Chapter 31: The CEO and Her Pink Apron

***Trigger warning on the last part***

It had been an hour since she went to bed but Zarah could not sleep. She kept tossing and turning on the bed to find a comfortable position so she could sleep but she failed.

She kept on thinking about what he said but she could not remember any. The conversation they had was bugging her.

This also frustrated her after seeing how sad Xavier's face was when he told her that he had forgotten about her.

Like, who wouldn't?

His reaction made her realize that she had missed something very important and she wondered what it was.

She heard the door to the guest room open and shut. She thought Xavier probably went outside.

Xavier on the other hand had to leave the apartment after he received a call from Rupert.

Their men spotted five people around Zarah's apartment building and they had them in custody.

Xavier wanted to find out what they were up to.

Xavier would make sure that their plan against Zarah would fail.

Since she could not sleep, she got up and looked at the time. It was four in the morning and she was still wide awake.

She decided to grab a shawl and wrapped it around her body before going out to make a cup of hot chocolate.

She hoped that Xavier was still asleep in the guest room or else she didn't know what to say to him should she see him. She heard his return an hour ago and she thought he was resting.

She wondered where he went.

Zarah tiptoed as she didn't want to make any noise.

However, she bumped into the side of the table and it made a sound.

Her eyes looked at the door as she hoped that it didn't wake him up. The soundproofing in the apartment was poor.

Zarah then tilted her head as she realized that she was acting like a guilty person.

Zarah straightened her back and walked normally. If Xavier woke up because of the noise she made, she'd just apologize.

Zarah finally reached the kitchen and she was stunned to see that Xavier was sitting on the table and was having a coffee.

"Can't sleep?" He asked her and she cleared her throat before answering, "No. I just woke up."

He knew that she was lying as he heard every toss and turns she made from Isaiah's room.

However, Xavier decided to not expose her.

"How about you? Can't sleep?"

"I rarely sleep." Xavier suffered from severe insomnia and he could go on for seven days without sleeping.

After his mother died, he got traumatized and could not sleep. He had undergone sleep therapy and had taken a lot of sleeping pills but none of it could cure him.

It got worst when he underwent that deadly training just to make himself stronger.

"Have you gotten a doctor to check it out?"

"I did. I can sleep for two hours maximum and I'll be fine with it."

Zarah thought that they had some similarities and it surprised her.

Zarah went on to grab a cup and turned on the heater before she went to grab the jar of cocoa powder.

"Don't force yourself to remember what I said last night. That was four years ago."

Zarah who was putting a scoop on her cup spilled some powder on the counter.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat as she was speechless at how Xavier was able to know about what she was thinking.

"I just don't want to pressure you with it," he added while looking at her back.

"Okay. Ahm. I heard you leaving and coming back to the apartment earlier. Is everything okay?"

"Oh. I went out to breathe some fresh air," he lied.

He then gulped his coffee and went to the sink to wash it.

"You don't have to report today. You can stay with him if you want. I'll attend a meeting and then would follow you both."

"Thank you," Zarah said as she was already thinking of filing for a leave. Her priority should be Isaiah. She didn't want to miss the remaining time he had.

"I'll ask Chris to drive you to the hospital later," Xavier said while wiping his wet hands with the clean towel.

"Are you leaving now?" She asked him.

"No. I'll cook breakfast first before I go," he said.

Zarah wanted to tell him that he didn't have to. She's the host while he was the visitor. She should be doing all the chores instead of him. She didn't realize that he loved doing the little things for her.

"It's fine. Don't forget to change the dressing on your hand." He said before completely leaving the kitchen.

"Okay. I will."

Zarah grabbed the hot cup back to her room and decided to drink it on her balcony.

She stayed there until the sky turned bright. She didn't realize that her hot chocolate had already turned cold.

As she returned to her room, and this time she checked on her phone. She just realized that it was out of battery.

She plugged it in and waited a minute before she tried to turn it on.

As her phone screen lit up, she saw a lot of missed calls on her call register. They were from Olivia and Trixie.

They've probably heard about their break-up from Josh.

It was still so early to call and so she decided that she would call them back later in the morning.

Zarah decided to get ready for the day.

Freshly bathed, she went out of her room and was greeted by the fresh smell of waffles and pancakes.

What caught Zarah was not the pancakes and waffles being served on the table but the man making them.

He was freshly bathed and was in his CEO persona.

He was wearing his buttoned-down long-sleeved black shirt and black trousers paired with home sleepers and her pink apron.

There's something about Xavier and her pink apron. The pink apron didn't make him less masculine. It enhanced his aesthetic even more.

But, there was more to it that she could not pinpoint for now.

Xavier realized that Zarah was frozen on the spot and so he decided to tease her.

"Which do you prefer? My waffles and pancakes? Or me?"

