After a week, Zara returned to her routine, focusing on her work, completely putting her thoughts about Sebastian aside.
Her boss was impressed by her work efficiency and assigned her a new task for successfully completing the previous one.
Zara is on clouds to be praised by her superiors and dedicated herself to work, not bothering about Sebastian anymore.
One day when she returned home from work……
“Zara, come here.”
Andrew called, looking at his worn-out daughter.
“What’s up dad?”
Zara sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder lazily and yawned.
She has been working tirelessly for the past few weeks because of new project and today she submitted all the reports regarding that.
She hopes her boss wouldn’t find fault in them because she cross checked them countless times.
“Are you tired?”
Andrew asked, massaging her temples, making her moan in relaxation and hummed as a yes.
“Just quit the job already. I have a perfect match for you. You don’t need to work anymore. He is rich.”
He turned on his phone and scrolled the screen and fished out a photo to show the groom’s picture, making Zara sit up straight, her face laced with gloominess.
“Seriously dad! Even after everything I have done and achieved, you still want me to be like a porcelain doll. Am I that unworthy to be independent in your eyes?”
She stood up angrily as she said so and threw her handbag on the sofa, fed up by his perceptions.
“I didn’t mean that but why work hard when you can have everything after marriage?”
Zara widened her eyes, staring her dad in disbelief and scoffed, clapping her hands before darting into her room and locked the door.
How can her dad not respect her decisions?
And he feels so righteous about his thoughts. Ridiculous!
“Zara, come out. I am talking to you.” shouted Andrew from outside but she didn’t open the door, not willing to face him.
“I want to take a nap. Please, do me a favour and don’t disturb me.” shouted back Zara and went to the bathroom, to take a shower, to wash away her upset mood with hot water.
After coming out of the shower, she dried her body with the towel, put on her pyjamas and laid on the bed, facing the ceiling before calling Paula and told her about the fight with her dad.
“You are living the life you wanted, don’t take uncle’s words to heart.”
Paula persuaded, her soft voice bringing smile on Zara’s face.
“I don’t understand darling. Why is he still believing that only marriage can give me everything I wanted?”
Zara argued, still finding it hard to accept her dad’s perception.
“In my opinion, marriage can make us compromise and sacrifice things to maintain the relationship. Marriage is to make two people happy but now I feel that it’s nothing but to collapse dreams of many people.”
Zara spoke annoyed by her dad’s nagging.
“You are right baby. But that’s only when you meet the wrong person. If you meet the right one, you feel marriage is the best thing in the world.” said Paula chuckling at her frustration.
“Not everyone can be as lucky as you Paula Adams.”
She saw her dad sitting on the sofa in the living room watching TV and didn’t spare him a glance and straight walked into the kitchen where her mother is making her favourite food.
“Zara, sit with me. We have to talk.”
Andrew spoke after spotting Zara and she clenched her fists, halting in her tracks for getting caught.
She turned around slowly and took a deep breath to control her emotions and approached her dad.
We have to talk?
‘It should be I HAVE TO SAY’ Zara thought as she stood beside her dad.
When did he ever give her a chance to speak?
“If you want me to quit my job then it’s better if WE don’t talk.”
She spoke in a determined tone, making Andrew sigh and pulled her down, making her sit beside him before hugging her to his chest.
“I am not a heartless person Zara. I just don’t want my daughter to work hard. You are my princess.” said Andrew planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Zara giggled, hugging him back and kissed his cheek happily.
“And you are my king but dad, I love my work. Please don’t ever ask me to quit my job.”
She pleaded him with her puppy dog eyes and Andrew nodded his head, making her jump with happiness.
“I know my dad. He is my king.”
She applauded him with praises and kissed his cheek again.
“Well! My princess. Now, look at this prince.”
Andrew held out his hand and scrolled through his phone, displaying a man’s photo but Zara didn’t even spare a glance at the picture.
“Dad!”
She called him in deep voice, her eyes darting to her mother who came out of the kitchen with food, expressing her displeasure.
