Ch. 161..170

Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Zephyr wanted to pat his shoulder, but his hand froze in the air. He only put it down after a while.

...

Cordelia lay in his embrace when he went home that night as they slacked off on the bed.

It was late, but she could not sleep. The dazzling stars shone through the photo frame in the dark room. She looked into the night sky. It felt like it had been forever since she could admire the night so peacefully.

Knowing that she was warm, Zephyr fanned her while staring at her beautiful side profile with his head low. His heart jolted.

He gulped, and a subtle surge of warmth rose.

Cordelia looked at the sweat on the tip of his nose. She felt embarrassed that he would keep the air conditioning off to save money. "Hubby, turn on the air conditioner if you're warm. It doesn't cost much." "Hmm... No need." He licked his lips.

The warmth they meant was completely different.

Zephyr took a deep breath. He had his eyes on her fair neck and slightly opened small lips. He smiled, and his hand naughtily slipped into her clothes.

However, he heard her let out a sigh at the moment.

"What's wrong?" He suddenly stopped.

Cordelia looked like she had something on her mind. She was not focusing on what he did at all.

Thus, he took advantage of her by proceeding to do what he was doing.

"Why are you sighing, wifey?"

"I'm thinking about Linda and Nicholas."

"Oh..." He tutted. "I thought nothing was happening with them? Why are you thinking about them?"

'Why are you thinking about them now? Think about your husband!'

Zephyr licked his lips again.

"I think it's impossible that it's over between them just like this." Cordelia looked at him with her bright, big eyes. "She told me their story. Can I tell you the story?" Zephyr was rendered speechless.

"Hubby, do you not want to listen?"

Zephyr looked at her. He did not want to disappoint her because she had the urge to share.

Therefore, the Mr. Z, who had been spoiled for over 20 years, finally knew what "forcing a smile" was like.

He forced a smile in an extremely unnatural manner and squeezed out "I do" with great effort.

Cordelia smiled heartily. She told the story as she leaned on him. He already knew the story, but he would nod, smile, frown, or comment every now and then just to go along with her. He wanted her to know that he was listening to her, as well as empathizing with her.

She finally finished the story after a long time. She lifted her eyes to look at him as if stars were twinkling in her eyes.

"What do you think, hubby?"

"Hmm?" Zephyr snapped back to his senses. He tried his best to recall what she said.

He coughed softly and fell into silence for a moment.

In reality, he had gained respect for Nicholas after finding out that he was put behind bars for hurting someone just to protect Linda.

He must have treated him as Marcus to be stirring trouble with him, all that just to protect her as well.

It was good that a man was responsible-it was just that he was misunderstood.

"I think... Nicholas isn't a man who is heartless." Zephyr's eyes dimmed. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have done so much for her."

"Really?" Cordelia bit her lip. "But I don't like how he treated you! And you're siding with him now?

"Hubby, what grudge do you guys have against each other exactly?"

Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Zephyr's expression changed. He said softly, "It's all in the past... What else do criminals do when they're together if not fight?"

"Did you hit him?"

"Hmm, you can say so."

Cordelia nodded.

Everyone who was in prison before was abusive. It made sense that they were troubled mentally. Just like Nicholas, who always wanted to be on the top, would naturally be upset that Marcus hit him.

However, Zephyr was different. Apart from his serious face and the fact that he hardly talked, to her, there was nothing wrong with him.

Cordelia's big, beautiful eyes were bright. She looked at her husband in silence. The more she looked, the more she thought she got herself a treasure.

Her tiny hand caressed his chiseled face. He did not have the time to shave, so his stubs made her itchy.

"Why are you staring at me?" Zephyr had an alluring voice as he patted her head.

"Nothing," said Cordelia softly. "I just realized not only is my husband fair, but he's forgiving too!

"Nicholas did that to you, yet you think he's loyal. Not everyone is as generous as you!"

Zephyr's eyes dimmed. "Am I really that good to you?"

"Of course!"

He hugged her, hoping that time would stop at that moment.

Cordelia thought it was unfair. "Hubby, although you think he's loyal, he's heartless to be doing this to Linda in my books! It's sad that she likes him so much!"

"He's quite helpless." Zephyr played with her hair. "Perhaps he mercilessly distanced himself from her because he thought they were from different worlds since he was in prison before and now he's in a gang. "He's keeping his distance to protect her."

