"I'm fine. It doesn't really hurt anymore. See? I'm a strong man." Zayn showed his children his triceps, assuring them it wasn't a big deal.
"Hooray! Daddy has recovered!" Venus started jumping for joy.
"Soon, I'll pick you up from your piano class again." Shortly after the man promised his daughter, he turned around and held Josh in his arms. "Josh, we can go for a soccer session too."
"Randy, if there's anything you need, you can always let me know—"
"All right, that's it! Why don't all of you show your cousins the way around the mansion since they're here for the first time?" Carla interrupted their conversation because she was afraid he might hurt himself if he continued squatting.
"Sure, Mommy!"
Josh and Venus went to their cousins and brought them around the courtyard.
Randy remained standing as he had something to tell his father. After much consideration, he changed his mind and thought of keeping his concerns to himself. "Daddy, I'll go ahead and join them as well."
Zayn spanked his son playfully and urged, "Run along now."
Randy ran away with a smile, but he was heartbroken deep down. He knew their father hadn't recovered. Otherwise, their mother would not bring up something else to divert their attention.
"Why did you chase them away?" Zayn staggered as he felt lightheaded when he tried bringing himself up after squatting for a little more than a few minutes.
Thankfully, Carla was there to stop him from falling. In order to stop the man from overthinking things, she remarked in a sarcastic manner, "See? I'm sure it's one of the aftereffects of your injuries."
Despite saying so, the couple was fully aware that it was not the aftereffects of his injuries. However, they seemed to have a consensus to not address the elephant in the room.
He leaned over and whispered intimately, "Can you stop nagging me over something trivial? I have recovered. If you don't believe it, try me—"
"Benard and Freda are here!" Carla rushed in the direction of the duo when he wasn't even done with his suggestive speech.
Zayn was slightly irritated since he was very close to persuading her to spend a night with him. Nonetheless, he was glad Carla had a great time with her friends from Northridge.
It was finally time for the commencement of the banquet since everything was ready after a few hours of preparation.
Zayn asked the members of the household, including the maids and the bodyguards, to join them for the first time in forever, expressing his gratitude towards their hard work over the years.
The man was never a friendly figure throughout the past twenty-eight years.
The ones who were unaware of the things going on were touched and thought they were finally acknowledged. Meanwhile, the ones who were aware of his actual condition were upset.
They knew he wished to return the favor of those around him since he might not make it through another fortnight.
It seemed to be another banquet for a joyous occasion, but that was not the case—it might be the last supper for Zayn.
With that being said, there were only a few aware of Zayn's actual condition. He thought of keeping it confidential to stop troubling others.
It was the same for Carla—she had to force a smile and join the rest in spite of the concerns she had in her mind.
Similarly, Benard and Zayn's most-trusted aides pretended as if they weren't aware of the truth and joined the rest to have some fun.
"Thanks, Mr. Giblo!"
Surprised by the speech that came out of nowhere, most of them brought themselves up from their seats to express their gratitude.
"Just take a seat and enjoy yourself for the night!" Zayn beckoned the rest to remain seated since it was merely a gathering amongst close acquaintances.
"Hooray, it's finally time for dinner!" The little girls officiated the banquet with their cheers.
The rest started savoring the dishes along with the commencement of the symphony.
Carla served Zayn a serving of steak and asked, "I made this. Give it a try."
Surprised by her announcement, he asked, "Are you serious? Since when have you learned to prepare steak?"
He took a bite and remarked, "Mmm! It tastes not bad at all!"
Chuckling, Carla said, "I'm glad it turns out fine because this is the only successful one amongst the several pieces I have prepared."
Prev
Share
