Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 68

“Stop, Patricia!” Zachary angrily shouted when he saw that Patricia was going to run away after causing such drama.

“Cousin, please calm down. Let’s go inside and have a talk. There is a saying that family troubles should not be made public. There is also a saying that you age faster if you’re quick to lose your temper. Is this really something you’re willing to tarnish your beauty over?” she said. Patricia understood what was going on. She turned around and gave Zachary a bright smile in an attempt to appease him.

With disappointment clearly written across his face, Zachary looked at Patricia, who smiled in a flattering way. ‘What nonsense is she talking about? If I don’t show her just how infuriated I am, she will think I am a doormat,’ Zachary thought.

“Why didn’t you obey when I asked you to go inside a few moments ago? It’s too late for you to say anything now,” he said. Zachary looked at Patricia menacingly, and approached her with slow, calculated steps.

‘I ought to teach her a good lesson. She had the nerve to bring Yasmin here without warning, not to mention that she said something so obscene and untrue. To make matters worse, she blatantly disregarded my requests, even though I pleaded with her. Now she wants to quietly slip away and act as if she is completely innocent. If she has nothing to say for herself, I will not let her get away with this.’ Zachary wanted to seek vengeance.

Noting the seriousness in Zachary’s tone and seeing the trademark sneer beginning to manifest on his face, Patricia felt her heart beginning to race. She wasn’t just taken aback, she was indeed fearful.

“My cousin, let’s have a good talk. A gentleman uses his tongue but not his fists,” she said. Patricia took an unsteady step back, smiling again to try and appease her cousin. He was slowly coming closer and closer.

Seeing that Zachary was not moved by her words, she turned rapidly on her heel, fled to the next room and hastily attempted to shut the door behind her.

Zachary was well-accustomed to this old trick of Patricia’s. She had employed this trick many times to escape his sight. Zachary was too fast for her. He caught the door handle before she could slam him out. Now, it would be impossible for her to close the door on him.

After fighting against him momentarily, Patricia realized she did not stand a chance against his power. She stopped struggling and let him in. Patricia bitterly straightened her clothing. She walked across the room and took a seat next to the table, awaiting her punishment.

Zachary was stunned by Patricia’s sudden change in attitude. This obedience was at odds with her characteristic ferocity. She behaved as though he was a parent who wanted to chastise their child. In the past, when Patricia offended Zachary, she would never surrender so easily. She would run away, doing anything to thwart him, until he taught her a lesson.

The atmosphere became rather strange when Patricia quietly sat down. In the face of Patricia’s atypical submission, Zachary was at a loss on how to proceed. Between her strange behavior and Yasmin’s unexpected appearance, Zachary’s mind had become a mess.

“Tell me, why did you behave this way today?” Zachary sat opposite Patricia and requested an explanation in an indifferent tone. He attempted to extract an explanation from her by asking in a civilized manner.

Many years had passed since they were children who would poke fun at each other. The circumstances were different. They were both adults and it would be inappropriate for Zachary to deal with Patricia as he did when they were kids. She was a grown, beautiful woman now. They could discuss the matter maturely and reason with one another. There were alternatives to how they had settled things in the past. Maybe she had a reasonable explanation for what she had done. Perhaps this was all just a misunderstanding.

Patricia was also surprised that Zachary refrained from vengefully attacking her. Zachary looked at her with a solemn face, which made her hair stand on end. Initially, she thought that she wouldn’t be able to escape his wrath, hence she had sat down quietly, ready to deal with whatever punishment he decided to reign down upon her like a storm. But his behavior now made her even more nervous. She sensed that perhaps this was the calm before the storm.

After internally coming to terms with just how unpredictable Zachary was with his scheming ways, Patricia answered truthfully, “I went next-door to meet her while you were in the shower. I went into her home under the ruse of needing to use her bathroom.”

This made sense to Zachary. After considering her words for a moment, he asked, “What was your intention when you brought her here? What were you trying to achieve?”

‘I really am at a loss for words. I have no idea what I should say,’ thought Patricia. Patricia was unsure about whether she should tell Zachary what her real purpose had been. It was a task she had placed on herself and it was weighing heavily on her. After weighing her options for a while, Patricia said in a level voice, “I just made a new friend and wanted to introduce you to her. As the saying goes, close neighbors are better than distant relatives. I already feel quite attached to this charming new neighbor, Yasmin.”

Zachary looked at Patricia, who had leaned back in her chair and had begun twirling her hair between her fingers. He considered the veracity of her answer.

“Then why did you introduce me as your boyfriend? What explanation could you possibly have for that?” Zachary asked Patricia this pertinent question.

For the moment, Zachary was willing to accept the explanation that she wanted to introduce him to Yasmin out of enthusiasm of meeting her new neighbor. But he was still left with a few unanswered questions. ‘Why didn’t she tell Yasmin that she is my cousin? Why did she make it seem like I was her boyfriend? Why did she snuggle up against me to ensure that it looked like I am in fact her romantic interest?’ He pondered these things in mind.

Looking at the frightful expression on Zachary’s face, Patricia felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t know how to explain herself to ease his distress.

‘Can I say that I had a moment of madness? Or perhaps I could say that I wanted to show that I’d like my boyfriend to be handsome like him? What if I can’t manage to say this convincingly? To be honest, I wouldn’t believe such ridiculous reasoning. How can I convince this cunning cousin of mine?’ These thoughts distressed Patricia.

Patricia poured a cup of tea for Zachary and handed it to him with a smile. “Cousin, here you go. Have a cup of tea. I will tell you everything.”

Accepting the cup of tea from Patricia, Zachary took a sip, and said, “You pinched me quite hard just now and behaved so strangely. Before we make amends, you need to explain yourself.” Then he put down the teacup, cleared his throat and continued, “Besides, don’t even dare to think that you can fool your shrewd cousin.”

Patricia could hear Zachary’s threatening tone all too clearly. She saw caught off guard. “I hear you loud and clearly. I will answer your questions.

My dear, cunning cousin, is it possible that you have a crush on the beautiful girl next door?” Patricia asked this pertinent question, while being careful to flatter him.

Zachary didn’t appreciate her flattery. “Cut the crap! Just answer me directly,” Zachary ordered her.

“Well, since you won’t admit it, what I’ve done has been in vein, anyway. I’m here to help you pursue your wife…” Patricia said in a low and dejected tone, having been upset by Zachary’s harsh remarks. She kept him in suspense, not completing her answer.