"Is that so?" Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "Do you men think loving in their own way is the right way to treat women?"

Zephyr was stunned. He remained silent.

"Let me tell you. You guys shouldn't do that!"

Placing her hand before him, Cordelia was worked up as she spoke. She poked his chest with her skinny finger.

"Hmm..." Zephyr chuckled. "What do you think he should do, then?"

"If Nicholas thinks he's protecting her by keeping his distance, he should just tell her directly. Then she wouldn't be heartbroken because of him until now!

"Is he doing that for her own good? He's hurting her! I hate that people hide the truth! If he really likes her, then don't hide it! How is it love when there are so many misunderstandings between them?" Cordelia pouted as she spoke. Her voice was getting softer.

"A-Although I hid something from you before, I admitted it later on. No matter what, I've never hidden anything from you since then!"

Zephyr felt a jolt in his heart and instinctively frowned.

Cordelia wrapped her hands around his neck and rubbed against him coquettishly.

She was so sweet that she melted his heart.

"Hubby..."

"Hmm?"

"Can you not hide anything from me from now on? Don't be like Nicholas, especially. He says that he's doing that for her own good, but he hurts her instead!"

Zephyr pursed his lips hard, and his eyes were dimming.

What Cordelia said felt like a bone stuck in his throat.

Nevertheless, he merely hugged her tightly and patted her back. It was unknown when she fell asleep in his embrace. While watching her with his head held low, smelling her sweet scent, caressing her soft face with his fingers... he suddenly thought each moment they spent together was a blessing.

Would he have to return this blessing sooner or later?

He took a deep breath in and shut his eyes, getting rid of those messy thoughts.

No matter what, she was still by his hide.

No matter what, he wanted to be with her forever.

Josiah hid outside of Iris and peeped around.

After Cordelia finished breakfast, gave Zephyr a kiss on the cheek, waved goodbye, and left far away, he released a long sigh of relief and walked into the courtyard slowly with his hands in his pockets. Fredric followed behind him. He patted the former's shoulder and entered with him while smiling.

Zephyr prepared the coffee beans and placed the few desserts Cordelia had made in the morning on display. He lifted his eyes. Seeing them coming in, he signaled them to sit wherever they wanted. He had not had breakfast yet. Seeing that there were quite some leftovers from Cordelia, he pulled the plate toward him and started eating naturally.

The two of them were stunned to see that.

What happened to his OCD? What happened to his pet peeves from before? What happened to his pickiness in food?

Was his wife's leftovers so... good?

"Z." Josiah looked at him with a plastic smile. "When will you ever introduce me to her? You can't be treating me like I'm invisible forever!"

"You?" Zephyr smiled and nodded.

"Be patient. We'll have to do this slowly!" Frederic eased the atmosphere. "Think of it this way. If you were Cordelia and ran into the pervert who got her into a car accident, would you..." "Nonsense! I'll be struck by lightning if I have any improper thoughts about her!"

"Enough." Zephyr waved. "I'll definitely explain to her if I get the chance. No matter what, I'll let you show up in front of her as you are one day. All right?"

Josiah pouted. He nodded, but he was secretly scoffing.

'You'll explain to her? It's never going to happen!

'You wouldn't even dare to explain your identity to her!'

"What are you smiling about?" Zephyr raised his sharp eyebrows.

Josiah sat up straight instantly and changed the subject. "N-Nothing! Hah... This shop isn't bad, Z. She's usually working, so can you handle this yourself?"

"I can."

"Do people come in when they see your intimidating face?"

"Ahem!" Fredric glared at him. He should really be taught a lesson.

As expected, Zephyr's face turned grim. It was scarier than a devil.

"I'm just kidding, Z!" Josiah faked a cough and suppressed his smile. He sat straight to tell him something important.

"I have something serious to tell you today... I saw someone last week when I went on vacation at the hot spring hotel. "Who?"

Josiah gulped and lowered his voice. "Marcus."

Zephyr's eyes turned grim. A ferocious gleam flashed through his eyes.

"What did you say?" Fredric was shocked too. "He's still alive?"

Chapter 163

Chapter 163

Josiah nodded firmly.

