When everyone had finished supper, Egen returned to his room. He paused briefly after closing the door behind him, then began pacing back and forth.
"I might need to get closer to everyone… except Yara," he muttered. "She has nothing to add to my life."
A smirk curved across his lips.
"Zayun is good. Especially during tough times."
He pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened the drawer beside him. Inside was a copy of the land deed Zera had given him. After skimming through it, he folded the paper, locked the drawer, and hung the key around his neck on a string. Then, he blew out the lantern and moved to the window. For several minutes, he stood there in silence, staring at the gate outside.
Around 10 PM, Yara finally left the trading center, one of the last shops to close that night. She joined a group of other vendors walking home together.
One woman in her mid 40s, wearing a bright smile, darted her eyes around and leaned in toward the others with a whisper:
"We hear your new grandpa is a hottie and spoils your grandmother Zera real good."
The group of women burst into giggles and low murmurs.
Yara furrowed her brow, eyeing them sharply.
"What are you joking about?" she asked, a thin smile flickering across her face, though her voice held tension.
"Oh girl, stop pretending like you don't know!" the woman laughed. The others chuckled, tapping Yara's shoulders, some rolling their eyes.
"Lode and Zera are just friends," Yara said with a sigh, tapping her forehead.
The women exchanged looks and laughed louder.
"Of course we're not talking about Lode. Can that old bald head impress your grandmother?"
Yara raised an eyebrow, glanced at both sides of the group, then giggled faintly and asked,
"Then who are you referring to?"
They hummed knowingly, side-eyeing each other before one woman finally said:
"Darian."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Darian? Who's that?" Yara asked, her hand falling open in surprise.
"The delivery guy at the center," one woman explained. "He just had a baby, and his wife is around your age."
"That guy?" Yara blinked, looking at one of them. "Since when?"
"We hear it's been a month… maybe two."
Yara laughed, brushing it off.
"It's not true. Zera isn't that kind of person."
Just then, another vendor called out from behind them to wait up. When he caught up, he smiled at Yara.
"Looking good! You must be getting ready for your grandma's wedding. She really found the one."
The women giggled again.
"We just told you what everyone knows already," one of them added.
"This can't be true. I've never even seen that man near her!" Yara protested, frowning, her hands suspended mid-air in disbelief.
When they arrived at the house, Yara bolted the gate behind her only to find Darian stepping out of the front door, pacing casually.
She froze. Her face tightened, eyes narrowing at the sight of him.
A moment later, Zera stepped outside too, holding a small lunchbox and a mini basket filled with fruit.
"What is going on here?" Yara muttered. "This fool can't work for his own money?"
Shortly after, Egen emerged from the house as well, handing Darian a bottle of oil.
Yara's face dropped. Without saying much, she walked past them, offered a dry greeting, and went straight to her room skipping the evening meal, even though it looked like a larger portion than usual.
In the corridor outside her room, Egen was waiting for her.
"You must've made a lot today," he said, arms folded. His eyes glinted with hunger, his lip caught briefly between his teeth.
"What do I owe a fellow fool?" Yara snapped back, tongue brushing her upper jaw. A sardonic grin followed.
"Well, well, well... you should be grateful I'm letting you stay in my house," Egen said, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. "At least I don't have to be bleeding regularly for problems I can control."
"Why are you bothered? Is that what Zera told you to throw at me during our fights?" Yara scoffed. "Sorry, I'm too hard for that."
She waved a dismissive finger in front of him and entered her room, slamming the door behind her.
Inside, Yara paced the room, one hand on her waist.
"Oh my Lord… this woman Zera. Why is she dilly dallying with that fool?"
She walked to the window and peeked through the curtain. From a small angle, she could see Darian holding Zera by the waist just outside the gate. The moonlight made the scene clearer.
"Oh God, whatever she's up to…"
Yara yanked the curtains closed, changed into her nightwear, and crawled into bed.
Meanwhile, across the house, Walda sat fuming in silence, her hands squeezing a rubber toy.
"Oh… so you want a piece of what I own?" she muttered under her breath.
Her mind replayed the image of Zera handing Darian a bundle of money that evening.