The Billionaire's Forgotten Wife
Chapter 80: A Gentle Side

Chapter 80: A Gentle Side

"Boss," Blake said, standing beside the warehouse door, "the shooter said the person who hired him always wore a mask whenever they met."

Zeke’s eyes narrowed. "A mask?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Every single time. He never saw the person’s face. Doesn’t know if it was a man or a woman. Just their voice, and even that was distorted."

Zeke’s jaw tensed. "Coward."

Blake continued, "There’s more. He said it wasn’t just Claire. He was told to shoot at random people too, to cause chaos, not just a clean hit."

Zeke’s expression darkened. A cold smirk formed at the corner of his lips. "Find out who’s behind this. Go through every enemy I have. Where they’ve been these past few months, who they’ve met, anything strange. I want names."

Then his voice dropped, low and lethal.

"If I find them, I’ll make them pay for what they did. And if they ever touch Claire or Cassidy again, I’ll kill them with my own hands."

Blake gave a sharp nod. "Yes, sir. I’ll handle it."

After leaving the warehouse, Zeke drove to his villa.

The roads were quiet, but his mind wasn’t.

His hands still felt tense around the steering wheel, the echo of that man’s screams ringing faintly in his ears. But Zeke didn’t flinch. He didn’t regret it.

Some things couldn’t be fixed with words.

By the time he arrived, the sun was already up. The villa was quiet and still, just like he had left it.

Zeke stepped inside, loosening the buttons on his shirt as he walked. He needed a shower. A change of clothes. Then he would go back to the hospital.

He headed straight to the bathroom. Stripped down. Turned on the water.

As the steam filled the glass enclosure, Zeke stepped under the spray, letting the heat burn away the cold edge that had settled in his chest.

He didn’t stay long.

There was no time to waste. Not when Claire was still in that hospital bed. Not when Cassidy might be sitting beside her, alone or with someone Zeke didn’t want to see.

Dressed in fresh clothes, he grabbed his keys and walked out. Back to the hospital. Back to them.

Before going to the hospital, Zeke made a quick stop to buy some fruit and a bouquet of flowers.

When he arrived, he headed straight to Claire’s room.

Inside, Georgia, Clara, and Cassidy were sitting on the sofa near the window, quietly talking. They looked up as Zeke walked in.

Zeke’s eyes moved around the room. He didn’t see Xavier, and that made him quietly relieved.

Then he noticed two small children. A boy and a girl were sitting on the floor near Claire’s bed, playing with a set of Lego pieces, quietly focused on building something together.

Without saying much, he walked over to the small table near the window. He placed the fruit down carefully, then set the flowers beside them. He had bought a vase too, just in case, and it turned out he was right. There wasn’t one in the room.

So he unwrapped the bouquet and arranged the flowers himself, placing them neatly in the vase before setting it on the table.

After setting everything down, Zeke turned to Cassidy.

"How is she?" he asked quietly. "Has she woken up yet?"

Cassidy nodded slightly. "She did. Just for a few minutes. Then she fell asleep again."

Zeke gave a small nod, his expression calm but thoughtful. "Alright," he murmured. "That’s good."

He pulled a chair closer and sat down beside Claire’s bed, his eyes softening as he looked at her.

Suddenly, one of the kids, the younger boy, stood up and walked toward Zeke, stopping about a meter away. He was holding a small Lego piece in his hand, looking up curiously.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his voice small and innocent.

Zeke smiled at the sound of his childish tone.

"Call me Uncle. Uncle Zeke."

The boy tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Uncle Zeke? Who are you? Are you Claire’s dad?"

Zeke nodded gently. "Yes. I’m Claire’s dad. And who are you?"

Hearing that, the boy stepped a little closer, more relaxed now. "I’m Jonah," he said proudly. "Claire’s cousin."

"Nice to meet you, Jonah," Zeke said with a smile.

Jonah grinned and held up the Lego piece in his hand, a small green dinosaur.

"Look. I made this by myself," he said proudly.

Zeke looked at it and smiled. "That’s amazing. You’re really good at building."

Jonah’s eyes lit up at the compliment. "Do you know how to build Lego too?"

"Of course," Zeke replied. "I have a big collection at home."

Freya, who had been quietly sitting nearby, suddenly stood up. Her eyes widened with excitement.

"You have a Lego collection?" she asked. "Do you have the Disney ones too?"

Zeke’s lips twitched at the question. He shook his head. "No, I don’t."

Freya tilted her head, clearly confused. "Why not?"

Zeke gave a small chuckle. "I haven’t bought any yet," he said. "But maybe I will soon. Do you have a lot of Disney Lego sets?"

Freya nodded proudly. "Yes."

Across the room, Georgia had been quietly listening to the exchange. She smiled, then glanced at Cassidy. Leaning in, she whispered,

"He’s going to be a good dad to Claire. He’s kind and good with kids."

Clara, who had also been watching, gave a small nod of agreement. Cassidy didn’t say anything, but a soft smile appeared on her lips.

Georgia chuckled softly, her eyes still on Zeke.

"I never thought I’d see Ezekiel Salvador talk like that. So gentle."

Cassidy stayed quiet, her gaze still on Zeke and the children.

Then Georgia added with a playful smile, "Maybe once Claire wakes up, her favorite person won’t be Uncle Xavier anymore."

Cassidy finally spoke, her voice soft. "I don’t know. You’ve seen the bond between them. It’s hard to explain."

Georgia nodded slowly. "I know. But once Claire wakes up, one of those two men is definitely going to feel jealous, no matter what happens."

She gave a small smirk. "Either she gets closer to Zeke, or her bond with Xavier stays just as strong. Either way, there’s going to be some serious competition between those two."

***

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