"I was fishing at a creek last week. I happened to see him. I was shocked! Z, Marcus really looks like you..."

Zephyr's expression was turning grimmer.

"But apart from your looks, there's nothing else that's similar between the two of you." Josiah continued. "I was suspicious, so I got someone to investigate. I can't believe we found out that Marcus didn't die at all.

"He offended a few gangs in Jangasas after getting out of prison. He even had a finger chopped off for not paying his debt. He was chased out of Jangasas."

Zephyr said nothing while Fredric widened his eyes in shock.

"So..." Fredric snapped back to his senses. "Does that have something to do with Nicholas?"

"Z! Perhaps he found out from the beginning that you're not Marcus!"

A fierce gleam flashed through Zephyr's eyes.

That was what he was worried about. He noticed that Nicholas was weird from the few encounters before, so perhaps he knew something.

Josiah licked his lips and stuttered, "C-Can it be that he's your second uncle's subordinate?"

"We can't rule out that possibility!" Zephyr lifted his eyes. "But there are too many suspicious factors. We can't just conclude this just like that."

He recalled the last time when he went to the hot spring hotel with Cordelia. She had been startled by a homeless person at the beach.

Now that he thought about it, that man should be Marcus!

Zephyr clenched his fists, his eyes looking ferocious. "Since he's still alive, let's capture him immediately! If we let him loose on Splendor Mountain, we don't know what troubles he might stir!" "Yes!" Josiah nodded. "I've secretly contacted my family to get them to keep this a secret, but we'll do the best we can!"

Zephyr nodded and patted his shoulder.

After they left, he sat behind the counter alone quietly. His mind was in chaos.

He took out Marcus' ID, staring at that face that was similar to his.

What Fredric said suddenly became clear to him.

"Z, you replaced Marcus to marry Cordelia. By law, she's his wife, while you're still single... Your relationship with her isn't protected by the law at all!"

He held tight to the ID, almost crushing the fragile card.

Cordelia was Marcus' wife...

And that jerk was still alive!

His heart was pounding, and it was hard to breathe. He felt terrible, as if there was a rock pressing on his chest.

When Nicholas arrived in Centrolis on the first plane in the morning, the sun had just risen. Yale had sent his men to wait at the VIP exit.

He nodded courteously, getting into the luxurious MPV that Yale had arranged for him. Soon, he arrived at the Hamertons' private club. Yale was having breakfast.

Blood oozed when the fork and knife cut through the almost raw steak. His eyes lit up. He dipped his finger in the blood immediately and sucked it.

Nicholas frowned, and a hint of disgust flashed through his face.

"Hah, come eat with me?" Yale said in a playful tone.

Nicholas rejected flatly. "Thank you, sir. I've eaten."

"Let's have a drink, then." Yale got his man to pour him a glass of red wine. It was handed to him.

Nicholas sat across the long table. That was not what he was used to. If he was to have a discussion with someone, he would sit somewhere that was best for talking, unlike what was happening now, where he sat as far as possible.

Yale wiped his mouth with a napkin. He scoffed and signaled his subordinate to pass Nicholas an envelope.

He hesitated before opening it. There were only a few photos in it.

Chapter 164

Chapter 164

The person in the photos shocked him!

'Marcus?'

Nicholas snapped his head up to look at Yale. His eyes filled with disbelief.

"What, you've met this person before?" Yale sneered.

Nicholas put down the photos. His facial expression remained the same.

"This is the man I want you to kill." Yale stared into his eyes. "Memorize his face, N. Don't kill the wrong man!"

"What do you mean?"

Yale's laughter was strange. He laughed for a long time, so long that Nicholas almost lost his patience.

"Okay, I'll stop beating around the bush," Yale said coldly. "This man is Zephyr Hamerton, the third son of the Hamertons! My grandfather had just flown to North Armania to meet a few dignitaries. He doesn't have time for his family... This is the best time to do it!"

Nicholas frowned.

Never had he thought Cordelia's husband was Zephyr!

From the few encounters lately, she did not seem to know his real identity, yet she protected him. If he had really hurt Zephyr, perhaps that woman would have made him pay the price.

He was not afraid of a woman, but she was Linda's best friend...

Nicholas let out a long sigh, staring at Yale with a complicated expression. After falling silent for a moment, he decided to reject the job.

