I looked at him without a word, remembering how Zioh always had this connection to me—a bond I couldn’t explain.Back then, if he was happy, I would automatically feel happy, and vice versa. It was like a natural, repetitive pattern within me that I still couldn’t control.
It seemed Zioh had realized that in the past. Maybe that was why I so rarely saw him in pain, sad, or broken. Very seldom, just a few moments where he fell apart before me.
Even maybe… only that night.
When he finished, he caught me staring at him, and I quickly dropped my gaze. Then his voice sounded again, calm, but cold. “Do you often do that?”
Confused, I looked up at him but stayed silent until he spoke again. “Have private meetings with Aditya? Not with your team?”
I sat there, unmoving. His eyes narrowed at my response to his question. He let out a low growl and clenched his hands until his knuckles turned white. “I saw you earlier. How shocked were you when he announced your position? How tense, under your colleagues’ stares. As if hiding something—”
“Sir.” My sharp interruption silenced him. Enough. I’d rather someone pour acid into my ears than hear those words or that speculation from him again. He went silent, but his eyes stayed hard.
Finally, he looked away, down at the untouched food. Then he rose and looked at his phone for a moment. “Enough for today. You need to get back to the office.” Zioh announced and left without another word. I followed his shadow to the front door and saw Natasha, who had just arrived. She looked quite breathless, staring at Zioh with annoyance. Eventually, they both left and disappeared from my sight.
Letting out a shaky breath, I held my chest, trying to calm something disturbing inside me.
I bit my lips until they hurt, staring at the untouched plates. My stomach growled, and with a weary sigh, I ate.My eyes flicked to his untouched wine and my glass of cranberry juice.
He was still treating me like a child. Blind to the fact that I was a grown woman now, old enough even for alcohol.
My phone rang.Andi.
Huh…
“Bib! How’d it go?!” His voice blared, and I pulled the phone away.
I sighed. “Yeah—”
“Yeah, what!”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Do you want me to answer or not?”
“Fine. I’ll shut my mouth, and I’m all ears.”
I exhaled. “Yeah, I did what you said.”
“And? Where’s Zioh? Don’t tell me he left you?”
“Hm.”
“Fucking asshole. Didn’t even take you back? He took you out, so he should return you, in one damn piece!”
I pushed the phone away and put it on speaker. “Shh! Ndi, stop giving me a headache. I’ll take a taxi—”
But then, we both went silent when there was a voice behind him. Two women were gossiping.
“Did you see how Aditya treated her? He’s been looking at her the whole time. Obvious, isn’t it?” Laughter.
“And weren’t you shocked? She’s the deputy head of the medcom team for the project?! None of us knew! No meeting, no discussion. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Did she flirt with Aditya? Or… Bakti?” I swallowed hard, and my hand around my phone started to shake.
“Not surprised, really. She’s fit. Nice body. Wiggle a bit, and men drop like flies.” Louder laughter.
Andi growled, his breath sharp. “Bib—”
“Don’t,” I whispered. I wanted to hear it… even if it killed me.
“I even heard her mom was a traditional dancer. Gorgeous, apparently. You know what I mean. No wonder she learned from her; the sameslutty—”
