What will Elisa think when she discovers that Serenity’s husband is the man she once loved and could not have? How will Serenity react? How will the cousins interact after this revelation?
“Clive,” Alice called out.
As her husband shouted at Zachary on the phone, Alice approached him and reminded him, “Please keep it down. Your mom and Elisa might hear you.”
After taking a few deep breaths, Clive replied, “Pour me a glass of water, Alice. I got thirsty after running my mouth.”
“Sure,” she said.
Alice turned on her heel and walked away to pour a glass of water for her husband, urging him to calm down and control his emotions.
On the other end of the line, Zachary waited for Clive to vent before coldly responding, “That’s between me and Serenity. I don’t owe you an explanation.”
“Zachary!” Clive growled, his anger palpable. “What’s with the cocky attitude? Don’t make me expose your true self to Serenity.”
“Clive, this is about me and Serenity. I have my reasons for keeping my identity hidden from her. I’ll decide when to come clean, but I’m not obligated to tell you anything.”
“I never had feelings for your sister. I hadn’t even spoken to her before her confession. If she has feelings for me, that’s her issue, not mine. I can’t control her feelings nor can I stop her.”
Zachary’s voice was low and steady. “Even if Serenity discovers who I am, my nana was the one who brought us together. She was single, and I was a bachelor. We haven’t done anything morally or legally wrong by being together.”
“She didn’t betray Elisa!”
Clive’s accusations echoed Zachary’s previous concerns. He worried that Elisa might take action against Serenity.
“You…” Clive said.
Clive wanted to express his feelings more strongly to Zachary but struggled to find the right words. “Mr. Stone, this isn’t a good time for me to continue this conversation. I’ll take you out to dinner after New Year’s, and we can discuss it then.”
“After New Year’s? Oh, right. You can’t show your face now. Are you feeling guilty? I bet you didn’t expect Serenity to become my cousin.”
Changing the subject, Clive added, “You can call me your cousin, Zachary.”