Chapter 142 Hug Me
"Mr. Jennings!"
"Mr. Jennings, you're finally back!"
"Mr. Jennings, are you okay now?"
The crowd clustered around the elevator could barely contain their excitement, carefully edging closer to Zachary. He wore oversized sunglasses, his lips pressed into a thin line as he sat in the wheelchair, cold as a statue.
"Everyone back to work. Mr. Jennings has business to handle." Lucas leaned down and murmured something in Zachary's ear. Zachary lifted his hand slightly, gesturing for everyone to disperse.
With Zachary back, everyone felt reassured and immediately returned to their desks.
Quinley hid around the corner, eyes glued to the scene. As Lucas wheeled Zachary toward the office, she instinctively retreated into the storage room.
Maybe she was too flustered—she didn't notice the cleaning bucket beside her. A loud clang echoed as the bucket tipped over, water spilling everywhere.
Quinley quickly grabbed the mop to clean up the mess. Hearing the commotion, Lucas had already reached her side.
"What happened?" He frowned, his voice sharp.
"I'm so sorry, I accidentally knocked over the bucket. I'll clean it up right away." Quinley kept her head down, speeding up her movements.
Lucas squinted at her for a long moment. "You're the new one—Cindy?"
"Yeah."
Quinley finished mopping, grabbed the bucket, and started to leave.
"Have we met before?" The woman in front of him seemed clumsy and unremarkable, but Lucas couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen her somewhere.
Quinley's heart raced, but her face stayed calm. Gripping the mop, she broke into a wide grin. "Mr. Murphy, have you met me? I only been here a few days. Maybe you got me confused with someone else?"
Her accent was thick, her voice raspy. Though she wore makeup, it was terribly applied—her eyebrows twisted like earthworms, her blush uneven and patchy. She looked almost comical.
He withdrew his gaze and composed himself. "Pay more attention when you're working."
With that, Lucas turned and left.
Quinley bowed in acknowledgment, but as she looked up, she caught sight of Zachary in his wheelchair not far away. He wore sunglasses—she couldn't see his eyes. But she could feel that cold, piercing stare.
She quickly grabbed the bucket and mop and hurried back to the storage room. Behind her, Lucas had already wheeled Zachary into the office. The door shut firmly, as if he'd never been there at all.
Adela showed up with a stack of documents needing signatures. Lucas took them but blocked Adela from entering.
Half an hour later, all the board members arrived. And they didn't come alone—they brought Landon and Emily.
"Mr. Preston, you have to stand up for us! William's gone, leaving us widows and orphans. Zachary can't bully us like this! He deliberately had someone sabotage the press conference, staging that whole scene. He's completely disregarding brotherly bonds. He's not just humiliating Landon—he's humiliating the entire Jennings family."
Emily wailed with every step, clutching Reginald's hand and covering her mouth as she sobbed.
Trading on her status as William's widow, no one contradicted her. But everyone looked troubled.
"Mr. Preston, my dad left a will. Whoever has the Jennings family's first grandson becomes Apex Global Group's CEO. Zachary can't do it himself, so he uses dirty tricks to discredit me. I don't even care about being CEO, but he embarrassed me publicly. I can't swallow this insult."
Landon fumed with indignation.
Reginald shot him a cold glance, opened his mouth as if to speak, then simply sighed heavily.
The executive floor was in chaos. Adela tried to lead them to the conference room, but the group refused to budge. They crowded around Zachary's office door.
"He's here, isn't he? Make him come out! Landon treats him like an older brother—and what does he do? Treats his own flesh and blood like an enemy! Is there no justice?"
Emily planted her hands on her hips, aggressive and confrontational. She raised her palm and started pounding on Zachary's office door.
Adela tried to stop her, but Landon shoved her aside roughly. She stumbled, nearly falling to the floor.
Quinley was mopping nearby. Seeing what happened, she quickly reached out to steady Adela.
"Thank you," Adela whispered gratefully, straightening up immediately.
Just then, Zachary's office door opened. But it wasn't Zachary who appeared—Lucas spoke on his behalf.
"My apologies, everyone. Mr. Jennings hasn't fully recovered yet. Since returning, he's been handling urgent business matters and is quite exhausted. He's lying down to rest now. If you have concerns, please wait in the conference room. Mr. Jennings will join you shortly."
He stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance completely.
"I think he's just pretending—" Emily started, but Reginald cut her off with a cold look.
"We'll wait in the conference room." Reginald led the board members away first.
"Mom, let's go too." Landon tugged on Emily's arm.
She was reluctant, letting out a cold snort through her nose. She pointed at Lucas accusingly. "Don't get cocky. You're just a dog the Jennings family keeps."
Quinley gripped her mop, pressed against the wall. Lucas suddenly called out to her. "You. Come here."
"Mr. Murphy, you calling me?" She looked confused.
Lucas nodded. "Mr. Jennings's office floor is dirty. Come mop it."
"I'll go get Grace." Zachary's office had always been Grace's responsibility. As the new hire, she had no business going in there.
She started to leave, but Lucas stopped her. "You do it. Hurry up and mop—Mr. Jennings is resting, so keep it down. Don't wake him."
It was an order. Quinley had no choice but to comply.
The moment Quinley entered Zachary's office, Lucas took a phone call and stepped out. The office was familiar to her—stark black and white, clean and orderly. Everything exactly as it had been.
The AC was cranked way down. The second Quinley walked in, goosebumps rose on her arms. She quickly scanned the room. Zachary wasn't there. The door to the inner rest area was slightly ajar.
Quinley hunched over and started mopping quickly.
Suddenly, Zachary's voice came from the rest room. "I want water."
Quinley thought she'd misheard. She froze in place.
Soon, the voice repeated, "I'm so thirsty. I want water."
In the huge office, only Quinley was there. She hesitated, torn, but finally grabbed a glass of water and entered the rest area.
Zachary was sprawled on the bed in pajamas, his deep eyes fixed unwaveringly on Quinley.
"Who are you? Who let you in here? Where's Lucas? Where did he go?" When he spoke, it was with a child's tone.
Quinley's eyes widened. She stared at Zachary in shock. What was wrong with him?
"I want Lucas. I want Lucas..." He petulantly kicked the blanket to the floor, fussing and demanding Lucas.
In that moment, Quinley realized with a jolt—something was wrong with Zachary's mind. But she quickly composed herself.
"Drink some water first. I'll go get Lucas for you right now."
"No! Lucas said lots of people want to hurt me. I won't drink your water. Get out. I want Lucas."
One of his legs was injured and still wrapped in bandages, but he struggled anyway, trying to get up from the bed.
Without thinking, Quinley rushed over and held him down. "Lucas is handling something really important right now. Be good and stay in bed. I'll get him for you right away."
She bent down, picked up the blanket from the floor, helped Zachary lie back down, tucked him in, and quickly headed for the door.
"Hurry up! I don't want to keep waiting. I want Lucas with me." From the bed, Zachary's childlike voice followed her.
Her heart pounded erratically. What was wrong with Zachary?
She asked herself over and over. She reached for the office door handle when suddenly, Landon burst out of the conference room.
"This is slander! How could I possibly be infertile?"
"It's right here in black and white—your own medical records. You still won't admit it? Just enjoy being the young master and stop trying to meddle in company affairs. Mr. Jennings has recovered now. With him here, you can relax."
Mr. Powell's voice was harsh.
"Landon, what the hell is going on?" Emily clutched the medical report, chasing after Mr. Powell.
"How should I know? This is from a year ago—I don't even remember it! There's no way I'm infertile. Zachary must have doctored this!"
Landon was furious. He strode toward Zachary's office, ready to confront him.
Quinley reacted fast, immediately locking the door from inside.
Landon pounded his fist against the door.
In the rest room, Zachary was terrified. He cried like a child. "Lucas, I'm so scared, I'm so scared..."
In that moment, Quinley didn't think. She rushed into the rest room.
Zachary hugged his arms tightly, buried his head, and tried to shrink into the corner. Despite his size, he trembled all over with fear.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." Quinley walked over and wrapped her arms around Zachary's shoulders.
His shoulders shook as he trembled. His arms wound tightly around her waist, his head burrowing desperately into her embrace.
When Lucas entered, Zachary was clinging to Quinley like an ostrich hiding its head.