I Hate That I Loved You!

29- Her miserable cousin

At La Gustoso:

Zain and Susanna walked out of the restaurant after their sumptuous dinner.

Zain had usual stoic expressions on his face and, Susanna's face was full of disappointment over the holiday trip that Zain had gifted her.

"Thank you for the gift and dinner. I had a great time." Susanna spoke softly out of courtesy.

Zain looked at her and gave her a brief nod.

At the same time, Zain's driver arrived at that pick up point. A black Mercedes-Benz, Maybach Exelero stopped in front of them.

"Shall I drop you at your place?" Zain asked with a usual straight face.

"No. No. I have my car. I will drive back. You should go." Susanna said seriously. Then, she tiptoed and gave a quick peck on Zain's cheek, "Addio! Buona Notte."

Zain nodded "Buona Notte"

Zain got in his car and drove off.

Susanna stood rooted in her place in deep thought and observed the car until it disappeared from her sight.

Her expression darkened.
She walked towards her yellow Lamborghini resolutely.

She picked out her cell phone and dropped another message to her PA.

[On the way.]

She got into her car and drove off.

"I will make you mine. Very soon Mr. Zain Bennetti." She kept telling herself with firm determination.

With fierceness in her eyes, she sped the car along the road.

There was no traffic. She stepped on the accelerator and hit 100. Again, she stepped and hit 120.

She didn't slow down until she saw red traffic lights. She instantly put a brake and the car screeched along the road, jerked, and then stopped.

She took a deep breath and controlled her emotions.

Once the traffic light turned green, she drove towards her Assistant Lily's apartment with a calm expression on her face.

She parked in front of Lily's apartment.

Then, she wore her mask and stepped out of the car. She observed her surroundings and walked towards the elevator.

After entering the elevator, Susanna pressed the desired floor number.

Once the elevator reached the fourth floor, it dinged and stopped.

Susanna walked out of the elevator and turned right towards the corridor.

This building had only two apartments on each floor. Both were bought by Susanna but not under her name.

She had arranged this place for Lily to stay a couple of years back. It is not some posh residential area, but security was good enough.

Susanna halted in front of the big wooden door and press the doorbell.

At the sound of the doorbell, Lily opened the door and greeted her.

"What is the update?" Susanna stepped inside and asked in a cold voice while removing her mask.

"Our agent is at the place right now. He confirmed that everything is normal. No suspicious behavior or movement was observed. She is leaving her life as usual. She is at her workplace right now. Remember, that shabby small cafe!" Lily elaborated.

Since the time Bennetti Group was hacked, Susanna had her doubt on Rizi.
Although she knew her cousin no longer had anything.

No money.

No house.
No support.

She wanted to clarify her suspicions at the early stages.

Susanna knew her friend Jason had helped her coming out of prison three years back. 

But she knew her cousin's righteousness and morality. She will not ask for more help from anyone out of shame and guilt. Moreover the Pereira family is on good terms with the Cruz family.

According to Susanna, her cousin is the dumbest person she had ever seen.
The way Zain played with her for five years and destroyed everything right under her nose.
The way she accepted her sentence out of guilt, Susanna was sure that the girl has no brain.

No girl in a sane mind will get played like that.

After Rizi was released from the prison and migrated to The Springrock city, Susanna observed her movements for the first couple of months.

She did not notice any abnormal behavior. So she asked her agent to lay low and not to keep a constant watch.

She will ask them to do a basic check every six to seven months to know what her beloved cousin is up to.

Once in a while, knowing about her struggling life and miserable condition will give her a deep sense of satisfaction and relaxation.

Moreover, Zain showed no interest in any news related to her after she was sent to prison. Susanna was on cloud nine thinking that she had no place in his heart.

But the way her relationship with Zain was stagnant as the water even after three years, she was worried that somewhere Zain still thinks about her. She cannot let that bitch come near him at any cost. She cannot take any chances so it is better to keep an eye on everything.

After these many years, Susanna has swung her agent into full action from the past couple of weeks.

She had asked him to keep a constant watch on Rizi due to her suspicions. But every time report was the same.

Susanna never communicated with her agent or people working for her directly.

Lily was her middleman.

Lily had been her assistant for the past four years from the time she had joined Cruz Corporation. She is her most trusted ally so far.

She had helped and covered many underhand dealings for Susanna.

Susanna knew her father does not like loopholes, so she ensured to not perform any kind-of direct dealing with anyone.

She always played safe with her every move.

Her every reply, SMS, and call will be vague. Even if someone tapped their line, they will never find anything suspicious.

Normally, for any discussion, she will call Lilly at her place as her villa is the safest place for them to discuss anything.

But today was an exception as Susanna was disappointed and desperate.

Without wasting any time, she drove towards the Lily's apartment to personally check for updates related to Rizi.

Lily passed on her secret tablet phone to Susanna.
Susanna read the report with a mocking expression.

Her cousin was still living a simple life, working as a waitress in a small-town café and living in a simple apartment.

Once or twice every week, she visits a nearby supermarket to buy groceries and household stuff.

She seldom hangs out and had zero social life. Her life has a fixed routine between working at Café and staying inside her apartment.

If she is not at work, then she will stay at her shabby apartment for days.

Susanna smirked.

She turned towards Lily and spoke in a commanding voice.

"Ask him to go inside the cafe and click some pictures. I want re-assurance."

"Also, tell him to be extra careful. No-one should know about this. People there should not have any doubt or suspicion about pictures. Tell him to do a clean job." She added quickly.

Lily nodded in understanding and instantly dropped an email to the agent who was following Rizi.