Forbiddenly Bound To You
Chapter 85: The Call

Chapter 85: The Call

Mira laid on her bed. It was already nighttime, and she was dressed in her soft, cotton nightwear. She absentmindedly held the card Zamian had given her that morning and her phone, her fingers brushing over the edges of the card. The room felt a little too quiet, a little too empty. Lily, her trusted friend, had left earlier due to a family emergency. Her mother had been suddenly admitted to the hospital, and Lily had to rush to her side. Now, alone in her room, Mira felt the absence of her friend’s comforting presence.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she opened her phone, staring at the screen. She felt the need to call someone, anyone, but the only person who came to mind was Zamian. She stared at the contact screen where his number was already typed in, her finger hovering over the call button.

Before making the call, she quickly sent a message to Lily:

"Wishing your mom a speedy recovery. Let me know if you need anything."

Her fingers hesitated again as she thought about Zamian. What would she say? What if he was busy? What if he thought she was bothering him? They had just spoken earlier, but the thought of hearing his voice again made her heart flutter. Her mind filled with conflicting thoughts, but one stood out: it was such a simple thing—just to ask if he had arrived safely. She had every reason to check in on him. But then again, would that make her seem clingy?

Her thumb hovered over the call button once more. It should have been easy. But it wasn’t. Why was it so hard to just press it?

---

Meanwhile, Zamian had already arrived in a different country for an important business meeting. He sat at the head of a long, polished mahogany table. Around him were several well-known CEOs, professionals from various countries, all gathered for a high-stakes discussion. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, not because of the subject matter at hand, but because of Zamian’s presence.

As soon as he sat down, the entire room fell silent. It wasn’t just the respect they had for him as a powerful businessman; it was fear, an unspoken fear that made them hesitant to even breathe too loudly in his presence.

Zamian, however, remained calm, his usual composed self. He was about to open the meeting, to address the gathered CEOs and begin the discussions that had brought them here, but before he could speak, a sound cut through the heavy silence.

A phone rang.

The sound echoed in the large room, and immediately, every face turned pale. The CEOs exchanged nervous glances, trying to identify the source of the ringtone. It was unthinkable for anyone’s phone to go off during such a meeting. But as the room grew suffocatingly tense, Zamian realized with mild surprise that the phone in question was his.

He glanced at the screen. The number was unknown, which made it even more surprising. Who would dare call him during such an important meeting? Only one person came to mind—Mira. He couldn’t explain why, but a slow smile crept onto his lips, and the tension in the room began to dissipate, though the others remained on edge, unsure of what was happening.

The entire room was in disbelief. Who had the audacity to call Zamian during a crucial meeting like this? This was a discussion that could affect the economic welfare of an entire country. Yet, here was their leader, seemingly unconcerned. Zamian answered the call.

"Hello?" he said, his voice calm and collected, though there was a subtle hint of warmth that no one in the room had ever heard from him before.

On the other end of the line, Mira’s voice came through, hesitant but sweet. "Hello? Is this Zamian?"

A chuckle escaped Zamian’s lips, and he leaned back slightly in his chair. "Yes, it is, wifey."

The room of CEOs froze in place. Did they hear that correctly? Did Zamian, the cold and untouchable businessman, just call someone "wifey"? Laughter began to ripple across the table as they tried to process what was happening. It was so out of place, so unexpected, that some of them couldn’t help but laugh nervously, unsure of how to react.

Zamian, in the middle of an international business meeting, was casually talking to his wife. The CEOs, men and women of power, glanced at each other in confusion and disbelief. It was as though the serious and formal atmosphere had been replaced by something much more casual, like they were all sitting around a coffee table instead of a boardroom. The gravity of the situation seemed to fade into the background.

Mira’s warm laughter came through the speaker, and Zamian’s smile widened.

"Are you busy?" she asked, her voice soft and concerned.

Zamian’s reply came without hesitation. "Even if I am, you’re more important."

