Chapter 137 Let's Do Something Crazy
A chill shot down Quinley's spine. That familiar voice made her want to bolt.
But in that critical moment, she forced herself to stay calm.
"Who are you?"
She turned around, her eyes cold and defiant as they locked on David. He wore a white coat and held a small liquor bottle, his face still stupidly handsome. Squinting, he looked her up and down.
Their eyes met. Quinley's heart wavered.
On their wedding day, she'd bailed in the most brutal way possible, completely disregarding his feelings. After leaving, she'd never thought about him once. But seeing him today—he looked like he was doing alright.
"I'm a doctor here. What are you doing?"
David's cold eyes glinted with amusement. He took a sip and gestured at Quinley with his chin.
She rolled her eyes hard. "Oh wow, you're a doctor, so impressive. I want to lose weight by taking the stairs—do I need your permission? You own this hospital or something? Can't even walk around without checking with you first?"
Her words came out rapid-fire with a thick accent, each sentence more cutting than the last, totally shutting David down. Without waiting for his response, she shoved past him and continued downstairs.
David's back hit the wall. "Quinley?"
He suddenly called out.
For a split second, something about this woman reminded him of Quinley. He blinked hard. The woman in front of him looked nothing like her.
Quinley had been slender, impeccably dressed, total professional woman vibes. But this woman wore oversized clothes, no makeup, had a scar on her forehead, and talked like a truck driver—completely different from Quinley.
Quinley gripped the handrail as she descended, the cold metal biting into her palm.
"Who the hell's Quinley? Keep yelling random names and I'll call the cops, you creep!"
She cursed, her voice deliberately rough.
David laughed. He tilted his head back and took a long pull from the bottle. "I'm calling out to a dead woman. Wasn't talking to you. Don't flatter yourself."
His phone rang—someone video calling on WeChat.
"Baby, missing me already? Didn't I tell you I'm on night shift? Babe, don't come over. If you show up, I won't be able to control myself—I'll just want to tear your clothes off..."
He shuffled upstairs while dirty talking whoever was on the phone.
Hearing this, Quinley's tense body slowly relaxed. She'd felt guilty about David, but now that he'd clearly moved on and started fresh, she felt relieved.
That night, Quinley stayed in Rosewood City. She slept dreamlessly, surprisingly soundly.
Early the next morning, she took the bus to Apex Global Group. Peter had smoothed things over, so as soon as she arrived, someone escorted her straight to the executive floor.
"Grace, she's with you."
The cleaning manager handed Quinley off to a middle-aged woman and left.
This was Quinley's most familiar territory, and Grace was someone she knew well. Being back stirred up a storm of emotions, though she kept her face neutral, playing the newbie.
"Grace, thank you so much."
Grace was kind and didn't talk much, but she worked hard. When Quinley had first joined the secretarial department, Grace had looked out for her.
"Cindy, don't stress. I was new once too. Stick with me for a few days and I'll show you the ropes. You're young—you'll pick it up fast."
Grace gave Quinley a quick rundown. The executive floor had way higher cleaning standards than anywhere else. As a newbie, Quinley wouldn't handle the offices yet—Grace still did those. She'd start with conference rooms and break rooms.
With Zachary gone, the whole executive suite felt more relaxed.
Quinley tackled the conference room first, then headed to the break room. Two young women from the secretarial department stood there with coffee, talking quietly.
"Man, who knows when Mr. Jennings will come back? When he's here, we're exhausted. When he's not, we panic. What if something actually happened to him? What happens to us?"
"Don't say that—someone might hear. Since Mr. Jennings's accident, Landon's been loving life. I heard he's been schmoozing board members. If he takes over, we're screwed."
The two chatted in hushed tones, but Quinley caught every word. Landon was ambitious as hell. With Zachary in trouble, no way he'd just sit around.
"Shh, I heard rumors that Mr. Jennings's accident was Cindy's fault. He wants Mr. Jennings dead."
"Oh! Did you hear? Mr. Jennings got into this whole mess because of some woman..."
"A woman? What woman? Mr. Jennings is like everyone's dream guy. What woman's that lucky to have his heart?"
The women kept gossiping, completely oblivious to Adela's arrival.
"Have you two run out of work? Just because Mr. Jennings isn't here doesn't mean you can forget the rules."
Adela's face was stern, every bit the chief secretary. At her words, both women grabbed their coffee and bolted.
Adela also turned to leave, but before she did, she studied Quinley hard. "You're the new hire, Cindy?"
Quinley clutched her cleaning cloth, wiping the counter. "Yeah, that's me." Her voice came out raspy.
"Whatever you hear or see here—don't go spreading it around outside."
"Got it."
After laying down the law, Adela left. But Quinley's mind was spinning. Was Zachary in trouble because he'd been searching for her? Was his accident connected to Landon?
One massive question after another churned in her head. She'd come back to Rosewood City to see Zachary. But why come back to Apex Global Group?
When she'd made that decision, Quinley hadn't fully thought it through. Some inner voice had just pushed her—he needed her now, and she had to be as close to him as possible. Hiding in the shadows kept her safe while also helping him.
During lunch break, Quinley grabbed some food in the employee cafeteria, then quietly slipped outside. She found a secluded spot and called Detective Wilson.
"Ms. Elikin, didn't I tell you not to contact me right now? It's dangerous." He answered, clearly annoyed.
"Mr. Jennings is in trouble." Quinley cut him off.
Long silence on the other end. "What's that got to do with me?"
"Detective Wilson, I need you."
Quinley laid her cards on the table.
"Ms. Elikin, you finally started a new life. Why jump back into this mess? Do you have any idea how deep this goes? You could die."
Detective Wilson didn't get it, but Quinley had her reasons. "I love him. I can't let anything happen to him."
First time she'd said it out loud—her feelings for Zachary.
Detective Wilson paused, then his voice shot up. "Irrational love is a flood—it'll drown you eventually. Ms. Elikin, seriously think about this."
But Quinley wasn't listening.
"Think it over. I hope to see you in Rosewood City tomorrow. And don't worry about money—I'm sending it now."
She hung up and immediately wired a million dollars to his account. Ten minutes later, she got the message she'd been hoping for.
[Fine. This once, Let's do something crazy.]