Chapter 206
Barbara proceeded to talk a lot to him.
Leaning on the chair, Mason listened to his grandmother quietly as a lump began to form in his throat. After a brief pause, he responded softly, “I’ll do that!”
Hanging up the phone, he raised his head and looked at Zoe’s
apartment.
Evening rolled on and the apartment was lit by a small lamp with an orange glow.
All of a sudden, he wondered what she was doing in there. Was she cleaning up the place and making snacks, like she normally did?
It was nothing more than a mundane sight, but it was a sight he might not be able to see with his own eyes again.
It was raining when Mason drove back to the manor. Layla came over with an umbrella and opened the car door for him.
He asked without thinking, “Where’s Zoe?”
Layla was stunned for a little before responding softly, “Ms. Zoe had moved out! Did it slip your mind, Mr. Mason?”
He was rooted to the spot at her response. The rain continued to pour and masked some of his expressions. He remained quiet for a long time before saying, “Got it” and taking the umbrella from her.
He skipped dinner and climbed straight to the third floor. Zoe’s violin was left in the room she always practiced in. It looked lonely without its mistress. The painting he gave her, ‘Crabapple in the Rain,’ was left
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without its admirer as well.
The rain kept pouring outside.
Disheartened by the sight, he walked over and ran his fingers across the things she used in the past. Then, he started to reminisce about their history.
Not long ago, he said to her, “You’re hot me, Zoe. How would you
know what matters to me most?”
Perhaps she didn’t care anyway!
She was determined to leave him, so she wouldn’t care if he genuinely wanted to make her stay.
She had loved him for a long time and he was beginning to have feelings for her now. However, all she wanted now was for him to get
out of her life!
She wanted him to get out of her heart. He didn’t have a place in her
world!
She said the way their marriage worked wasn’t what she wanted in her life. So, she was going to love another man eventually!
Under the crystal chandelier, he closed his eyes and wore a blank expression. There was a glint in his eyes that was hard to see.
These aren’t tears, he thought. Why would he cry? How was that possible? He’d never shed a tear for Zoe’s sake.
Layla knocked on the door and said hastily, “Ms. Ava’s here to give you a document, Mr. Mason! Do you want to see her?”
Mason said after a brief pause, “Let her in!”
About two minutes later, Ava waltzed in with a document and saw how lonely he was in the room. He just stared at a painting absentmindedly. She recognized it. It was the work of Zoe’s late
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mother, ‘Crabapple in the Rain.”
Was he regretting his actions now?
Putting down the document, she spoke softly, “This is a complete report of this year’s dividend and this is Ms. Zoe’s dividend statement. She’s going to get three hundred million dollars. Are you going to give this to her? Or, should I make a trip to her place, Mr.
Mason?”
He took the dividend statement and read it for a long time before saying, “I’ll give it to her.”
She was completely aware that he was in a foul mood, but the people over at the company were pushing hard. So, she had no choice but to tell him about it.
“You can’t afford to keep postponing the meeting for the big project, Mr. Mason! The shareholders are talking amongst themselves and the other major companies are eyeing it as well. If they beat us to the punch, all the work you had put in for the past two years would’ve been for nothing.”
Turning around and looking out the window, he realized the rain was getting heavier.
After a long time, he said softly, “We’ll have the meeting in two days.”
The heavy rain muffled his voice. She could barely hear him, so she wasn’t sure if he was sobbing as he spoke…
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