Chapter 145 - The Proposal

It was around 8 am in morning.

The weather seemed much blissful with birds chirping outside in a mellow rhythm. The sky was almost clear with a few small soft cottony white clouds flocking on the horizon. Mild sun rays were blessing the entire neighborhood while beautiful flowers bloomed along. 

But...the broken heart of Zeus was dark and despaired with unbearable grief shattering him from inside. His happiness had abandoned him. The realization was harsh and so painful that he couldn't even cry out aloud and swallowed his tears silently.

Dressed up in his formal office attire, he walked down the stairs at a slow pace holding an ice-cold expression on his face. Taking a deep huff of breath, he was about to head straight outside towards his car but soon, bold footsteps approached him from behind.

"Zeus?"

His motion halted with the sonorous call behind him who was no one other than his father, Antonio. Abruptly he turned back and saw both Antonio and Aelia were standing next to each other, gawking at him intensely.

"Yes?"

"How's your arm right now? It was quite injured deep." He retaliated directing a stern gaze towards him.

"Where are you heading this early morning getting all groomed up, son? You should sleep properly in your room!" Aelia walked a step forward, sounding concerned for him.

A cold sad smirk escaped his lips as he lowered his gaze down from both of them. "This wound is nothing compared to the stirring pain in my heart which is killing me from inside." He wondered.

"Zeus, we would like to have a few words with you. Join us in the breakfast." Antonio's voice reverberated like an echo as he mumbled it standing amidst the giant hallway. Soon hearing his words, a few maids and butlers abruptly served the freshly prepared meals courteously on the table for them.

"I don't have an appetite, dad. I will join you some other day--"

"Zeus I didn't ask for your opinion. I have commanded you to do so." Interrupting him in a loud grumbling pitch, he stared intensely at him holding a strict posture.

Momentarily he stared back at his father with a displeased look all over his face and took a deep sigh out. As soon as he concluded his command, he walked gallantly towards the table followed by Aelia who seemed a bit perplexed too. Without objecting to him any further, Zeus quietly headed towards the table and grabbed the seat next opposite to his father.

"It's been so long since our family had breakfast like this...all together." Grabbing the for, Antonio whispered it first.

Zeus sat still for a moment and chose to reciprocate him in a gentle voice. "Dad, our family isn't complete without Czar. If we are having a meal together, you must ask him too--"

"Stop it, Zeus!" Sounding very enraged, Aelia grumbled at him interrupting his sentence viciously. She was scowling her face just by hearing his name and directed her stern glare towards him, "don't ruin the atmosphere by mentioning that brat here! He never belonged to our family! He was always an outsider, Zeus!"

"Mom, no matter how hard you try to prove your point, but Czar will be always my brother. He will be forever part of our family and that's the ultimate truth!" Scrunching his eyebrows with an irked look, he snapped at her.

"How long you are going to defend him over your own mother? Why do you even consider that wicked brat as your brother--"

"SILENCE!"

All of a sudden, Antonio shrieked out aloud in a furious tone cutting off their conversation halfway. Both of them shifted their gaze towards him while he was already glaring at both of them.

"I didn't invite Zeus here so that you can bicker with him questioning Czar's existence, Aelia! We have some serious discussion here." He charged in a bold voice, staring sharply at him.

"Dad, you can come to the point straight. What do you want to talk about?" Glaring back at him holding a skeptical expression, he reciprocated.

"Were you with the human lady for the past 2 days?" An ice-cold, stiff inquiry probed from him which startled him in the first place. 

"Why do you ask?" He queried him back.

Antonio stared viciously at him for a few seconds and leaned back on the giant wooden chair he was sitting on. "I am quite amazed by your audacity, Zeus! You do have the guts to inquire me back--"

"If anyone tries to invade in my personal matter, I would ask him the same...dad." Straightening his back against the chair, he sounded much bold which even surprised Aelia who was gawking at him.

"But your personal matter involves a human, have you forgotten this fact?" Frowning his grimace, his tone sounded much vexed. "Meddling with a human has never done any good to either member of our pack. Being an alpha of Romano, shouldn't you keep it in mind and try to act a bit responsible at least?" He continued his charges.

"It's not worthy of me to disclose Eva's identity before them. After all, I no longer have the right to intervene in her life. All I did till now was causing troubles for her..." Lowering his gaze down he was lost in his thoughts concerning her.

The atmosphere was growing a bit intense and Aelia chose to interfere within. She softly tapped his shoulder before murmuring her remark. "Zeus, a human can never be worthy of us! I know...it must be a fleeting emotion for you but you should know to control your feelings! How could you just sacrifice your life and endure a wolfsbane attack for that darn human? You should have let her die--"

"That's not a fleeting emotion for me, mom!" He objected to her boldly, snarling his deep round pupils towards her. "My emotions for her were always true. It was never a fleeting one---"

"But that doesn't matter anymore, Zeus!" 

All of a sudden, their conversation halted with the unexpected sonorous voice from behind. Ivory was standing at the entrance holding a calm and composed posture, glancing at him. Soon, she slowly walked towards them near the table and stood just next to Zeus.

"Ivory?" Zeus scrunched his eyebrows at her intervention.

"What do you mean by it doesn't matter, Ivory?" Aelia sounded very curious, looking at her with an impertinent gaze.

She tossed a small witty smirk at her and firmly directed her gaze towards Antonio who was a bit surprised with her visit. Clearing her throat, she chose to declaim in a bold voice, "Uncle Antonio... you can hold the engagement ceremony of Zeus and mine anytime soon which was postponed earlier." 

Utterly shocked at her proposal, Zeus jolted up from his seat and proclaimed aloud, "what?"