Shattered Heart's Plea

Chapter 02: Businessmen

Chapter 02: Businessmen

***

Zoe scowled as she lightly pushed Tyler on one shoulder away from her. Her mouth twitched as she looked up at him, trying to find the words to counter his accusatory gaze. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed and turned away from him.

She shifted her feet and moved through the crowd, almost avoiding anyone who wanted to have a word with her or simply greet her with a "Happy birthday, Zoe."

Her eyes roamed the entire backyard of the manor, searching for her siblings. Instead, she found Ashley. Relief washed over her as she held her hand to her sternum. Ashley looked at Zoe with furrowed brows, but Zoe dismissed it with an abrupt shake of her head.

"You talked to Tyler?"

Zoe turned her head sharply to look at Ashley. Her eyes flickered for a moment before she masked her expression. She gave a short nod before continuing to make her way through the crowd.

The impending headache she thought had disappeared abruptly returned. Zoe massaged her temple as Ashley, who was behind her, held onto her shoulder, guiding them through the crowd.

"You alright, Zoe?" Ashley's eyes surveyed her.

"No," Zoe pursed her lips in a flat line. "I—I don't—I'm just exhausted from work."

She stuttered through her words as she pulled Ashley away from the crowd and into the main house of the manor. There weren't many people inside since the party was happening in the pool area. Ashley remained silent, watching Zoe rummage through the pantry shelf.

"Another headache?" Khaelie's voice suddenly broke the silence in the kitchen. "What happened to her?"

Zoe looked back at her sister who was looking at Ashley for an answer. Ashley hesitated for a moment; the corner of her lips twitched as she looked at Zoe as if waiting for a sign before she could speak. Zoe's brows furrowed as she gave a single nod to her friend.

"Blake mentioned she had a nightmare at the office—" Ashley's voice wavered immediately when Zoe looked at her with widened eyes.

"That's not—" Zoe heaved a sharp breath before looking at her sister. "What is Tyler doing here? Did you invite him?"

Khaelie's lip curled into a curious smirk as she looked at her sister. Her eyes squinted and her lips formed a flat line before she could manage to bring herself to speak.

"Dad—" Khaeli started, "—he just sent an invitation."

Zoe laughed in disbelief as she looked at her sister's eyes to see if she was telling the truth.

"You informed him that I rejected his marriage proposal, right?" Zoe asked as she turned away from Khaelie, grabbing a glass of water and medicine for her headache. "You—Khaelie. You did inform him about that, didn't you?"

"Of course," Khaelie said after a moment's silence. "Even if I don't—I suspect he'll still know. It's not like your engagement was so private that no one would know. You were on news headlines for a whole week, or did you forget?"

Zoe was about to chug down another glass of water when Ashley took it away from her hands. If she didn't, it would have been Zoe's third glass of water. She pinned her friend with a sharp glare before looking away from her and her sister.

Zoe looked down at her hand, at her ring finger. A creeping cold suddenly enveloped her. It wasn't dangerous. It wasn't lonely. It was just cold. A cold that felt like something was missing.