He said in a deep voice, "Sir, this is tricky. Please, think it through."

Yale played with the lighter in his hand casually while puffing on the cigar in his mouth. He scoffed at him.

"I'm worried about you." Nicholas smirked. "I heard he's spoiled by the old man. The rumor has it that he'll inherit the Hamertons. If he's suddenly gone, won't your grandfather get to the bottom of it? "Hah, sir, the Hamertons are not to be offended. If they come to me... I can't handle them!"

"So that's what you're afraid of?" Yale revealed a strange expression. He lifted his hand slowly and slammed it twice.

At that moment, the door opened, and slow and heavy footsteps came outside the door.

Nicholas stared at the door. His mind suddenly went blank when that man appeared...

"What?" He was shocked. He looked at Yale and then at that man again. He was dumbstruck.

"M-Marcus!?"

Marcus wore a fit suit, and his hair was tidy.

Indeed, he could be Zephyr's double.

However, the lechery, dodging eyes, and the lowliness deep in his bones set him apart from Zephyr!

"Hah... N!" Marcus revealed a fawning smile as soon as he spoke. He still looked worthless in the presence of Nicholas, just like before.

Nicholas looked at him. As expected, he had lost a finger. There was a finger cot wrapped around his left pinky.

"What do you think?" Yale was proud and walked over to pat Marcus' shoulder. "Can we fool them?"

Nicholas took a deep breath in and smacked his lips. "Sir-"

"If you secretly get rid of Zephyr, we can use this man from now on!"

At this point, Nicholas understood Yale's plan.

After getting rid of Zephyr and getting Marcus to replace him, Marcus would be Yale's puppet!

Nicholas smirked in disdain. "Sir, do you really think your grandfather is so old that he can't tell them apart?

"Liam Hamerton is the prestigious Hamertons' head! What has he not seen in his life? Don't you think he'd be suspicious that you're using this piece of trash to replace his heir? He's old, but he's not a fool!" Nicholas thought something was wrong with Yale's head.

However, he saw the latter's terrifying grin as soon as he was done speaking. He suddenly came to a realization. In order to not let the old man suspect anything, perhaps the only way was to... Kill Liam as well?

Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Nicholas stared straight at Yale. He said nothing for a while.

"I'll handle grandpa's suspicion," said Yale while looking at him. "Nicholas, all you need to do is to kill the people for me. Let me handle the rest!"

Nicholas was sure that he also wanted him to kill the old man, judging by his sneering tone.

Yale got Marcus to leave. Subsequently, he took out a land plan and circled the best location in the center of Centrolis.

"This place is crowded. It's considered the golden area." He chuckled. "After the deal is completed, I'll talk to the relevant departments, and this piece of land will be yours! What do you think?" Nicholas pursed his lips but said nothing.

Yale patted his shoulder. "Nicholas, you're ambitious, brutal, and merciless. I like that about you!

"This is beneficial to you and me, so please think about it carefully!"

Nicholas looked at the land plan Yale's finger pointed. The surface was huge, and the appreciation potential was great. It was too humble to be calling it a golden area. Zephyr's life sure was valuable!

Nicholas snickered and lifted his eyes to look at Yale. "May I ask, sir, where Mr. Z is now?"

"I heard he's in Melorian." Yale squinted. "Or maybe Ricos. No matter what, since the plane accident, he went to seek grandpa's refuge."

"So, how do I kill him?"

"You'll have to find out where he is exactly, N!" Yale smiled. "Why would I hire you otherwise?"

Nicholas nodded. Lifting the glass, he finished the wine.

It seemed Yale had no idea that Zephyr was in Jangasas, nor did he know that he was married.

Returning to Jangasas, Nicholas had an extra black suitcase with him.

There was cash in there, 20 stacks of them arranged accordingly. It was the "token of appreciation" that Yale gave him.

Nicholas scoffed. He handed the suitcase to his men for them to take care of it.

His subordinate looked around and said softly, "N, it's a piece of cake for us to kill Zephyr. Should we do it right away?"

Nicholas' eyes dimmed. He only spoke after a long time. "He's Liam's favorite heir. The Hamertons will almost definitely become his."

"But Mr. Hamerton meant to kill the old man as well..."

