Theodore poked his head out through the kitchen door, with a white apron draped around his waist and a spatula in his left hand. He flashed a smile when he saw her. He was on a call a while ago and had vaguely heard the front door open. "You're back. How was work?"

"Busier than on other days. My boss went on a business trip… I'm done now." She tiredly pulled the heels off her feet as she smiled and answered him.

Seeing how exhausted she looked, he said, "Dinner will be ready soon. Wash up first."

She nodded, went upstairs, and then took a warm shower. When she was done, she changed into a set of comfortable, fluffy clothes and a pair of indoor slippers. Her stomach grumbled when the aroma of braised beef wafted into her nostrils as she walked down the stairs.

Since she felt more refreshed now, she was initially planning to help her dad finish cooking, but he had her sit at the kitchen island and gave her an apple.

She knew that he would not accept his help, so she accepted it and took a bite. "Thanks, dad. How is F&P Media?"

He covered the casserole in which he was cooking rice and turned to face her. "I sent out job vacancy announcements. We will be back on track soon after we get enough employees to run the company."

Although he made it sound so simple, she knew that it was not that easy to handle. There weren't many people willing to apply for any positions after the scandal that had erupted.

It had been a long time, and many pieces of news had come up, making most people forget all about F&P Media. However, that did not mean that everyone had forgotten about it. There were many admirers of the Fort Family—as well as those that F&P Media had uncovered before—who used this chance to send harassment messages to F&P Media.

Even so, she did not want to dampen his mood. It was difficult to do anything at the moment, but once the agency was back on track, she would fish out everyone who sent insulting messages and make them pay for it.

On the surface, she was full of smiles. "We can do it, dad. I'll help you out whenever I can."

He reached out to flick her forehead. "You cannot work in two companies. Stay at Preston and Fort Group and I'll handle this on my own."

She rubbed her forehead, smiling even though she had been flicked. "I'll make you proud dad. If you need anything, tell me about it."

"You little brat." It was almost impossible for Theodore to believe that his little girl was now a twenty-six-year old woman who could offer someone her support.

The food was ready, so he set the table and sat down with her. "Ximena gave me a call when she couldn't reach you. She will be back on Wednesday."

"She will? That's good news!" Her eyes brightened up when she heard the news. Ximena had been her classmate in high school. Although it had been many years, they had remained in contact and were now good friends. She had gone to study abroad and had only managed to call her a few times every month, so Zaria was overjoyed to hear that she would be back soon.

…

The following evening.

Zaria was enjoying the breeze on the balcony and taking photos of the chrysanthemums in the white porcelain pots when Desmond called. According to the time of his flight back to Imperium, he should have arrived.

She sat back on the rattan chair as she answered the call. "Hello, boss."

"I'm back." His voice struck a chord in her heart. It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts.

"Okay. Have some rest, sir. I will report the details of yesterday's meetings on Monday morning." She knew that he must be tired, so she didn't want to take up too much of his time.

She was yet to hang up when he spoke again. "I want you to report them tomorrow. Make your way to my place in the afternoon."

"Okay."

There was a slight hint of disappointment in her tone, but he noticed it. "Did you already have plans for tomorrow?" He asked gently.

"More or less. I wanted to go shopping tomorrow in the afternoon, but I can do it some other time." She answered since he had already figured it out.

"Okay, I'll go freshen up and rest. See you tomorrow." He ended the call when he was done speaking.

She was just about to resume taking pictures when the phone rang again. Seeing that the caller was Liam, her eyebrows knitted.

She so badly wanted to ignore him. Just before she tapped on her screen to send the call on voicemail, she remembered that he and Desmond had come on the same private plane. What if they were still together, and he knew that she had been speaking to Desmond a moment ago? She didn't want to vex her superior too much, no matter what had happened between them, so she reluctantly answered the call. "Mr. Preston."

"Zaria, do you have time tomorrow morning?" He already knew that she was meeting Desmond in the afternoon, so he suggested meeting her in the morning.

"I'm sorry, sir. Sunday is not my working day." She rejected unflinchingly. "If there is anything to talk about, let's talk about it in the company on Monday."

"It's not related to work. You know that, Zaria." He was helpless.

"You also know that aside from work-related matters, I have no reason to meet up with my boss." She didn't care to be polite. As if thinking of something, she asked, "Are you going to explain why you made Desmond misunderstand me?"

"No." He answered straightforwardly.

"In that case, see you on Monday." She hung up when her words were out.