Chapter 492 What Right Do You Have to Mock at Me
Half a month flew by, and Timothy was on his best behavior. He even snagged a job, stopped pushing Zachary to take his meds, and quit lurking around the company like a shadow.
But just when Zachary thought he could finally relax, the Bailey Group's new project hit a snag.
In the dead of night, Zachary's phone buzzed. It was Samuel. "We fixed the issue. Caught it early, so the financial hit wasn't too bad," Samuel said.
Zachary asked, "Then why do you sound so bummed out?"
"Bummed out" didn't even cover it; Samuel sounded like he was ready to explode.
Samuel grumbled, "Because of your mess, I couldn't even get into my house tonight." Julia was a light sleeper, and once she woke up, she had a hard time dozing off again. Samuel didn't dare knock and ended up freezing in the garden in the chilly November air.
The longer Samuel sat out there, the colder and angrier he got. By the time he called Zachary, he was fuming. "How much longer is this gonna take? If you're feeling weak, go get some meds from the hospital."
Zachary put his phone on speaker, tossed it aside, and lit a cigarette, leaning lazily against the balcony railing.
It was early morning, and apart from the streetlights, most of the neon signs were off. Shadows from trees and buildings blended together, casting dark patches on the ground.
Smoke curled from his lips, masking his sharp features. After Samuel finished his rant, Zachary replied casually, "Sorry, just hang in there a bit longer. It won't be much longer now."
Samuel sneered, "Don't try to sweet-talk me. Three months. If you don't get it done in three months, I'm out."
Of course, he was just venting. He had no plans to actually quit.
Zachary chuckled, "Where are you now? In your garden?"
Samuel rubbed his temples, feeling the chill in his fingers and on his face, making it hard to tell which was colder. "Are you deaf? Can't you hear the wind howling?" he snapped.
Zachary said, "I'll call Julia."
"Don't," Samuel quickly interrupted, "She gets really mad when she wakes up and tends to lash out."
Zachary laughed, enjoying Samuel's rare moment of frustration. In their circle, everyone knew Samuel as a shrewd and decisive guy. If people found out that the mighty Mr. Anderson not only had a curfew but also couldn't get into his own house if he was late, they'd be shocked. Zachary said, "It's not me who's gonna get yelled at. I don't care if she yells at you or hits you."
Samuel sighed, "If she wakes up, she won't be able to sleep tonight. I'll go crash in the backyard later."
The Anderson mansion was pretty big. Besides the main house, there were quarters for the servants and security. After marrying Julia, they built another yard where Julia liked to grow flowers and sometimes sleep. But now it had become Samuel's refuge.
Zachary sneered, "You really are pitiful."
Samuel retorted, "I don't need your pity..."
Zachary said, "Well, you deserve it."
Samuel's half-finished sentence caught in his throat. Gritting his teeth, he said, "As her ex-husband, what right do you have to mock me? Do you really think you and Winona are back to how things used to be? You were once her intern boyfriend, but now you're probably nothing more than a stranger to her."
Zachary boasted, "She's pregnant with my child. If she's willing to have the baby, it means she still cares about me. Once I sort out my current issues, I'll win her back."
Samuel's initial anger washed away when he heard about the baby, and even the biting cold wind felt less harsh against him.
He lit a cigarette, but the wind snuffed out most of it before he could take a drag. "The baby, huh? In that sense, you're one up on me."
Wasn't that impressive?
He had never seen anyone pull out a pillow before. It had only been four months, and Zachary was so proud, always showing off. Samuel almost felt guilty for popping his bubble.Since Zachary brought up Winona, he kept his cool smile. "No need to be so jealous, man. You've got money. If you can't charm a woman, just invest a bit more in self-care. You don't want to look like a grandpa when you're picking your kid up from kindergarten."
Samuel was fuming. "Are you so sure Winona is pregnant?"
Zachary's smile faded. "What do you mean by that?"
When he first heard the news, he had his doubts. He and Winona hadn't been intimate often, and they always used protection. But since the news came from the Bailey family, Zachary dismissed his doubts, thinking the condom must have failed.
Moreover, he had decided to investigate the mastermind behind the scenes as Nicholas, keeping it a secret from Winona. He was worried she wouldn't forgive him, but suddenly, having leverage made him too happy to think deeply.
Noticing Zachary's displeasure, Samuel couldn't help but feel a pang of delight. "Did you even take any precautions? Are you not aware?"
Zachary asked, "What do you mean by that?"
He had almost figured it out but still wanted to hear it from Samuel.
Samuel stubbed out his cigarette and was about to speak when a light suddenly came on from the direction of the main bedroom on the second floor.
He looked up and saw a slender figure appear by the window.
It was Julia.
Through the window and from a distance, Samuel couldn't see her expression clearly.
He stood up, shrugged off his smoke-scented coat, and tossed it onto the bench. As he made his way to the front door of the mansion, he said to Zachary on the phone, "Julia's awake. I need to go."
Zachary said, "Wait, you haven't answered my question. What did you mean by..."
The response was the busy tone of a disconnected call.
The next day, at the Bailey Group, Winona wrapped up her meeting with Matthew just as it was time to clock out. Matthew closed the file, glanced at his watch, and asked, "It's six o'clock. What do you feel like eating tonight?"
Winona replied, "I had too many snacks earlier, so I'm not hungry. I won't have dinner. You don't need to worry about me."
Matthew said, "You still need to eat. Work is already stressful enough. If you don't eat on time, you'll easily get sick."
The two walked downstairs together. It was the end of the workday, and the lobby was full of employees heading out. Near the sofa stood someone in a maternity store uniform with several bags of baby products on the coffee table.
Seeing Winona, the person hurried over with the bags and said, "Miss Sullivan, these are the items you ordered. I've brought them for you."
Winona was puzzled.
Matthew leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I bought them. Just accept it. I overheard some people at the company questioning whether you're really pregnant or not..."
The two had divorced, and there hadn't been any news of reconciliation. With Zachary's sudden disappearance and Winona's sudden pregnancy, anyone would be suspicious.
At that time, Matthew said, "If you don't plan to go public yet, then you need to keep up appearances and shut those people up."
Hearing this, Winona glanced around and noticed several people watching them. She forced a smile and signed the delivery receipt.
Just as she was about to take the bags, Matthew beat her to it.
"Thank you," Winona said.
There were quite a few items, and since she was supposed to be pregnant, it wouldn't look good to fight over them in front of so many people.
Matthew then escorted her back to her apartment. Winona said, "We're downstairs. I can take it from here."
Yet Matthew said, "This place is close to the company. Some employees might live here too. It's better to be cautious. I'll take it upstairs for you."
Noticing Winona hesitate, he smiled wryly and said, "Winona, I don't mean anything by it, and I don't want to pressure you. I'll leave as soon as I drop these off."
Just as he finished speaking, Winona noticed a colleague from the company heading their way, seemingly living there too.
She forced a smile and said, "Thank you."
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they saw Zachary standing by the emergency exit. It was already dark, and he stood in the shadows, making it hard to see.
Zachary's gaze first fell on Winona's belly, then shifted to Matthew holding the baby products. Zachary pursed his lips and frowned. "What are you doing here?" he said.
Why was Matthew always around? Wherever Winona went, he followed.
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