Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman novel Chapter 178

Zed, Zed......

Jean's heart ached on thinking of his name.

Both of them were dog-tired and couldn't keep at this any longer. "Alright now, let's sleep!" Scooping up Jean's slender body in his arms, Zed began walking towards the bed.

The strong lines on Zed's face had softened with love. But Jean only felt ironic and disappointed.

Somehow, when you looked at Zed, what was in his heart was not for all to see. It was clear that he was capable of putting on an act.

The tall, muscular Zed was one man with her but totally different when he was with other women.

Zed, was your love for me all fake?

This thought haunted Jean again and again as she lay in bed, curled up away from Zed.

"Why are you sleeping so far from me?" The ivory satin sheets calmed Zed as he snaked his hand onto Jean's petite waist.

The supple muscles of Jean's stomach tightened into a knot as she felt Zed's cold hand touch her. It felt like a jolt out of the blue and her hair stood on an end.

"Don't be nervous, I won't touch you." He could feel Jean stiffen up. Zed decided to comfort her with a soft touch and gently patted her back.

Now that she felt assured, Jean let her guard down. Still, a sardonic smile played on her lips as she thought:

'Of course, you won't be in the mood or cater to my needs. You have just flirted with another woman, after all.'

Jean felt her misery grow from bad to worse. She had to force herself to not think any further

Or else she would really have a fit.

The quiet of the night and an equally silent Jean made Zed's eyes droop heavily. After some minutes, he fell asleep.

On the other side of the bed, a listless Jean stirred up as she heard Zed breathing heavily in his sleep. Slowly, she got up from the bed and sat on the couch to look at Zed's bewitching face.

No doubt, he was called seductive at first sight. It was also the reason why she became devoted to the marriage as bit by bit she fell under his spell. She was promptly told about the dangers involved and its unworldly nature.

At first, Jean thought that Zed didn't care for Eva or Selena. For him, Jean was his true love and he honestly cared for her.

This was the truth Zed had once said to Jean.

And with all her heart, she believed him.

Things went downhill when she discovered Zed's otherside. Dealing with a cold and ruthless Zed made her earnest loving husband a figment of her imagination. Hearing how he could care for another woman, her confidence in their relationship shattered.

The sad truth, at the end of the day, was that she was a total fool

For believing men's flattery of her.

Who could say Zed was different than Ethan? To her, they were all the same.

Zed's debonair personality left everyone smitten. Instead, what was often asked was how could someone as sophisticated as Zed fall in love with her?

As the way things turned out, the truth hit her hard. The fault was all hers. She was too sentimental.

Stupid and naive.

Neither Ethan would belong to a girl like her, let alone Zed.

As the night progressed, Jean's wretchedness increased. The sorrow in her heart weighed her down.

What should I do?

Should I stay or leave?

If she leaves Zed then she would somewhere do what he wanted her to do. But does staying back mean demeaning herself and reducing her self-worth?

Jean wondered. Through the night, Jean turned this question over and over again. Her confusion kept her awake till daybreak.

As Zed slowly opened his eyes, he saw Jean intently staring at him with her eyes bloodshot. Puzzled by this, he raucously asked: "Jean, what happened? Did you even sleep last night?"

"I can't." Jean replied carelessly.

Now that Zed was awake, Jean's trance was broken. She finally moved her stiffened body and walked to the bathroom to freshen up.

Watching Jean go, Zed felt that something was off about the way she was acting.

What was that?

Had Jean changed into a different person overnight?

Was she still worrying about Ethan?

Didn't they have an understanding to let him off the hook?

What else was there that is eating up from inside?

Was there something staring right at him but he couldn't notice it?

Thinking hard about the reason behind Jean's sudden change in behaviour, he thought of the Wens. Of late, they had been lying low because Henry was in the hospital.

They certainly would not have had the time to pick on Jean.

Zed thought all this to himself as he was getting dressed.

Wearing nothing but her mauve bathrobe and a fawn-coloured towel on her head, Jean walked out of the bathroom. Seizing the moment, Zed approached her and asked, "Jean, is there anything you are holding back from me?"

Jean tried to get a read on Zed's expression as he said these words. Failing to understand the intent behind, she shook her head and said, "No, it's nothing."

"But why am I getting a feeling that there is?" Zed asked with disbelief.

"You are overthinking this. I'm off to work." Jean walked right past Zed towards the changing room.

A nagging feeling left Zed standing still at the spot where Jean and he was talking a minute ago. As he saw her go about her things indifferently, he gave up on pursuing it further and walked out of the room.

At breakfast, Zed chose from a lavish spread of breads, croissants, jams, margarines, and a variety of cold cuts to load his plate. Sitting next to him, Jean still looked preoccupied with something. Noticing how lost she looked, Zed said, "You look bad, why don't you take the day off and rest at home?"

"It is not necessary. I am feeling alright." In a flash of a second, Jean put down her glass of milk and said, "I've got work to do today, I will go now."

"Get in my car." Zed readily put his slice of bread down to drop Jean on his way to work.

"No, thanks, I don't want to get in you car." Pursing her lips, Jean shook her head into a 'no' and headed outside.

"Jean......" Being treated like a stranger again and again made Zed angry. The reason why he was able to rein in his temper was because he did not want a scene right in the morning. But Jean's behaviour towards him made all restraint pointless. "What on earth is your problem? I am sensing that you are keeping your distance from me on purpose. Are you avoiding me?"

"You are reading too much into it. The reason why I don't want to go to work with you is because I don't want my colleagues to gossip about us. I don't want to deal with this. You have no idea how much trouble you bring me every time you show up." Jean wearily explained

"What's wrong with me dropping you? We are married, aren't we? Why is it unreasonable for me to drive you to work? And why would you care what they are gossiping about? If you don't feel like dealing with the grapevine talk, I will make them never appear in front of you." Zed frowned. It never occurred to him that the reason could be so simple.

"Do you really think that there will not be more people to gossip about us if you make them dissapear? Zed, no matter how powerful you are, you can't control what people talk about. It's because you are so… extraordinary. If you really care about me, I think it's best that we avoid being seen in public as much as possible."

'I don't want that in the end, I am embarrased and alone.

Because you will not be mine.

Since that is how it will be, I don't need this show of tenderness?'

With grief overcoming her again, Jean murmured to herself.

"Alright, if you don't want me to drive you to work, I won't do it anymore. Today onwards, I will ask a driver to drive you to and from work. Are you satisfied?" Clearly, a frazzled Zed was looking for ways to make peace with Jean and compromise.

"No, this cannot be. It is too much trouble!" Jean shook her head and added before Zed got angry, "How about this? I have a driver's license myself and there are spare cars in your garage. I can drive myself to work. Which is quite convenient."

The fact was that she would rather take the bus or cab to work.

To which Zed would not possibly agree. So she could only think of a more acceptable option.

"That's okay. Do drive safe." Zed agreed as Jean had expected, but still warned her.

"Okay." Jean exhaled a sigh of relief. With them agreeing on this, she softened a bit towards him.

"Let's go! To the garage and pick a car." Zed walked out first.

Left with no choice but to follow him, a blushing Jean followed.

Her mind was already made up about what she wanted. As soon as she spotted a low-key and dependable red Chevy, she exclaimed. "This is it." Zed raised his brows in protest but Jean interrupted, "Since, I will drive the car, it only makes sense that I get to pick what I like."