"Does he really think that his grandfather is old?" Nicholas lit a cigarette and let out a big puff. "The older, the wiser. No matter how old Liam is, he's more powerful than the young Yale!

"If we really kill Zephyr, if it comes to light in the future, Yale will definitely pin everything on me!" Nicholas scoffed. "Given his character, there's a high chance he hired someone else to kill Zephyr instead of just me!"

His subordinate was rather confused.

Nicholas fell into a moment of thought and continued to mumble, "But if I tell Zephyr about it to get him to watch out, we might become friends..."

"What do you mean, N?"

Nicholas enunciated. "We'll play it by ear!"

After he was done, he grabbed his jacket and disappeared into the streets.

He drove aimlessly. Eventually, he pulled over in the alley behind Iris.

He was quite curious about what Zephyr was doing at the moment.

Thus, he secretly got closer to the courtyard. It was past tea time at the moment. Through the ceiling window, he saw that there were not many customers in the shop.

Cordelia sat behind the counter, checking the account. With an account book and a calculator, she was very serious.

Zephyr sat right next to her. He would fan her occasionally, pour her water, or massage her shoulders.

Nicholas was slightly stunned by what he saw.

Chapter 166

Chapter 166

Nicholas had never thought that a man with such high social status like Zephyr would have such an ordinary side to him.

One of the account entries was probably wrong, as Cordelia talked to Zephyr with a stern expression. The latter, more than six feet in height, hung his head like an elementary school kid who had done something wrong.

The scene astonished Nicholas.

Zephyr was just a homey husband when he was with Cordelia. He was scared of his wife, would get nagged by his wife, and had to give her the money he earned-like millions of men in the world, he did not have much say in the household.

He did not long for the spot which tens of thousands looked up upon him in the past, but he was happy with days that he had to bow down to his wife.

Shocked, Nicholas tightened his fists. He went closer. The cafe's door was opened, and the husband and wife's conversation could be heard clearly.

"Darling, just listen to me. The price should be adjusted lower!"

"But we're selling good stuff. We can't lower our own value."

"We're not making a loss. We're just selling them at a slightly lower price than usual. We'd sell more and make a faster turnover!" Cordelia insisted, "Like these desserts that aren't sold on the day, we can sell them at a discount at night. It's better than keeping them until the next day, in which case they won't be fresh anymore!”

Zephyr looked at her dotingly with a smile. Would he not know these business rules when he had spent his time growing up in the Hamertons?

It was just that Cordelia had to go to work in the office and take care of the cafe. She woke up early and slept late to prepare the desserts and grind coffee. He did not want her effort to be sold at a discounted price. He would rather eat them himself than for the outsiders to take this advantage!

"It's fine if we can't sell them," he said softly. "I'm in the shop. I'll—”

"You'll what?" Cordelia knocked his head with her pen. "Honey, we're managing a business here! We'll close down with how you're eating everything!"

Zephyr grinned.

He used to hate sweet things in the past. Cordelia had wanted to buy him a cup of milk tea when they had just gotten married, and he had refused it with a scowl. Now, however, he loved all things sweet like his life depended on it. It was not just sweet desserts. His sweet little wife, too, was his life.

Helpless, Cordelia poked his stomach and looked at him playfully. "Hey, have you eaten too many sweets or missed out on training recently?"

"Have I gotten fat?" Zephyr jumped.

Cordelia giggled. "I think you're getting a tummy!"

Zephyr rubbed his stomach and looked at her. "Darling... if I actually get fat in middle age, will you stop liking me?"

"Hmm, I don't know either," she teased. "We'll see when you're in middle age! If you really look worse, I think I'll supervise you to cut down! Not so to look better but for your health!" Zephyr paused and felt a surge of warmth course through him.

He said seriously, "Ms. Cordelia, if I do get fat, you're the one who fed me to the size. You've got to take responsibility!"

"You..." Cordelia did not know whether to laugh or wince. Ultimately, she threw herself into his embrace.

She secretly stroked his stomach. It was actually still muscled. His abs were still like a washboard, and his lines were distinct.

Cordelia blushed and giggled to herself. It was then she saw a shadow flashing past the front.

Zephyr noticed it too and was on his guard, only to see Nicholas slowly walk in. He scowled.

"Hah, am I not welcomed?" Nicholas smiled, sat casually, and glanced at the menu. "Give me an afternoon tea set. Coffee, no sugar."

