Chapter 435 Even Steel Melts One Day
Timothy glanced over at Nicholas, who was buried in a document, his long bangs partially obscuring his face from where Timothy sat. "Dad said when the Bailey Group goes bankrupt, he'll come back to celebrate with you."
Nicholas flipped a page. "Did Dad go off the grid again? Why can't we get ahold of him?"
"Yeah," Timothy replied absentmindedly, pulling out a bottle of pills from the drawer. "Did you take your meds?"
Nicholas nodded. "I did."
Timothy didn't bother to check and just tossed the bottle back in the drawer. Just then, the secretary walked in with some desserts, and Timothy went straight for the cake. The moment he took a bite, his eyes squinted in pure bliss.
Meanwhile, Nicholas was immersed in his work, shuffling between reading documents, attending meetings, and making incessant phone calls. Timothy watched him intently, his chin resting on his hand, eyes bright.
Timothy didn't stay long before getting up to leave. As soon as he was out the door, Nicholas threw down the document and pinched the bridge of his nose.
It felt like someone had shoved a drill into his brain, buzzing and throbbing with pain. Countless images and sounds flooded in, noisy and chaotic, making it impossible to tell what was real and what wasn't.
"Still not working?"
"His willpower is too strong, and he's not cooperating at all. To get the result you want, we'll need to break him down more."
"Then let the people below keep at it. Even steel can be melted eventually."
Nicholas gritted his teeth, his back hunched slightly. His shirt was tucked into his waistband, clinging to his body with every movement. Broad shoulders, narrow hips, from his back to his waistline, down to his buttocks, the taut muscle lines were visible.
Even though it was a crisp autumn day, a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. The wounds on his body had scabbed over, but the pain was still intense.
Winona parked her car in the Bailey Group's parking lot, slumping over the steering wheel in exhaustion. She thought, 'So annoying. Is Nicholas Zachary?'
If only she had stripped Zachary naked back then and examined him thoroughly from head to toe, memorizing every mole, it would be better than now, where aside from that scar, she knew nothing about him.
But scars and moles could be removed, or maybe she could have measured his height?
As Winona's thoughts wandered, there was a sudden tapping on the car window.
She straightened up and turned to look outside. When she saw who it was, Winona rolled down the window. "Matthew? What are you doing here?"
Matthew said, "I came to discuss something with Mr. Bailey. I saw your car pull in as I was coming down, and I waved, but you didn't see me."
Winona said, "Sorry, I was probably looking for a parking spot and didn't notice."
Seeing her dazed expression, Matthew handed the milk tea he was holding through the half-open window. "Still wondering if Nicholas is Zachary?"
Winona replied, "Yeah, has Samuel returned to the country?"
Matthew immediately got what she was hinting at. "You want Samuel to confirm?"
"There's no other way," Winona said.
Matthew was silent for a few seconds. "Winona, does it really matter that much if Nicholas is Zachary? If he is and doesn't acknowledge his identity, he must have a reason. He'll come back once he's dealt with it. If he isn't, then there's no point wasting time verifying it."
Winona sighed, "I just need to know for sure if he is or isn't."
Matthew nodded. "Got it."
Winona looked confused. "What?"
Matthew said, "I'll help you find out."
"Matthew, you don't have to..."
Matthew cut her off. "Winona, chasing after you is my choice. You can't make me stop, just like I never asked you to stop waiting for him. I'll treat this child as my own. Let's go upstairs. You're pregnant, and the air down here isn't good for you."
Probably afraid she'd refuse, he turned and walked away without waiting for her response, leaving Winona, who had a lot to say but couldn't, still sitting in the car.
She went upstairs, and as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Dylan cursing into his phone in a low voice. Winona walked up behind him and finally caught what he was saying. "Damn! Is this person nuts?"
"Who's nuts?"
Dylan jumped and turned around abruptly. Seeing Winona behind him, he sighed in relief and handed her the phone. "Mrs. Bailey, some crazy advertiser sent me a list of pregnancy precautions. It's super detailed, covering everything from food to clothing to living. Is he mocking me for being single? I don't even have a wife; why would I need pregnancy precautions?"
"Who sent it?" Winona asked.
"No idea, some advertising number. Probably a baby store opening or something. Who else would send this?" Dylan said.
Winona glanced at the sender's number. It was indeed an advertising number, so she didn't think much of it. "Maybe it's a sign from above."
Dylan said, "It does seem pretty thorough. I'll forward it to you."
Winona mumbled, "Okay."
She touched her belly. Should she keep it a secret forever?
Now that it was getting cold, she could just stuff a pillow under her clothes when her pregnancy started to show, and no one would notice. But what about when it was time to give birth? She couldn't just adopt a baby, could she?
Evander suggested explaining it as a false pregnancy once she was settled at the Bailey Group. But looking at the pile of documents on her desk, she felt it was unlikely.
She initially thought the pregnancy precautions Dylan received were from a store promotion, but when she got home after work, she found a bunch of people standing at her door, holding large bags and wearing uniforms from a baby store.
Seeing her, they approached with smiles. "Are you Winona Sullivan?"
"I am. What's this?" She had a guess.
One man said, "A gentleman bought these at our store and had them delivered here for you."
"What was his name?" Winona's first thought was Nicholas because of his striking resemblance to Zachary.
The man replied, "He didn't say. He just left your information and asked us to deliver it here. He was very tall, handsome, and had a gentle smile. He was very meticulous in his selections, asking about every detail."
The man thought the store employees were annoyed by the handsome man's questions. If he hadn't bought so much, the store employees would have kicked him out.
Hearing the word 'gentle,' Winona immediately ruled out Nicholas. Among the people she knew, only Matthew fit that description. Recalling what he said today, she could guess who bought all this.
She dialed Matthew's number. "Matthew, did you have these things sent?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
