Chapter 16
After calming Nicole down, he deliberately steered the conversation toward the company’s finances. Nicole was completely unguarded with Zachary, revealing every piece of information she knew about the
company.
Once he got the information he wanted, he couldn’t stand to stay any longer, afraid he might lose control and strangle Nicole.
The things prepared for Nicole at home were not ready yet, so he decided to let her enjoy a few more peaceful days.
“Nic, the surprise I prepared for you isn’t finished yet. I’ll go back and keep working on it. You’ll definitely be surprised.”
He didn’t say he liked her, only that there would be a surprise, worried that the surprise might be too much and turn into a shock.
“Alright then, hurry up. I’ll wait for you at the hospital.”
“Mm.” He patted Nicole’s head, unable to stop himself from tightening his grip.
“What are you doing? That hurts.” Nicole’s cry of pain snapped Zachary out of his daze.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
“Hmph!”
“I’m leaving now. Next time, I’ll bring you a gift to make up for it.”
With that, he left without looking back.
Chapter 16
As soon as he stepped out of the hospital room, he went to the restroom and kept washing the hand that had just touched Nicole.
Zachary drove home, and once there, he went to the cold storage to talk to Jasmine.
“Jas, everyone who hurt you will get what they deserve, including myself.”
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for being blind and foolish.”
***
After seeing Jasmine, Zachary returned to his study and began issuing a series of orders targeting the Walsh Group.
He sent private investigators to collect evidence of Morgan’s years of illegal activities and Nicole’s involvement in murder–for–hire, ordered someone to bring back the runaway driver, and sent evidence of the Walsh Group’s tax evasion to the business and tax authorities.
After finishing all this, Zachary once again sank into sorrow.
Looking at the photos of Jasmine spread out on the desk, he realized that for so many years, he hadn’t dared to touch anything related to Jasmine. He had sealed everything away, never taking them out.
Under the cherry blossom tree, she was as beautiful as a fairy.
That was Jasmine in her freshman year, her face still a bit youthful, just out of high school, with a hint of childishness remaining. Zachary had used his scholarship to buy a camera just to document Jasmine’s life.
This was the first photo taken with that camera.
“Zach, you have to keep taking pictures of me and recording everything from now on.”
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Chapter 16
“Mm.”
ཅཀཀྱ
The more beautiful the memories, the more painful Zachary’s reality became. Outside, he could see rows of towering buildings, and behind every window might be someone else’s story, but never again would there be a story with her.
Zachary’s steps were unsteady, dragging across the cold floor like a soulless shell, until he reached the bedroom and fell asleep clutching Jasmine’s clothes.
The advantage of being wealthy was that many of his orders could be executed extremely quickly.
When Nicole called, Zachary was talking to Jasmine’s corpse, though it was all just him asking and answering himself.
Being interrupted during his time with Jasmine made Zachary very impatient.
“What is it?”
His cold tone made Nicole pause for a moment, but her concern for her father made her ignore the oddity, assuming he was just busy with something important and was a bit annoyed at being disturbed.
“Zachary, I don’t know why my dad was arrested, and our house has been sealed off. There are so many creditors crowding at our door demanding money. What should I do?”
Nicole cried as she spoke to Zachary, her mind completely blank, not knowing what to do. She saw Zachary as her only lifeline.
Hearing this, Zachary laughed silently to himself. It seemed everything that idiot Nicole said was true. He wondered how Morgan, that old fox, could have raised such a vicious and stupid daughter.
Chapter 16
The next phase of his plan could begin.
“Where are you now? Find a place without cameras and wait for me to pick you up.” Despite the concern in his words, Zachary’s face remained icy cold.
After hanging up, Zachary drove to the address Nicole gave him. Once he picked her up, he parked the car by the roadside.
“Nic, throw away your SIM card so the creditors can’t harass you. I’ll get you a new number.”
Nicole obediently took out her SIM card and threw it away.
“You must be hungry. I brought you a cup of milk tea. Have some first, and I’ll take you home for dinner.”
“Zachary, what about my dad? How could this happen so suddenly…” Before she could finish, she burst into tears.
Zachary looked visibly impatient.
“Just have some milk tea first.”
Nicole obediently drank it, and after finishing, she swayed and fainted.
Zachary got out of the car, moved Nicole from the passenger seat to the trunk, made sure no one could see, and then drove home.
Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
