The Ultimate Heir.

Chapter eight

Zale stared unblinkingly at the screen of his phone as he read the news of a mysterious person who had bought Juliet Rose at a breakneck price of $17 million.

After he finished reading the news, he said to himself, "Maybe this wasn't the Juliet Rose that was meant. People can fake things and make them look real, can't they?"

Then he approached the flower on the ground and carefully picked it up.

Although he tried to convince himself that the flower wasn't the same as the one that was sold for $17 million, a stray thought subconsciously told him otherwise.

Gently, he placed the flower back on the grave where it had previously lain. "I don't know who kept it. But whoever it's, I hope you're just an imposter."

Zale refixed his gaze on the headstone and stared at it for a while before finally muttering, "Goodbye, old man. I'll visit you another time."

He took off from the cemetery and entered a cab that would take him back to the city.

"Hello, sir. Where are you going?" the cab driver asked, looking at Zale through the rearview mirror.

He told the cab driver his destination, and off they went.

During the trip, Zale couldn't stop thinking about the flower he saw at his foster father's grave.

From the little time he spent with the old man, he could boldly tell he had no relatives.

The old man had lost his wife and children in a car accident, and the few relatives he had, lived in a distant country.

He kept thinking of the person who must have dropped the fake flowers on the grave until he finally came to the conclusion that it was one of the old man's relatives.

That was the only logical conclusion he could draw as to why someone would put fake flowers on the old man's grave.

"Even in death, they could not even respect him. Giving a dead man fake flowers, just what level of disregard is that? That's probably why he barely talked about them," Zale muttered and sighed.

After that, he decided to bury the thought and focus on his own life. He has his own problems to think about, after all.

He literally lost his job today. And one of the consequences was that he'd be jobless for a few days, weeks, or even months.

Also, his mother-in-law would use this opportunity to increase his workload once she learns that he lost his job.

Zale picked up his phone and called someone.

"The number you're calling is busy and cannot be answered at this time," a mechanical voice conveyed through the speaker of the phone.

He wanted to call his wife and talk to her. His current state of mind was in a mess and only she could ease it.

It was almost 6 p.m.; she should be off work by now. Why isn't she answering his call?

He decided to call her again, but as before, the phone continued to ring without an answer.

He called her three more times, but it kept ringing without an answer.

At this point, Zale was starting to get a little worried.

His wife never let his calls go unanswered unless she was in the middle of an important meeting. But her working hours were over. She should be home by now; why was she not answering his calls?

"Maybe she's just busy or something," he muttered to himself, but the doubt was already there, so he did not immediately stop worrying.

"Take me to Jenkins Villa instead," he told the cab driver, who nodded in response.

Initially, he had wanted to stop at a quiet street near the Jenkins mansion and walk home gradually, but not anymore. Now he was going straight home to check on his wife.

It was a long trip. He had only been on the road for an hour, which meant he still had about a two-and-a-half-hour journey ahead of him.

He kept calling Sasha's number, but even after a series of calls, no one answered.

At this point, he had become very anxious. Several nasty scenarios began clouding his head.

He considered calling his wife's best friend, Katherine, to ask her if she knew his wife's whereabouts but dismissed the idea when he remembered their relationship.

Kate may be his wife's best friend, but that wasn't the case with him.

Kate calls him a gold digger and hates him for marrying her best friend and caging her in a fake marriage.

His brother-in-law, Lennon Jenkins, wasn't an option. Lennon wouldn't answer his call even if he called a thousand times, so he didn't want to waste his time. The same was true for his mother-in-law.

After thinking for a while about who to call, he finally decided to call the one person most likely to give him an answer: his father-in-law.

He dialed the number and held the phone close to his ear.

But on the first ring, the call was declined.

"As expected, he wouldn't answer," Zale muttered in disappointment. But just as he was about to take the phone from his ear, a call came in.

Surprisingly, it was his father-in-law calling. Zale quickly took the call without even wasting time.

"Have you finally decided to accept my offer?" An amused old voice sounded on the other end of the phone. The voice sounded happy and keen.

"I'm afraid that's not why I called you, sir," Zale answered quickly.

The seemingly happy voice quickly took a turn. "I only gave you my number so you could call me whenever you decide to accept my offer! Apart from that, don't you dare call me on your own accord, you low life!" The old man barked angrily before ending the call.

"Sir ... No ... wait ..." Zale was still speaking when the connection was severed.

He took a deep breath and leaned back on the car seat; he had been sitting on the edge the whole time.

"I just can't comprehend his eagerness for me to assume the CEO role. It's not like I excelled academically or possess extraordinary credentials. It simply doesn't add up. I'm uncertain of his true motives, but whatever they may be, I am steadfast in my refusal to accept his offer," Zale contemplated aloud, his tone unwavering.