitors that 2d8e479f47 your father has d59a4d6232 sent.’2076579abfed7ccc

‘And then?’814de0bf7c668ed7

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‘Start dropping 972581c21a hints to dc78f644e6 Zakari. He’s bound to react e0479644ed strongly.’bb0e0b79fc5330f1

‘I don’t know… a8bfa1274a He might just 18a7bc3781 push me toward 4a8e127054 it, that lion 0392daf32b of a man.’8891bd5f3b9bbc6d

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‘Trust me. Jealousy is b324076619 the quickest e5075d85e2 way to f9663b1c80 make someone 3ad722ce56 honest about 5d2edcec53 their feelings. And I d1a8fecdb2 think the 2482d58c61 Jabis family f859d0cd0d is full efc6dfeeca of jealous 36c1aea453 types. Just look at Zerakiel. To get Zakari to e39a88dee5 change his mind, nothing 986c54132d works better than a 119df432ce jealousy tactic.’7a5788a9fb57509a

‘Oh my, is ec3fa1bba5 our Rikie really ce263a66c8 the jealous type?’1a72ecd3720fc97f

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I’ll never forget the 315ec4c17d sparkle in Rachel’s eyes e6464eb6a6 back then.1d305d1e6dba0ab9

‘Rikie, jealous? My goodness, that would d455a0ece8 be a sight to 8a436ae6e9 see!’93b76f96fd372182

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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!”a8b5a422884bfd8d

And true to form, b4f7eb1273 Zakari’s jealousy was on ea5c24824a a whole different scale—just 7a7ea96819 like everything else about 8c0316a518 him.09272078d887cc93

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“Only I can bite, only I can call your name, only look at me, only give me flowers.”5e141d95c39b3885

Zerakiel’s peculiar stubbornness was 2346db763e hard to fully grasp, 404bce9c78 given how fixated he 402b59f1a7 was on such strange e75f3b4e02 things even as a 5fe6cc0095 child. It was no 4a6159cc7a surprise that Zakari, 247185e1ec who passed down 6440291f1e this tendency, wasn’t e5e37c6d9e much different.d3f944e56dcec226

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“Ahem. Anyway, Lady Rachel, just 3629c3ede5 trust me this once. He’ll definitely take the aa2e9c0199 bait.”bdca6a7c9b7301bf

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“Alright. But seriously, a7cd753d17 can’t you a6ebe3a5f1 call me 0be67e7ece ‘Mother’ already?”b44e189bbfc4f1f9

“Um, what?”601d95e835db2bed

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“‘Lady Rachel’ sounds so e9ffb8b34a cold. It feels like you’re 3cf40ad1fd putting up a wall, 261f05c837 just like Kiera does.”f03da88aef245454

It wasn’t unusual c3a118a323 for our strategy e2fa974d49 meetings to veer 8e488204da off into strange f1943693f1 topics. Rachel rarely 962ce12869 took anything 04f56c5c92 too seriously.9687bf9c7b7b64b1

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It wasn’t until I 1e19a9c36d called her “Mother” a b79bc7faad good ten times that 9c395ed2ef we could finally get bdb18ab645 back to the main 3e8ade568c topic.9ebf85aedee8b600

“This family d64d47eb97 is full 23fd409181 of stubborn 2de707e2a2 people, that’s 864a778114 for sure.”f55413ab46d63f43

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And that 13b2ea128c included me, 5d446aa1bd who was cc14c284ce soon to b59d581cfb become part 5a6e38bb81 of the 85b0e16414 household. In the end, e84f19f86b Rachel and I cf22041a9a came up with 506fb74e5e a plan to 1ad639d33b ensure that the 9db1dd549c “runaway mistress” would 0ada595374 make a grand d492a183f9 return to the 92af417384 Jabis estate.b79e4fae01db0f49

Honestly, I 68886a8382 was half 1c01205607 unsure about b4daa93c38 the idea, e531f83306 but it e96f69bb41 turned out f818b75d22 to be d9ad16ecbf spot-on. It was clear that ff6ecf91dc Zerakiel’s possessiveness wasn’t just 5051f58de5 his own; he had c5eedf66c5 inherited it from Zakari.2597b17aa9b57f69

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Look at a81f413418 him now, e4cb01cfb8 blinded by 67d65e9446 jealousy, nitpicking 5ef1d5c73d every single 3fecdbc343 flaw in e3d72d5800 Rachel’s potential 8c0446d86b suitors like d15130f1d2 a master f81c4397b3 with a 095ab71e7d scalpel.ae913d9f574c3dc5

“Ugh! These are cf15905138 all so d276f03b30 inadequate,” Rachel 87f0c56347 said, reacting 44000d0428 to Zakari’s 3591bbe86a criticisms by 42956ecad9 tossing portraits 646c83cc8c aside one dbffcfc7de by one. Each time 72103ede0e she did, 187bc9ca03 Zakari’s smirk af2126481b grew more 54fe8ef414 pronounced, making c49b22a207 his intentions 29859586ab obvious.1c6db0690b87c41c

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As more and more 739f5ecfb7 portraits were discarded, only 04ab0dd630 a few remained.b02948fd02959bed

Noticing my subtle 8ae9372c8b cue, Rachel pointed a34c54e2a2 to one of 74a6318c9a the remaining portraits 25074b703d and said, “Hmm, d31436da49 what about this b02d2fedbf leopard? He seems c531ddb3e6 quite handsome, 9ba4e13b83 don’t you 2db68d4ad5 think?”d6468f99536b88c5

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“You shouldn’t associate with 768f525d0c cats.”4a1ad4716ca8fc8a

