CHAPTER 314: HUSHED CONVERSATION

"I heard from Coco that Sinclair is nothing, but a friend." Zaque said, his arms crossed and face tense.

In the kitchen, a different conversation was taking place, the tone and topic a complete opposite with that of Coco’s and Sinclair’s.

The air in the kitchen was filled with the sound of utensils clanking against the counter, water running from the faucet, and chairs skidding across the floor, mixed with the occasional soft murmur of conversation between Zaque and the other mediators.

The atmosphere was busy and tense— the tension and seriousness could be cut clean by a butter knife if someone had tried.

Alhai, who was busy washing the dishes, rolled his eyes at what Zaque said. "Ah, the classic line of spouses who are either having an affair with their ’friend’ or had already fallen in love with said friend."

Zaque snapped his attention to Alhai, his expression stern and his tone firm.

"Alhai." He called out, his voice carrying a note of warning before he continued, his gaze fixed on the mediator. "I don’t like that accusation."

His words were direct and to the point, his annoyance at the accusation evident in his tone, but Alhai merely scoffed, his expression defiant, and thankfully, he remained silent, his eyes averted from Zaque’s gaze.

He continued washing the dishes, however, his body language betrayed his irritation and resentment, his shoulders tense and his jaw clenched.

Zaque glared at Alhai for a moment, his expression stern, before turning his gaze to Quizen who was wiping the table.

"You know what I heard from them when I walked out?" He inquired, his tone gruff and his words sharp, his eyes flicking from Quizen’s face to the motion of his wiping the table, waiting for a response.

Quizen paused for a moment, his attention shifting over to Zaque’s face before continuing to wipe the table.

"No." His response was short, his expression blank, but even though his answer was simple, there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes, suggesting that he had a suspicion of what Zaque was about to say.

Zaque let out a weary sigh, the words heavy on his tongue as he spoke.

"That Coco is his master.. Whatever that means." Zaque’s voice was tinged with confusion, his face showing his lack of understanding.

Heiren paused in the middle of putting the leftovers into the refrigerator, his head turning to look at Zaque with a mixture of curiosity and concern as he spoke up.

"You didn’t stay there to hear what they meant by that?" He echoed, his tone calm and practical, his eyes flickering from Zaque’s face to the two mediators in the kitchen.

Zaque could only avoid his gaze, looking away as his shoulders slumped slightly.

"I felt bad for accidentally eavesdropping so I let them see me.." The red haired mediator confessed, his tone sheepish and embarrassed.

Heiren raised an eyebrow at that, his expression amused as he turned back to his task of putting the leftovers into the refrigerator. "I bet Coco scolded you for doing so. Especially if it was something important."

His words were delivered with a hint of humor, but there was also an underlying tone of warning.

However, instead of feeling nervous, Zaque shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, his body moving to push a chair towards the table as he spoke.

"Guess what? She didn’t." He stated, his voice void of any emotion as he recalled what happened back there. "Sinclair thanked me while Coco just stared... It was like she was waiting for me to join them more than anything."

His words were delivered with a touch of confusion, as if he couldn’t understand her lack of reaction, but there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes, his mind already jumping into conclusion as to why Coco reacted that way.

Alhai could not help, but scoff at Zaque’s words.

The silver haired mediator’s expression was contorted into a frown, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Zaque.

"That’s bull." He muttered under his breath, his tone dismissive and unbelieving, before he turned away and focused on the dishes in his hands.

Zaque rolled his eyes upon hearing Alhai’s muttered words, appearing unfazed by his rude comment.

Unbothered by Alhai’s continued hostility, Zaque continued to recount the events that unfolded, his expression housing a pondering look.

"Then, I rushed back here after Sinclair thanked me because I didn’t want to make Coco uncomfortable." He explained, his focus remaining on the conversation at hand, ignoring Alhai’s dismissive attitude.

Quizen couldn’t help, but snort at Zaque’s words, his expression amused as he finished wiping the table.

"I can imagine you running just to get away." The blue haired mediator said, his voice tinged with playfulness, "The mental image is funny."

Quizen chuckled softly, his amusement evident in his eyes.

Zaque rolled his eyes yet again, a seemingly common gesture he made as of late because of the exaggerating reactions of others, as he approached the cupboards.

"I just don’t want her to think that I’m interested in their conversation—" He tried to reiterate, his tone slightly exasperated, but he was interrupted by Alhai, who spoke up with a sharp tone.

"Which you are very interested in listening to." The third husband quipped, his words mocking and biting.

Zaque’s eyebrows twitched subtly in annoyance, but he managed to keep his cool, and opened the cupboard before he reached for the glasses.

"Yes— yes, you’re quite right so I won’t deny that." He conceded, his tone cool and matter-of-fact, biting back a snide remark because he doesn’t want to start an argument against Alhai.

However, despite his admission, he kept his focus on the task at hand, avoiding direct eye contact with Alhai.

Then quickly, Zaque added. "However, I chose to walk away out of respect to our wife, because I know that she would tell us if it was important."

Zaque remained calm, his eyes fixed on the glasses in his hand, refusing to engage in a verbal spar with Alhai.