Chapter 542 I Like You
Zachary leaned back against the headboard, cool as a cucumber, not even flinching at Timothy's words. He looked so relaxed, it was like he was chilling in his own living room.
Timothy was thrown off. He expected Zachary to be scared, freaking out, maybe even begging for his life. But Zachary was as calm as if he were lounging in his own villa.
Timothy grabbed Zachary's face, his teeth clenched. "Why aren't you scared, Nicholas? Does my presence mean nothing to you?"
Zachary didn't react to Timothy's aggression, nor did he seem inclined to respond.
The calmer Zachary stayed, the more unhinged Timothy became. He suddenly ripped open Zachary's shirt, revealing the scars on his chest. "Nicholas, have you forgotten the pain just because your scars have healed?"
He pressed his fingertip into one of the scars, digging his nail in until blood oozed out, staining the sheets. "Need a reminder? That basement..."
Zachary's expression remained unchanged, as if he couldn't feel the pain. "So it was you back then."
"You knew all along, didn't you?"
"I had my suspicions. Now I'm sure."
Timothy suddenly composed himself. "Think Samuel and the others can find you?"
He pulled his blood-stained hand back, reached into his pocket, and held out his palm in front of Zachary, revealing two smashed tracking devices. "Did you really think these would help them find you?"
He sneered. "Nicholas, how naive can you be? This is the age of high-tech. No matter how small or hidden these things are, they can't escape detection. Or did you think you could fool me every time?"
Timothy's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and turned away to answer. "Dad."
"Timothy, this is your doing. I told you we couldn't keep Zachary around. You insisted on hypnosis and assured me it would work. Did it work? Did the hypnosis succeed?"
Amidst the angry tirade, the background noise of a news broadcast could be heard, occasionally mentioning "the Ramsey Group."
The scolding continued for a full five minutes before the person on the other end made a final decision. "Zachary can't stay. I've arranged for someone to bring you back. Clean up before you leave. If there's another problem, don't bother coming back. Stay there and die with him."
Timothy turned to look at Zachary on the bed. "Alright."
He hung up and walked back to the bed, looking down at Zachary. "Do you know what Dad just said? He told me to kill you. Nicholas, you're out of options. You're the head of the Ramsey Group, and the group is caught up in an illegal fundraising scandal. Whether you knew about it or not, you'll have to take the fall. Prison, death, or come with me—pick one."
Zachary was more curious about the person Timothy called "Dad." He asked calmly, "How's Alton been these years?"
"Alton? The guy who died when I was a kid?" Timothy scoffed. "Ask him yourself in hell. I can't talk to him now."
"You just did, Timothy. Alton's still alive, isn't he? Otis, who messed up the Bailey Group's new project, was brought in by him."
Zachary had only recently figured this out. When Otis came for the interview, there was a rare heavy rainstorm in Dreamopolis. The subway flooded, and Otis barely made it to the company, soaking wet and late. Security stopped him at the front desk, but Alton gave him a chance and got him the job.
"Because of him, I grew up without a mom. He embezzled funds, but do you know who he gave the money to? Your mom. Meanwhile, I, his biological son, was sent to an orphanage and suffered abuse. If he cared about me even a little, he wouldn't have abandoned me. Do you think if he were alive, we'd have a father-son relationship?"
Zachary replied, "Who knows what goes on in a madman's mind."
"Do you think I won't hurt you, so you provoke me without fear?"
"Don't say things to disgust me. I'm not interested in men."
Timothy raised an eyebrow, as if hearing a great joke. "You think I like you?"
Zachary didn't respond, clearly agreeing with Timothy's assumption.
"Nicholas, how could you think so shallowly of me?" Timothy pressed down on Zachary's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "My feelings for you go deeper than that. To me, you are another version of myself."
"Life has many crossroads, and taking different paths leads to different outcomes. You are the version of me that took another path. If the Bailey family had adopted me, I would be where you are now. Isn't that the most fitting description?"
"No," Zachary said bluntly. "No matter how many paths I take or choices I make, I could never become a lunatic like you. Because of that, the Bailey family and you will never be on the same path. Even if they mistakenly adopted you, you wouldn't escape being sent abroad."
Timothy's expression darkened, and then he suddenly smiled. "I preferred you in the basement, weak and not so sharp-tongued."
He raised his voice. "Come in and give Nicholas a good workout."
As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Zachary, looking for any sign of fear, but found none. "Be careful. I don't want to take a corpse on the road."
The door opened, and several men walked in, clearly professionals. "Mr. Perez."
Zachary glanced through the half-open door, seeing more people outside.
Timothy, wearing an innocent smile, said, "Nicholas, they're very skilled. Enjoy yourself. I'll go chat with Winona. You know I can't stand seeing you suffer. I'm afraid if I stay, I won't be able to bear it."
"Oh, and I've already sent those photos to Winona. She doesn't seem worried about you at all. She's happily shopping with Matthew."
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