Chapter 625 Offering Oneself
Winona had just gotten back to her hotel when she got a video call from Zachary. She stretched her sore neck as she answered, "Rebecca said you were poisoned. How are you now? Is it serious?"
"It's not that bad. I'll be out of the hospital in a couple of days. I just can't come see you right now," Zachary replied. He had overheard Rebecca's conversation with Winona earlier, so he knew what had been said and didn't need to worry about inconsistencies.
But he didn't want to lie to her, especially when he saw the worry in Winona's eyes. It made his throat tighten, and he couldn't get a word out.
Winona hadn't doubted Rebecca's flimsy excuse at all.
Zachary quickly changed the subject. "How was the competition today?"
"A bit nerve-wracking," Winona's voice brightened as she talked about her field. "There were so many spectators, all big names in the industry. People were recording and filming the whole time, and the judges were right at the edge of the stage. It felt like taking the SATs again, with the proctors watching my every move."
Zachary chuckled at her vivid description, but his smile soon faded. "Winona, I'm sorry."
"You're apologizing so smoothly. Did you do something you feel guilty about?" Winona asked with a smile, seemingly casual but with a serious undertone, if you looked closely. "Confession is good for the soul. Come clean, and I'll forgive you."
"I promised to come to Aetheria to be with you today, but I couldn't keep my word. I'm sorry."
"It's an unexpected situation. Even if you came, we wouldn't be able to meet tonight. The competition organizers just said we can't leave the team or the competition area during the event," Winona said, lying on the bed and doing some yoga stretches. "If you came, we'd be so close yet unable to meet. I'd be thinking about you all day during the competition tomorrow, and that would distract me even more."
Zachary felt a rush of emotions, his heart pounding and ears buzzing. Her words instantly lifted his spirits.
Zachary smiled, his deep voice tinged with amusement. "So, if I'm back home, you don't miss me?"
Zachary was teasing her.
Winona chuckled. "Home is too far away. Even if I miss you, we can't meet anytime soon, so I subconsciously don't think about it."
Zachary quickly said, "I'll come to see you tomorrow."
"No need. The competition ends the day after tomorrow. You'd be flying for over ten hours to pick me up, then flying back with me for another ten hours. Isn't that too much trouble?"
"But I promised to come to Aetheria to pick you up," Zachary paused for a few seconds. "And it's not too much trouble."
"Then stay in the hospital and wait for me to come get you."
Zachary asked, "When will you be back?"
"Two days after the competition ends. My colleagues want to buy some souvenirs. We've all been tense for so long, it's a good chance to relax."
"You've been shopping for days already. Haven't you bought enough?" Zachary's mood soured at the thought of Winona staying a few more days.
Winona soothed him gently, "It'll be quick."
Meanwhile, the mood in the car downstairs was far from pleasant. Rebecca kept checking the time, her face growing darker with each glance. "Why isn't he coming down yet? Is he planning to stay the night? What's he doing, offering himself or what?"
Anthony was driving around the parking lot, trying to get the car's temperature up. He didn't want to keep circling, but it was necessary.
Hearing Rebecca's angry voice, he sighed, "Should I call him?"
"No, I want to see how long he plans to stay up there."
Rebecca didn't care if Zachary stayed or left. Ideally, he'd stay up there with that shameless Maeve forever and stop bothering others. But with Winona abroad, she had to keep an eye on Zachary for her.
If anything were to happen, it should be after he explained everything to Winona.
Before Winona left the country, Rebecca had promised to keep an eye on Zachary. But now...
Rebecca glanced at the hospital entrance, still no sign of Zachary. She couldn't help but elbow Anthony. "Call him."
Anthony stopped the car, risking Rebecca's wrath to defend Zachary. "What you're worried about won't happen. Don't let your imagination run wild and upset yourself."
Rebecca retorted, "If I can imagine it, it's because he gave me reason to. If he knew how to avoid suspicion, what would I imagine? On a crowded subway, people bump into each other all the time, but I don't think anything of it."
Anthony said, "Ms. Harrington did save Zachary. In that situation, he couldn't just leave her."
Leaving his savior behind would bring a storm of online criticism, affecting the Bailey Group. Their stock would plummet as soon as the market opened.
"If Ms. Harrington hadn't pushed Zachary away, he'd be the one in the hospital now, possibly in critical condition. When Maeve pushed him, she leaned forward slightly, so she was hit on the back. But if it were Zachary, he'd have been hit on the head."
Anthony held Rebecca's hand. "Which outcome do you think Winona would prefer?"
Rebecca wasn't unreasonable. She understood the gravity of the situation. Her anger wasn't just about Zachary missing his flight to take Maeve to the hospital. "Based on your knowledge of Zachary, tell me, what gift was so important he had to buy it before leaving?"
"Even if he had to buy something, couldn't he choose a place with a mall? That area only has a Walmart. And it happened to be during Maeve's tutoring time. What a coincidence."
Rebecca had been keeping a close eye on Maeve since Winona asked her to investigate.
Zachary's new assistant had been sticking close to him, reporting in daily, more diligently than to Winona, his actual boss.
Rebecca didn't want to hear Anthony defend Zachary anymore. Seeing him about to speak, she slapped his arm. "Call him. Don't talk."
It was cold today, and Anthony was wearing a light down jacket. Her slap made the feathers fly.
Rebecca muttered, "What kind of cheap jacket is this?"
Anthony stayed silent.
Just as he was about to call, Zachary walked out.
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