Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 98

Zachary sensed a shift in Joseph’s behavior. Before going abroad, Joseph would maintain a cold face and act detached all day long. He despised idle talks. He was a man who went straight to the point. However, of late, Zachary had noticed Joseph was a changed man. When he spoke, there was warmth in his voice. Sometimes, he caught Joseph indulging in insignificant topics. And today he even confessed he was indeed feeling quite good. ‘The man I knew didn’t talk about his feelings,’ Zachary thought to himself.

Zachary sighed, realizing the power of love was too strong. It had softened a cold man like Joseph. He had transformed into a considerate and fun-loving man. Despite the shock, he was sincerely happy for his friend. Joseph, nourished by love, seemed to be brimming with joy all the time.

“I will tell you everything after I return. I haven’t asked you to remain in the office all day long. You need to get your a*s out of the office and fight for your love!” Joseph said in good spirits. He couldn’t help but discuss their personal lives.

Even now, he vividly remembered the dispirited look on Zachary’s face before he flew abroad. As he brooded over this matter, he finally came to the conclusion that Zachary was trapped in love. Now that he was happy, he wished his friend would be too. He passed on this piece of advice, hoping Zachary would take it.

“You are a changed man. In fact, you sound like a love expert,” Zachary teased in a relaxed tone, but deep down he was overwhelmed with distress.

“Yes, I want the best for you. Anyway, don’t forget my words. I’ll talk to you later,” Joseph said distractedly. His girlfriend had appeared, clad in gorgeous thermal pajamas. He was no longer interested in conversing with his friend.

Zachary, who was far away in Obraria, realized his friend had hung up on him, without even giving him a chance to respond. The corners of his mouth twitched. ‘Is he going to always abandon me for his girlfriend?’ he thought and shook his head.

It was hard to predict what would happen in the future. Joseph, who had thought he would be destined to live alone, had finally found a life partner. He was genuinely happy for his friend yet there was a tinge of bitterness gnawing at his heart. The root cause of Zachary’s bitterness was his loneliness. He had been deluded into thinking he found the love of his life. However, to his utter disappointment, she didn’t feel the same way about him!

The night when Yasmin admitted she had fallen for another man, Zachary slammed the door angrily and stomped out of the house. She made it clear she wished to cut all ties with him. After this unfortunate incident, Zachary sank deep into work. If he let himself think about her, his heart would ache. After a few days, his rage had disappeared. But he found himself unable to forget her. He wished to see her.

At this moment, he was standing on the topmost floor of the Empire Group. Through the glass window, he gazed at what was happening below. He saw the city was thronging with cars. Everyone preferred the hustle-bustle of crowd. No one was there to accompany him in his loneliness. That was fine by him. He didn’t despise solitude.

Looking at the distant sky, Zachary said to himself, ‘The whole world can abandon me, but I wouldn’t give a damn. I only dread being abandoned by you.’

He began to think about Yasmin’s cold-heartedness. Agonies of loneliness and misery swept over him.

It had happened two days ago, around ten o’clock in the evening. Zachary was entrusted with the task of looking for the graduate thesis which Patricia had left in his apartment. Before he left the building after he fulfilled the task, he went to Yasmin’s apartment. He came to a halt when he reached the door. Instinctively, he raised his hand and rang the doorbell.

‘Just one glance. I’ll leave as soon as I am sure she is fine,’ he told to himself, justifying his action. Zachary would continue to love her. But he wasn’t a selfish man. He wouldn’t deprive her of her happiness. She had made it clear she was with another man. However, at this moment, his concern for her had reached its peak. ‘Just one glance,’ he chanted to himself again.

The day after they broke up, Patricia caught sight of Zachary. He had a look of melancholy. She spoke to Yasmin, finally discovering the reason behind his sadness. However, before Patricia could do something about it, Zachary sent her back to Olkfield and warned her to keep it from his family.

The last thing he wanted was to put pressure on Yasmin. Their families were eager to get them married. If his parents learned the truth, it was bound to reach Yasmin’s mother. And this, in turn would create an uproar. To safeguard the friendship between the two families, perhaps Yasmin’s mother would convince her to break up with her current boyfriend.

A relationship would only work if it was two-sided. Forcing someone wasn’t love. Zachary would never force Yasmin into a loveless marriage.

After ringing the bell, he waited a while. He told himself perhaps she was never going to open. Just when he was about to leave, he heard the doorknob twist and it opened.

“Who the hell are you! You are disturbing me again!” Yasmin was bleary-eyed.

Listening to this familiar voice, Zachary’s face broke into a smile. However, he soon noticed her hair and clothes were disorderly. He felt like he was meeting her after ages. Yasmin was still half asleep. He continued to regard her. He knew he was in no position to take care of her.

In spite of this, he found himself regarding her in silence. He felt something wasn’t quite right. On a closer inspection, he noticed her face was a little flushed and her beautiful eyes bright. Her legs seemed weak, on the verge of wobbling. He realized something and a hint of pain flashed through his eyes.

From the look of it, Yasmin had been having s*x before he appeared. ‘How else can her messy look be explained?’ he thought, writhing with rage. His heart ached. He couldn’t stand and watch this. He wished to leave at once, but driven by rage, he stepped into her flat.

“Hey, Zachary, you can’t go in!” Yasmin, who had finally seen his face, screamed. However, her words fell on deaf ears. She touched her dizzy head with one hand and made a vain attempt to stop him.

Seeing that Yasmin was trying to stop him from entering her room made his resolution stronger. Now he was pretty sure that his suspicion was right. ‘How can she sleep with someone she has only known for a few days?’ he thought to himself with disgust. Zachary wasn’t going to show any mercy. He was determined to beat the hell out of this man who had ruined her purity. At the same time, he was repulsed at the thought of facing him. If what he thought was right, there was nothing he could do to change that! Helplessness clutched him.

Zachary, who was torn between his desire to enter and his fear to face the truth, stepped into her bedroom. He spent a few minutes searching through her room. However, there was no other human being. Just clothes and papers scattered all over the floor.

Finally, it struck him he had been wrong. The joy he felt at this realization was immensurable. Yasmin, who couldn’t understand what was going on in his mind, rebuked him, “Zachary, what the hell are you doing here? We had a deal, remember? How can you meddle with my life?”

The second she registered his beautiful face, she had become weak in the knees. Zachary still had so much power over her.

She had thought she could keep herself from falling in love with him. Not wanting to think about him too much, she left for work early and came back home quite late these days. She overworked herself, hoping fatigue would help her suppress the throb in her heart. All this while, she was under the impression her plan had been working. However, seeing him here made her realize her efforts had been futile.