Chapter 293 Need to Test the Effect First
After Winona finished talking, she got up and left without waiting for Michelle to respond. She barely glanced at Zachary and acted like he didn't exist.
When she mentioned "your boyfriend," Zachary's eyes narrowed, and a dark look flashed across them.
He got up and quickly followed Winona.
Winona, though her legs didn't match his in length, dashed ahead. By the time Zachary reached her, she had vanished from view.
With a cold expression, he headed towards the stairs.
On the second floor, only Michelle was left. Staring at the empty seat, she picked up Zachary's barely touched coffee and drank it all in one gulp.
Zachary caught up with Winona at the corner between the second and first floors. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "What nonsense are you talking about? If you're jealous, at least be reasonable. Don't just link me with any woman."
Winona reached out to push him away. Their commotion was drawing the attention of the waitstaff downstairs. "This is a public place. Let go." she asserted.
"Then play it cool, no need to bolt, no need to stress," Zachary retorted, encircling her shoulder with his arm and guiding her downstairs.
Rebecca had just gone to the restroom, so Winona didn't see her in the lobby. She was about to call her when Zachary snatched her phone away. "Michelle is just one of her names. Want to know her other name?"
Winona frowned slightly. "She is..."
"Be careful, someone might be eavesdropping. Let's talk in the car."
Even though Winona was loath, she still obediently got into Zachary's car. "Is Michelle from the Turner family?"
"Michelle is actually Kyle Turner's daughter, Eva. She was abroad for a long time and only came back recently, but she still spends most of her time overseas. The Turners are currently negotiating a partnership with the Bailey Group. She's the other party, not my girlfriend."
He didn't mention that he had intentionally facilitated the cooperation with the Turners.
Winona turned to look at the second floor of the café. It was her first time here, so she couldn't precisely locate Eva's position. All she saw were the same gray-green carved wooden windows.
Was it a coincidence? She had just gotten into trouble with the Turner family in A City, and shortly after returning to Dreamopolis, Eva appeared around her. Was Eva unaware of her identity, or was she in the know? What role did she play in all this?
Thinking about the large number of people in the Turner family, Winona couldn't help but press her temples.
Zachary grasped her hand, redirecting her focus from the café's upper level. "I'll handle the Turners. Stay away from Eva," he urged.
Recalling the intel Dylan had uncovered, Zachary noted Eva's involvement. She had contributed a crown to the museum where Winona was employed and had been making regular visits under this guise.
Although he wasn't sure if Eva was connected to the people who had kidnapped Winona in A City, it was safer for Winona to stay away from them.
Winona thought of the rumors that were probably already widespread and turned to Zachary with a faint smile. "Are you planning to seduce her?"
She made a show of seriously considering it, even nodding solemnly. "Michelle's eyes were practically glued to you. If you're willing to sacrifice, you might not even need to investigate. She'd spill everything."
A shadow of hostility crept over Zachary's usually impassive expression. His slender fingers tightened on her shoulder, gradually digging in. "Winona, do you see me as the type to use anyone for my own gain, even if it means bedding them?"
Winona winced in pain, looking at Zachary's piercing, icy gaze, her senses slightly muddled.
If Zachary's prior mistreatment during their union was a sort of debt, then the numerous times he had come to her aid had likely leveled the playing field. The Turners wielded considerable influence in A City, encapsulating a web of intricacies that extended far beyond mere surface-level matters. If her mother's death was indeed related to the Turner family or someone within it, she would have to go to A City to seek revenge.
No matter how powerful Zachary was in Dreamopolis, he would be constrained on someone else's turf. He wouldn't be completely at their mercy, but he wouldn't have the ability to turn the tables either.
She couldn't, and shouldn't, drag him into this.
If she continued to refuse to remarry while knowing what he wanted and still enjoyed his help, it would be disgusting. Winona couldn't do that. It was better to let Zachary stay out of it.
"Why not? It is not a bad strategy."
A cloud crossed Zachary's attractive visage, his eyes gleaming with a cold intensity that sent shivers down spines. His jaw clenched, the sharp angles of his face taut, and his stare bore into her like frozen daggers. "You never fail to surprise me."
He had intended to mock her, but the words got stuck in his throat, as if blocked by a lump of lead, and he couldn't say a word.
After a full half-minute, Zachary's turbulent emotions gradually calmed. His lips twisted into a self-deprecating smirk. "If I'm such a catch, why do you keep pushing me away every time I reach out?"
Winona was speechless.
As she was thinking of how to respond, Zachary's hand on her shoulder moved to the back of her head, stopping all her struggles and resistance.
Zachary inched closer, a deliberate and almost agonizingly slow approach, drawing near to Winona. Despite her attempts to resist, he effortlessly thwarted her struggles.
Within his grasp, Winona felt as helpless as a tiny hamster in his hands.
Zachary's face halted just a breath's distance from hers, his lips slightly parted, warm breath brushing against her own. "Your words don't hold water. I don't engage in anything unless I'm sure about it. I like to test my charm on women, starting with you."
The next second, Winona's eyes widened in shock.
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