Cordelia stood rooted while Zephyr tucked her behind him. He took a step forward and looked at the man coldly. "Nicholas, what do you want?”

Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Nicholas chuckled and wore a look of innocence.

"Isn't this a cafe? What else could I do here?"

Zephyr watched him carefully, not missing even a subtle expression.

The man was not as aggressive as he was the last time, but a conclusion could not be easily made if he was here with a kind or malicious intention. Zephyr went back to sling an arm around Cordelia's shoulder, softly asking her to go home first and telling her he would take care of this. Cordelia was quite worried but could only walk out slowly upon his insistence. After Cordelia left, Zephyr looked at Nicholas with a ghost of a smirk.

"Afternoon tea set, right? I'll prepare it for you!"

"Can you do it?"

"Why not? I'm the boss here."

Zephyr returned to the back of the counter. His movements were practiced, but the pots and pans made a lot of noise. It made Nicholas wonder whether he really did need to make so much ruckus or whether he was trying to drive him away with it.

A while later, a rather exquisitely plated afternoon tea set was placed in front of him. It was a pretty slice of red velvet cake and a cup of aromatic hot latte. There was even a small purple iris on the tray as decoration.

Nicholas picked up the flower and chortled. "Mustn't have been your idea to have achieved such detail." Zephyr wiped his hands as he answered, "Yeah, my wife decides all these. I'm just learning from her."

Nicholas tasted the cake and frowned.

"This isn't leftovers from today, is it?"

"Of course not." Zephyr scoffed. "It's leftovers from the day before yesterday!"

Nicholas looked at him and forced a smile a while later. "It's fine. I'll have a good taste of the lady boss' culinary skill!"

"Oh, you've misunderstood." Zephyr was still expressionless. "This isn't what my wife made either."

"You..."

"A guest wanted red velvet cake the day before yesterday, but Cordelia hasn't learned how to bake one yet, so I bought two slices from the cake shop next door."

Zephyr's gaze was impassive, with a slight smirk hanging off the corner of his lips. "It's a surprise that the cake hasn't gone bad even after two days!"

Nicholas gripped the fork with a scowl, not knowing if he should continue eating it.

"You won't be able to taste my wife's culinary skill, but you can try out what the preservatives taste like!"

"Hah!" Nicholas got up to look at him with a complex gaze.

"Are you that reluctant to let me have the desserts she makes?"

"It's not that I'm reluctant." Zephyr spoke clearly. "You don't deserve it."

Nicholas' face fell, and he tossed the knife and fork on the plate, causing a loud clanking sound. He thought, 'Very well, I don't deserve it. Zephyr Hamerton, you probably have no idea that I can kill you anytime right now!'

He took a deep breath and suddenly felt both angry and amused.

He looked at the man before him and asked softly with a smirk, "What do you plan to do with the leftovers today? You wouldn't actually eat them all yourself, would you?" "Why do you care?" Zephyr glanced at him.

"I'm just reminding you." Nicholas got up and put a hand on Zephyr's shoulder, giving it two hard squeezes. "Desserts do delight people, but too much is bad for the teeth. "And how would a beast conquer the territory if it lost its sharp teeth?"

Zephyr's eyes snapped. Nicholas' gaze raised doubts in him.

"Hah, what territory?" Zephyr scoffed after some time. "Someone like me doesn't need to conquer anything. It's enough for me to live with my wife for the rest of my life!" "Really?"

"Mr. Thompson, the coffee doesn't taste good when it's cold. I'll make you another one on the house!"

Nicholas smiled cryptically and said no more.

Zephyr had been ordering his men to search for Marcus these days.

Chapter 168

Chapter 168

What was strange was that Marcus seemed to have vanished into thin air. Robert came to Jangasas to secretly deliver the news to him. "Sir, our people have basically flipped Centrolis over, but Marcus can't be found anywhere."

Zephyr's expression was icy cold. How could a living person be gone out of the blue!? Now that he was nowhere to be found, Zephyr had already thought of the worst.

"Continue searching in Centrolis!" He gnashed his teeth. "I suspect that Uncle Matthew's already found him first. They'll definitely find someone to ambush me if they want to do something!" "Sir..." Robert widened his eyes, looking nervous.