“You are not young anymore Zara. When are you planning to get married?”
Andrew’s voice grew stern, fed up with his daughter’s pettiness.
“Dad! Can’t I just stay with you like this forever? Without marriage, doing my job, living my life.”
Zara knew arguing was never a good option with her father so she sat beside him and spoke softly, trying to persuade him but he didn’t buy her bullshit.
“Enough with this nonsense. You are going to meet him next week.”
Zara panicked at her dad’s commanding tone and fidgeted with her fingers, thinking of a way to escape the blind date and just blurted whatever that came to her mind.
“But I planned a vacation with Paula.”
She lied. They never planned a vacation but she’s ready to plan a world tour, pouring out her hard earned money just to escape her dad’s match making efforts.
Andrew narrowed his eyes at his daughter suspiciously before taking out his phone and called Paula immediately.
Zara fiddled with her dress, anxiously praying god to not expose her lie and hoped Paula to possess supernatural powers so that she could sense her situation and lie to her dad.
“Hello Paula!! How are you?” asked Andrew, his eyes never leaving his tensed daughter.
Zara cursed Paula a million times for picking up the call and moved close to her dad, trying to hear their conversation.
‘Brainless Paula! Didn’t you smell something fishy when you saw my dad calling you at this hour? Why did you pick the call? You better speak carefully otherwise you are dead.’ New chapters come out on g.com first.
Zara thought as she cranked her neck for better hearing but to no avail.
“Hello uncle! I am alright. How are you?” asked Paula furrowing her brows in confusion because he never called her unless her stupid baby did something to anger him again.
“What are your plans for the next week?” asked Andrew and Paula’s phone buzzed with a notification.
She saw the popped up text from Meredith and answered casually “I planned to go on a short vacation with Zara. Is everything alright uncle?”
Paula wiped her sweat, her heart beating fast as she lied to Andrew and Zara did the same when she heard her dad’s question and gulped nervously when she saw him frowning, looking at her questioningly.
She is dead, it’s over.
“Where are you going?” asked Andrew, making Zara sigh in relief.
That’s her darling. She should really take her on a vacation for sure.
“We are going to Mauritius.” blurted out Paula randomly as her brain stopped working after hearing Andrew’s cold voice.
“Okay. Take care dear. Good night.”
Andrew hung up the call and focused on his anxious daughter who is sweating profusely.
“Where are you going, Zara?”
He asked her, folding his hands and Zara’s face turned red in anger. Why did god give her dad a super brain?
“Well! Dad!! We are going to….”
Zara stuttered unable to think of a place when Meredith sat beside Andrew, giving an assuring look at her daughter.
“Why are you hesitating to tell him about Mauritius, Zara?”
Zara sighed in relief, placing her hands on her chest when her dad isn’t looking at her side and gave a thumbs up to her mother.
“Yes! Yes dad. Mauritius it is. Our company gave me two passes. I thought to take Paula with me.”
She answered him, her voice relaxed as she finally passed the huge hurdle and sat on the other side of her dad, winking at her mother.
“Did you know about this?” asked Andrew staring at his wife suspiciously but Meredith didn’t give away and acted smart.
“Yeah! She told me yesterday.”
Meredith said as she fed Zara a spoonful of soup and the latter, blew her a kiss in delight.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” inquired Andrew further, making them both angry.
“Enough with your questions dad. You are making us feel like we are criminals.” said Zara pouting in frustration.
“Cancel the trip.”
There is no way he’s letting his daughter avoid marriage. He should set her up with someone before she gets out of his hands.
Zara lost her patience when her dad is being stubborn and unreasonable.
“We planned this vacation months ago and it’s free for us dad. You can’t always say no to our plans.” with that she stood up from the sofa and took the soup bowl from her mother before storming into her bedroom.
“You can arrange their blind date after she returns from her vacation.”
Meredith held her husband’s hand and rubbed it smoothly, trying to subsidise his anger and Andrew agreed with a sigh, taking his phone to inform the groom about the change in blind date.