Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 162

Chapter 162: The Surveillance Footage Chapter 162: The Surveillance Footage ************** CHAPTER 162 ~Zara’s POV~ I shook my head, refusing to let it consume me for now.

When I want to deal with her, I could enlist my brother’s help.  Instead, I focused on the sound of faint clattering from the kitchen below.

Snow was undoubtedly up to something, and the thought brought a flicker of amusement.

Moments later, the door creaked open again.

Snow entered with a tray in hand, a lopsided grin on his face.  The tray held a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and what looked like slightly burned bacon.

A small vase with a single, crooked daisy completed the arrangement.

With a flourish, he placed the tray on the nightstand and said, “Breakfast is ready, madam Zara.” I raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress a laugh.

“Did the bacon offend you, or is this just your special touch?” “Cooking is an art, and this is abstract,” he quipped, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“You’re welcome, by the way.” “Abstract art belongs in a gallery, not my breakfast,” I teased, picking up a piece of toast.

Snow leaned back, his arms propping him up as he watched me take a bite.

“So, how’d I do?” “Not bad,” I admitted, though I made a show of inspecting the bacon.

“A little heavy-handed on the ‘crispy,’ but edible.” “High praise,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’ll take it.” As I ate, Snow’s gaze lingered, his expression softening.

It wasn’t the intense, brooding look he often wore-it was something quieter, more vulnerable.

“What?” “What?” I asked, feeling self-conscious under his scrutiny.

“Nothing,” he smiled.

“I just like seeing you smile.

You don’t do it nearly enough.” The sincerity in his voice surprised me, leaving me momentarily unsure of how to respond.

I settled for a simple, “Thanks.” None of us spoke in a while, the tension from earlier fading as Snow reached for the leftover toast on my plate.

“Hey!” I protested, swatting his hand.

“You weren’t going to finish it,” he refuted with a smirk, popping it into his mouth.

“I might have,” I retorted, crossing my arms.

“Sure you might’ve,” he teased, brushing crumbs off his hands.

I rolled my eyes, but the warmth in my chest was undeniable.

Moments like this-easy, lighthearted-were rare between us, and I found myself wishing they could last forever.

“Zara,” Snow said suddenly, his tone more serious now.

I looked at him, my amusement fading.

“Yeah?” “There’s something I need to tell you.” My heart skipped a beat, his sudden shift in demeanor setting off alarm bells in my mind.

“What is it?” He hesitated, running a hand through his hair.

“It’s about the explosion.

We think the Starks might be involved after my rejection of Jenna’s advances but that’s mere speculation at this point but there’s more.

My friend, Jupiter, called last night…

He mentioned Marcus.” The name sent a chill down my spine, and I gripped the blanket tightly.

“Marcus?

What about him?” “He thinks Marcus might still be alive,” Snow said quietly, watching my reaction carefully.

I stared at him, the words refusing to sink in.

“That’s not possible.

Marcus is dead.

I saw his body.

He’s…

he’s gone.” Snow nodded slowly.

“I know it sounds crazy, but Jupiter’s convinced there’s more to this.

If Marcus is alive, it could explain a lot about what’s been happening lately.

It wouldn’t be a folly’s play against your company.

I shook my head, the idea too overwhelming to process.

“If he’s alive…

why now?

Why would he come back now?” “I don’t know, maybe it’s revenge,” Snow confessed.

“But if he is alive, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near you.

I promise.” His words were resolute, but they did little to quell the unease settling in my chest.

I had been one to undergo such torture before I was saved.  Astrid was enraged by our circumstances, yearning to liberate herself and confront anyone who dared to harm us.  The wolfsbane in our system made her feel weak, and the way she wetched me hurt her more than I could have ever imagined.  It also limited the way she came out to play and disturb me.

She was sulking and now an opportunity for revenge has come.  You can be confident that she would be prepared to fully engage.  I turned away, my gaze fixed on the window.

The sunlight streaming in felt too bright, too warm for the darkness swirling inside me.

Snow reached out, his hand gently resting on mine.

“We’ll figure this out, Zara.

Together.” I nodded.

Though his words didn’t fully lift the heaviness in my heart, they gave me a sense of fleeting comfort, but Marcus’s name had reawakened old wounds and fears I thought I’d buried long ago.

For now, I’d hold onto his promise.

It was the only thing keeping the fear at bay.

A soft knock at the door broke through my spiraling thoughts.

Snow looked over his shoulder, his jaw tightening.

“Come in,” he called out.

Scott entered, his usual composed demeanor shadowed by unease.

He carried a thick folder in one hand, his expression serious.

“Sir, you’ll want to see this,” he said, glancing briefly at me.

Snow stood, turning to face Scott.

“What is it?” Scott handed him the folder.

“Surveillance footage from the compound’s perimeter, retrieved just before the explosion.

We found something unusual.” I stood up straighter, my heart pounding.

“What do you mean by ‘unusual’?” Scott hesitated, as though unsure if he should say more in my presence.

Snow’s sharp gaze shifted to him.

“Speak freely,” Snow said, his tone brooking no argument.

Scott nodded.

“The footage shows an unknown figure loitering near the property an hour before the explosion.

They were cloaked-no clear features-but they placed something under your car, sir.” Snow’s jaw clenched, his hand tightening around the folder.

“What about the vehicle they came in?

License plates?” “Untraceable,” Scott admitted.

“They were careful, but there’s one detail…

The pendant they wore.

It’s distinct, almost ceremonial.

A crescent moon entwined with thorns.” “Snow?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“What does it mean?

Cloaked?

We did not see anyone and that car was right in front of us,” I stated.  Nothing was making sense right now.

Not even my rebirth made sense.  All the question I had in my head was, why?  Snow darted his gaze at me.

His brows knitted as he delivered the final blow of words I didn’t think I’d hear.

“Witches.”