Chapter 5 Chapter 5 The dinner at the Grantham manor

　　Nicholas was driving the car aimlessly. He didn't know where he was heading and what he wanted to do. Davis's cruel words were like needles, piercing his heart mercilessly. He didn't believe him at all. But his resolute gaze was still vivid in his mind. There was no fear in his eyes as if he didn't bother about the company's destruction. This forced Nicholas to think that he was telling the truth. This thought brought tears to his eyes.

　　How could Sasha lose her interest in him when he still loved her? Anger, frustration, pain all blended in his mind. His expression turned ugly. He increased the speed of the car a little more. After driving for more than an hour aimlessly, he finally pulled over the car in front of a bar.

　　He got out of the car and walked in. The loud music was deafening. Young men and women were dancing on the dance floor. Some of the young ladies tried to flirt with him, but after meeting his cold glare, they didn't dare to go closer to him. He walked to the counter and ordered some strong drinks.

　　After waiting for more than an hour also, Nicholas didn't arrive. Solomon was getting mad in anger. He cursed him loudly.

　　Zara's face was as pale as white paper. She remained seated quietly on the couch, hanging down her head. It was indeed because of her that he didn't show up at the mansion, she thought. He hated her so much that he didn't want to see her face. The pain in her heart only elevated bit by bit. She was breaking down gradually in just one month. It was going to be tough to spend two years in this relationship.

　　"Dad, don't get excited. Maybe he is busy with some meetings. He will be here once he is free." Edward tried to calm him down. "Let me call Benjamin."

　　Edward picked his phone up from the center table and dialed Benjamin's number.

　　Benjamin was driving back home when he received the call from Edward. He was taken aback to see him calling at this hour. He parked the car on the roadside and answered the call, "Hello."

　　"Hello. Where is Nicholas? Is he still in the office?"

　　Benjamin opened his mouth to tell him that Nicholas had already left the office an hour ago, but he couldn't utter a word. He wondered why his boss didn't reach the mansion till now.

　　Where could he be?

　　This question stunned him.

　　Just as he was pondering what to answer him, he heard Edward again on the phone, "Hello, Benjamin. Are you there? Is Nicholas still in the office or he left?"

　　"Uh. Boss is still in the meeting. Maybe it will take some more time." Benjamin finally found his voice.

　　"Oh, then let him carry on."

　　The phone disconnected with that.

　　Benjamin heaved a long sigh. But before he could relax a bit, the worry obscured his face. If Nicholas didn't go back to the mansion, where he could go. In the meantime, he remembered the visit of Davis Moore.

　　Could it be that Davis Moore said something that upset him?

　　Only then did Benjamin recalled how flustered his boss was when he entered the office after Davis went out. He was now more than sure that Davis had stimulated his boss.

　　He unlocked his phone and dialed Nicholas's number immediately. The phone went on ringing but no one picked up. Benjamin frowned and stared at the phone. He again dialed, but the result was the same as before. Now he was a little worried.

　　Was he alright?

　　Tension spread on his face. He phoned him again, and this time it was connected. But he was surprised to hear an unknown male voice across the phone.

　　"Who are you? Where is President Grantham? Why did you pick up his phone?" He asked a few questions in one breath.

　　"The owner of this phone is drunk and is not in the state of answering the call. I am a bartender. Come and pick him up."

　　"Give me the address."

　　The bartender sent the location of the bar to Benjamin soon after the call ended. Benjamin didn't delay driving to the bar.

　　In the manor.

　　"Dad, Nicholas is still in the meeting. It is getting late. You should eat now."

　　Solomon calmed down when he learned that Nicholas was still busy in the meeting. He nodded and said, "Alright. Let's have dinner now."

　　The dinner was served shortly and everyone was seated in their respected chairs.

　　Zara didn't feel like eating anything. She thought Nicholas was purposely delaying coming to the mansion to avoid eating with her. She already lost her appetite. But just not to make anyone suspect in their relationship, she forced herself to take a few bites. However, her uneasiness didn't go unnoticed from Betty's sharp eyes. Her lips curled up slyly.

　　"What happened, young lady? You are not eating anything. Don't you like the food? Or are you missing Nicholas?"

　　Her words and tone showed that she was concerned about Zara. But her mind was filled with hatred towards her.

　　Zara mustered a smile, "No, it's not like that. The dishes are really good. I like it."

　　"So, you are missing Nicholas." Betty smiled but it looked more like a sneer.

　　Zara was embarrassed. She didn't know what to answer her. So, she kept quiet, hanging down her head.