"You." She said in a daze and as soon as she realized, her eyes widened in shock and she hurriedly explained, "Wait, no! I mean both. I mean--"

Xavier chuckled and Zarah looked down in embarrassment.

"Come and join me. I hope they're still your favorites."

Yes, she liked having them for breakfast.

Since Zarah already knew that they've known each other in the past, it would not be hard for Xavier to explain things like how he knew her favorites like the one she liked to eat during breakfast.

After breakfast, Xavier bid goodbye, and Zarah was left to clean the dishes.

After she was done, Zarah heard her phone ringing. When she picked up, it was Olivia on the other line.

"Zaza, I heard from Trixie that you've finally ended things with my brother. How are you?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Liv. Aren't you mad at me for hurting Josh?" Zarah felt bad as she knew she hurt Josh last night.

"No. I'm not mad. Just remember that no one's going to blame you for this. It's his fault. Anyways. Trixie and I are in Maple District now. Do you want us to come over?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Trixie and Olivia arrived thirty minutes after she called and they kept on comforting her.

It's now time for Zarah to visit the hospital. She went to see Dr. Miller and Dr. Smith first to inform them about their decision.

The two doctors had no other choice but to support their wishes. They had predicted that given his age and condition, Isaiah might only be able to hold on for a few days to a week and this saddened Zarah.

Since Zarah was his surrogate (the person on his healthcare proxy), she arranged for him to have a home hospice program.

"Mr. Lockhart had already foreseen that you'd tell us that and so we've got everything ready. We will personally watch over Chairman Stevens until the very end."

"Thank you, doc. So, can he be released now?" She asked.

"Yes. You just have to settle his bills while we prepare his release papers."

"Thanks, Dr. Smith, Dr. Miller."

"You're welcome, Miss Jansen."

After settling everything, Zarah went to Isaiah's room to deliver the news that he wanted to hear.

"Guess what, Old Man?"

"What?"

"You'll be leaving this hospital today."

"Finally! I thought I would be stuck here forever." Isaiah tried to crack a joke but it only made Zarah sad.

"Young lady. Don't be sad. Death doesn't mean the end of things. It's only the begging of another journey." He tried to comfort her but he failed.

"Yeah. You're going on a trip alone. They said death is peaceful yet cold and lonely. Don't you feel lonely? I can come with you to accompany you." Zarah said seriously.

What she said alarmed Isaiah.

"Nice try, young lady. It's not your time yet! And if you ever try to end your life because of me, I'll never welcome you in the afterlife if it's real!" Isaiah scolded her.

"I know," Zarah said with a sigh.

"Can we not talk about death? It'll make me depressed," Isaiah said and she agreed.

Zarah and the male nurse Xavier hired, helped him in transferring to his wheelchair.

Dr. Smith and Dr. Miller reminded Zarah that after he stopped dialysis, he would swell as the toxins would build up in his body.

His heart was now weaker, too.

As she pushed the wheelchair into the hallway, she saw Trixie and Olivia coming out from one of the VIP rooms.

"Hello, Chairman Stevens." The twins greeted him awkwardly.

"Hello, ladies." Isaiah greeted them back.

"Liv? Trix? What's going on?" She asked with a frown as she felt suspicious.

"Please bring Old Man to the car first. I'll follow shortly, okay?" She told the nurse.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Zarah. Just call me Zarah."

"Okay, Miss Zarah. Let's go, Chairman Stevens."

Now that Isaiah was out, the two became anxious.

"Well, Uhm..." Trixie was trying to say something but Olivia was stopping her which increased her suspicion to the highest level.

"What are you doing?" Liv whispered to her twin sister.

"Zarah has to know," Trixie whispered back.

"Guys, you know that I can hear you loud and clear, right?" Zarah told them and the two felt guilty.

"Zaza, we've just known this morning."

"Known about what?"

"Josh left the house after he returned from seeing you. He was out the whole night and we thought he stayed at a hotel after getting drunk. We didn't expect..." Olivia trailed the last part.

"Didn't expect what?"

"That he drug overdosed." Trixie confessed and Olivia supported, "That's right."

"Oh my gosh, how is he?" Zarah became genuinely worried about Josh. Zarah had no idea that he used that substance.

"He's still unconscious inside. Good thing the doctors were able to save him." Trixie said.

"Oh my."

"Remember what I told you this morning, Zaza. No one's going to blame you for this."

Zarah was torn between wanting to see him and just walking away and ignoring the news.

However, she was not the kind of person who would laugh at someone at their lowest.

She did feel guilty as she thought she pushed him to do it.

"Can I see him?" She asked.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Trixie shook her head.

"Why?"

"Natalie would be coming ang minute from now. You might not want to see her, Arah."

"Oh!" They were right. She didn't want to see Natalie, yet.

"Okay. I'm sorry that this happened, Liv and Trix."

***