"Don't worry about me," Zephyr instructed, "Cordelia, though... Get a few reliable men to watch her going to and leaving work. Her safety is your top priority!"

"Got it!"

Zephyr felt chills down his spine all of a sudden after saying that.

Whether it was Matthew, Yale, or other Hamertons considering conspiring, he had never been scared, even if there was a direct confrontation. This time, however, he was scared.

He and Cordelia were out in the open while they were lurking in the shadows. If they could not lay a finger on him, they would certainly target Cordelia.

Zephyr pressed his lips together. His sculpted face was frosty.

"Darling!" Cordelia's sweet voice sounded from the outside of the cafe.

Robert and Zephyr exchanged a look before he pressed his cap lower and ran out. As Cordelia went past him, she found the person mysterious and wanted to do a double take when Zephyr came out.

"You're done with work?"

"Mm!" Cordelia retracted her gaze and hooked her arms with him to go into the shop.

There was no customer in the cafe, and it felt empty. It was currently leisure hours after people went off work, so it should be when business was at its peak.

A few jars of coffee beans were sitting neatly in the cabinet at the back, barely lessened. The cakes and desserts in the glass case by the bar had not been sold at all.

Cordelia's smile eventually froze, and a wash of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Cordelia forced a smile. "Business hasn't been good these days, huh?"

It stumped Zephyr. He had never been concerned about whether the business was good since the beginning. The purpose of opening this shop was just to make Cordelia happy. It was just that she would be unhappy if business remained bad.

Zephyr frowned. 'Goodness, how did I miss this!?'

He would probably have to ask Josiah and Fredric to get more customers over these days. While he thought about it, he heard Cordelia huff. "Someone must be behind this! Business was okay previously. How could it just disappear!?"

"What?" Zephyr paused.

Cordelia whipped out her phone and tapped on a few review apps.

Iris had plenty of reviews, but almost all of them were bad ones.

[I heard that the boss of this cafe is a felon—an inmate!]

[Yeah, don't go to that shop! What good coffee can a boss who's gone behind bars make?]

[Even one star is too much! Dodgy shop!]

Cordelia read through them, page after page, her hands shaking.

"Darling, look..." she said, aggrieved. "I only found out today that so many people are calling our shop a fraud!

"How's it possible? We haven't offended anyone since we started our business!" Cordelia looked at him, hesitant to speak.

"Honey..." She licked her lips. "Could it be people you had grudges with before? Like Nicholas?"

Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Zephyr looked at the reviews on his phone with a dark gaze.

A new shop would barely attract this much attention. The only possibility was like what Cordelia had said-someone was cooking something up behind them.

These reviews were obviously left intentionally by paid posters.

Zephyr suspected Nicholas too, but he denied the thought as soon as it popped up. Given Nicholas' character and status, he would not resort to such a cheap and roundabout approach.

Moreover, the tactic looked like a petty fight among women. If Nicholas did want to target him, he could easily declare war.

It also did not look like what a business rival would do. There were many cafes around the area, but they all had their distinct colors and niched target customers. Everyone was basically fine with each other. Therefore, the person who had hired the paid posters to target them was highly likely to be targeting Cordelia...

The answer grew clearer to Zephyr, but he took all the responsibilities on himself with a smile upon seeing his wife's grimace.

"Your analysis is right. I offended many people in the past. I don't even know who's taking the opportunity to seek revenge."

His voice was husky. "Honey, it's my fault. I'm incapable and caused you trouble again."

"Nothing like that!" Cordelia looked at him seriously and rubbed his face. The most unacceptable thing to her was people calling her husband useless-not even the man himself was allowed!

"My husband's the most capable man in the world! We've got to think of a solution now that it's happened, not dwell on it, right?"

"But my past could possibly be our burden for life."

"So?" Cordelia smiled. “Burden or storm, I'm your wife. I'll weather it together with you! I've been prepared since the day I married you!"

"Really?" Zephyr's eyes glittered.

"Silly man, of course!" Cordelia stood on tiptoe to rub her nose with his. "I can't cut you off from your past and pick and choose which part of you I want, right?"

"You'll accept me no matter what my past status or identity is?"

"Of course! Why do you keep asking nonsense today?"

