ZARIA

Chapter 3

Kei

Kei sighed as he closed the door of his house behind Ms. Khalil following the end of their meeting. To say that the woman had been elated when she realized that she got the job would be an understatement.

Zaria had contacted him the previous day after seeing the ad in the paper, the only one to do so, and he had been curious to meet the only woman who had applied for the job.

She was young, not even 25, and he had been on the fence about hiring her for that reason. he thought we would have the meeting, and then he would send her on her way, but Ren got in the way.

The moment he entered the living room searching for Ms. Khalil, the sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks. His serious and withdrawn son, who never engaged with anyone he didn't know well, let alone a stranger, was laughing.

Kei stood there, shocked to his core, as he watched them converse as if they had known each other for ages and not what must have been only a few minutes.

He couldn't remember a time when his son had been so relaxed with someone other than him or Betty, but he was sure that it had been before his mother had left.

Kei had already started rethinking his plan of promptly sending Ms. Khalil on her way, as he had originally planned when Ren had run up to him.

"I like her." the boy had whispered before running away as quickly as he had come, leaving him feeling befuddled.

What was it about the young woman that had snatched his son's attention so quickly? That had made him instantly like her when Ren barely liked anyone.

So, he ended up hiring her, despite believing he was making a huge mistake, especially once he saw how inexperienced she was.

When he had asked her about her lack of experience and why she wanted this job, he had expected her to respond with one of those generic answers, the ones that were polite and expected, but he was surprised yet again.

There was nothing generic about her words; every word was honest and genuine, Kei was absolutely sure. And he also knew that the girl didn't expect to get a job. She was expecting a polite rebuff; he could see that in her body language, how she bit her bottom lip, a frown creasing her forehead, and how her eyes watched him in resignation.

There was something about those eyes, Kei thought as he went back to his home office. The woman was 24, yet her eyes spoke of a long, hard life. He had seen that look before in men and women he defended daily in the courtroom. The ones that had been through hell and back, but to see it in someone so young had shaken him.

He didn't know why his son had chosen Zaria Khalil, but something told him his choice would change everything.

•

"Are you sure, Betty?" he asked as he pulled a fresh shirt on, smiling once he saw Betty rolling her eyes at him in the reflection of the mirror in front of him while she watched him.

"Yes. It's hardly the first time I watch the boy, and it's not like he's that much work. He's like a cat, give him something to eat, and he's content to sit in one place for the rest of the day with those damn books of his."

The old housekeeper shook her head, though a small smile gracing her lips told of her love for the boy despite how harsh her words seemed.

"Thank you. And if everything goes well tomorrow when Ms. Khalil arrives, you won't have to watch Ren anymore."

"She seems nice. Kind eyes." Betty said as she moved through the room, picking up Kei's discarded clothes and tidying up.

Kei frowned as he turned back to the mirror, his mind again returning to the young woman.