56 Chapter 55: Dylan's Loyalty

Meanwhile, back in Sterlington City, Dylan who had just gotten off his exhausting flight entered the black car with a special license plate that was waiting for him there.

He was driven to his destination by the chauffeur. The car finally pulled over in front of a luxurious modern mansion.

He came out of the car and entered the mansion. A lot of servants bowed down to him as he passed by.

"Good morning Young Master Dylan!"

A middle-aged man greeted him in the hallway and said, "Good morning Young Master Dylan."

"Good Morning, Mr. Cho."

"Chairman Timothy and Master Joseph are waiting for you in the blue drawing room."

"Okay. Thank you, Mr. Cho," Dylan said in response.

"You're welcome, Young Master Dylan."

Dylan continued walking until he reached in front of a ten-foot-tall door.

Dylan heaved a sigh before he knocked.

*Knock! Knock!*

"Come in!"

That's when he pushed the door open.

The two men who were sitting on the couch and were waiting in the room looked at him when he entered.

One had full grey hair and the other one already had patches of grey hair.

"Good morning, Grandfather! Good morning Dad!"

His grandfather was the current head of the Lockhart family. If compared to the royal family, he was a regent. He was also the chairman of the Lockhart Group.

At the age of eighty-three, he was full of vigor and could walk alone without his cane.

He still had a nearly perfect vision which everyone in his age envied.

Dylan had no idea why he was asked to rush back to Sterlington City at the last minute.

Both men hummed and asked him to sit down on the vacant seat opposite them.

Dylan thought that he was about to undergo an interrogation process.

He walked to the seat and sat on it.

"What's going on?"

Like on cue, Mr. Cho walked into the room bringing a small size envelope, and handed it to Chairman Lockhart.

Chairman Lockhart opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. They were pictures of a woman.

The woman was none other than Zarah.

"I don't think I have to ask you about these." Chairman Timothy said and Dylan hummed in response.

"Have you met this woman, son?" His father Joseph Lockhart asked him.

"I have already met him, Dad. Grandpa," Dylan admitted and he could see the shift in their facial expressions.

"Really?"

"Yes. The thing is Xavier has been infatuated with her all these years. He thought he loved her and so he was pursuing her."

Chairman Timothy straightforwardly said, "I don't like her."

"What?" Dylan was not surprised to hear this from his grandfather. However, he had to honor the bet between Xavier and him, right?

As expected, his grandfather had a few schemes up his sleeve. Should he warn Xavier about this then?

"May I know why Grandfather?"

"The answer is simple, she's ordinary. She doesn't even have a family to support her," his grandfather answered harshly.

The Lockharts were not an ordinary family. More importantly, Xavier's position in the family was very important.

The next generation who would lead the Lockhart family in the future comes from Xavier's future family.

That's why it had become Chairman Timothy's mission to make sure that Xavier's soon-to-be wife would also fit the role and could stand beside him to lead the clan.

"Do something to make sure that they will not end up together."

"Wait, what?! Grandpa, how about the bet?"

"The bet doesn't matter. I will win this bet for sure. To achieve that, you have to help me."

"What?! I'm sorry to tell you this Grandpa but aren't you afraid that Xavier would hate this family if you'd do that? From what I've observed, Zarah is now his bottom line. Should we do something to her, all hell would succumb to us!"

"This is for the sake of the clan, Dylan." Joseph Lockhart interrupted his son.

"For the sake of the clan? Or for the sake of the broken promise between our family and the Fishers. Dad, can you even hear yourself? Xavier... had gone through so much pain and suffering ever since he was born into this world. Must you add to it and betray him, too?" Dylan had enough of this conversation.

"If you won't help us, then, you'd lose everything that you have now." Chairman Timothy threatened his grandson.

Would Dylan do it now that his inheritance was at stake?

He got up and bowed his head before he said, "I'm sorry Grandfather. I'm sorry Dad but I will never help you. I won't betray my cousin."

Yes, he still had reservations when it came to Zarah but she could make Xavier happy. And all he cared about was his cousin's happiness.

Moreover, Zarah's not bad. She could handle herself well and knew how to cherish friendships and return the kindness that other people had given her.

She was more genuine and sincere than Felicity. Therefore, he chose to side with Zarah and not the two people he looked up to.

Dylan was not aware that the weekend he spent with Zarah was enough for him to observe her. And yes, she's a beauty. It was safe to say that he was charmed by her. Especially by her smile.

Moreover, his loyalty was very important to Xavier. So what if he would lose everything? Siding with Xavier was not a bad thing either. He knew that his cousin would not turn his back away from him.

They made a pact many years ago to stick together. They were not only cousins but brothers, too.

He looked at them in disappointment. He thought he no longer recognized them. They changed so suddenly. Or have they always been like this?

Dylan stormed out of the room leaving the two men to themselves.

"I told you that this was not a good idea, Dad. Dylan is loyal to his cousin. He won't agree to it." Joseph Lockhart said.

"It's fine. I still have ways to make Xavier lose the bet. How about I visit them."

"Are you sure about this? What about I check the situation first and try to negotiate with that woman? She's just an orphan. We can pay her with money."

"That's a good idea. However, be careful. We cannot afford to lose him. In the meantime, call Jacob. We should start planning the wedding between Xavier and his daughter."

"Okay, Dad."

They believed that what Xavier was having now was like the other flings he had in the past.

Back in the park, Zarah and Xavier looked into each other's eyes. They were anticipating what would happen next.

However, the mood was cut off when they heard Xavier's phone vibrating in his pocket.

"I think you should answer that first," Zarah told Xavier and he groaned in frustration.

"I want to kiss you," he said and Zarah smiled knowingly, "I know. However, I think you should answer it first. It might be important."