　　Solomon didn't like Betty's statement. He cast a scornful look on her. Edward glanced at his father and figured out that he was getting angry. He warned Betty, "Don't make the situation awkward for her. Eat quietly."

　　Meanwhile, Travis came back home and apologized, "Sorry for the delay, grandpa. I was a little busy and then also stuck in the traffic for one hour." He paused awhile to sweep his gaze to the people sitting at the dining area and saw Nicholas's empty chair. "Where is Nicholas?"

　　"Oh. He is still in the office, busy with some meetings."

　　Betty was the one who answered.

　　In reality, she knew that Nicholas was not at the office. When Solomon and Edward were busy cursing and scolding Nicholas, she sent a message to Travis sneakily asking Nicholas's whereabouts. Travis replied that Nicholas had already left the office. But that over-smart Benjamin covered up the truth, which is why she again messaged Travis to reveal the truth in front of everyone.

　　She exchanged meaningful glances with Travis and acted as if she didn't know anything.

　　"What are you talking about?" Travis acted as if he was shocked to hear her. A frown could be seen on his face. "He was not in the office. He left the office one hour before I left. I thought he had reached. Didn't he come here?"

　　His words stunned everybody present in the dining room. They all looked at him skeptically.

　　"What? Are you sure?" Betty acted as if she was shocked.

　　"Yes, Mom. I am 100% sure. I saw him going out of the office." Travis's tone was firm to confirm his statement.

　　"Then why did Benjamin say that he is in the meeting? What is he trying to hide? Could it be that Nicholas."

　　She purposely didn't complete her sentence and glanced at Solomon, only to see his raging eyes. A satisfactory smile appeared on her face, but she quickly concealed it with a worried look. Sighing, she said, "Alright. Sit down and eat first."

　　Travis didn't say further and quietly sat on his chair.

　　Solomon dropped his fork on the plate heavily.

　　Clang.

　　The metal clanging sound caught everyone's attention. They looked at the source of the noise, only to see Solomon's enraged look. Without a word, he got up from his chair and walked out, holding his walking stick.

　　"Dad, you."

　　Edward wanted to say something, but Solomon raised his hand to stop him and walked straight to his room. Edward's anger only escalated to see his father go back without finishing his food. He roared, "That Benjamin. He dared to lie to me. I will make him regret his action."

　　"Calm down. What is the use of getting angry at Benjamin? After all, he is only an assistant."

　　Betty's statement meant that Benjamin was only following Nicholas's order. She subtly tried to tell Edward that the liar was Nicholas, not Benjamin.

　　Seeing the situation going out of control, Zara couldn't stay calm any longer. She stood up and rushed out to the lawn to make a call to Nicholas. She thought she would request him to come, but her fingers paused when she was about to press the green button. She stared at the number blankly. She couldn't summon her courage to dial the number.

　　"Are you trying to call him?"

　　Betty's voice came from the back.

　　Zara came out of her trance. She turned around frantically and looked at her. She was about to ask her why she came out, but before she could utter a word, Betty began to say again, "Do you think that he will answer your call?"

　　Her question caught Zara off guard. She couldn't understand why Betty said something like that.

　　"Don't act dumb in front of me. I know that your relationship with Nicholas is not good. I also know that he never went back to the villa in the past month. Do you know why he is doing this?" She paused for a while to inspect Zara's change of expression and then continued, "He only loves Sasha, his childhood friend. They were about to get engaged. But something happened between them, and she left. But Nicholas is still waiting for her. He believes that she will come back. He can never love you. So, I suggest you divorce him. You are young and beautiful. Why do you want to waste your youth in this meaningless marriage?" She paused a while again and sighed deeply. She acted as if she was her well-wisher. "I know why you agree to this marriage. I am not blaming you. Anyone in your place would think like this. Now that your purpose for this marriage has been fulfilled, you should think about yourself and just get out of this marriage. You are a smart woman. Think about my suggestion." Betty turned around and went back to the mansion after dropping those words.

　　Zara remained rooted on the spot, dumbfounded. She didn't expect that Betty would figure out the bitter truth of the marriage. But the most shocking part was the revelation of Nicholas's relationship with another woman called Sasha. She had no idea that he loved someone so deeply. She only thought that he was a womanizer. However, it turned out that he eloped with many women just to numb his pain.

　　Her heart ached a little to know the truth. The small hope in the corner of her heart to win his heart one day vanished instantly. A few drops of tears escaped stealthily from her eyes.