The room fell into a stunned silence once again. The CEOs, already thrown off guard, were now staring at Zamian as if they had entered an alternate reality. Did he just say that? Was this the same man they had feared moments ago?

"So you are..." Zamian began to laugh, but this time, his laughter wasn’t just warm—it was genuine. It was the kind of laughter that felt infectious, though no one dared join in. The CEOs exchanged wide-eyed glances. Zamian laughing was something none of them had ever seen before. It was unsettling, almost more so than his usual calm demeanor. Some of them began to sweat, not sure what to make of this unexpected shift in his behavior.

"Stop, you’re at a meeting," Mira chided playfully. "Bye, I’ll call you later."

Before Zamian could protest, the call ended, and his smile vanished almost instantly, replaced by a cold, distant expression. The air in the room shifted once more, tension creeping back in like a storm cloud.

He stood abruptly, clearly displeased that their conversation had been cut short. He hadn’t wanted it to end so soon, but he couldn’t continue talking while in the middle of a business meeting. He had responsibilities, but right now, all he wanted was to talk to Mira.

"Meeting dismissed," he said, his voice cold and authoritative.

The entire hall stared at him in shock. What had just happened? One moment he had been laughing, and now, he was back to his stern, almost frightening self. No one dared to question him, though they all had the same thought running through their heads.

As soon as Zamian left the room, whispers and murmurs began to fill the once-silent space. The CEOs were trying to piece together what they had just witnessed. The stoic, intimidating Zamian had just smiled and laughed in the middle of an important meeting. It was unlike anything they had ever seen.

Just as the murmurs reached a peak, John entered the room. The moment he stepped inside, the room fell silent again.

"The meeting has been rescheduled to tomorrow morning," John announced calmly, though he could feel the tension thick in the air. Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the room, and as soon as he was gone, the whispers resumed.

Outside, Zamian entered his car, and John slid into the driver’s seat, starting the engine. The air conditioner was on, blasting cool air into the car, but John was already sweating. He knew the boss was in a mood, and it was making him anxious. He needed to say something, anything, to break the silence.

"Umm, boss," John began, his voice hesitant. "You could, um, you could simply call her, you know?"

Zamian turned to him, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Or," John added quickly, "how about a video call?"

Zamian considered it for a moment before asking, "How do I do that?"

John glanced at him in surprise. "With your phone, of course," he said, keeping his voice steady as he held out his hand.

Zamian handed his phone over, and John quickly switched it to video call mode before handing it back to him.

"It’s ringing," John said, his voice almost a whisper.

Zamian positioned the phone close to his face, waiting for Mira to pick up. When she did, the sight of her face filled the screen, but before he could speak, she burst into laughter.

Zamian’s eyebrow rose in confusion. He loved hearing her laugh, but what was so funny?

"Why are you holding the phone so close to your face?" she teased, her laughter still bubbling. "Take it back a little so I can see my handsome husband’s full face."

Zamian stilled at her words. Handsome? He wasn’t used to hearing compliments like that, especially not from Mira. She must have been feeling more relaxed than usual because, if he had been beside her, she likely wouldn’t have had the courage to say something like that to his face.

Silently, he adjusted the phone as she had asked, shifting it so that she could see more of him.

"I thought you were in a meeting, that’s why I hung up earlier," Mira explained, her voice soft, trying to justify her actions.

"I see," Zamian replied calmly, his expression unreadable.

If only she knew he really was in a meeting, John thought to himself, silently amused from the driver’s seat.

"Why don’t you sleep now?" Zamian said, his tone full of concern. He knew she needed rest to keep her body strong.

"Okay, I’ll call you later," Mira replied, but Zamian quickly interrupted.

"No..."

Mira paused, her curiosity evident as she stared at the screen.

"Don’t turn off the video call," Zamian said, his voice gentle but firm.

"Huh?" Mira blinked in confusion, unsure of where he was going with this.

"I want to watch you sleep," he clarified.