Chapter 365 Too Bad to Be a Husband
Winona was totally caught off guard.
Zachary had already snagged the chair next to her and plopped down, slinging his arm over the back of her chair like he owned the place. "Frank, isn't having the whole Turner Family at your beck and call enough? Now you're trying to mess with the Bailey family too?"
Frank's face stayed cool as a cucumber as he leaned back, his hand chillin' on the table. "If I remember right, Mr. Bailey and Winona are already splitsville. How can you say I'm messing with the Bailey family?"
Zachary shot back, "Winona..."
He was about to drop the bomb that they were dating, but then he remembered he hadn't locked that down yet, and Winona had said they couldn't go public.
He pouted and said coldly, "Even if she's my ex, I'm not gonna just sit back and watch her get played by some shady dude. Plus, I'm currently chasing after Winona."
Under the table, Winona quickly yanked on Zachary's trousers. Frank had called her here to talk business, so right now, Frank was her boss. Zachary spilling his guts in front of her boss—how awkward could it get?
She cut him off, "What are you doing here? And stop talking nonsense."
Zachary pressed his lips together, "The bodyguards at home said you got picked up by some guy. They didn't dare stop you, so they called me."
He'd actually been at Regal Oaks the whole time. The acid-thrower had been caught and was locked up in the servant's quarters. He didn't want Winona to stress, and the questioning was bound to get messy, so he hadn't told her. He planned to get to the bottom of it before filling her in.
"If I hadn't shown up, you'd be getting played by this old dude."
As he said this, his tone was dripping with hurt, and he didn't even bother to lower his voice, practically shouting at Frank.
Frank's mind was always working. He planned to send her abroad, where she'd be lonely and in need of a friend. Then he'd swoop in at the right moments to take advantage of her vulnerability.
Frank didn't react much to Zachary's words, but Winona was so embarrassed she wanted to slap a hand over Zachary's mouth.
What old dude? What playing? Frank was Yara's first love and was just looking out for her out of old friendship. Sure, his requests were tough to swallow, but how could he have any other intentions?
Winona had once wondered if she was his kid, given the timing, but it didn't seem likely. First, she didn't look like him. Second, with Frank's background, he wouldn't have taken years to find her mom unless there were no feelings involved. But if there were no feelings, why was everything at Hillside Villa so well-preserved? Third, she didn't sense any fatherly vibes from Frank. Neither Rodolfo nor Emerson treated her like their boss's kid.
Zachary squinted, his eyes full of sarcasm. "Given your age, don't you think it's wrong to have such thoughts about a girl who could be your daughter's age?"
"Everyone loves a beautiful woman. Winona is so pretty, isn't it normal for her to have a bunch of admirers? Besides, feelings don't care about age. What's important is if there's mutual interest. What do you think, Mr. Bailey?"
Winona was worried Zachary might blow a fuse. She didn't want them to start a brawl.
She hadn't expected the usually chill and kind Frank to be so sharp-tongued, deliberately poking at Zachary.
Winona quickly jumped in, "Frank, let's get back on track. I'm not going abroad. When I signed the contract, it only mentioned working at Hillside Villa, so I have the right to say no."
"The contract's 79th clause says that in necessary situations, you gotta comply with the boss's travel plans. Going abroad now is a business trip."
"According to the relevant clauses, a business trip over three months counts as a change of work location, and the employee can refuse."
"Then you can work there for three months first. If the issue's sorted by then, no need to go again. After that, we can switch spots for another three months. A year has twelve months, four trips will do."
Zachary went quiet.
Seeing him stumped, Winona wanted to laugh despite the awkward situation. Zachary, who had been a powerhouse in the industry for over twenty years, had finally met his match.
And Frank stayed surprisingly calm the whole time.
"In that case, let's cancel the contract," Zachary decided for Winona. He wasn't about to let her stay abroad for a year. Long-distance relationships were tough, and she didn't have much affection for him yet. Even their close moments were out of gratitude, and today she had even used him as an emotional outlet.
Letting her go now was like releasing a fish into the ocean; he wouldn't be able to reel her back in.
"I disagree," Frank said, hitting where it hurt. "To repay her debt to you, she advanced over a hundred million dollars in salary. Mr. Bailey, you're a businessman. Calculate how long it would take to work off that much money. Or do you think I'm running a charity, throwing money around without expecting anything in return?"
"I..."
Winona was about to speak but Zachary cut her off, firm as ever. "I'll have someone transfer the advanced amount and interest to your account. As for the penalty, send the bill to my company, and someone will handle it."
With that, he stood up and pulled Winona away.
Winona still had things to discuss with Frank. She tried to free her hand from Zachary's grip but failed several times. "Zachary, wait..."
She looked down to pry his hand off and noticed a large bloodstain on the inside of his shirt sleeve. "Are you hurt?"
Zachary paused, following her gaze. "Yeah."
Winona said, "There's so much blood. Is the wound open? Let me see."
This couldn't be a minor injury; Zachary would have known. The most likely scenario was that the wound had reopened.
Zachary took a step back and held her outstretched hand. "I'll show you when we get back. We're in public; no need to rush."
Someone passing by gave Winona a knowing look, their expression hard to read.
Winona gritted her teeth, her face turning red. "Shut up. You're the one who's being hasty!"
After they left, Rodolfo walked in. "Mr. Bailey is really good to Miss Sullivan. We had just picked her up, and he showed up."
Frank, feeling frustrated that his plan hadn't worked, frowned. "What a stupid man! Too bad to be a husband!"
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