Chapter 89 Do You Want It
Zachary took the phone and opened the WhatsApp conversation. Alicia's messages kept popping up one after another.
[Ms. Elikin, I know you're conflicted right now, but we're both doing this for Zach's sake. Please think it over carefully and don't refuse. I'm waiting for your answer.]
[Ms. Elikin, Zach can't lose Apex Global Group. You wouldn't want to see him lose everything either, would you? If you love him, please help him this once, okay?]
[Ms. Elikin, I can compensate you. Whatever you want, just name your conditions and I'll agree to all of them.]
...
Each of her messages seemed both humble and full of sincerity. Zachary's long fingers scrolled through, quickly reading all the messages before handing the phone back to Quinley.
"What does she want you to do?" Zachary's brow furrowed into deep lines.
Under the guise of helping and looking out for him, every word was essentially blackmailing Quinley.
"She's begging me to have a baby with you." Quinley didn't hide anything.
She breathed a small sigh of relief, looking at Zachary with calm eyes. Alicia had been overstepping boundaries and scheming behind his back—some things Zachary knew about, others he didn't.
Having a baby was a big deal. She wanted to see Zachary's reaction.
However, she was disappointed. Zachary showed no shock or anger.
He pulled out cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, placed one between his lips, flicked the lighter, and took a deep drag.
Less than a meter separated them. Quinley looked up into his eyes—those cold depths remained as unfathomable as ever, unclear through the swirling smoke.
He lifted the corner of his mouth slightly, his gaze settling on her pure, beautiful face, his expression unreadable. "Are you willing?"
Quinley was momentarily stunned. Then she curved her lips and asked back, "Do you want it, Mr. Jennings?"
He didn't answer.
Just then, his phone rang. Zachary glanced at it, answered, and quickly walked some distance away.
Whatever was said on the other end made his expression increasingly grim.
"I have something to handle. I'll contact you later." After hanging up, Zachary left without delay.
Quinley stood there stunned, then suddenly laughed. Zachary hadn't answered, yet somehow he had answered.
Why would he want a child born by a substitute?
In that instant, Quinley made a decision—she would terminate the pregnancy. Given her awkward position, she absolutely couldn't let the child in her belly follow in her footsteps.
Quinley hailed a taxi at the community gate and headed straight to Serenity Health Center.
Whether someone else had scheduled the termination surgery for her or not, she chose to accept it.
At 2 PM, a nurse came to call Quinley's name. She changed her shoes and followed the nurse inside.
Lying on the operating table, Quinley's mind was unusually clear. The anesthesiologist came in, and the nurse routinely asked Quinley some basic information.
Finally, holding Quinley's test results, she said, "This fetus is developing very well. Many people who want children can't have them. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
Quinley decisively shook her head. The nurse left, leaving only the anesthesiologist in the room.
When the medication was injected into Quinley's arm, she quickly lost consciousness.
In her haze, Quinley seemed to hear a voice circling in her ears: "You're so foolish, being a substitute and still wanting to have his baby!"
She desperately wanted to open her eyes and see who was speaking to her, but her eyelids felt impossibly heavy.
When she woke up, Quinley was surprised to find David sitting by her hospital bed.
"What are you doing here?" Quinley shook her groggy head, trying to become more alert.
It was a pointless question. David approached her, and seeing she was trying to get up, reached out to help.
"You forgot—I'm a doctor here. Come on, I'll take you home."
"Thank you, but I can manage myself." Quinley pushed him away and got up while holding onto the bed.
Before the surgery, Quinley had researched online—after a painless abortion, there should be dull pain in the lower abdomen. But strangely, she felt nothing at all.
When she reached toward her abdomen, David noticed and his expression darkened slightly. "The baby is still there. It wasn't removed."
"What did you say?" Quinley's eyes widened, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on David.
David paused, moved closer to Quinley, and said, "Quinny, keep the baby. I'll help you raise it."
Quinley's eyelids drooped as her mind grew chaotic.
"Mr. Brown, thank you for your kindness, but this baby has nothing to do with you. I'll handle it myself. Please don't interfere anymore."
Quinley finished speaking and walked outside, with David chasing after her.
"Quinley." He reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Don't you want to know the story between Susan and Zachary? I can tell you. After you hear it, you can decide whether you still want to be with Zachary."
Quinley looked up at David, her heart pounding frantically.
"Tell me."
"Susan was Zachary's girlfriend when he was studying abroad. I don't know exactly how they met, but I heard they were very much in love. One Christmas, Zachary brought her back home. Supposedly he wanted to marry her, but for some reason, they broke up soon after."
The story was brief—a love affair in a foreign land that sounded quite romantic. The fact that Zachary had wanted to marry her meant he'd already accepted that woman in his heart.
"Why did they break up?" Quinley asked curiously.
David shrugged. "I don't know the details. We weren't in the same country then. I only found out after they'd already separated."
"What happened after that?" Quinley pressed.
"After that, Zachary came back to the country, but he never dated anyone again until he met you."
That wasn't what Quinley was asking about. "I meant, what about Susan?"
David's expression darkened, and an imperceptible emotion flashed in his eyes.
"She died. Plane crash."
Four words, and he ended the topic of Susan.
"Quinley, that woman is dead, but she'll live forever in Zachary's heart. You can't replace her—don't waste your energy."
He looked into Quinley's eyes, speaking very seriously.
Quinley gasped, finding it hard to believe. If Susan really was dead, how could she possibly appear in Rosewood City five years later?
"She's not dead. I've seen her." She'd had many encounters with that woman in real life.
Although one was in the shadows and one in the light, Quinley firmly believed Susan was still alive.
David seemed unwilling to engage in this debate and sighed deeply.
"A dead person can't come back to life, Quinley. Stop deceiving yourself. Zachary doesn't love you. Your paranoia shows you already know the answer in your heart."
"Oh, and Susan's ashes are buried in Rosewood City. If you don't believe me, you can ask Zachary to take you to see for yourself."
David's words exploded like bombs in Quinley's heart. She hadn't expected the truth she'd been seeking to look like this.
That the woman was dead seemed to be an iron-clad fact. But if the woman she'd been seeing wasn't Susan, who could it be?