Chapter 165 Rekindle Old Ties
"Didn't you say you didn't fall in love with just a face?"
Adela refused to let it go. She pressed harder.
Zachary's cold eyes narrowed slightly. "I wasn't talking to you when I said that."
Not to her. Which meant he'd said it to someone else.
Who?
"So you settled for this substitute instead?"
Adela's voice dripped with contempt as she glared at Quinley. How dare some inferior woman steal Zachary's heart?
"Not settled. Fell in love with." Zachary's voice was steel. "And I'll say it one more time—no one is your replacement."
Each word landed like a blade, cutting deep.
Adela's face twisted. "So everything you felt for me was fake? You said you'd always love me. I'm back now. We can start over."
She was spiraling into desperation.
Zachary's anger simmered just beneath the surface. "Why did we break up in the first place? You forget?"
"I didn't forget." Adela rushed to explain. "Your mother forced me to leave you. That businessman was her idea too. When I got back to Rosewood City, I realized it was all a trap. Zachary, I was a victim."
Quinley's breath caught.
She hadn't expected that twist. But whether or not Adela was telling the truth, Quinley absolutely believed Sylvia was capable of such manipulation.
"If you weren't greedy, would you have taken the bait?"
Zachary wasn't moved. His question landed with brutal precision.
Adela's face went through a rainbow of emotions—pale, then flushed, then pale again.
"I... I had no choice."
Her voice lost all conviction.
External pressure only works on people whose resolve wavers. If someone's heart doesn't waver, all the outside force in the world is useless.
"Tell me." Zachary's voice dropped. "Who was the person who died in that car accident in your place?"
A flash of viciousness crossed Adela's dim eyes. "Guess."
She was playing games.
When she refused to answer, Quinley spoke up. "Her name was Margaret. An intern in the secretarial department at Apex Global Group. You were her mentor. From what I heard, she trusted you completely. And you used that against her."
"She was my apprentice, sure. I didn't plan to use her at first." Adela shrugged. "But then she got ideas about Zachary. Some fresh-out-of-college nobody dreaming about becoming Mrs. Jennings? Please. Besides, apprentices are supposed to help their mentors. What's the big deal?"
She'd taken a life and felt no shame about it.
"That's called murder."
Zachary's voice could've cut glass.
Margaret. He didn't even remember the girl anymore. But she'd died because of him, become Adela's puppet, been used to commit god knows how many crimes.
"Got any proof? No? Then don't slap labels on me. That's slander."
Quinley pulled out her phone and hit play.
She'd recorded that entire confession.
Adela's face went through another complex series of expressions.
"That wasn't me talking. Delete it!"
She lost it completely, lunging for Quinley's phone.
Zachary pulled Quinley behind him, shielding her with his body. "Take her to the basement. First thing tomorrow morning, she goes to the police station."
Lucas grabbed Adela's arm without ceremony and started dragging her toward the basement.
Adela panicked, struggling the whole way. "Zachary, you can't do this to me. Everything I did was for you."
"How I treat you is my business. You took a life. You deserve to face legal consequences."
When Zachary made a decision, it was final. No one could change his mind.
Adela refused to accept it, fighting the entire way.
"I was wrong, okay? Zachary, for the sake of what we once had, please don't do this to me. I promise I'll disappear from your life."
But Zachary had already turned his back.
Lucas dragged Adela away by force. The living room fell silent again.
"What's wrong?"
Zachary looked at Quinley. Her mood had deflated like a punctured balloon. She seemed weighed down, lost in thought.
"Nothing."
Quinley lied.
"Can I stay here tonight? It's late, and I'd rather not go home alone."
Quinley lifted her eyes to Zachary.
Something about her seemed off.
Zachary nodded.
"Of course. The door here is always open for you."
He stood and handed her a key.
But she didn't take it. "Next time."
They washed up quickly and went to their separate rooms.
But in the middle of the night, Quinley crept out of bed.
She hadn't stayed to rekindle anything with Zachary. She had questions for Adela.
The basement door was locked from the outside.
Quinley had paid attention earlier—Lucas had left the key on the coffee table in the living room.
She grabbed the key, unlocked the door, and tiptoed inside.
The basement was brightly lit. Adela was curled up on the floor in a ball.
When Quinley entered, she jerked awake.
"Zachary, I knew you wouldn't be so heartless toward me."
But then she realized it was Quinley.
"What are you doing here?"
Adela's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"If you answer one question for me, I'll let you walk out of here right now."
Quinley crouched on the floor, her gaze fixed on Adela.
Adela was skeptical, but the bait Quinley offered was too tempting.
Zachary had locked her down here. Come morning, she'd be shipped straight to the police station. She knew what she'd done. Escaping legal consequences was basically impossible.
And now Quinley was offering her hope.
Of course, she also knew that hope came with a price.
"What question? Ask it first. Let me hear it and see if I can answer."
Adela left herself an out. She was calculating the risks.
"Where are your parents?"
Adela froze slightly. The question was almost laughably simple.
She smiled. "Ms. Promise, didn't you do your research? I'm an orphan. Grew up in an orphanage. You want to know who my parents are? Help me find out. I'm curious too. Why did they have me just to dump me at an orphanage?"
"Which orphanage?" Quinley pressed.
"That's two questions."
Adela was cunning. She stopped answering.
"I promised to let you go. I can also give you cab fare."
Quinley dangled another carrot.
Adela took the bait. "Luck House. A local Rosewood City orphanage. But it shut down fifteen years ago."
"Good."
Quinley acknowledged this. She pulled out two hundred dollars and handed it to Adela.
"You can go."
"Why help me? Aren't you afraid I'll trick you?"
Adela reached the doorway, then turned back to look at Quinley.
"I can help you escape. I can also absolutely catch you and bring you back." Quinley's voice was ice-cold. "Susan, I hope you make smart choices."
The moment Quinley finished speaking, Adela bolted.
She'd barely made it to the front gate when Lucas called Zachary.
"Mr. Jennings, do we let her go? Or stop her?"
Zachary stood in front of the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling window. The room was pitch black, but his eyes tracked the distance.
Adela was hunched over, running as fast as she could toward freedom.
"Follow her. See where she goes."
The call ended. From the hallway just beyond his door came the soft sound of footsteps.
Then a door creaked. Quinley had returned to her room.
She thought she'd been so careful, so clever. But what she didn't know was that this was all part of Zachary's plan.
The rest of the night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Quinley emerged from her room to the sound of Zachary's fury.
"Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on her? Now she's escaped. How the hell did this happen?"
Lucas hung his head. "I know I locked that door. I don't understand how she got out."
"What are you standing around for? Find her and bring her back."
Zachary's order was absolute. Lucas rushed to comply.
On the drive to Apex Global Group, Quinley stayed silent the entire time.
She'd let Adela escape. Zachary hadn't asked about it, so she said nothing.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
Zachary finally broke the silence.
Quinley nodded. "Pretty well."
As they neared Apex Global Group, Quinley signaled for him to stop.
"I'll walk in from here."
She didn't want to cause any misunderstandings.
Zachary didn't push. Quinley got out and walked along the tree-lined path toward the company.
But the moment she reached her office, disaster struck.