When Love is a Question Mark-Chapter 241: The Breaking Point

Her fingers trembled as she unlocked her phone. Her contact list appeared on the screen, and her thumb hovered over Samuel’s name. She hesitated, her mind racing through a hundred possible outcomes.

Before she could press the call button, a notification banner slid across the top of her screen. It was from a news app. She glanced at it absently, but then her breath hitched. Something about it caught her attention.

Curious, she swiped down to read it, her thumb brushing against the headline. The article opened, and her eyes began scanning the text.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Her breathing slowed.

The world seemed to tilt around her as her eyes darted over the words on the screen.

"No..." she murmured, barely audible. Her free hand flew to her mouth, her lips trembling as she took a step back. Her phone almost slipped from her grasp, but she clutched it tightly.

Her legs felt weak, her balance unsteady. She leaned against the nearest wall for support, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen. Her mind struggled to process what she was seeing, disbelief clouding her thoughts.

Her chest tightened, and the once-faint murmur of hospital activity around her now sounded distant and muffled, as if she were underwater.

The phone’s glow reflected in her widened eyes, which now brimmed with a mixture of shock and confusion. The corridor around her seemed to shrink, the air heavy and suffocating.

She tried to say something, anything, but the words lodged in her throat. All she could do was stare, frozen in place, as the world around her seemed to stop entirely.

Zinnia’s trembling fingers tightened around her phone as she forced herself to read the headline again, hoping she had misunderstood it.

"BREAKING: Scandal Erupts in Lucas Realty Group as Chairman Samuel Lucas Steps Down Amid Financial Allegations."

Her heart plummeted. The article detailed accusations of mismanagement, financial discrepancies, and an internal coup within Lucas Realty Group. Samuel’s name was splashed across every paragraph, painted as the central figure in a corporate storm.

Her mind reeled. "This can’t be true," she thought, her pulse quickening. Samuel stepping down? Allegations of fraud? It didn’t align with the man she knew—meticulous, proud, and fiercely protective of his family’s legacy.

The article continued, citing unnamed sources who claimed Samuel had flown back to the headquarters to contain the situation, but his sudden resignation only fueled rumors of guilt. It also hinted at a possible involvement of someone named James Lucas, who was rumored to be returning to the company as a key player.

Zinnia’s knees buckled, and she slid down the wall, her phone clutched tightly in her hands. Her thoughts were a chaotic mess, colliding and overlapping in a way that made her head throb.

"Samuel..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. James had just reappeared, and now this. The pieces didn’t fit together, but the implications were undeniable. If James was indeed involved in this corporate upheaval, what would Samuel think when he found out she had just reconciled with him?

Her breathing quickened. Questions swirled in her mind, unrelenting and unforgiving.

"Was this why he left so suddenly?" she muttered. "Did he know this was coming?"

She felt a pang of guilt for not asking him earlier when she had the chance. And now... now it was all spiraling out of control.

Her phone buzzed again, another notification lighting up her screen. This time, it was a text from Timmy:

"Ma’am, I just saw the news. I’ll keep you updated. Please don’t worry."

But how could she not worry? Samuel’s entire world was crumbling, and she was caught between him and the man who had just reappeared in her life like a ghost from her past.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the phone, her grip tightening as though holding it could somehow give her control over the chaos. She had to do something, but what?

Zinnia swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand. Her legs felt like lead, but she managed to steady herself. "I have to talk to him," she thought, her resolve hardening.

She tried calling him again, but the call couldn’t go through. She tried again and again, but it was the same.

---

Zinnia walked into her apartment with heavy steps, feeling a sinking weight in her chest that refused to lift. The world outside had felt like a blur—the news, her emotions, the unresolved tension about James’s sudden return—and now, the quiet of her apartment only made everything worse.

She set her bag down on the table, her fingers still trembling as she grabbed her phone, desperate for some clarity, some connection. She tried calling Samuel again, and the ringing tone echoed in her ears, each passing second making her feel more isolated. "Please, pick up," she whispered, but after the usual few rings, the voicemail picked up, and her heart sank further.

The call ended. Zinnia pressed the redial button, hoping for a different outcome. Again, voicemail. Again, nothing.

Frustration bubbled up inside her, and she slammed the phone down on the counter. She was lost—lost in a whirlwind of emotions, of unanswered questions. "Where are you, Sam?" she thought, pacing around her apartment as her mind raced. "What am I supposed to do now?"

In a panic, she decided to try calling Timmy instead. "Maybe he knows something, maybe he can help," she reasoned with herself.

She barely had time to hit dial when Timmy’s voice came through on the other end, calm but with a trace of urgency, "Ma’am? It’s Timmy. Is everything alright?"

Zinnia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, but the relief was fleeting. "Timmy, I’ve been trying to reach Samuel. Why isn’t he answering?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"We’re doing everything we can," Timmy replied, his voice still composed despite the tension in it. "There’s a lot going on with the company right now. Samuel’s handling things. He asked me to make sure you were alright. We’ll let you know as soon as we know more."

Zinnia bit her lip, trying to digest his words. "The company, Samuel... but why hasn’t he reached out?" She could hear the concern in her voice despite her best efforts to hide it.