Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Should Serenity wake Zachary by calling him? Nana had warned her that Zachary would be furious if anyone interrupted his sleep.

Serenity glanced at the clock, realizing it was well past midnight. Knowing Zachary usually returned home around this time, she decided to take the risk and dial his number. To her surprise, Zachary was wide awake. In fact, he had intentionally locked the door from the inside, though he couldn’t quite articulate why he had done so.

This moment sparked a wave of jealousy in Zachary as he imagined Serenity and Shawn together, looking like the perfect couple. He couldn’t shake the thought that the clever woman was hastily searching for her next sugar daddy, unable to extract much from him. It seemed she had Nana completely deceived.

After all, Nana had only known Serenity for a mere three months. How well could she really understand her? Yet, fueled by her gratitude, Nana trusted Serenity wholeheartedly and kept urging Zachary to marry her. As Zachary’s phone buzzed with Serenity’s call, he chose to ignore it. The ringing ceased momentarily but soon resumed as Serenity called again. After three unsuccessful attempts, he finally answered.

“Are you asleep, Mr. York?” Serenity asked.

“What do you want?” Zachary’s voice was laced with irritation.

“You locked the door. I can’t get in,” she replied.

After a short pause, Zachary’s voice came through, flat yet tinged with sarcasm. “I thought you were going to stay at a hotel tonight.”

His sudden bitterness caught Serenity off guard. Why would she consider staying at a hotel? What had provoked this outburst? Had she inadvertently crossed him in some way? “Can you please open the door, Mr. York?” Serenity decided to rise above his tone.

Zachary remained silent, creating an uncomfortable tension between them. Serenity eventually broke the silence. “Mr. York, if you really want me to stay at a hotel, that’s fine. I can always use the debit card you gave me to pay for a night at Wiltspoon Hotel.”

Zachary was momentarily speechless. “Hang on!” he finally responded, his voice cold.

After hanging up, Zachary stepped outside to open the door. As soon as it swung open, he turned away, striding off without a word. Serenity entered the house and promptly locked the door behind her.

As Zachary headed toward his bedroom, Serenity called out to him, “Wait, Mr. York.” He halted but didn’t turn around. “Mr. York, what’s with the salty and sarcastic tone tonight? Did I upset you somehow? If there’s something bothering you, just tell me directly. Don’t bring your issues to bed and throw that sassy attitude my way. If you’re planning to shut me out every day, I can always move out. After all, this is your house, and you set the rules.” Serenity was feeling quite annoyed herself.

Zachary turned to face her, his dark eyes penetrating like a stormy night, making Serenity feel as though she might freeze under his gaze. “How did you get home tonight?” he asked suddenly.

“What?” Serenity was taken aback by the unexpected question.

“Who gave you a ride home?” Zachary pressed on. Serenity was left speechless. How did he know that Shawn had driven her back after she got off at the community gate? Did he have some sort of telescopic vision? Or maybe he had seen her getting out of Shawn’s car on his way home? Regardless, Serenity hadn’t noticed Zachary at all.