Paying back such a huge favor was out of his league. Zach had not only given them the business idea practically free of cost but had also paved the way for them to launch their product in the foreign markets. As such, the demands he had put forward weren't really difficult. Therefore, Marico had agreed to Zach's conditions without even thinking.
With the appearance of Christina who was supposedly another suitor of Zach, he felt the urge to guide Clara into taking the initiative. Otherwise, her status in the Smith family might fall even lower. She would end up as a third wife instead of second.
Thinking along the same lines, Marico called for his daughter in the study to have a heartfelt talk with her. Ever since her skirmish with Christina and Diana, she had not been pestering Zach as much. Marico even felt that Clara might have stopped having those feelings for Zach as she did before.
When Clara entered the study, Marico asked her to take a seat in front of him before asking in a genteel tone, "What are you going to do about Zach?"
"I am going to marry him." Clara didn't even think for a second before replying. It was an instinctive response that came naturally out of her mouth.
"Then why haven't you done anything towards that endeavor? Your competition keeps getting tougher. What if he doesn't want you any longer? Have you thought about that?"
Clara finally understood what her father was getting at. He was worried after Christina arrived and declared her position in front of everyone. But Clara didn't think of Christina as a threat at all.
"Why wouldn't he want me? Compared to that woman, I am cuter. My petite figure is popular amongst men. It makes them want to protect women like me. I am sure Zach won't be able to reject me for her."
Marico sighed helplessly as Clara sounded like a smug little girl who hadn't seen the world yet. She didn't know how to grasp the heart of her man yet. It was more likely that the girl Christina would make her move before her.
"Do what you want but don't come crying to me if that girl Christina manages to seduce Zach before you. It will be your loss then."
Marico believed that he couldn't get involved in the matters of the youngsters. He had to let them settle these among themselves. He had already done all he could by warning his daughter; the rest was up to her.
Clara wasn't as dumb as she appeared. In reality, she already saw Christina as a competitor but she didn't want to duke it out with her because Zach apparently had good feelings towards her and wouldn't want them to argue.
Another reason she had still been holding back was because she felt more threat from Diana compared to Christina. She was the legal wife of Zach in front of the public and had the right to live in the same room as him. Compared to Christina, Diana had more of a chance to snatch Zach from him.
Moreover, Diana also had the power to interfere in her relationship with Zach. As long as she was willing to keep her from getting intimate with Zach, Clara wouldn't be able to do anything unless she was willing to scandalize herself as a home-wrecking slut.
Clara couldn't tell her father how jealous she actually was of Diana who could sleep in the same room as Zach without any interference or the public side-eyeing them.
Marico could tell the gears were turning in his daughter's head but she was unwilling to take the direct approach and declare her love to Zach before the others. She was still playing harem politics with the other girls so she wouldn't have the time to engage in intimate rendezvous with Zach.
Since he couldn't convince Clara, Marico decided to take a more hands-off approach towards this as he shook his head helplessly as he watched his daughter let such a once in a lifetime chance go through her hands.
Before the overly active Clara could bounce out of the study, Marico called out to her.
Clara turned back and said, "Hurry up if you still have something to tell me. I need to go somewhere."
"Take care of yourself these days and take your guards with you wherever you go. You are not allowed to disobey this order. Your security detail must follow you wherever you are headed." ordered Marico as he was worried about his daughter's well being.
Clara made a whining face but Marico raised his hand to indicate that he didn't want to listen to anything else that came out of her mouth.
"An inmate named Jack has recently escaped from Prison and word is that he is THE WORST criminal out there. I don't want you to put yourself at risk by going anywhere alone. Same goes for your elder sister as well."
Clara pouted in annoyance but eventually relented when Marico explained his reason to her. Her attitude took a one eighty degree turn all of a sudden as she heavily patted her bursting breasts and declared, "Don't worry father, as long as I am here, you and elder sister don't need to be afraid. I will definitely keep our family safe no matter who might come our way with bad intentions."
Marico wasn't satisfied with this result at all. He knew his daughter well and could tell what she was thinking. She was probably going to go out and seek the criminal on her own. He felt the need to deter her so she wouldn't end up harming herself.
"Clara, there are enemies that you might not be able to handle; just like those iron mantises. Didn't you end up relying on the Smith family to save yourself? Be a good girl and keep your head down during this time, at least until the criminal is captured back into custody of the police."
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