Chapter 166 Feeding the Dog
Harold showed up at Apex Global Group like he owned the place.
He sprawled on Zachary's reception sofa, one leg crossed over the other in a power pose.
"Mr. Jennings, since Apex Global Group is handling the proposal development, how about showing some professional standards?" He gestured dismissively. "What is this garbage?"
Lauren immediately placed a document in front of Zachary.
Quinley walked in to report the day's schedule and caught the whole scene.
That document was her draft. The one she'd submitted.
How the hell did Harold get his hands on it?
Zachary picked it up. One glance and his expression darkened.
"This document hasn't been approved by Mr. Davis yet."
Quinley couldn't help interjecting.
"Ms. Promise, don't tell me this came from you?"
Lauren's voice dripped with mockery.
"As opposed to coming from you?" Quinley shot back.
In front of everyone, Lauren's face went black with rage. She excelled at schmoozing, sure, but writing? Not her strong suit.
"Take a look."
Zachary tossed the document onto his desk, his voice flat.
He looked irritated, loosening his tie with sharp movements.
Quinley picked it up and scanned it quickly.
She'd revised that document three or four times yesterday. The final version had changed significantly from the initial draft—all according to Jeremy's requirements. He hadn't officially approved it, but it was damn close to what he wanted.
But as Quinley skimmed through this version, understanding clicked into place.
The Davis brothers were already tag-teaming this project from day one.
"Ms. Promise, professionals should stick to their expertise. This is clearly beyond your capabilities. I'd suggest you stop trying to prove yourself."
"Mr. Jennings, if this project goes south, neither you nor I can take responsibility." Harold spread his hands. "Mr. Davis put Apex Global Group in charge, but the Davis Group is invested too. I don't want to be a footnote in someone else's failure—or worse, collateral damage."
"You can pull out."
Zachary's response was ice-cold.
"Pulling out isn't off the table. Problem is, everyone working on this project has ground to a halt. We're bleeding hundreds of thousands of dollars a day." Harold made a show of looking helpless. "Mr. Jennings, give us some direction here. What's the plan?"
He'd neatly tossed the hot potato to Zachary.
"Mr. Davis, since this issue started with me, let me handle it."
Quinley volunteered to catch that burning potato mid-air.
"Ms. Promise, I'd advise against biting off more than you can chew."
Harold's laugh was cold.
Lauren piled on. "Mr. Davis, some people just have to learn the hard way. You can't stop them."
"I'll assign someone to follow up on this. Focus on your other responsibilities."
Even Zachary refused her offer.
But Quinley insisted. She grabbed the document and headed for the door. "I'll coordinate first and figure out where the breakdown happened."
Jeremy had set this trap specifically for her to walk into, hadn't he?
Quinley wasn't stupid. She understood his game perfectly.
The moment she left Zachary's office, she called Jeremy's secretary.
The phone rang several times before he picked up.
"Ms. Promise. What is it?"
His tone was noticeably cold. Distant.
Quinley was smart enough to understand why he'd turned frosty overnight. The secretary was Jeremy's man. He represented Jeremy's position.
"About last night—I'm so sorry. Family emergency came up and I had to leave. Is Mr. Davis free tonight? I'd love to take him to dinner and apologize properly."
She offered both explanation and invitation.
"Mr. Davis has been extremely busy lately. He might not have time."
The secretary made excuses, but he didn't shut her down completely.
'Might not' meant there was a possibility.
"You're the person Mr. Davis trusts most. Could you put in a good word for me? I genuinely want to apologize." Quinley's voice turned persuasive. "Besides, we'll be working together constantly on the downtown redevelopment project, won't we?"
She laid on the flattery. The secretary went quiet for a moment.
"Please? I won't forget this favor. We've got a lot of collaboration ahead of us."
Sensing his hesitation, Quinley added a hint of pleading to her voice.
"Fine, fine. Mr. Davis is in a meeting right now. I'll let you know when he's done."
Secretary Huang hung up.
The second the call ended, Quinley texted Detective Wilson.
[Help me find a girl.]
[What kind of girl?]
[Pretty. Sweet talker. Uninhibited. I'll pay well.]
[What are you planning?] Detective Wilson's suspicion was palpable even through text.
[Feeding a dog.]
More like feeding a horny wolf, but close enough.
Sure enough, an hour later, Quinley got Secretary Huang's response.
"Took me forever to convince him, but Mr. Davis agreed to have dinner with you tonight. He still has another engagement though, so it won't be until around ten."
"Perfect."
Quinley agreed immediately.
Around noon, Harold finally left Zachary's office looking thoroughly satisfied.
Before leaving, he made a point of stopping by Quinley's office.
"Ms. Promise, the biggest mistake you can make in the workplace is overestimating yourself. Apex Global Group has plenty of talent. If you can't do something, let someone else handle it. Right now, everyone's stopped working because of you. That's a loss you can't afford."
"Ms. Promise can't afford it, but Mr. Jennings will foot the bill for her." Lauren's voice was pure acid. "Mr. Davis is worrying over nothing."
"Thanks for the concern, Mr. Davis. Don't let us keep you."
Quinley didn't bother standing. Her tone matched his for rudeness.
The moment they left, Quinley headed straight for Zachary's office.
"What did you promise them?"
Harold wouldn't have wasted an entire morning arguing with Zachary without getting something substantial in return.
Zachary leaned back in his chair, long fingers massaging his temples.
"Stay out of this. I'll handle it."
Quinley stood in the doorway, silent for a long moment.
"What did you promise?"
She repeated the question.
"One percent profit share."
Zachary looked up. "It's nothing. He can have it."
The downtown redevelopment project involved hundreds of millions of dollars. One percent was far from nothing.
Harold was insatiable. Once he got a taste, he'd keep coming back for more.
"Just a verbal promise, right?"
Zachary nodded.
Quinley let out a breath. "He won't get it. He doesn't deserve it. I can handle this."
She turned to leave.
"Quinley."
Zachary's voice stopped her.
His brow furrowed, worry flickering in his eyes. "Don't get involved in this."
Quinley smiled. "You'll have good news tomorrow."
The second the workday ended, Quinley was out the door without a backward glance.
When Zachary finished up and called her office, an intern from the secretarial department picked up.
"Mr. Jennings, Ms. Promise already left."
Zachary was surprised. That wasn't like her at all.
She was a workaholic like him—usually the last one out the door.
Suddenly, something clicked in Zachary's mind.
He rushed downstairs and drove straight to the south city apartment.
Quinley said there'd be good news tomorrow. That news had to be about the redevelopment project.
He knew better than anyone that the problem wasn't with Quinley's work. Someone had marked her as prey.
On the drive, Zachary kept calling her.
At first, she didn't answer. Then she blocked his number entirely.
"Find out where Jeremy's having dinner tonight."
Zachary ordered Lucas.
He'd just pulled up to the south city apartment when Lucas's information came through.
The same Davis family hotel as before.
Zachary went upstairs. As he suspected, Quinley wasn't home.
He drove to the hotel, arriving just as Jeremy entered the building.
Jeremy was surrounded by people, all schmoozing and laughing. He looked like a man on top of the world.
Lucas called.
"Mr. Jennings, Ms. Promise hasn't been to that hotel."
If she wasn't there, where the hell was she?