Chapter 2
Maybe I had seen his photo before and just didn’t remember. Maybe my brain had filed it away and used it in my dreams without me realizing it.
That had to be it.
As for the cut on Zachary’s lip, it was probably just a coincidence.
Although those dreams were kind of embarrassing, no one would ever know if I didn’t say it.
To stop dreaming about him, I stayed up until sunrise. Around noon, my roommate shook me awake.
“Roz, get up. Someone is looking for you.”
“Who is it?”
“Zachary.”
That got my eyes open fast. She gave me a look full of gossip.
“He’s waiting downstairs. You’d better hurry.”
I washed my face quickly and rushed outside.
Even standing off to the side, Zachary stood out. He was tall, straight- backed, and still managed to draw attention from every direction.
He looked me over and asked, “Did you have trouble sleeping last night?” His voice-it hit differently.
I’d imagined it so many times in my dreams. Now I finally heard it for real. It was deep and addictive.
“How’d you know?” I asked.
“You’ve got dark circles.”
“Oh… So, what do you need?”
“Liora told me you plan to post her situation online.
“If the higher-ups keep covering for her, I will.”
Zachary pondered for a moment and said, “Our company’s already dealing with some public relations problems. Can you ease up a bit? Name your price.”
“No,” “I refused without hesitation. “If I give in to people like you once, I’ll never be able to live with myself again.”
“People like us?” he repeated, raising his brows like he didn’t get it.
“Yeah. People like you, with all your power and money, always look perfect on the outside-but underneath, you’re rotten. And you stay that way by stepping on people like me.”
Zachary didn’t argue. He just stared at me for a second and asked a strange question, “Is that what you think of me?”
“Of course. You and Liora are family. With a niece like her, how good
can you be?” I turned and started going upstairs.
Then, he called out, “Rosalyn.”
“Anything else?”
He paused for a moment and said, “Try to get some sleep tonight.”
That was impossible. I had a night shift to pull.
Liora wasn’t bluffing. I might lose my job offer. I needed to save up and move to another city.
The convenience store I worked at was open all night. My shift ended at six in the morning. I was exhausted, my eyes barely staying open.
I thought I might’ve dozed off. Because suddenly, I saw Zachary. His black Maybach was parked by the curb, and he was looking right at
It had to be a dream.
I walked over to him and said, “Aren’t you only supposed to show up at night? It’s six in the morning.”
I’d never dreamed of him during the day before.
Zachary didn’t reply. That was normal. In dreams, the other person usually didn’t talk back.
Seeing that usual cold expression, I got irritated.
“You’ve got such a nice face, but you’re awful in real life.” I reached up and touched his cheek.
He didn’t stop me. He just patted the seat next to him like he wanted me to get in. So I did-and sat right on him, just like in my dreams.
Zachary shifted his legs and adjusted his position so I could sit more comfortably.
“Your niece picked on me. The teachers ignored it. And you backed
her up, too.
“But you have no idea what she did to me.
“She cut up my dress just because I bought the same one she had.
“She said I was shameless and wore fake stuff. How would I even know the brand? It might’ve been, but I paid for it myself with my savings.”
Zachary’s expression flickered.
“Now, I just expose the truth, you want companies to blacklist me…”
Since I figured he couldn’t hear me anyway, I poured out all my grievances in reality. At the end, I bit his shoulder hard.
“I’m done dreaming about you—this is the last one.”
But then, he suddenly grabbed me, holding me tight. “No. I’m not okay with that.”
I froze.
Did he just… talk? And did I actually hear him?
Wait. That couldn’t be right. I was confused.
Then, he said it again, “Rosalyn, you’re not asleep. This isn’t a dream.”
This time, I heard it clearly.
At that exact moment, someone knocked on the car window.
“Uncle Zachary, why’d you call me out here so early?”
