Chapter 26 Taking the Bait
Zachary strode toward Quinley, his presence intimidating. As they brushed past each other, Zachary spoke.
"Utterly foolish."
She was a secretary he'd personally trained—there was no way she didn't understand Harold's intentions. She was knowingly walking into a trap. If this wasn't stupidity, what was?
The words cut deep. Quinley heard them but maintained her elegant, professional posture, the smile never leaving her lips.
From the moment of birth, people were destined for different fates. Zachary's starting point was an endpoint she could never reach, no matter how hard she tried for an entire lifetime. In this smokeless business war, she was powerless and insignificant, humble as dust. She didn't have the luxury of being willful.
Harold draped one arm over his chair back, eyes narrowed as his unrestrained gaze swept over Zachary's retreating figure before settling on Quinley. He watched her for a long moment before waving for her to leave.
"Send Ms. Morgan in."
"Yes."
Quinley withdrew, and Lauren entered on command.
"You know what to do?" Harold asked, slowly sipping his coffee, his hawk-like eyes deep and cold.
Lauren had worked for Harold for years and knew his mind well. Today, Zachary hadn't gotten what he wanted, which meant the Davis Group naturally couldn't swallow the Westbridge land either.
But how could Harold agree to give back a prize that was already within reach? A direct confrontation with Apex Global Group would be too costly, and Quinley's existence was the perfect leverage to control Zachary.
"Aren't you worried this might expose us too early?"
Harold snorted coldly. "What's there to fear?"
"Understood, Mr. Davis."
Lauren said no more, turning to leave.
Quinley was waiting for her in the first-floor lobby, standing lost in thought beside a tank of tropical fish.
Despite the bustling crowd around her, she had an otherworldly beauty about her. Her figure was slender, her eyes clear, her pale face showing no ripples of emotion. Though young, she possessed a composure and calm that belied her years.
"Quinley." Lauren called to her, and she turned, instantly breaking into a sweet smile. "Ms. Morgan."
Lauren approached and patted her shoulder. "Mr. Davis just praised you and said he's giving you a raise. Keep up the good work!"
Promotions and raises were what every new employee hoped for most. Quinley grinned, showing a hint of endearing naivety. "Thank you for the recognition from you and Mr. Davis."
Outside the lobby, Zachary's Maybach had just merged onto the main road. He leaned back in the rear seat, his expression as dark as storm clouds. Lucas drove while reporting the leads he'd just uncovered.
"Ms. Elikin's brother borrowed from loan sharks because of a woman. After she got pregnant, she kept harassing him for money. He was scared of making a bigger mess and didn't dare tell his family, so he went to loan sharks privately. But the woman was insatiably greedy—she wanted not just abortion fees but also compensation for emotional distress. That's how he got pulled in."
Zachary's gaze fell on the scenery outside the window. Lucas had been talking the entire drive, but he hadn't responded, seeming to listen yet not listen at all.
"Mr. Jennings, that woman definitely has issues. Should we investigate—"
"Are you always this eager to meddle in other people's business?" Before Lucas could finish, Zachary cut him off harshly.
He'd been suppressing his anger all evening, and now Lucas had walked right into the line of fire. Lucas immediately fell silent. Zachary's temper had been increasingly volatile lately, like a bomb ready to explode at any moment.
Halfway through the drive, Alicia called. Zachary hung up directly. She called again, and he hung up again. So Alicia called Lucas's phone instead. Lucas was still hesitating whether to answer when Zachary grabbed the phone and took the call himself.
"Mr. Murphy, is Zach busy?" Alicia's voice was gentle and polite on the other end.
"What is it?" Zachary asked coldly.
Alicia was startled, then replied with a smile, "Zach, am I interrupting your work?" Her voice was sweet and charming, but it only made Zachary more irritated. He didn't respond.
Alicia continued, "Harold just called and told me. Zach, thank you for giving the Westbridge land to the Davis Group."
"I didn't say I was giving it away." Zachary's tone was icy.
Alicia was confused. "Then what do you mean?"
"Do you want to know, or does your brother want to know?"
The question nearly left her speechless. "I was just asking casually—it has nothing to do with my brother." Her voice grew even softer. But her softness was different from Quinley's. Quinley's gentleness had resilience that could soothe his restlessness; Alicia's was pleasing and only made him more annoyed.
"Don't ask about things that aren't your business." Zachary hung up.
Alicia was irritated by the cold treatment and immediately called Harold. "He won't say."
Harold lit a cigarette and leaned against the window, blowing smoke rings. "I told you not to ask, but you insisted."
Alicia pouted and played the emotional card. "I was just thinking of you."
This approach didn't work on Zachary, and it didn't work on Harold either. He chuckled lightly. "If you're thinking of me, then handle him."
"You think I don't want to?" Alicia sighed in frustration.
Harold's tone softened. "The person is with me—aren't you confident?"
"Of course I'm confident. Harold, I trust you completely with everything you do. So please take good care of Quinley!"
At nine o'clock that evening, Quinley finished work and was heading to the hospital when she received a call from Lauren halfway there. "Come to Golden Mile Entertainment immediately." Her voice was urgent.
Quinley's heart tightened, but she didn't ask questions. "Okay."
When she arrived, Lauren led her straight to a private room. "There's a problem with a project—the client won't budge. Ruby and the others have been wining and dining them all evening but still couldn't close the deal. Looks like you'll need to solve this tricky situation."
Lauren briefly explained what had happened while praising Quinley's abilities.
Quinley remained silent. Last time, successfully landing Damon and signing that big contract for the company had been a lucky break from taking an unconventional approach. A person couldn't be lucky every time. Besides, making overly confident promises was a workplace taboo.
At the private room, Lauren cracked the door open and let Quinley enter alone. The lighting inside was dim, with quite a few men and women scattered across the long sofas. Some were singing, others playing dice, some drinking—everyone doing their own thing, no one noticing her entrance.
Quinley was sharp and found a corner to sit in after entering. She hid in the shadows, observing and searching for tonight's "prey."
Zachary had once said that hunting while appearing to be prey was the mark of a master hunter. She understood this principle well.
Soon, she locked onto her target—John Cortez, the client's representative.
Reportedly, he'd once been involved in underground circles and had a shady background. At the moment, he was singing with Ruby in his arms—an old, dusty love song that he was badly off-key with. Ruby was struggling to match his tune, clearly having a difficult time.
Quinley lounged lazily on the sofa, her bean-paste colored shirt partially unbuttoned, revealing her collarbones with a hint of allure. She swayed her wine glass gently to the music's rhythm, sometimes a beat slow, sometimes two beats behind, seemingly unintentional yet deliberately so. Her eyes sparkled like rippling water, full of charm.
Not vulgar, not crude. Just perfectly, heart-stirringly seductive.
Before the song ended, John suddenly stopped singing—his attention had been captured by Quinley.