“XAVIER!” Zack hollered his name, looking at the stairs, as he knew Xavier would descend the flight of stairs to meet him.
“Yes… Sir…” Xavier walked towards him, hanging his head low.
“Why did you let him in without telling me first?” He glared at him, obviously angry.
Ivy wanted to calm the tension but refrained as she noticed the guest was nonchalantly sipping his wine, relaxing on the exquisite sofa as if shutting himself out of the argument.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but he… he…” The butler stammered, giving the guest a pleading look, as if sending an unspoken message across.
Won’t he say something at least? He was in trouble because of him.
“He what?” Zack snapped, but it seemed Xavier couldn’t explain how he had let the guest in.
Zack’s gaze fell on the guest again, then he crossed his arms. He usually doesn’t welcome visitors into his villa.
“How did you make him let you in, old man?”
Roy burst into a fit of laughter, placing his glass of wine on the table. “Are you done with your interrogation, Zack? You still haven’t changed. Do i need permission to see my son and, of course, the newest member of the Anderson family? How are you, dear?” He flashed Ivy a sweet smile before returning his gaze to his son. His expression immediately turned serious.
“I think you need a spanking, son, you’ve forgotten the manners your mother taught you.”
Zack’s face darkened. “You just busted into my house uninvited, do I come into your grand mansion without an invitation?”
“That’s because you chose to shut yourself out from the rest of your family, you only visit when I pester you to come, sometimes you don’t come, you ignore my calls. What am I to you, anyway? Am I still your father?”
Roy scowled, standing up and walking towards him, tapping his walking stick on the ground.
Ivy was trying her best to hold in the laugh threatening to escape her throat. She had never seen the father and son having such banter before.
“You know, son, I thought you might change when you get married, but I guess I was wrong… Am I?” He turned to Ivy, as if expecting a reply from her. Ivy had to be honest, to her, he has changed a bit.
“Just sit down, old man,” Zack snapped.
“Of course I will, in fact, I’ll be having dinner with you guys…” Roy replied abruptly, sitting back on the sofa.
Zack raised his eyebrow, incredulously staring down at him. “It’s noon, are you gonna wait till the evening?”
“Do we have a problem with that?” After giving Zack a hard stare, he glanced at Ivy, deep lines etched into his forehead. “Do we, Daughter-in-law?”
Finally, the laugh she had been trying to suppress tore from her throat. The expression on both men’s faces was just too hilarious to ignore, especially Zack; his arched eyebrow coupled with his body expression was making her jerk with laughter.
“Are you two always… like this?” She knew they both were not on the good terms, like father and son should be, and also knew they had their issues since the first day she eavesdropped on their conversation on the phone, but their banter was just too entertaining to watch.
“Whoa, old man, you came here just to play a joke; now my wife is laughing…”
Ivy couldn’t stop laughing; she clutched her chest, covering her face with her palm in a fit of laughter.
“The belle is laughing,” Roy chuckled, stroking his beard. “Come here, Daughter-in-law.” He opened his arms wide in an embrace.
Ivy fell into his embrace. “How have you been, father-in-law?”
“Been good.”
“Okay, let’s get serious. What brought you here, old man?” Zack sat beside him.
“Can’t you guess the reason I came? I came to visit the newly wedded couples who got married without informing me.”
Zack sighed at Roy’s response; the old man still hadn’t let go of that fact.
“The month of October is fast approaching; you came to remind me of the company anniversary, isn’t it.”
“Oh, I thought you forgot; you usually don’t attend. And if you don’t come this time, I’ll pull your ears.” Roy glared at him before turning to Ivy. “Belle, persuade him to come or even force him; just like Henry said, you could do the trick…”
Ivy just nodded.
How the hell could she force a grown man to attend a party he isn’t interested in? And that man was none other than the cold and stubborn Zack Anderson.
Ivy gave a half-hearted smile, her mind racing on the possibilities of how she would persuade him to go if he adamantly refuses.
“You know how much I hate parties like that.” Zack’s face turned sour. “I would have to put up with the media again, see some people I hate…”
“I hope you aren’t talking about your elder brother…” Roy poked Zack’s arm.
The sour expression was still on his face. “Of course he is one of the people I hate.”
Zack’s reply made Ivy frown. She knew they never got along, but hatred? She wondered what must have happened that drove a rift between them, for Zack to hate his own brother.
“He is still your brother, whether you like it or not,” Roy said, patting Zack on the shoulder. Zack shrugged his hand off and shifted to the far end of the sofa.
“It was in the past, when the both of you were just young and foolish; forget it, okay…” Roy shifted closer to him and patted his shoulder again. This time, Zack stood up and walked out of the living room, leaving Roy and Ivy.
Though Ivy hates Albert’s son, Dave, she still wanted to find out the reason why Zack hates his brother. “Father-in-law, what happened between the two of them? Why does Zack hate him?” She inquired earnestly.
“Well, I can’t tell you much; Albert stole his girlfriend when they were younger.”
“What…” Ivy blinked in disbelief. Was that enough reason to hate him up till now? Does that mean he loved the girl? Who was the girl anyway?
Roy smiled. “I know what you’re thinking, but it was a very serious issue. I’m sure if you ask him, he might narrate it to you.”
So, Zack Anderson really had a girlfriend? This was new information that Ivy was still surprised by. And she would surely do well to ask him about ‘her’.