Chapter 109
What intrigued Zina more was why Andy had brought her here. After all, no sane person would bring a near–stranger they’d just met to such a confidential part of the company.
The more out of the ordinary, the more suspicious it got.
Andy smiled and followed Zina’s lead, saying. “Let’s head to the office first.”
Along the way, several uniformed employees hurried past. Spotting Andy, they greeted him before rushing off again.
Despite the perfunctory attitude. Andy seemed utterly unfazed, simply keeping a genial smile on his face.
Once they reached the office. Andy had Zina and Wade take a seat, then excused himself and slipped out with a casual
excuse.
Zina scanned her surroundings, then glanced at Wade, who remained remarkably unfazed. With a quiet sigh, she said, “I’m just going to use the restroom. Wait here for me, okay?”
“Okay.” Wade nodded, his attention already back on her phone.
Zina crept out of the office. The hallway, bustling with people just moments ago, now stood eerily empty.
Zina scanned the area, but Andy was nowhere in sight. Growing suspicious, she turned and headed the opposite way down. the corridor.
After just a few steps, Zina suddenly sensed something off and stopped dead in her tracks.
And just a few steps ahead was the corner of the emergency stairwell.
A faint, hushed male voice drifted from up ahead, so familiar it made her heart skip a beat.
Zina pursed her lips and crept closer, softening her footsteps. Finally, she made out the voice–it was unmistakably Andy’s.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The silence around Zina was so absolute that she could hear her own heartbeat pounding in.
her cars.
He said. “Mr. Sinclair, surely you haven’t forgotten our deal. Even after all these years, we’ve had our dealings, right? You can’t possibly guarantee I don’t still have some leverage over you, can you?”
“Now, now, don’t get upset,” Andy said with a smirk. “After all, if you could betray your daughter after raising her for years, what would that make me? We’re just business partners. I’ve got to look out for myself, you know?”
“Rest assured, Mr. Sinclair. As long as you give me what I want, I guarantee those files from five years ago will never see the light of day,” Andy added.
His greed–laced voice swelled within the cramped stairwell, thickening and coalescing into a suffocating presence that completely enveloped him.
Zina pursed her lips tightly, unconsciously digging her nails into her arm, completely unaware of the dark, purplish bruise already forming there.
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Chapter 109
Zina slipped away quietly and returned to the room. Her face was as dark as a thundercloud. Moving like a ghost, she floated: in a daze, her steps unsteady and light, as if she were walking on cotton.
“Zina, what happened to you? You just went to the restroom, and now you seem like a completely different person,” said
Wade.
Wade, utterly clueless about what had happened, waved her hand twice in front of Zina’s face and asked aloud.
Zina snapped out of her daze and shook her head. “When are we leaving? I’ve got some unfinished business back in Jorvellan.”
“Miss Sinclair, are you leaving already?” Before Wade could even respond, Andy’s voice cut through the office door from outside.
Andy walked in, his face settling into an ingratiating smile as he rubbed his hands together. “Miss Sinclair, you only just arrived yesterday. I haven’t even had the chance to be a proper host
“Are you really leaving so soon? Why not stay a couple more days and let me throw you a proper welcome party? And if I may be honest, I was hoping you could stay until my subordinate’s condition stabilizes.”
Wade added, “Miss Sinclair, didn’t you promise Mr. Logan and the others that you’d offer some guidance? As it happens, my subordinate here is more than willing to be your research subject.”
The moment Andy walked in, Zina knew she wouldn’t be leaving so easily.
Zina took a deep breath, forced a smile, and turned to face Andy, whispering, “Fine.”
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