Chapter 104 Zachary, Did You Ever Like Me?
The knocking was frantic, almost deafening. It must have startled the residents, not just on her floor but likely the ones above and below as well.
Winona rolled out of bed and hurried to the door, yanking it open with force.
The person outside was wrapped up like a burrito; Layla was barely recognizable—even her own mother wouldn't have known it was her!
"What do you want?"
Winona had been wondering how Layla got in. Unlike Zachary, whose highly recognizable face was often seen on television, Layla's current disguise was far from conspicuous. She could have passed for a fugitive. Now that Winona saw the janitor's uniform she had donned, it all made sense.
She had underestimated her.
"Can you ask Mr. Bailey to help me? Those people have really crossed the line. They are cobbling together all sorts of messy videos and spreading them online." Layla tried to push past Winona's defenses to get inside but failed after several attempts and had to give up.
Winona waited until she was finished before responding leisurely. "Why on earth do you think I'll help you? Layla, considering our relationship, it's a miracle we aren't sabotaging each other. How can you expect me to bail you out? Didn't you enjoy watching me suffer when you set me up?"
It was unclear whether Layla was being astute or was missing the point, but she bit her lip and countered after a few seconds of thought, "Did you leak those videos?"
Winona raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Tell me, was it you? It must have been you. No one else hates me as much."
Winona let out a contemptuous laugh. "You really overestimate your popularity."
Without delving into specifics, just those people she'd bullied in the videos probably wished they could deal with her then and there.
"You vile creature!" Layla lunged at her, but Winona quickly shut the door in her face.
Layla slammed against the solid door, her nails scratching futilely against the metal and splitting from the force.
Winona warned, "Make another sound, and I'll have the entire building come out to watch the hottest internet sensation of the week."
Layla fumbled with her mask and hat like a thief, peering around to make sure no one came out of their doors. Realizing she had no choice but to swallow her frustration, she muttered under her breath, "Winona, you're savage!"
These days, the atmosphere at the Bailey Group was incredibly tense—everyone wore a stony expression. It was all because Mr. Bailey was in a foul mood.
Those who had gone to report their work in his office came out stumbling and drenched in cold sweat without exception. He didn't even need to raise his voice; his cold face and his sharp eyes were enough to oppress them to the point of suffocation.
Dylan, holding the newly framed painting, stood at the office door and took a deep breath before raising his hand to knock. Beside him stood Fiona. She had come today to have Zachary sign a sponsorship contract. He had verbally agreed to the sponsorship during their last encounter, but the relevant contract was still unsigned. She didn't expect to run into Dylan.
Fiona glanced at the painting in his hands. Her expression was cold and unreadable. Dylan said, "Miss Clark, please wait outside for a moment while I announce your arrival."
Fiona nodded. "Alright."
Dylan pushed the door open. Inside, Zachary was engrossed in paperwork, his brow furrowed and the corners of his lips downturned—a clear sign of dissatisfaction. Dylan carefully placed the painting on the desk. "Mr. Bailey, the painting has been framed. Would you like me to hang it up for you?"
He hadn't expected Mr. Bailey to hold this painting in such high regard, to the point of even finding the best framer to reframe it.
"No need," Zachary said, sliding the painting into a drawer. "Who's outside?"
"Miss Clark, with the sponsorship contract for your signature."
Such trivial matters could usually be dealt with by his subordinates, but given Fiona's special status, he dared not make decisions on his own. Zachary paused for a few seconds. "Let her in."
When Fiona entered, she placed the contract on the desk with a strictly businesslike demeanor and said, "Mr. Bailey, please review it. Is there anything that needs to be changed?"
Her advisor had told her that men shouldn't be clung to too tightly; it was necessary to maintain a distance but not be absent for too long. One should display vulnerability at the right moment, but not in a way that seems scheming. Especially for a man like Zachary, who was never short of women, it was crucial not to appear too eager.
Fiona was considering how to appear vulnerable in a way that didn't cheapen her image yet evoked his sympathy, but her chain of thoughts was interrupted by Zachary. "Winona told me that you and I have been playing a charade and teaming up to mess with her. What's that about?"
Since Fiona had been practicing dance from a young age, her posture was impeccable. Upon hearing those words, she straightened her back even more. "Shouldn't you be asking Winona? After all, she's the one who said it. She should know what it means."
She was unsure if Winona had mentioned this to Zachary, or if so, how much she had said. Thus, deflecting the matter seemed to be the best course of action.
Zachary looked at her coldly. His piercing gaze left Fiona feeling completely exposed.
From the moment she walked in, all the earnest warnings from Emily were thrown to the back of her mind. "So, are you questioning me on her behalf now? Do you think that I would do something to harm others?"
"I'm not questioning you. I'm just asking," he said calmly. "Even though it's been three years and it's hard to investigate, there are still some clues left."
The light that had sparked in Fiona's eyes at his brief silence was completely extinguished after hearing his words. "If I say I didn't do it, would you believe me? No, you won't. You'll still investigate. The only reason you're asking me this is to cut off my escape route."
The office was dead silent.
She waited for Zachary to speak, but the man simply opened the document she had brought, glanced over the terms, and, having found no issues, finally signed his name at the bottom.
Seeing his meticulous manner, Fiona smirked and said sarcastically, "What? Are you afraid I'll trick you?"
"You can handle the rest with the investment department manager. I'll have Dylan give you his business card later," Zachary said.
Was that his way of saying she shouldn't contact him again? How much did he despise her that he wanted to cut off even this small connection?
In a faint voice, Fiona asked, "Zachary, did you ever like me?"
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