Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

The aim was to catch Gary off guard.

He accepted the house, not because he wanted to forgive him, but because he wanted to compel him to come out and have a face-to-face talk. He wanted to tell him expressly how he hated him to his face.

"Moore, what are you thinking? The dinner is ready." A broad smile was on Jean's face as she put the two hot plates down on the dinner table.

"Okay. Coming." Moore nodded. As he walked into the dining room, his nose was hit by appetizing aromas. He widened his eyes in amazement and said, "Jean, your food looks delicious. It smells lovely too. I can't wait to taste it."

She grinned at the flattery and after a moment's pause, said, "I didn't know how you like your steak, so I made it medium rare. If you think it is overcooked, I can make you a new one..."

Jean twiddled her thumbs as she looked at him expectantly to dig his fork in.

"It is perfect. I really like it this way." Moore exclaimed as he shoved a mouthful down his throat.

It seemed that the savoury dishes had whetted his appetite. "It is so tasty. Jean, you are awesome!"

Jean lowered her eyes feeling shy as Moore heaped compliments on her. "It is nothing. It is just that I have loved steak ever since I was a kid and couldn't have it frequently. So to satisfy my craving, I learnt to make it and treat myself at home. Obviously, over time, my skills in the kitchen have improved and now I better understand the nuances of taste. By the way, I have been noticing that there are way too many happy surprises in this house."

Moore of course knew what Jean hinted at as she said 'happy surprises'. Quiet for some time, Moore was occupied in eating the steak. After a while, he said, "He is a detail-oriented person."

"It looks like you know him very well, Moore." Jean unthinkingly said as she cut into her steak.

"Know him well? Not really!" Moore was expressionless but in a flash, he looked animated and said, "Let's eat! Cold food won't taste as good."

Apparently, Moore didn't like to say much on this topic. Immediately, Jean nodded and they both focussed on their own plates.

***

After Zed got out of office and entered the car, his eyes kept on turning to his cell phone a number of times. At last, he dialed Jean's number, but after a short while, he heard the machine voice saying, "The subscriber you dialed is not available. Please try again later..." Anxiety gripped his heart as Zed hadn't heard back from Jean for a while now. He felt completely powerless in this equation as he didn't see a solution to the sitaution he was in.

He persisted and dialed her numebr again and again, but there was no answer even once.

Zed started thinking about Jean's departure and recalled albeit belatedly that she had left without taking anything with her.

Zed instructed his chauffer to drive him home at once. A grave expression formed on his face as he decided to finally dial Toby's number.

After two rings, Toby's respectful voice came through the line. "Mr. Zed..."

"Have you found Jean?" Zed asked with deep concern.

"Yes. Right now I am in the residence estate where Mrs. Jean is staying." Pat came Toby's reply.

"What residence estate? What is its name?" Zed asked in a hurry.

"Harkin Garden." Toby gave a direct answer.

"Why is she there?" Zed was puzzled.

"Mrs. Jean went to see Moore and then followed Moore to this place. It looks like the estate belongs to Moore," explained Toby.

There was still puzzlement in Zed's mind. 'Didn't Moore just come to H City? How come he has a house here?"

Then putting two and two together, Zed's confusion cleared up. 'He is the son of Gary. It is not a big deal if he wants to have a house in H City.

Well, if this has been the case, does it mean that Moore has forgiven Gary?'

Zed cast these thoughts aside as a bigger worry began to seize him.

A distraught but determined Jean had left him in haste without anything on her. In such circumstances, the first person she turned to in her distress was Moore.

Obviously then there was a lot more to their relationship than what meets the eye. Zed cursed himself. He had been too careless to miss seeing the truth. On the contrary, he had been na?ve in trusting Moore this much. Bitter at the turn of things were taking, Zed's expression turned ugly. "Toby, keep a close eye on Moore for me."

"Sure, Mr. Zed." said Toby, showing respect.

"Keep me posted on any new information." Zed's expression couldn't be worse. "If there is any intimacy between them, you have to report to me immediately, without missing any details."

Toby wet his lip as he felt he was up against a hard task. He understood Zed's worry, and felt sorry for him too.

This was not done. Jean had just come back for a few days and Toby had been thinking of taking a couple of days off. Jean's departure was so sudden the next time that Toby was totally caught off-guard.

Toby believed the relationship between Jean and Moore was innocent since he had been tracking and observing them for a good amount of time.

However, he couldn't guarantee that this would continue if things remained as they were right now.

He was hoping for Jean to return soon, so that he wouldn't have to worry so much.

"Toby..."

Hearing Toby's radio silence, Zed panicked. "Is there anything you haven't told me?"

Toby was brought back from his thoughts on hearing Zed panic and hurriedly replied, "No, Mr. Zed. I was somewhere else just now."

"What?!" Zed's furious voice came through the other end of the line.

Toby shuddered in his heart and reported hastily,"Mr. Zed, I just saw Mrs. Jean and Moore come out. Mrs. Jean saw Moore off by a cab. Now Mrs. Jean is walking back."

Zed's look relaxed hearing that Moore had left and Jean was now alone in Harkin Garden. "Okay, keep tracking her. Call me if anything happens."

"Sure." This time Toby dare not slacken even for a second and replied readily.

After he hung up, Toby was overwhelmed by the conversation he had just had. Catching his breath for a minute, he looked in the direction of the estate. That very minute, he felt the air turn solid around him. Sensing another peson, he turned gingerly. He froze when he saw who was in front of him. As Toby opened his mouth, only a word came out,"Mrs. Jean..."

With her back to the street light and her face in darkness, he couldn't make out her expressions. However, her eyes blazed with anger as she glared at Toby. She said mockingly, "This is the first time I caught you. What on earth is your job? To track me wherever I go?" "Mrs. Jean, I am sorry." Toby said promptly, "It has been due to my negligence that you have been disturbed. Please forgive me. Mr. Zed instructed me to follow you, just for the sake of your safety."

"For my sake? Does it ever occur to him that having been followed by a person 24 hours a day, leaves me with no privacy at all? You go back and tell him. I don't need him to watch out for me. And stop treating me like a prisoner who is constantly monitored at all times." Jean snapped on hearing Toby's weak apology.

"Please don't get angry, Mrs. Jean." Seeing Jean get mad, Toby was startled and said,"Mr. Zed is really concerned about your safety. Please don't misunderstand him."

"You look really loyal to him." Jean jeered as she observed Toby. "Zed paid you good money for following me, didn't he? Is that why you take his side with no reserve?" "I will never work for money for Mr. Zed." Toby replied without a second pause.