Chapter 147 - Challenge

For a moment, Zeus stared intensely at Ivory frowning his grimace at her. All of a sudden, a sudden spark ignited in his gaze as his eyes became quite murky.

"Were you tailing both of us? Were you the one who sent that nasty hellhound after her?" He grumbled.

At her accusation, Ivory couldn't help but smirk wittily taking a heavy sigh out. "Zeus, I don't need to hire a lowly beast to finish that maiden! I am powerful enough to terminate her existence barely in a few seconds. I wasn't tailing her at all."

"Then how do you know about her truth?" He charged.

"It's because...I was present right there when you visited Miss Violet last night. I was tailing you since then. I heard each and every bit of your conversation with her." Crossing her arms over her chest, she replied in a hoarse voice.

"What?"

"You had grabbed our sacred ruby and fox fur from Miss Violet last night before rushing to save her life. Didn't you?" The gaze in her deep eyes was blackened intensely as if she was getting a bit irked.

Nervously putting his cold, anxious hand inside his suit pocket he clutched the shimmering golden bracelet ornamented with the spiritual ruby and red fox fur that he had obtained for Eva. But it was deeply unfortunate that he was unable to give it to her before all the mishaps happened that tore them apart. Watching him getting perplexed, a vexed displeased simper escaped her lips.

"So, did you ever realize how heinous of a sin you have committed our alpha, Zeus? How could you take such a grave risk securing our divine gemstone to offer it to that human? Do you know how deadly you could face the punishment if the secret comes out? Only her wellbeing matters to you over your own life?" She snapped out quite aloud.

Lowering his gaze down from her and taking a deep huff of breath out. "Yes. Her life matters to me the most, more than my own. I know...I could be punished for scoring our divine ruby and giving it to her, but I still chose to do it. I am willing to sacrifice my own life by keeping her safe, that's how deep my love is for her." He mumbled.

"You are willing to give up on your life for a maiden who abandoned you without giving it a second thought! Yet you are too blindfolded to look at the person who has stayed by your side in every up and down for more than a span of 100 years! You are willing to turn your back against the person who can give up on her life for your sake! How...How can you be so cruel to me, Zeus? You asked me to score the hematite for her and I willingly followed your wish! And now...this ruby? How could you commit such a sin without even asking me once?" 

Facing her fierce allegations, he stood like a rock for a few seconds, without uttering a single word. Holding a glum expression on his face, he chose to turn back and walk ahead towards his car but immediately she gripped his arm from behind and stopped him from leaving.

"Now you are avoiding me too? If...If you love her this much, why did you chose to let her go? Why did you stood still and watched her leaving? Why are you bearing every pain alone? Zeus...the one who loves the more always loses the other one! Your boundless love is the major reason behind your suffering--"

"Aren't you doing the same?" 

All of a sudden, his fierce response paused her sharp remark as she rolled her eyes, gawking at him intensely. "Wh-What?"

"You are willing to get betrothed with a man who has devoted his heart to someone forever. In our relation, aren't you the one who is losing everything by loving me more?" His sonorous voice reverberated like an echo that pierced deep down in her heart.

"Ze-Zeus?"

"It was my decision to let her go. I didn't want to confine her with me to cause her more pain than she already bore in her heart. My granny once told me, it takes greater love and courage to let someone go away rather than holding on. I just wanted her to lead the rest of her life happily and that's why I chose to bear my pain inside alone.

But what are you doing, Ivory? With each passing day, your pure love for me is turning into a grave obsession! Someday...your love will itself turn into an obsession making you lose everything all at once...There is still time left, get a grip over yourself, Ivory. Eva isn't with me anymore that doesn't mean I will forget the beautiful memories I made with her! 

Right now, think of a proper plan to break off the betrothal proposal because I am not going to get engaged to you." He unleashed his arm away from her grasp quite rashly and walked straight towards his car taking bold footsteps ahead. 

Standing alone behind, she was blazing her teary gaze towards him fuming in rage. Clenching her fist, her arms were shivering in wrath and her dilated pupils obtained the dominant red color glaring at him.

"How...How could you hurt my emotions so bad, Zeus? That's all because of your darn human? That damn wench! But...I still feel pity for you. You have lost your senses, Zeus.

Fine... I like to be challenged and this time I won't back off!

I won't break off this engagement! Not only this, I am willing to face you head-on without retreating back! Let's see...who will have the last victorious grin!" She murmured on her own, tossing a vicious dark smirk.

...............

The Romano Organization Main Office:

As soon the driver opened the car door for Zeus, he gallantly stepped out removing his dark black sunglass from his face. His mood was already irked enough due to the vexed argument he had with Ivory and frustrated from his core, he chose to head inside. Holding his iPad in one hand, he seemed to be in a hurry to walk inside.

But soon enough, someone yanked his arm from behind intending to stop him from heading in. With the sudden interruption, he shifted his gaze back and it was no one other than Czar!

He was holding an impatient eloquence over his grimace, looking very fretful. That kind of expression was quite rare to find in him and it wasn't imprinted on his face last night when he came back home last night. It piqued his curiosity and he halted his motion, gulping anxiously.

"Czar?" Zeus scrunched his eyebrows staring deep into his eyes.

"We need to talk, big brother." Standing at the entrance of the office, he declaimed in a low pitch.

"I have an important meeting to attend in a few minutes--"

"Have things really ended between you two?" He tossed his query in a sharp pitch, blazing his glance at him intensively.

Startled at his unanticipated question, Zeus flinched in surprise and gawked back at him. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean! Don't try to play innocent!" 

Hearing his loud response, keeping his silence for a few seconds he answered him back. "How do you know...about it?"

"That's none of your goddamn business! Give me the answer! Aren't you both together anymore?" With each passing second, Czar was losing his calm palpitating quite anxiously, clutching his grip on his arm.

He lowered his dark, devasted gaze down and gulped his surge of pain inside. "You heard it right." A cold, small answer drifted from him.

Swirling his pupils wider in shock he was spellbound for a couple of seconds, glaring at him. "What? Are you fucking serious?"

"Each moment I have spent with her...they have been the most beautiful memories I ever got to live in my life. But...a deep fear has been persisting inside me all these time that...it would end badly... And...unfortunately, my fear won over my love..." His voice sounded crooked as if he was trying hard to resist his tears from swelling up.

"So you would just let her go like that? You would just let her leave? Why!? Why the fuck you don't tell her everything regarding her own family's truth!?" Czar grumbled out in frustration, clenching his grip harder.

"She must be suffering through hell after knowing about me... The truth about her father would increase her pain thousand folds higher! How can I intentionally make her life more miserable than it has been already due to me?"

"Then would you just keep suffering alone keeping everything inside? Are you a saint? Or an airhead? How could you just stay behind watching her leave? How can you stay calm like this? Why didn't you go after her, stupid?" His harsh accusations sounded much grievous as he roared at him.

Looking at him getting all hyped up Zeus tossed a painful smile at him and mumbled his words in a gentle tone. "She deserves to live a good life ahead. Meddling with me...would bring her nothing but sufferings... 

I...I can bear my pain alone as long as she could move on and become...happy..." His eyes were shimmering in tears and he averted his gaze down. "I never wanted to dominate her. Walking away was her choice and...loving her silently will be my decision. 

But I am surprised. Why are you so worried about me? Weren't you always wanted to see me suffering? Why do you look more sadder for me now?" 

Czar didn't answer a single word and slowly left the grip over his arm. Taking he deep sigh, he mumbled inside, "this damn airhead..."