The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 415

Chapter 203 2

Chapter 203-2

• 25 Points

Xena instantly snaps her head up from my lap, her floppy ears standing straight up as she lets out a fierce, squeaky little boof at the intruders.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Mayhem stops in his tracks, his eyes widening as he spots the tiny

black-and-tan ball of fur growling heroically at him from the sofa. “What the hell is that? Locke, did you adopt a miniature wolf?”

“It’s a German Shepherd, you idiot,” Jade says, shoving Mayhem out of the way with her elbow as she walks over to the couch, a brilliant, warm smile lighting up her face. She kneels down beside me, immediately reaching out to scratch Xena under her chin, causing her tough-bitch act to instantly melt into tail-wagging submission. “Oh, Zara, it’s absolutely adorable!”

“Her name’s Xena,” I say, leaning over to hug Jade tightly. “Bear got her for us.”

Willow steps up behind Jade, floating into the room in an ankle-length, layered floral skirt, a purple hand-knit sweater, and a pair of turquoise beads wrapped around her wrist. Her eyes are wide with

wonder as she looks at Xena.

“Oh, her aura is so pure,” Willow coos, kneeling beside Jade and extending her slender fingers for Xena to sniff. The puppy sniffs her hand, licks her index finger, and immediately plops her chin down on her palm. “See? We’re aligned. She knows I’m a peaceful spirit.”

Mayhem snorts loudly as he unloads containers of curry, garlic naan, and rice onto the large mahogany dining table.

“Yeah, yeah, peaceful spirit, my ass. Tell that to Stitch. Man sat outside your bedroom door at the clubhouse all night like a stone gargoyle.”

Willow’s cheeks instantly flush a bright, rosy pink. She tucks a strand of wavy hair behind her ear, looking down at her lap. “Dr. Stitch was just being thorough with his medical observation. He… he brought me lavender tea this morning.”

I share a quick, knowing look with Jade, who immediately bursts into a wicked, teasing grin.

“Lavender tea?” Jade echoes. “Mayhem, when you were bleeding out from a gunshot wound last year, did Stitch bring you lavender tea?”

“Hell no!” Mayhem laughs, pulling out a dining chair and slumping into it. “The mean bastard slapped a pressure bandage on me, told me to stop bleeding on his clean floor, and handed me a lukewarm cup of instant black coffee that tasted like goddamn battery acid.”

“He was very gentle when he took the glass splinters and metal shards out of my legs,” Willow

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hapter 203 2

murmurs. “He has very warm hands for a doctor.”

+25 Paints

“Warm hands!” Mayhem howls. “Zara, write this down… our resident butcher has warm hands!”

Willow looks up, her expression entirely earnest and unbothered. “I also suggested a blend of gotu

kola, calendula, and rosehip oil to help minimize tissue scarring. I thought it would be particularly

useful, given how often you boys seem to end up with knife and bullet wounds.”

Jade bursts into a sudden fit of laughter, nearly choking on her water, while Mayhem’s eyes widen in sheer delight.

“And how did our chief medical officer take that brilliant advice?” I ask innocently.

“He just stared at me without blinking, drank his black coffee, and said, ‘If it doesn’t come in a sterile bottle, don’t put it near my surgical bay”.”

We all look at each other, trying not to laugh.

“He told me that skin heals through cellular regeneration and suture tension, not flower petals.

Then I told him chamomile and willow bark would help align his nervous system after working

such a long shift, and he told me that’s where coffee comes in.”

Mayhem buries his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with silent, chest-heaving laughter. “I can’t take it. Stitch getting lecture lessons on holistic wound care and herbal tea from a hippie angel is the absolute greatest thing that’s ever happened to this club.”

Dad walks over to the couch where I sit now. He reaches out, his massive, calloused hand cupping the top of my head for a long, quiet second, before looking down at Xena, who lets out another tiny

yip at his boots.

“Yeah, you tell me what’s what,” Dad tells her. “Good girl.”

“Alright, food’s getting cold,” Locke says, stepping out of the kitchen with a stack of plates and cutlery. He sets them on the table and looks over at me, his eyes softening as he walks to the couch, gently helping me up and tucking Xena into a plush dog bed by the fireplace with a chew toy. “Come on, baby. Let’s eat.”

We gather around the dining table, the atmosphere rich with the scents of chicken tikka masala, butter naan, and rich, aromatic vegetable curries. Locke pulls my chair out for me, sitting right at my side, his hand resting comfortably on my knee beneath the table.

Willow sits across from Mayhem and Jade, looking at the feast spread out before her with wide eyes. “Oh… you got the vegan curries? And the vegetable samosas?”

“Dad made sure the kitchen packed ’em separate,” Mayhem says, digging into a plate piled high with meat and rice. “Said if we fed you chicken by mistake, dead animal ghosts would haunt the

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clubhouse.”

25 Points

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Willow laughs softly, a bright, musical sound, before looking up at Dad. “Thank you, Cobra. That

was very thoughtful.”

Dad pauses, setting down his fork. He looks across the table at Willow, his heavy shoulders relaxing as he holds her gaze. The old tension, the lingering ghost of her past confusion, and the painful misunderstandings of the past weeks melt away into nothing.

“You don’t have to call me Cobra, Willow, remember?” Dad says. “You’re family. You brought my other daughter home, and you stood your ground when the dark came knocking. You’ve got a seat

at this table for as long as you want it.”

Willow’s breath catches, tears welling in her bright eyes, but a radiant, breathtaking smile spreads across her face. She nods slowly, her hands trembling slightly as she picks up her bread. “Thank

you… Dad.”

The word hangs in the air: soft, real, and completely accepted. Mayhem smiles softly into his plate, Jade reaches across the table to squeeze Willow’s hand.

We spend the next hour eating, laughing, and swapping stories:

Jade teases Mayhem about his alpaca, Mayhem threatens to teach Xena how to chew up Locke’s expensive leather jackets, and Willow floatingly explains the spiritual energy of female German Shepherds, prompting Dad and Locke to stare at her in silent, bewildered amusement while Mayhem loses his mind laughing.

By the time the plates are cleared and the storm outside fully clears to reveal a brilliant, twilight sky over the ocean, the heavy shadows of Knox, the warehouse, and the violence of the past are

completely gone.

It’s all washed away by the warmth of a family that couldn’t be broken down or broken apart, no matter how hard the world tried.

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