Zephyr stared at her in a daze before he chuckled like he was relieved. The rock that had been weighing him down felt like it was slowly being lifted.

Dusk was unusually beautiful that night. The purple irises bloomed around the cafe, and the air smelled sweet.

There was no customer in the shop, but Zephyr was so happy that he felt like he could float in the air. Cordelia looked at him strangely, wondering what was wrong with him. "Darling, did you hear what I said?"

It was then Zephyr broke out of his trance. "Hmm?"

Cordelia replied speechlessly, "I said, the solution I can think of is to spend some money and get people to remove the negative reviews. As for how much we have to spend and who we're getting to do that, I'll have to ask around!"

"No need for that. Leave it to me."

"What?"

Zephyr paused and explained in a low tone, "This... This is a man's job. Don't worry about it."

Cordelia smiled and snuggled against him. She felt infinitely secure with him around.

Business was bad those few days. The desserts in the pastry case could not be sold and were left until they got moldy.

Cordelia was afraid that the coffee beans would get damp, so she took them out to air every day, making the cafe smell of the coffee aroma as well.

Even when she hung up the plate with "Buy 1 Get 1 Free", no one came to buy coffee from her.

The passersby would point fingers and whisper comments before they hurried off as if they had seen something filthy.

Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Cordelia was in distress, but Zephyr quite liked the situation. He did not have it in him to brew coffee and serve customers. He just wanted to stay around her every day-even better if the two of them were the only ones in the shop.

In spite of it, he had still asked Fredric to look into the matter to cheer up Cordelia. The result was as he had expected. "Z, I consulted a few media companies, and they quickly got the date. Data shows that these paid posters are from the Jenner Group."

"Hah, so it's really Yelena?"

"Well, the account paying the paid posters is the finance account from the Jenner Group."

Who else from the Jenners, aside from Yelena, would do something so stupid?

Zephyr pinched between his brows and ended the call.

He was in too much disdain to fight the Jenners, not that the latter could overpower him. It was just that he cared about Cordelia.

Fredric said with a lowered voice, "Z, it's not hard to mess with the Jenners at all. Just do to them what they did to you!"

Zephyr stayed silent and hung up.

There was still no one in the cafe these days. Cordelia asked Zephyr to go home and rest while she stayed in the shop. A while later, however, she heard noises outside of the cafe. "See, this is our Ms. Cordelia Jenner's shop!"

Cordelia felt her heart lurch. The mocking and hostile voice clearly belonged to Yelena!

"Ms. Yelena, the comments on this place are horrible. I saw them online!"

"Yeah, are we going in there for coffee today?"

"So what?" Yelena snickered. "This is my baby sister's shop. You should all help her out! Her husband's been in prison, and he's come back on track now. It's tough! "But it's tougher to be our Ms. Cordelia Jenner, staying by such a man's side and treating him like a gem!"

The coworkers who came with Yelena giggled.

Cordelia clenched her fists when she heard the conversation. She walked out later, holding the dirty water left from cleaning the coffee machine, and splashed it outside. "Ah!" Yelena shrieked and hopped away. The water nearly splattered on her.

"Cordelia, are you crazy?!"

"Ha, you're here." Cordelia smiled. "Excuse me. I thought I heard dogs barking just now and got worried that those strays would step on my flowers, so I came out for a look." Yelena glared at her.

To be honest, the cafe had a decent ambiance. She majored in design and had always wanted a studio, but William did not support it. Her studio would easily come to life if she could chase Cordelia away and take over this place.

She was already halfway done. The paid posters she had hired were effective on the Internet. This cafe would close down soon due to the lack of business. She would take over by then, and Cordelia could pack up and say goodbye!

Yelena snorted. Her gaze was a little more vicious when she looked at Cordelia again.

"Cordelia, I heard that you don't have business recently?" She swayed her hips as she walked to Cordelia. "I saw those reviews online. Haha, don't be bothered by them!

"If you ask me, Marcus isn't dependable at all! You've got to rely on your family at critical times. See, I'm here to support you today!

"Have a seat, everyone!" Yelena eyed the group behind her. "We're here to support my sister's business today. Get anything you want. It's on me!"

The group shuffled into the cafe as they spoke.

Cordelia's frown was tightly knitted as she wore a look of repulse.

Would Yelena be this kind? Please, she could get some acting lessons!