Chapter121 Fallen for Me?
Zachary Bailey looked down at Winona Sullivan, her brow furrowed despite being forced against him, her gaze locked onto Austin.
It almost appeared as if her heart and soul were consumed with the man before her.
His hand slid from her shoulder to her waist, fingers tightening with such force it snapped her attention back to him.
Zachary Bailey’s eyes were dark and opaque. “Let's go.”
Brian, with an impeccable sense of timing, had already parked the car next to them, ready to open the door with a simple stretch of his arm.
“No...” Winona Sullivan’s protest was cut to a single syllable as Zachary Bailey forcefully ushered her into the car.
Austin’s expression darkened, and he made to intervene, but his outstretched hand was blocked by bodyguards flanking him.
In the blink of an eye, Winona was inside the car, the door shut, the engine roared to life, and they were speeding away from the hospital.
It wasn’t just Brian inside; Dylan Collins was there too.
Austin’s voice, mingling with the roar of the engine, reached the ears of the pair in the backseat. They had distinctly different expressions on their faces. “Zachary Bailey, if you dare force her into anything, I swear I won’t let it slide.”
He said 'force' because Austin knew, as an outsider, he had no say in their affairs. Regardless of the strained relations or the ongoing divorce proceedings, as long as they were legally wed, their interactions were considered permissible.
Austin could only take a stand if Winona was unwilling.
Men understand men better than they understand women, and the look in that guy's eyes was all about possession, intense enough to be palpable. Knowing what could happen if that control slipped, Austin was all too aware of the implications.
But the scenario Austin feared didn’t transpire. Zachary Bailey not only refrained from touching her further, but also let go of her as soon as the car door slammed shut...
Now, they sat apart, a sizable gap between them. Silence filled the car, the sound of their breathing almost imperceptible.
Winona turned her head; Zachary was reclining, eyes closed, in a feigned rest. Long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks. His lips pursed, intensifying the stark and unapproachable coldness contoured on his face.
Dylan glanced in the rearview mirror, noting the silent tension between them, and couldn’t help but speak up, “Winona, there’s a pharmacy up ahead. Perhaps you could grab some wound care for Mr. Bailey? He’s taken quite a beating, and with back-to-back meetings, he hasn’t even had time to visit the hospital. And Mr. Robinson is no ordinary man; after years in the most grueling part of the military, his strength and skill are nothing to be underestimated.”
Zachary remained still, eyes closed, not dismissing Dylan’s suggestion nor showing any sign of agreement.
Brian had already parked the car in front of the pharmacy, and with considerate gallantry, stepped out to open the door for Winona Sullivan.
Winona Sullivan remained silent as four pairs of eyes riveted on her from inside and outside the car. Dylan Collins, in particular, was all but on his knees, hands clasped in supplication.
To ensure her compliance, Dylan even called out a list of medicines through the open window in a voice loud enough that shopkeepers nearby turned their heads to look. The number of onlookers seemed to swell by the second.
Brian’s expression, too, was one of earnest entreaty.
Winona found it impossible to withstand such a pleading look from an elder, and she guessed that if she didn't agree, Brian might very well hold his pose, door open, until Zachary Bailey ordered instead.
Feeling cornered but not quite ready to let Dylan off the hook, she quipped, "Mr. Collins, you're really going above and beyond, aren't you? Earning an assistant's paycheck but doing a mother's work."
What assistant would be so concerned about their boss’s wellbeing to this extent? Dylan, a grown man, was shamelessly beseeching her, a young woman, throwing all pride to the wind.
Dylan gave an awkward smile, opting not to share that when Mr. Bailey was in a foul mood, it was Dylan, the man who entered the CEO's office a dozen and a half times a day, who bore the brunt of it.
Dylan joked that he'd get a heart attack before his retirement.
Winona went inside to get the meds. She had glanced at Austin’s prescription earlier and had memorized a few items.
Back in the car, she tossed the purchased meds to Zachary Bailey without a second thought.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the apartment complex. As soon as Winona got out of the car, Zachary followed suit.
Winona furrowed her brows and barked at him, "Don't follow me."
She was both hungry and tired and no longer in the mood to endure any more of his torment.
Without a word, Zachary lifted the bag full of medications she’d bought and thrust it in her face. "You bought these. Who's going to apply them if not you?"
Winona started to retort, "Don't you have a capable assistant? Let him..."
Before she could finish, the car that hadn't been turned off pulled away swiftly.
Winona was left speechless as Zachary gestured toward the now missing car, swallowed up by the traffic, "Looks like it's up to you now."
Winona was determined not to agree, but it was clear that Zachary had no intention of asking for her opinion. He just grabbed the meds and headed towards her building as if he were more familiar with it than even its residents.
Winona took a deep breath and quickened her pace to keep up. She would have preferred to ignore him completely and check herself into a hotel instead.
"Zachary Bailey, are you falling for me or what?"
Silence fell. The man offered no reply.
Did he not want to answer, or was he accepting the premise, or perhaps he found the question so absurd it was beneath him? Only the sounds of their footsteps filled the quiet path.
"To think otherwise would be pretty creepy, Zachary," Winona murmured to herself.
They were on the verge of divorce, and now this was happening? How could anyone be pleased?
"If I were falling for you, would you really find it that creepy?" Zachary's voice was cold, possibly angry, but when Winona turned to look at him, she caught the hint of a curve on his usually impassive lips.
"Yes," she replied without hesitation.
Zachary averted his gaze from her face. " Don't make me laugh! How are the wildly unrealistic fantasies you're dreaming up?"
Winona clenched her teeth. "... You're overstepping your bounds! " she snapped.
Plain talk would have been enough; there was no need for such unpleasantness. She sped up, aiming to reach home before Zachary, to lock him out; or, if nothing else, to grab her license from her wallet on the shoe rack and head to a hotel.
But he moved faster, and just as the door cracked open, before Winona could push through, Zachary had already stepped inside.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for her wallet where she kept her license. Her fingers had barely grazed the leather when the door closed behind her.
Zachary leaned against the door, his arm blocking her only escape route, with his other hand gripping her waist, enveloping her in his presence...
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