Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Loyalty Test On You
~Zayn’s POV~
His voice trembled as it brushed against my ear, low and raw. "You can add to my punishment," he whispered. "Whatever it is... I’ll take it all. Just please, don’t shut me out."
Hearing that only fueled the anger still burning inside me, but I was exhausted. My body was heavy, my mind scattered. If I wanted even a moment of peace, I had to tell him to sleep; otherwise he’d murmur all night, restless, unbearable.
"Sleep," I muttered. "We’ll talk in the morning."
"Hold me," he murmured again.
I didn’t answer. I simply wrapped my arm loosely around his waist, a tired gesture so we could both finally sleep. And at last, we did.
Morning light spilled into the living room. I woke first, my body stiff, my heart still heavy. Grabbing my phone, I dropped a resume note inside the group chat for my staff, anyone still ready to work.
The replies came instantly.
Okay boss.
Yes, boss.
One by one, they all said they would resume. Relief flooded me. I hadn’t lost my team. They were loyal.
I was still smiling at their messages when I turned to my side, only to find Evric awake, watching me. My smile faded immediately.
"Good morning, baby," he said softly.
"Good morning," I replied flatly, already standing up from the couch.
I headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, but he followed quickly. "Please, babe. Allow me to explain," he pleaded.
I didn’t respond. Maybe I was overreacting, but the past few days had simply been too much. Evric had stood by me through it all, yes but now, everything felt like a lie I wasn’t ready to face.
When I turned, I saw him sink into the couch, his shoulders heavy as he buried his face in his hands. I knew he’d been trying his best to hold things together for me, to keep up with everything we’d been facing... but I couldn’t help the weight sitting in my chest.
Still, despite the anger, a part of me thought, maybe I should give him a chance to explain.
I walked over and sat beside him. "Okay," I said quietly. "I’m all ears. Explain. Start from the beginning. And don’t leave anything out."
He lowered his hands and looked at me, his eyes tired.
"When I was in Dubai," he began, "my brother reached out to me. Dad told him to test your loyalty, to see how much you loved me."
I blinked, stunned.
"I didn’t even hesitate," he said quietly. "I told Evans I trusted you, with everything in me. That you wouldn’t fail, not for a second. So I told him to go ahead, I wasn’t even worried."
He exhaled, rubbing his hands together. "Evans never told me what he said to you, or what you said to him. He works for Dad, not me. Everything he reports goes straight to Father, I only get small bits of information if I beg him for it."
His voice cracked. "Sometimes I would beg him to tell me, but he wouldn’t. I only knew you were meeting Evans if I saw a call or message pop up on your phone. I didn’t know anything else."
I stared at him, searching for a lie. "How did you know I wouldn’t take the bait?"
Evric met my eyes. "Because I trust you, more so Father already tested you with women before he sent Evans."
I froze. "He tested me with women?"
He nodded. "Yes. Nitammi, she was sent by my father before and even after we started dating."
"Wait," I cut in sharply. "Why is your father taking things this far?"
Evric sighed, a long heavy sound. "It started with Evans. You never asked why he’s called Evans Lucas and not Evans Draeven..."
"Why?" I asked.
"When Evans was eighteen," Evric said, "he was with a girl. Then, out of nowhere, he fell for a boy at his school. Their relationship was serious. Father found out. He was homophobic back then. But Evans was the first reason he started to believe that same-gender love was a waste of time."
I swallowed hard. "So Evans is also gay?"
Evric shook his head. "He’s bisexual."
"Father gave Evans a choice: leave the boy or leave the house. One morning, before anyone woke up, Evans packed his belongings and left. He was only nineteen years old at the time. Despite his father continuing to fund his accounts, Evans didn’t return home. Two years passed, and the boy he ran away with eventually stole all his money and married an Asian girl. Even after this betrayal, Evans still didn’t come back. In an attempt to distance himself from his family, he changed his name to Evans Lucas, using our grandmother’s middle name, in order to conceal his identity as Draeven’s son."
"Father still kept tabs on him, sending opportunities his way from time to time, but Evans chose to live quietly. He stayed under the radar, even after becoming famous. Seven years after he left home, Father called him back. Evans came and sincerely apologized, but by then, he had already built a name for himself and he preferred to keep a low profile. That’s why we rarely talk about him.
Since you didn’t know him personally, and because he’s both wealthy and well-known, Father decided he was the perfect one to test your loyalty, to see if you’d take the bait."
I drew in a slow, shaky breath. "Did Evans follow me to the store that day, the day he paid for my things? Or has he been stalking me all along?"
Evric shook his head. "No, that was just a coincidence. He wanted to hit on you. He and Father had already talked about you, but Evans hadn’t seen your face, he didn’t even know what you looked like."
I blinked, my stomach tightening. "So what happened after that?"
"He went to see Father that day," Evric said quietly. "That’s when Father showed him your photo. That’s how he realized you were the one he had sent to test. But by then..." he paused, running a hand through his hair, "he already liked you. Naturally, that changed after he found out I was the one dating you."
He reached for me then, his voice almost breaking. "Babe, everything just happened. Trust me, I didn’t tell you because I trust you."
I stared back at him. "Because you trust me?" I said slowly. "Or because you wanted to see for yourself if I’d cheat on you?"