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Chapter 106 At the Restaurant
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Marek spoke as he followed Zacharias up the stairs toward the private lounge.
Zacharias stopped short at the doorway, his expression dark and tense. His gaze locked on the bare doorframe, and his voice snapped.
“Where’s the plaque that used to hang here?”
The wooden sign had once been fixed to this door, carved with the words Clauderias Suite. Zacharias himself had etched the letters.
Marek hadn’t even noticed it was missing. But when he saw the cold fury rising in Zacharias, he rushed to speak. “Mr. Shaw, don’t worry. I’ll ask Vanessa. She’s in charge of this floor.”
Vanessa arrived in a hurry. Her words tumbled out.
“That plaque? Anneliese took it down last time she came and tossed it… into the trash.”
Marek’s face went pale. “That was carved by Mr. Shaw himself! How could you throw it out? Go and get it back right now!”
He caught sight of Zacharias‘ stormy expression and barked the order again, this time louder.
However, Vanessa froze, stricken.
“I thought nobody wanted it anymore. The trash truck already took it. It’s gone. There’s no way to get it back.”
The hallway shook as Zacharias slammed his fist into the lounge door again and again.
The wood rattled beneath his blows.
Marek flinched, and Vanessa shrieked as she clapped her hands over her ears before bolting down the hall.
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Chapter 106 At the Restaurant
She had always believed Mr. Shaw to be gentle.
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The waitresses often whispered how lucky Anneliese was to marry such a man.
But now? He looked like a wild beast, dangerous and untamed.
Her legs carried her before she even thought about it. She fled without looking back.
Marek wiped sweat from his forehead, then faced Zacharias. “I’ll have a new plaque made, exactly the same as the old one. I’ll hang it back here immediately.”
Zacharias shut his eyes, fighting to calm the fire inside him. His voice was low when he spoke. “Go downstairs and greet Mr. Hoffington.”
Relieved, Marek nodded and left quickly.
Zacharias stayed there, staring at the blank space where the plaque had once hung. He remembered the day he carved it with Anneliese, holding her on his lap, guiding her hand across the wood.
When they finished, he had laughed and called it ugly, pretending he wanted to toss it, but she had clutched it like treasure, delighted about its existence.
Now she had thrown away the very plaque they carved together.
The thought ripped through him, leaving his chest tight. His body burned like fire, restless and unsettled.
Everywhere he turned these days, reminders of Anneliese slipping away surrounded him.
He wanted to hold on to her, but everything he did felt useless.
She was like the wind, like sand slipping through his fingers. He felt powerless, desperate, and certain she was vanishing from his life.
Just then, his phone buzzed. Selina’s name lit up the screen.
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Chapter 106 At the Restaurant
He hesitated, then answered.
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“Zacharias, Lenora told me about your mother’s case. How could Anne… She shouldn’t be clashing with her elders. How’s it going now?”
Selina’s voice brimmed with urgency and concern, yet it only rang hollow to him. It gave no comfort.
Instead, irritation cut sharper inside him.
His voice dropped cold. “I’m handling it.”
Hearing his tone, Selina grew careful. She softened her words.
“My parents and I are on the way to the airport. We’ll be back soon. Once we’re home, we’ll talk to Anne, help calm her down. Don’t worry, Zacharias. Don’t let this upset you.”
She expected gratitude. Instead, his voice struck like ice.
“No. Don’t you dare go to Anne.”
The authority in his tone stunned her. He had never spoken to her like that before, more like an order than a request.
Selina froze. Something was deeply wrong. “Zach, what happened?”
“She already knows about what happened back then. If you go to her now, it’ll only make her angrier. I’ll handle this myself. That’s all.”
And with that, Zacharias ended the call.
For the first time, Selina sat silent, staring at her phone.
He had never hung up on her before.
Worse–Anneliese now knew she was the one who hired those thugs to go after
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Chapter 106 At the Restaurant
her.
“Selina, what did Zacharias say? Is Melody alright?”
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Her mother Melanie’s voice snapped her back. Selina turned her head, eyes red and brimming. Her voice broke.
“Mom, it’s all my fault.”
The words slipped out, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Timothy, Perseus, and Christopher, sitting up front, turned toward her in alarm.
