Leaving the office, Malcolm mindlessly drove himself straight to ZOELVA, with the thoughts of Zoe in his mind. He thought that somehow if he went there, he might run into her, and it would give him peace at heart.
However, as he arrived at the huge mall he had only seen from the outside ever since its opening and entered inside, he was completely stunned and overwhelmed by its insane intricate architectural designs that whispered of wealth and careful craftsmanship.
It was larger, and more modern than MEL-CO, and by far put every other commercial space in the city to shame. It was a world in itself which was bustling with endless people on each floor, and was lined with high-end flagship stores of the world’s biggest brands that he somehow never thought he would see around in California.
Taken aback beyond words, he stood, transfixed, ‘How had she done this?! How did she continue to pull off things that left even him, a man who had seen and achieved much, utterly stunned?!’ He couldn’t stop thinking.
‘Who was she, truly?’ He gasped hard, as the thought rattled him. He had never really known her.
As he continued to walk from floor to floor, unable to hide his amazement, he thought of buying something for himself in the place, even if he wasn’t sure of what to buy.
Malcolm knew he shouldn’t be without bodyguards or Edwards as he navigated through the huge because anyone from the press might recognize him and try to get an interview, but he still didn’t bulge anyway and just continued to move as calmly as he could even if his trail always managed to stand out. He just hoped to see her.
But as he wandered through each endless section of the house’s interior decorations, his focus suddenly drifted to the image of her living room and bedroom. The hollowness of it didn’t make it feel like a house. There were many basic things that weren’t even present there.
And before he realized it, Malcolm found himself reaching for things that weren’t meant for him. A set of rare tea cups, the kind he imagined she would use to sip tea late at night when she couldn’t sleep, rugs, porcelain china, scented candles, side lamps, a huge portable dresser, and many housing interiors that he realized were missing.
By the time Malcolm reached the last store, he realized that he had accumulated a collection so absurd it made him pause. Instantly, he let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his hair, annoyed with himself because he was scared of what she would think.
‘What was he doing? Had he lost his mind? What would he say when he brought all those to her house? She might hate him for that,’ those thoughts ran through his mind instantly.
‘What if she saw it as pity? Or worse, obligation?’ He reasoned again, knowing that she wasn’t the kind of woman who needed gifts, least of all from him.
“Have all this sent to this house,” he informed the head of sales attendants after paying, and stalked out instantly.
He knew that buying things wouldn’t change anything, wouldn’t make her mansion less empty, and wouldn’t make him understand why it had been that way in the first place.
Frustrated, and still not entirely sure why he had come here at all, he found himself at one of the fine-dining restaurants in the mall. He wasn’t hungry. He didn’t even know what he wanted to order. But he sat at a corner table anyway, staring out at the bustling shoppers through the tall glass windows.
Right at that moment, his phone buzzed with a notification, causing his breath to seize, as soon as he read the message.
“Justine Westwood has been located.”