Chapter 222 I Don't Have a Son
The next day.
Under the night sky, Golden Mile Entertainment was as lively as ever. Zachary stepped out of the Maybach and headed straight inside.
"Mr. Jennings, let me go with you."
Lucas caught up to him, but Zachary didn't slow down.
"Wait here. I'll be right back."
Rosewood City once had a saying about four handsome men—Zachary from the Jennings family was the aloof beauty, Landon was the playboy, David from the Brown family was the passionate romantic, and Harold from the Davis family was the proud loner.
The other three had no problem frequenting nightlife establishments and were regular customers at Golden Mile Entertainment. Only Zachary, despite his reputation as a beauty, never set foot in such places.
That night, Zachary's appearance caused quite a stir at Golden Mile Entertainment.
"Mr. Jennings, right this way, please."
The manager hurried over to greet him. Zachary radiated an icy aura that screamed "stay away."
"Where's Landon?"
Zachary demanded.
"The third floor. I'll take you there."
The manager was smart enough to know that crossing Zachary meant trouble. Whatever his reason for being here, his presence alone would give Golden Mile Entertainment something to buzz about for a while.
"No need. I'll go myself."
Zachary refused and headed straight for the elevator to the third floor.
In a corner suite on the third floor, Landon lounged in a white casual suit, looking suave and carefree. Six beautiful women sat in a row on the sofa.
"Mr. Jennings, you can't stand me up again tonight. You know I've had my eye on you for ages."
"That's not fair! Mr. Jennings promised last time that tonight he'd pick me."
Two of the women had already started competing for his attention. Landon spread his arms across the back of the sofa, looking completely pleased with himself.
"How about... both of you tonight?"
"I'm not sharing him with her!" Both women pouted and whined playfully at the same time.
Landon laughed even louder. "Then what should we do? The usual rules?"
He beamed with delight.
"Fine, the usual rules."
The two women immediately stood up from the group. Music started playing in the suite, and they began swaying their bodies under the lights, striking seductive poses. To win Landon's favor, one woman slowly unbuttoned her top, revealing a glimpse of her chest.
"Now that's hot!"
Landon cheered loudly. Not to be outdone, the other woman slipped off her underwear from beneath her short skirt, twirled it around her finger, then swayed her hips as she walked toward Landon and tucked it into his pants pocket.
The atmosphere in the room was steamy and wild. Landon jumped up from the sofa, tossed off his suit jacket, raised his hands, and started dancing close with the women.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Just as things were getting wild, the door was pushed open from outside. Landon had his arm around a woman's waist, kissing her chest. Zachary appeared in the doorway with a stern expression, completely killing the mood.
"Get out—"
His angry roar made all the women tremble with fear. But none dared to linger. They hunched over and filed out quickly, including the woman who'd been working so hard for Landon's attention just moments ago.
"Mr. Jennings, let's play again next time."
Even as she left, she made plans with Landon. The suite quickly emptied out. The loud music was still blaring, so Zachary kicked the speaker. The sound cut off abruptly.
Landon's good mood was completely ruined.
"Zachary, have you lost your mind?"
He was furious, pointing his finger at Zachary, ready to unleash his anger. But Zachary wasn't having it. He grabbed Landon's wrist and nearly snapped the finger pointing at him.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Landon yelped. Zachary suddenly released his grip and shoved hard, sending Landon sprawling onto the sofa. He knew he couldn't beat Zachary, so he wisely backed down.
"Didn't we agree to stay out of each other's way? What do you want?"
Landon leaned back on the sofa and put his jacket back on.
"Did you have a thing with Alicia?"
Zachary asked directly. Landon let out a cold laugh.
"What, you interested in her? Whether I was with her or not is none of your business. Zachary, you're married now. I'm single. I can date whoever I want. You don't get a say—"
Before he could finish, Zachary's hand reached out again. Landon panicked and ducked, covering his head.
"Yes, yes, I dated her! But that was ages ago! You were dating someone back then too. You had nothing to do with her. Zachary, you're not seriously going to hold this against me now, are you? I didn't steal your girl. Besides, we only dated for a little while—less than half a year."
"Less than half a year, and you got her pregnant?"
Zachary didn't give Landon time to process. His words made Landon's face turn sour.
"How do you know about that?"
"Zachary, listen, that whole thing was a setup! Alicia and her brother plotted against me together. It really wasn't my fault."
"You can't control yourself and you have the nerve to blame others?" Zachary snapped.
Landon pouted. He didn't disagree, but he wasn't happy about it either.
"That child is still alive."
After a long pause, Zachary said heavily. Landon was shocked.
"What? How can he still be alive? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?"
He looked genuinely panicked.
"What is Alicia playing at? That kid has nothing to do with me. Even if he has my blood, I absolutely will not acknowledge him as my son."
Landon argued frantically.
"As for why he's still alive, you should ask Alicia. But the child is innocent, Landon. I want you to fulfill your responsibility as a father."
"I have a low sperm count—you know that. I've slept with so many women and none of them got pregnant, but she did. You really think that kid is definitely mine? And even if he is, as long as she didn't get pregnant the normal way, it has nothing to do with me."
Landon acted like a complete jerk, desperately shirking his responsibility.
"You should discuss this with your mother before deciding."
Zachary said quietly. But Landon's attitude was firm.
"I won't tell my mother about this, and you shouldn't either. Zachary, I'm not interested in the CEO position at Apex Global Group. I love my freedom. Yes, if I acknowledged this kid as mine, I'd have leverage to compete with you again. But I'm not interested anymore. So please don't tell me anything about that child. He has nothing to do with me."
He grabbed a bottle from the table and chugged the alcohol. Zachary had prepared so much to say, but in that moment, he swallowed it all back down. If Cheese was with Landon, so young and unloved, what would be the point? He wouldn't allow another person in this world to grow up the way he had.
"If you say he has nothing to do with you, then sign this."
Zachary pulled out a paper from his pocket. In black and white, it stated that Landon and Cheese would never acknowledge each other. Landon took the paper, barely glanced at it, grabbed a pen, and signed without hesitation.
"Is that good enough? Please, take him and disappear from my world completely. I don't want to know he exists, and I definitely don't want to see him. Okay?"
Zachary took the paper, turned, and walked out. At the door, the women were all crowded together waiting. The moment Zachary left, they filed back in.
"Mr. Jennings, shall we continue?"
"Continue! Music!"
Landon raised his glass and got up, resuming the close dancing from before. The chaos inside formed a stark contrast with the quiet hallway. But Zachary's footsteps grew more and more resolute as he walked away.
"Mr. Jennings, you came out alone?"
The moment Zachary emerged, Lucas approached him. He was curious and looked past Zachary, but didn't see Landon anywhere.
"Let's go home."
Zachary got into the car and collapsed into the seat, his eyes shut tight—exhaustion hit him hard.