Chapter 210 The More You Have, The More You Fear Losing
Quinley tried to pull her hand free from Zachary's grip, but he held on tight and refused to let go.
The two receptionists craned their necks to watch. Seeing Quinley's face flush with embarrassment, they covered their mouths and giggled.
"Why are you killing yourself over this?" Zachary's face was cold, anger seeping into his voice.
"You're being totally unreasonable. This is my job." Quinley pouted defensively.
Zachary reached out and tapped her nose. "Work, work, work—that's all you care about. What about your health? Look, it's almost midnight and you haven't even eaten dinner. Aren't you hungry?"
Quinley hadn't felt hungry until now, but the moment Zachary mentioned it, her stomach growled audibly. She broke into a sheepish grin. "I guess I am pretty hungry. How about I treat you to a late-night snack?"
By late-night snack, Quinley meant street food.
Zachary pulled her closer affectionately. "No more late-night snacks from now on. They're not healthy."
"But I'm starving."
Quinley whined.
"I brought you dinner. It's in the car."
"Really?" Quinley's face lit up. She was realizing more and more that Zachary was turning into this amazing, thoughtful guy.
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "My husband is getting so sweet."
"Well, obviously." Zachary looked smug. "This side too." He pointed to his other cheek.
Quinley stretched up to kiss him, but he deliberately lifted his heels to tease her. Just as she was about to reach, he'd raise himself a bit higher.
"Zachary, you're cheating!"
"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing. I'll squat down now—hurry up and kiss me."
"Not doing it."
Quinley pretended to be mad and turned her face away.
"Quinny, please, kiss me. I'm sorry, okay?" Zachary grabbed her arm, begging for forgiveness.
Watching this once deadly-serious man acting so down-to-earth now, Quinley secretly grinned. "You really know you were wrong?"
"I do."
Zachary answered like a kid who'd gotten in trouble.
To prevent Zachary from teasing her again, she wrapped her arms around his neck. But just as her lips were about to touch his cheek, he suddenly kissed her instead.
Quinley struggled to push him away, but Zachary wouldn't let her. The elevator descended floor by floor while he kissed her lips, lost in the moment.
Suddenly, the elevator dinged and stopped on the ground floor. Before Quinley could pull away from Zachary, the doors opened.
Outside, Oliver stood holding his phone mid-call. For just a moment, he froze completely.
Quinley's face turned bright red. She immediately pushed Zachary away. "M-Mr. Jennings."
She was actually stuttering.
Zachary looked at Quinley suspiciously, then turned his gaze to Oliver.
Oliver's expression wasn't exactly calm, but he forced himself to stay composed, his eyes settling on Zachary.
"Zach, you're here!"
"He can come, but I can't?" Zachary shot him an irritated look. He wrapped his arm around Quinley, who was trying to hide behind him, and walked right past Oliver.
In the Maybach, Quinley held the lunch box, head down, eating in big bites. Zachary now knew she was Oliver's subordinate, but he hadn't asked a single question about it. Her heart was all over the place.
She hadn't done anything wrong, yet her heart kept pounding like crazy.
"Slow down, don't choke." Zachary watched her intently. She was eating so fast, practically inhaling her food.
"Mm." Quinley made a muffled sound but kept stuffing her mouth.
Even after Quinley had finished every bite, Zachary still didn't ask anything. The drive home was completely silent—Quinley didn't speak, and neither did Zachary.
However, when the car stopped in the Maple Estate driveway, Zachary called out to her.
"Quinny, you should quit."
Quinley's hand had just touched the door handle. She froze. The words she'd dreaded most had finally come.
She didn't look at Zachary. Her slender fingers just slowly curled inward.
"You know what my relationship with Oliver is like. I don't want you caught in the middle of it."
Zachary gave his reason.
"Just because he's your half-brother?"
Quinley shot back.
Zachary let out a long breath. He reached for Quinley's arm, but she dodged. "You're my wife. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings."
"What misunderstandings?"
Quinley blinked her dark eyes at him.
His thin lips pressed into a line. He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.
Since he wouldn't say it, Quinley did. "You're afraid of what people will think, aren't you? That they'll laugh at you?"
"It's not like that."
"Whether it is or not, I may be your wife, but I'm also my own person. I can keep work and personal life separate. I'm sure your brother can too. So please, respect my choice."
With that, Quinley opened the car door and got out. She was exhausted and headed straight for the bedroom.
Zachary sat alone in the car for a while. He pulled out his phone, thinking about calling Oliver, but he never dialed the number.
The more you had, the more you feared losing it. He couldn't quite explain why, but whenever he saw Quinley with people connected to him, he felt incredibly insecure—always worried something would happen to her.
This constant anxiety was beyond his control.
By the time he returned to the bedroom, Quinley was already asleep. He showered and lay down beside her, but couldn't fall asleep. That nagging worry kept circling in his mind.
The next morning, Quinley got up very early. Martha was still making breakfast in the kitchen when Quinley came downstairs already dressed and ready.
"Mrs. Jennings, breakfast will be ready in a minute. Eat before you go."
Quinley ducked into the kitchen, grabbed two sandwiches, and rushed out. "No time. I've got to go."
She moved like a whirlwind and was gone.
Zachary came out of the bathroom just as Quinley left the gate. His face dark, he came downstairs. Martha had already set breakfast on the table.
"Mr. Jennings, what kind of job is she doing? She's so busy she can't even eat breakfast."
Martha muttered.
Zachary didn't respond. He just pulled out his phone and, using yesterday's address, ordered breakfast delivery for Quinley.
Quinley had just arrived at the office when the receptionist called out to her. "Ms. Promise, your breakfast is here."
Quinley paused but walked over anyway.
"Ms. Promise, your husband is so thoughtful," the other receptionist gushed.
Quinley thanked them and hurried to her office. She'd eaten those two sandwiches on the way, so she didn't touch the breakfast Zachary had ordered.
There was a company-wide meeting this morning. Even though she'd done all the prep work, she needed to review everything one more time.
At eight o'clock, Oliver arrived. Quinley brought in the work schedule she'd prepared.
Oliver took it and scanned it quickly. "You're very professional."
He set the schedule on his desk and looked up at Quinley seriously. "Ms. Promise, I need to ask you something."
Quinley's heart tightened. "Please, Mr. Jennings."
Oliver let out a soft breath. "You know things are tense between Zachary and me. Are you sure you still want to be my assistant?"
The question actually calmed Quinley down. "Mr. Jennings, are you hoping I'll resign?"
Oliver shook his head. "That's not what I mean. You're my brother's wife. Having you work as my assistant—I may not have thought this through. I'm worried this will create problems between you and him."
"Mr. Jennings, I keep my personal and professional lives separate. If you have concerns, I can leave right now."
Quinley's directness surprised Oliver. He looked at her approvingly, eyes narrowed, then suddenly smiled.
"I was overthinking it. Go ahead and get to work."