Chapter 196 I Return Your Identity
Still half-asleep, Quinley felt Zachary pull her into his arms. She opened drowsy eyes and pushed weakly against his chest.
"Stop. I want to sleep a little longer." Last night she'd been too troubled to rest properly. Only when dawn broke had she finally fallen into a deep sleep. She tried to push him away, but he only held her tighter. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and something hot slid down onto her collarbone.
Quinley's drowsiness gradually faded. She realized that Zachary's shoulders were shaking.
"I'm sorry. I killed our baby." His voice was choked with emotion, a sound so broken it was almost unbearable to hear.
"You know now." Quinley's eyelids dropped. The pain she'd suppressed deep inside flooded back. The agony of losing a child was a weight she hadn't been able to share with anyone. She could only cry alone in the dead of night.
"Mom told me. Quinny, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Zachary lifted his head. His eyes were completely bloodshot.
"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself." Zachary forced back his grief. "I'm going to investigate. I won't let our child's death be in vain."
Quinley murmured a soft acknowledgment.
Downstairs, Martha had finished preparing breakfast. "Mr. Jennings, breakfast is ready! I made your favorite sandwiches. Come try them!"
Zachary came down but didn't head toward the dining table. "I'm going to the office." With that, he pulled open the door and left.
Martha stood there bewildered, having just set out the carefully prepared sandwiches. "What's wrong with Mr. Jennings? He specifically asked for sandwiches last night. I worked all morning on these, and he didn't even take a bite?"
Upstairs, Quinley was still curled up in bed. She'd promised herself she wouldn't be sad, but every time she thought of that innocent child, tears came unbidden.
"Mrs. Jennings, I made your favorite cupcakes! Fresh from the steamer, still piping hot. Won't you try one?" The door was ajar. Martha stood outside holding a tray.
Quinley had no appetite at all. "Martha, I'll eat later." Her voice was thick with tears, her back to the door.
Martha immediately sensed something was wrong. "Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell? Should I call Dr. Brown?"
"No need. I'll be fine after some sleep." Quinley declined.
Martha carried the tray back downstairs, worried. She quickly sent Zachary a message: [Mr. Jennings, Mrs. Jennings doesn't seem well...]
In the CEO's office at Apex Global Group, Zachary leaned back in his leather chair, his handsome face dark as storm clouds. He'd received Martha's message. Without even thinking about it, he knew Quinley had been crying again.
Lucas was also in the room. "Find that van driver. I don't care what it costs—we have to track him down."
After Quinley's accident, Zachary had already ordered Lucas to conduct a thorough investigation. Every lead had been eliminated except for one—the van driver who'd vanished into thin air.
"Mr. Jennings, our people have been searching for eight months. There's no trace of him. I suspect he's gone into hiding."
Before Lucas could finish, Zachary's voice rose several decibels. "Whether he's hiding or running, he'll have to surface eventually. I want him found alive or dead. If we don't have enough people, deploy more. If we need more money, I'll allocate it. Whatever it takes, find him."
Zachary issued the ironclad order. Lucas had no choice but to comply. "Yes, Mr. Jennings. I'll supervise it personally."
After he left, the vast office held only Zachary. He closed his eyes in anguish. That unborn child had been his and Quinley's flesh and blood. He'd only just learned of its existence, yet it was already lost. He blamed himself for failing to protect Quinley and the baby. And he hated—hated the cruelty and callousness of those responsible.
"Mr. Jennings, Ms. Davis is here. She's demanding to see you." The front desk called.
"No." Zachary slammed the phone down.
However, when he left work that evening, just as the Maybach emerged from the underground parking garage, Alicia appeared from nowhere and threw herself in front of the car.
"Zach, please help me!"
She looked haggard after just a few days—none of her former polish remained. Her tall frame was draped in an ill-fitting floral dress. Without makeup, her face was pale, giving her an almost sickly appearance.
Inside the Maybach, Zachary's expression was frigid. He leaned back in his seat, staring at Alicia with eyes like ancient ice. The windows remained sealed. Zachary showed no intention of acknowledging her.
"Zach, please! Help me! You're the only one who can help me now." Alicia rushed forward, pounding on the window.
"Mr. Jennings, what should we do?" Lucas awaited instructions.
The Davis family had severed ties with Alicia. She was now homeless, driven to the brink. When the Davis family rejected her, she'd latched onto Zachary instead.
"How should I help you?" Zachary slowly lowered the window a crack, his lips curling with cold mockery.
"Zach, my father listens to you. Could you please talk to him for me? I know I was wrong. I'll never do it again."
Zachary remained unmoved, regarding her with theatrical amusement. "Isn't your name Quinley Elikin now? What does that have to do with the Davis family?"
"I... I'm not Quinley! I'm Alicia! I'm Alicia!" Alicia desperately tried to defend herself.
Zachary said nothing. Lucas looked at Alicia. "Ms. Elikin, since you were so desperate to take Quinley's place, you should embrace the role. Mrs. Jennings is waiting at home for Mr. Jennings to have dinner."
"Let's go," Zachary said flatly.
Lucas raised the window and gunned the engine. The Maybach roared past Alicia. She came to her senses and ran after them. "Zach! I was wrong! I'll give the identity back, okay?"
But it was too late.
The Maybach quickly left her behind. She fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I "I transformed myself for you! Why can't you love me even a little? Just a tiny bit? What am I supposed to do? I've lost everything."
Just as Alicia was at her most wretched, Dennis appeared. He'd been rebuffed at the Davis Group and had been searching everywhere for Alicia.
"You promised you could get me into the Davis Group! You lying bitch!" Furious, Dennis grabbed her by the hair and began raining vicious punches down on her.
She was powerless to resist, curling up on the ground with her arms over her head. "Stop! Please stop!" She wailed and begged for mercy.
It was useless. Dennis was beside himself with rage,completely losing control. He vented all his frustration on Alicia. The more she cried, the harder his fists fell. Eventually, passersby saw what was happening and called the police.
When the police arrived, Dennis was still beating her. They arrested him and took him back to the same detention facility he'd just left.
Quinley knew nothing about Dennis's assault on Alicia. But as soon as he was taken into custody, Marlee showed up at her door begging for help.