When Love is a Question Mark-Chapter 265: Growing Doubt

Her chest tightened as a wave of helplessness washed over her. She leaned against the gate, her mind spinning. Why didn’t Samuel tell me about this? she thought, gripping her phone tightly. Why keep me in the dark?

Taking a deep breath, she tried to think clearly. "Okay, Zinnia," she muttered to herself, her voice trembling. "You need to figure this out. Maybe someone else knows what’s going on."

But who? Samuel’s circle was small, and she hadn’t been in touch with his colleagues during her time away. She glanced back at the imposing, lifeless building, feeling the weight of the situation press down on her shoulders.

She stared at her phone again, debating whether to leave another message. Her thumb hovered over Samuel’s number, but she hesitated. "What am I even supposed to say?" she whispered. Samuel, where are you? Why didn’t you tell me? Why is Lucas Realty Group closed? The questions piled up, but there were no answers.

Tears pricked her eyes as she fought back the growing sense of panic. She felt lost, stranded in a sea of unanswered questions. The man she thought she finally knew had become a mystery, and the world around her seemed to shift in ways she couldn’t understand.

"Samuel," she whispered again, her voice breaking. "Where are you?"

Zinnia stood frozen by the gate of Lucas Realty Group, the notice still glaring at her as if mocking her confusion. Her phone dangled loosely in her hand, the unanswered calls only amplifying her sense of helplessness. She leaned heavily against the cold metal, taking deep breaths to keep the tears at bay.

Then, a familiar voice broke through the silence. "Zinnia, are you okay?"

Her head snapped up, startled. She turned around quickly, her eyes widening as they landed on the last person she expected to see.

"James?" she breathed, disbelief lacing her voice. "What are you doing here?"

James stood a few feet away, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, though there was an unmistakable concern in his expression. He hesitated for a moment before answering, his gaze shifting to the imposing building behind her.

"Sorry," he said, his tone soft yet hesitant. "I... I followed you."

Her eyebrows shot up, her confusion deepening. "Followed me?" she repeated, her voice a mix of surprise and frustration. "Why? Why would you do that?"

James rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking almost sheepish. "I was curious... about where you live," he admitted, avoiding her gaze. "After everything, I just wanted to understand more about your life now."

Zinnia blinked, utterly baffled. "You followed me from my house? James, what were you thinking?"

His eyes darted back to hers, and he quickly raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I swear. When I got to your place, I saw you leaving, so I just... followed you. I thought maybe you were heading somewhere important, and I was worried—"

"You were outside my house?" she interrupted, her voice rising slightly. Her heart raced, a mix of emotions swirling within her—anger, confusion, and a faint trace of unease. "James, that’s... that’s not okay!"

"I know," he admitted, his tone earnest. "It was wrong, and I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help it, Zinnia. After seeing you again... I wanted to make sure you were all right."

She crossed her arms, trying to steady herself. The shock of seeing him here, of hearing his confession, was almost too much to process on top of everything else. "And you thought following me without saying anything was the best way to do that?" she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.

James looked genuinely contrite. "No, I know it wasn’t. I didn’t plan this, I swear. But when I saw you walking out of your house looking so... preoccupied, I thought something might be wrong."

Zinnia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She felt the weight of the day pressing down on her even more now. "James," she started, her voice softer but still firm, "I appreciate that you care, but this isn’t how you should go about it. My life is complicated enough without you... doing things like this."

He nodded quickly. "You’re right. I shouldn’t have. But I couldn’t just ignore the feeling that something was wrong."

She exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "Well, you’re not wrong about that," she admitted, glancing back at the closed gate. Her voice dropped to a quieter tone. "I came here looking for Samuel, but... this place is shut down. There’s no news, no explanation. I don’t know what’s going on."

James followed her gaze to the notice on the gate, his brow furrowing. "Lucas Realty Group... closed?" he murmured, more to himself than to her. "That doesn’t make sense. This company’s been around for decades."

"Exactly," Zinnia said, her frustration spilling out. "And Samuel didn’t tell me anything. I’ve been calling him, calling Timmy, and no one’s answering. It’s like they’ve disappeared."

James studied her for a moment, his expression softening. "That’s why you look so upset," he said quietly.

She nodded, biting her lip as she fought to keep her emotions in check. "I don’t know what to do, James. I came back thinking everything would be fine, and now... now I don’t even know where Samuel is or what’s happening with his company."

He took a small step closer, his voice gentle. "Hey... we’ll figure this out. You don’t have to do this alone."

Zinnia hesitated, torn between gratitude for his support and the lingering unease about his actions. "I don’t even know where to start," she admitted.

James offered a reassuring smile. "We’ll start by looking for answers. Together."

She looked up at him, her expression still guarded. She wanted to ask if he was involved in this matter, but the way he acted right now made it seem as if he was truly innocent and unaware of what was going on.

So, she decided to play along and instead said, "Thank you."