Excuse me, Father-in-law, 85c4a50552 technically, you’re part 9c0f49a3eb of the cat 79b4011817 family too.ae44adfcf0555796

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I stifled a 4f9c3484c0 laugh. This was 788df70d32 all the 20bd15ff9b confirmation I afaae218c8 needed that d13bba0107 Zakari still ce99a7c61b had feelings 0b9c18b27c for Rachel.5fdf770960070d02

In fact, Rachel and a9ef4801d7 I had timed our 4115f2a2a0 tea break perfectly to b16ea19210 coincide with Zakari’s return, 602d24cc67 all to gauge his acaba4bb82 reaction. If he had simply d2d283a48e walked by without a 0eab9a583e care, we would’ve had 6e1cb1ecb4 to move on to 824d128b33 Plan B.a3dd5b39a8087373

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Luckily, Zakari couldn’t just 8c7982419d pass by. He had settled in 8ea0c5e035 and taken over the e0e27bf1de entire process, trying to 822c1615a5 sabotage Rachel’s choices.665fe905f25fcff5

Rachel, aware of 5bdf025ddf this, couldn’t hide 006ef8ce9d her satisfaction as 1ec8e5aabb she spoke, “Hmm, e96cca42be well, I do 6aacc4d757 have a thing fb9bf99f39 for big cats. After all, I f6978c6e5e married you, didn’t 7d13c78f5f I?”2859b48be052f213

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“Are you seriously comparing c6bce869ce me to a mere a4eacccb87 leopard?”b56e1c629b5bee44

“Why? A leopard, a 21fbe1e257 black lion, what’s 4043bb8e23 the difference?”c651d579ad351907

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“They are completely 2757b6291a different.”d4cd72fab9c48da7

“There’s a 13c38d7b0f saying, ‘If e707af9a1c you can’t 7fd7260f4f have a d4cc6fb6e3 pheasant, take 4ca2c50913 a chicken 3e9721c7e6 instead.’ Why 8f1894d3dc are you ade9c7a343 so sensitive? It’s not like 7b1ee7569e you’re going to 89d206eb9f remarry me.”5c6861a30502654c

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“Are you suggesting 469873e0b4 that you’d use 09a0352fbe a leopard as e88b93d01d my replacement?”7b75b629bed10ac2

“If you’re bd0795ddc3 so upset c4805a07ce about it, 7741e2ff67 why don’t e1e9f16cc4 you go 35a9f33fc5 find yourself 2c4c6a0a05 a nice 1e021bdf06 badger?”7f146a411abd4e55

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Rachel scoffed af28bf42fe as she 96f0902dc6 pushed the da52756ca7 leopard’s portrait 3ec213d3ef to the 219d0d16f1 side, placing e53ce5c5fd it in fe50c035a1 the opposite a22cbf13bb direction of 1bf7e4782b the other c4819597d4 discarded portraits.8168bafd228c5182

Despite Zakari’s 162f44d5f5 attempts to 9c480a0c5b disrupt things 2b63e62e0e with all 0cb27ae3d5 the information 5020ea7e10 he could a8fc5199b2 muster, Rachel d3318cbbee remained resolute, d52d1eae30 setting aside 61e07a2d64 a few 48e19e138d more portraits.7f1f60a3589c28a8

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“Hah! Do whatever 1224d9bde1 you want!” 99db21f485 Zakari finally f51209f848 snapped, pushing 260604513d his chair ff99700020 back and 15457a2760 storming out 4198bf0ed8 of the 49611665ce room. As he disappeared a5d9a08a44 in a puff 277c0a90b5 of frustration, Rachel a64b5da0e0 and I exchanged dd3b016097 glances.bf2d95b6549ad55f

The moment we 1cf2c09bb4 were sure he 4093c1db4c was out of 81e0c6e275 earshot, we both 1cf503c4b3 burst into laughter.4843147cecbedee7

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“Pfft!”95aab405a95217db

“Hahaha!”efc6196e21c879f4

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Rachel pounded the 62eca36bcd table, laughing so a48e373fdc hard she almost 378152ea08 cried. Meanwhile, Kiera, standing nearby, 263dc142c7 maintained her usual stoic 46656eedd8 expression, not even cracking ec1dab7416 a smile. Truly, she was 84454cd2e5 a master of 21a81d3805 the poker face.854c0ea6dc84e6df

After a 691ab682ac few moments, 91b1552cf0 Rachel wiped 0dd265a3fd the tears 7527e7f501 from her bc399c1292 eyes and c4501ba21a said, “I’ve 1ef7acc142 never seen 9a1952be78 Zakari so 9a124b4c75 flustered! It feels like eb240012fc I’ve finally gotten 5ad8aa6a8c rid of a 6d9390a8d3 ten-year-old weight. Haha!”8483728e8b54b8cf

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“Didn’t I acd7992388 tell you f4eec688d0 it would 33d7a45e68 work? I knew c79d7840bc this would d4e949c6ee have an 743776aa62 effect.”1cfdcf4f20b9d0ac

“Oh, you’re 1d97cb4150 such a b4ea4a124f darling.”6fcbfceec6ff8489

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Rachel pinched my cheeks a617130f1f with a beaming smile, af471abe0e looking more pleased with e98ef2da5e having pranked Zakari than 0e4485e17e with confirming his feelings. My cheeks 5adbab5f0f squished like cafc530ddb soft rice 74f1b30f0c cakes, I 29d73d1255 gave an 2a86d6727b awkward smile.f120614bcf5b1cdc

“Hehe.”ec50f18dced694ce

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