Chapter 478 Give Her to Me
The orphanage barely had any kids, and the staff was even scarcer. The garden a bit further away was a jungle of weeds, some as tall as a person.
Evander and Lydia were drawn by a single, sharp dog bark.
Lydia had been chased by Evander's dog before, which left her a bit scared of them. But that last bark sounded so pitiful, like the dog was in trouble. After a bit of mental back-and-forth, she decided to check it out.
Not wanting to scare the dog away and make things worse, they tiptoed quietly, not making a sound.
What they saw next shocked them to their core: a puppy, probably just a month old, was covered in blood, clearly tortured.
The dog's head was wrapped in layers of plastic wrap, with a hole torn at its mouth, which explained the single, pitiful bark they had heard. But it was just that one bark, and then it died. And the person squatting next to the dog, hands covered in blood and looking pleased, was the child they were about to adopt, Timothy.
They didn't disturb him but quietly left the way they came. It wasn't until they were far away that Lydia removed her hand from her mouth, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She was both scared and furious.
How could a kid do something so insanely cruel?
Lydia didn't eat dog meat, but she didn't mind if others did; it was their choice. She also didn't care if people were afraid of or even hated dogs, but she absolutely couldn't accept cruelty for the sake of cruelty.
This wasn't just killing; it was a sign of a twisted mind.
They decided on the spot to pause the adoption, but since Timothy was the son of an old friend, they couldn't just leave him in the orphanage. When they were checking out the orphanage earlier, they saw how terrible the conditions were. So, they decided to move him to one of their properties, hired a nanny to care for him, and resolved to keep a close eye on him for a while. Maybe it was just a one-time thing.
But as it turned out, some people were just born bad.
Lydia had no intention of using her kindness to change Timothy, especially since they had Zachary at home and couldn't take the risk.
She didn't want a ticking time bomb around, so she simply sent Timothy abroad.
Winona didn't expect that this was the reason they gave up on the adoption. But letting someone who enjoyed cruelty live in their home was indeed terrifying. Timothy was frail now, getting a twisted pleasure from tormenting smaller animals. It stirred a haunting thought: if he gained strength, would he move on to tormenting humans when the cries of the weak no longer satisfied him?
At that time, Evander frowned deeply, looking worried. "If the person around him is really Timothy, then he's definitely in danger."
Winona, afraid that Evander would get too emotional and raise his blood pressure, quickly comforted him. "It's okay. You have to trust Zachary. Timothy is a weakling; he will definitely be manipulated."
Zachary was very good at acting. They had known each other for many years and had been married for three, yet Winona hadn't noticed that he liked her.
Evander didn't know Winona's inner thoughts and assumed she was comforting him. He forced a smile and nodded. "I trust him. Don't tell Lydia about this yet; I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it."Zachary didn't go back to the Bailey family; instead, he stayed with the Ramsey family as Nicholas. There had to be a reason for that. They couldn't help him, and they definitely couldn't drag him down.
Evander chimed in, "Samuel and Matthew have both put money into the South Star project. Let's hold off on the financing for now and see what happens."
In the past, any Bailey Group project had investors lining up. But lately, with Zachary missing and the Bailey Group getting hammered by the Ramsey Group, they had lost several projects in a row. People were starting to hesitate, so even though the project had been launched for over two weeks, they still hadn't secured the first round of financing. Winona nodded, "Got it."
At that moment, Zachary got a call, learning that Samuel and Matthew had invested in the South Star project. He felt a bit of relief. With this project as a cushion, the Bailey Group wouldn't face any immediate crises.
Plus, with the Anderson and Watson families backing the Bailey Group, it would likely attract more investors, making future funding opportunities much easier.
The office door swung open abruptly, revealing Timothy's silhouette alongside Richard's frantic voice. "Timothy, at least let me introduce you first! If I don't keep a close watch on the door, Mr. Ramsey is going to cut my pay."
Zachary waved Richard out and then turned his gaze to Timothy, who looked pissed. "What's your problem?"
Timothy was agitated, almost losing it. "Didn't you say you wouldn't let the Bailey Group start any new projects? Yet now they've not only launched one, but it's a big deal. How long do you think it will take to bring down the Bailey Group?"
Zachary pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and explained, "Samuel and Matthew are Zachary's friends. The Bailey Group is in trouble, and it's expected that they would help. I can block other collaborations, but not this one."
In the past, Timothy would have said it was okay, but once the seed of doubt was planted, it only grew.
His hand reached into his pocket, where he had new medication from Dr. Wilson, more effective than before but with more severe side effects.
If it wasn't absolutely necessary, Timothy still wanted a brother who could think and engage with him, rather than a fool who was clueless. "Is it that you can't do anything, or you just don't want to?" Timothy bent down, looking Zachary in the eye, his gaze deep like a vortex. "You say you don't like Winona, but you've visited her apartment twice, each time staying longer. Are you planning to spend the night next time?"
Zachary's expression remained unfazed. "I forgot to mention that Samuel has a property over there as well. Both times I went to see him to discuss business."
Timothy asked, "And then?"
Zachary shrugged and replied, "As you saw, the talks fell through. The bond between him and Samuel isn't something that can be easily broken."
Timothy stared at him, but Zachary met his gaze calmly, showing no signs of guilt.
After a full five minutes of staring each other down, Timothy suddenly smiled and softened his voice. "Since you have no interest in Winona, then give her to me. That way, I'll believe you."
He looked at Zachary, his eyes reflecting Zachary's image, and said word by word, "Now, call her and ask her out for coffee, and formally introduce me to her."
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