Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)
Chapter 344

Catherine's slip of the tongue had unwittingly given away the secret.

With a chuckle, I responded, "Alright then, I'm hanging up!"

"What... Are you not going to ask?" Catherine sounded almost disappointed as I mentioned ending the call, prompting her to prod further.

"Nope, I'm not asking! I don't care!" I mimicked her tone playfully, adding, "What's it to me?"

"Ah..." Catherine protested with a playful whine, "Aaliyah, you're just brimming with energy, aren't you?"

"Well... We'll talk when I get back!"

I was bursting to tell her about Hazel's misadventure that evening, but I managed to hold my tongue. If we got started, we'd probably talk till dawn and forget about sleep altogether!

Even though I was feeling much better, I wasn't up for an all-night gabfest.

"Fine, fine, it's late anyway. I'll let you off the hook! Sleep tight, and we'll catch up tomorrow!" she said, before reluctantly hanging up.

I put down the phone, grinning to myself. It looked like Catherine, the eternal bachelorette, might just be waving the white flag.

I was curious about how she got entangled with Logan.

No surprise there, though. With Logan's sweet tongue, it was only a matter of time before he swept her off her feet.

They were like two peas in a pod - an oddball match made in heaven.

While these thoughts amused me, I took a brisk shower. Stepping out of the bathroom, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Jaylan had returned at some point, standing silently against the wall, his light-colored shirt smeared with grime, his expression distant. His usually stylish hair was a mess, his face pale in the dim light - quite the spook.

Seeing me look at him in horror, he suddenly looked like a wronged child, his eyes glinting with vulnerability. He straightened up and wrapped his arms around me, his voice hoarse as he whispered, "Babe..." I pushed him away, visibly unsettled, and complained, "What on earth have you been doing to get this filthy? And what's that smell? Ugh!"

He tried to step back, masking his discomfort, "I'll shower right now... Right now..."

I grabbed him and said, "Wait a minute..."

I sniffed the air, "What's that smell on you? It's like burnt ashes. No... Not quite..."

I frowned deliberately, sniffing again. "And there's a hint of disinfectant? What have you been up to?"

Jaylan squirmed, forcing a smile, "Babe, your nose is too good!"

"Cut the crap. What have you been doing?" I pressed on.

He looked cornered, then spilled reluctantly, "Ah... Don't even ask! I've been at the office sorting out some stuff, thinking it would give me peace of mind when we head to Silverdale City, so I could spend more time with you. Just as I was about to leave, some idiot was smoking in the storage room and lit up some old samples. Luckily, a few people were still around. We put out the fire together, and Laird got a bit hurt I couldn't just leave him, so I took him to the hospital. Thankfully, he's okay!"

Sure enough, his tale was smooth. Had I not known beforehand what really happened, I might have fallen for his tall tale.

Just as I expected, he didn't want me to know about Hazel's burn accident!

I looked at him with reproach. "The company needs to be tightened up. Those people are too reckless. No one should be smoking in a storage room!"

"I've emphasized it at every meeting. But some just don't listen!"

"Do you know who did it?" I pushed, playing along with his charade.

"The cameras didn't catch it. It's hard to investigate," Jaylan replied quickly.

"Then install one there. How much does a camera cost compared to the value of the building? Can't you do the math?" I scolded with feigned anger.

"It's on the list. I've already given the order," Jaylan said, looking earnest. "It's not about being cheap; who knew someone would take advantage of it?"

"Thank goodness you were at the office. If the fire had spread, it could have been disastrous. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Fire spares none'? If that had gone wrong, could several Medsafe Liyah Inc. cover the damage?" I lectured like the lady of the house.

He hugged me, worn out. "Alright... Alright, babe. Don't worry, it's all good now. I wouldn't have told you if not for looking like this. See, you're worrying again!"

"How can I not worry? Look at you! Go on, hurry up. We have things to do tomorrow, and it's already late. Go wash up and sleep!" I nudged him kindly toward the shower, "Clean up well. You smell like you've just come back from a graveyard - it's foul! I'll go grab you some clean clothes!"

I pushed Jaylan into the bathroom and turned to leave for the dressing room to fetch his clothes.

As I turned away, I couldn't help but let out a sardonic chuckle, "Let's see how long you can keep up this charade!"