Clara’s words were extremely logical but Violet and Marico had been managing the family for a long time to not be able to spot the hidden agenda behind those words. They had already been expecting this but figured that they should tease this serious looking lady a little.

“I wonder if your insistence to collaborate with Zach stems from you thinking of the well being of our family or your own well being instead.” Violet smirked like a cunning vixen as she asked Clara.

“What do you mean by that? What personal agenda could I possibly have to do this?” Clara acted as if she hadn’t understood the question at all.

“I mean to ask if you are in love with Zach. Have you fallen for him after witnessing his power?” Violet had always been straightforward but this time her direct approach stung Clara making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She panicked as she looked at her sister’s smiling face that seemed to be hiding daggers. In her panic she turned towards her father who as it turned out was smiling in the same creepy manner as her elder sister.

“Of course not; how can this young lady fall for a man like him?” flustered Clara denied every accusation of her sister and her father but her face turned red like a juicy tomato about to burst.

“Thanks for saying that. I have been hoping to hear you say this all this time. I was afraid that you had fallen in love with Zach. Thankfully, you haven’t which means I am now free to pursue him for myself. You don’t mind if I do that, do you?”

Clara couldn’t get any more flustered at this sudden attack. She had only been denying it out of embarrassment but Violet didn’t even give her a chance before launching the attack.

Clara looked like she had been holding her breath for too long. Her face looked puffy and flushed with anger as she stared daggers into her sister who looked like an opportunistic vixen to her. She wanted to shout her resistance to Violet and her father but the words got stuck somewhere in her throat as if she lost track of them midway.

Marico had been silent all this time except for a snicker or two because he wanted to figure out his daughter’s true feelings. He didn’t want her to suffer because of the decisions he made in preparation for the rise of his family.

Therefore, when he witnessed his daughter’s tsundere act, he couldn’t help but laugh freely like old men his age usually did.

“Let’s not tease her any further Violet. I think she has had enough for today. How about you let her off?”

Violet had been enjoying the various emotions on her usually stern sister’s face. She still stopped annoying Clara as soon as her father told her to let Clara be.

It was only then that Clara understood what had happened to her. All of this had been a trap carefully laid down by her evil father and sister duo. She had been playing along their tunes for so long. Embarrassment engulfed her whole being as she thought back to everything she had said regarding Zach.

Her already red face turned an even deeper shade of red as she realized how she had been played which made her want to smash her head into the wall with all her strength. She couldn’t believe that all this was a ploy to get her to reveal her feelings.

Angry with her closest family members, Clara stomped her feet with considerable strength to cause some vibrations in the entire floor structure and rushed out the door with such brisk steps that she was practically running.

Just before she could get a hold of her emotions after leaving the room, she ran straight into Zach and bumped into his chest. She was especially petite compared to Zach who could be considered quite tall. When she bumped into him, she barely reached his strong and muscular chest.

Due to their closeness, Zach had to look down in order to see who had run into him.

Clara looked up and stared right into Zach’s soulful gaze. Her already pounding heart couldn’t take much of it and burst out of her chest right through her ribs and all.

Zach was just about to call her name when Clara took a step back suddenly and steered clear of him before escaping at an even faster speed. She was barely able to keep her blushing face from being seen by Zach by covering it completely using her hands.

Zach could only wonder to himself whether he had done something wrong to earn her ire. He didn’t want to be on the bad side of this girl who could shatter the ground with her punches.

Zach had visited the main estate of the Windsor family a few times before but that had been in the absence of the old master. These visits couldn’t actually be counted because the leader of the household was either absent or bedridden during those visits.

Therefore, this was by far the first official visit to the Windsor family estate after the old leader was healed and took over the Windsor family command once again from Violet.

In fact, Zach had not come alone this time. Diana and Bruce had been following right after him but they were too interested in the little trinkets lining the walls along the way. They were too distracted and separated from him midway.

They were currently rushing towards him speedily in order to cover the gap between them faster.

Quite some time had passed since he kept his end of the bargain but the Windsor family had yet to make good on their promise with him. When he had saved Clara in the wilderness before, she had promised to help him establish a foundation for himself on behalf of the Windsor family. He had been delaying his demand to get a piece of land in Byzantium city because he was being considerate of the Windsor family who were going through a tough time.

Now that he had helped them solve their problem, he believed that it was only right to demand what he was owed by the Windsor family. Therefore, he brought Bruce and Diana with him in order to discuss the details of the acquisition of the Greenland Island.

Just when he was about to enter the room to discuss it with Marico, he ran into Clara who looked quite out of it as if she was being chased by several poltergeists.

Flustered with the sudden rocket that hit him squarely in his chest, he stumbled before regaining his balance. Before he could ask her what happened, she made a run for it which left him staring into empty space.

Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long as Violet came out of the room to welcome his group. Diana and Bruce had also caught up to him by this time and returned Violet’s greeting along with him through a polite nod. 𝗼𝘃𝗹.𝗼𝐫𝗴

Zach eyed Violet asking what the deal with her sister was.

“You don’t need to bother with her. She is all right just a little flustered.”

Zach nodded and didn’t pursue the matter any further before following her lead and entering the room. Diana and Bruce followed right after him albeit a little cautiously. They couldn’t rest at ease thinking that Zach had been called to the main estate for the discussion.

The old master was obviously all smiles to see Zach. He motioned to Zach and his companions to take a seat across from him.

When all were seated, Violet walked towards the study table at the edge of the room and took out several documents from the drawer that was as long as a filing cabinet. She picked out one from among the pile and brought it back with her to her father.

Zach intended to discuss the Greenland project this time with the old master and wanted to request him to expedite the leasing process if possible. Seeing the papers in Violet’s hand, excitement coursed through him and he hoped that they were what he wished them to be.

“Here’s the lease agreement for the island you asked for.” Violet handed the documents to Zach so he could verify their authenticity.

Zach was pleasantly surprised by this gesture from the Windsor family. They took care of his request proactively even before he asked them. He had to admire their work efficiency.

“To be honest, it is a lot earlier than I expected. Thank you for expediting the process. It should have taken some extra effort considering the circumstances.” Zach showed his appreciation in a sincere manner.

Bruce and Diana had similar smiles beside him since the lease agreement would allow them to coax the family members who were dissatisfied at the moment.

“No need to thank us. This is what we should do in the first place. Ever since our Clara made that agreement with you, our family was prepared to honor her agreement to the best of our abilities. It should be us thanking you instead. Your favors towards our family are way heavier compared to this tiny one.”

Violet was truly grateful for everything Zach had done for her family no matter what his intentions might have been.

***Congratulations***

You have successfully earned the favorability of Clara Windsor. You are one step closer to digging into the vast potential hiding within her.

You have managed to leave a good impression on the Windsor family of Byzantium city that is considered to be a powerful family in its own right.

…