The phone kept vibrating since earlier which meant that it was very important.

He grabbed his phone from his trouser pocket and checked the name of the caller.

"It was Dylan."

"Answer it," she said and he did.

"Give me enough reason to not punish you for calling me at the wrong time," Xavier said almost with a groan.

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked Xavier and the latter wanted to end the call immediately.

'Isn't it obvious?' He thought.

"Wait! Before you end the call, I just want you to know that grandpa and dad knew about you and Zarah."

"Oh." Xavier was not surprised about this. His family was capable of monitoring him unless he didn't allow to.

"And?"

"Grandfather wanted you to stop pursuing her. To put it flatly, he doesn't like her for you."

"As if I would do that," Xavier refuted with a dry chuckle.

"Yeah. I know. However, I'm afraid that they might do something about it. And the bet is useless. My theory is that grandpa wanted you to think that you have it your way when in the background, he's trying to sabotage your choice. At the end of the day, he'll still win."

Dylan groaned in frustration and then continued, "They wanted me to help them stop you, and should I not cooperate, I'll lose everything. Like that's b*llsh*t!"

Zarah frowned as she could hear their conversation well. She didn't want her to be the reason that Xavier would have a beef against his family.

Therefore, she squeezed his hand and he looked at her.

"I know that this might happen. Don't worry, I got it covered."

He was about to put down the phone but decided to add, "Thank you for choosing me, Dylan. It means a lot to me."

"Of course! We are cousins! And they're getting irrational with their decision." Dylan ranted on the other line.

Dylan might be a playboy but he knew the difference between right and wrong.

Xavier knew that this might happen and so he made sure that he would meet Zarah first and get to know her better before Timothy Lockhart would find out about Zarah and him.

He planned it all. And so it seemed like he made the right decision.

"Will you be coming back?" Xavier asked him.

"Nah. My vacation time is over. It is such a shame that I was not able to make the most out of it. And besides, I missed the party. I should have seen her face when the police dragged her out."

"Cole or Rupert could fill you in on the details. Anyways. Be careful and call me if something happens."

"Of course, I will." Dylan then thought that he must be with Zarah which was why the man was in a hurry to end the call.

"Is she my sister-in-law now?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" He said and gave Zarah the phone, "Dylan wanted to talk to you."

"Eh? Oh! Okay." Zarah put the phone on her ears and greeted, "Hello?"

"Did you already say YES, Zarah?"

"Yeah! I just did." Zarah admitted shyly.

"Good. Please take care of my cousin from now on. The time we've spent together might be short but I know that only you can make you happy," Dylan seriously told her.

"You don't have to remind me. I'll take care of his heart the same as he takes care of mine."

"That's good. I'll treat you as my sister-in-law from now on."

"Isn't it too early? We're still dating."

"Nah, believe me, Zarah. That man standing beside you is only following your pace. You might be his girlfriend now but you'll be surprised that tomorrow, a diamond ring will be placed on your ring finger. And perhaps next week, you both will be exchanging vows."

Zarah gasped and subconsciously looked at Xavier.

Xavier immediately grabbed the phone away from Zarah. "Stop scaring her!"

Dylan laughed on the other line.

"I'm just doing her favors, you know. She should be prepared for your shameless tendencies."

"Enough! It's getting late."

"I know. Again. Congrats cousin. And oh! Tell her that I'll only recognize her as my sister-in-law and nobody else."

"As if I'm going to marry another woman. I'll marry only her and she'll be the only mother of my children." Xavier emphasized.

Zarah was stunned to hear this from him.

Oh my goodness! They were still dating yet he was already talking about marriage and having children.

Should she be scared and run away from him?

Xavier ended the call and looked at Zarah who was still surprised.

Xavier kept the phone in his pocket and pulled her closer.

Zarah then felt his warm and soft lips on her forehead.

"Let's head home first. It's almost midnight," he said softly.

Zarah nodded in agreement as it was a good idea.

Zarah and Xavier didn't drop by the hotel and went straight to the mansion.

The others didn't wait for them and headed back to the hotel without them.

He messaged Rupert to gather his and Zarah's things and sent them to the mansion.

Soon after, their car pulled over on the driveway and Brian opened the car door for Xavier.

Zarah was about to open her side but he stopped her.

"Wait for me and let me do it for you."

"Why?" She was used to opening her side in the past.

"You're my girlfriend now and so let me treat you well." There was nothing extraordinary about the words he said but the way he delivered them melted Zarah's heart.

"Please remind me again that this isn't a dream."

Xavier leaned forward and licked the tip of her tongue and Zarah was caught off guard.

However, instead of pushing him, she grabbed his arm and squeezed it.

Her reaction was enough to send Xavier's body on fire. However, he stopped himself and retracted after he accomplished his mission.

He gulped hard after seeing Zarah's flustered face and her shiny red ears.

"Stop looking at me like that, I might lose my self-control and devour you here," Xavier warned her.

Zarah looked away and she nodded weakly.

Xavier and Zarah went to their respective rooms to rest.

However, none of them could sleep that night. Their minds were occupied with each other.

The next thing she knew, Zarah heard a gentle knock on the door and she went to open it.

Zarah looked at Xavier who was blocking her doorway.

She gulped down the lump in her throat and the next second, Xavier lifted her and she subconsciously wrapped her legs around his waist.

He leaned forward and huskily whispered into her ear.

"Can I kiss you?"

Zarah gulped hard as she suddenly felt thirsty. She parted her lips and subconsciously licked the inside of her lower lips and that was the cue that he was waiting for.

Xavier touched her lips with his.

He waited for Zarah to push him. However, to his surprise, she didn't.

She wrapped her arms around his nape and responded to his kiss.

She kissed him back!

***