Chapter 66 Are You Really Protecting Me?
Boyfriend?
Quinley's mind went blank. Since when did she have a boyfriend?
Her first thought was Zachary, but she knew him well enough—he'd never do something so flashy and romantic.
The bouquet was heavy, at least ninety-nine roses. Quinley was petite, and the massive arrangement nearly engulfed her as she held it.
"Do you like it?"
David approached with a roguish grin, his white coat making Quinley squint. He spread his arms wide and declared, "Welcome home!"
Quinley reacted quickly. Just as David moved to embrace her, she dodged nimbly and shoved the roses back into his arms.
"You bought these?"
"Don't believe me?" David pulled out his phone and showed her the order. "Look, I still have the purchase record!"
His lips curved upward in a boyish smile.
"Thanks, but I'll transfer you the money." Quinley opened her WeChat to send him payment. She had no reason to accept roses from him.
"Quinley, what's that supposed to mean?"
One second David was pleased with himself, the next his face fell. Roses were his foolproof method for winning girls' hearts. He'd given them to many women, and not one had been able to refuse.
Was Quinley really so clueless?
"Dr. Brown, night shifts are exhausting. I couldn't possibly let you spend money on me."
Quinley smiled politely.
David wasn't having it. He clutched the bouquet and tried to push it back into her arms. "I want to!"
"Well, I don't want you to."
Quinley's rejection was direct. David was interested in her, but she felt nothing for him. They could be ordinary friends, but anything beyond that was impossible. When it came to relationships, Quinley didn't believe in ambiguity.
"Quinley, be my girlfriend."
David suddenly dropped to one knee, still holding the flowers.
At the main entrance of the hospital lobby, with people coming and going, David's white coat already drew attention. Now, with roses and a public declaration, he became the center of a spectacle—and dragged Quinley into the spotlight with him.
"Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!" The gathering crowd clapped and cheered in unison.
Quinley felt like she was being roasted over an open fire, so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole.
At that same moment, Zachary and Lucas emerged from the elevator. Zachary walked purposefully, eyes straight ahead. A noisy crowd had gathered at the lobby entrance, but while Zachary paid no attention, Lucas went to see what the commotion was about.
"Mr. Jennings, it's Ms. Elikin."
Zachary's eyes narrowed as he looked over to see David on one knee with a massive bouquet of red roses, making his declaration while Quinley stood trapped in the center of the crowd.
"Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!" The chanting grew louder.
"Dr. Brown, if you get up, I'll accept the flowers." Quinley just wanted to escape the vortex, but David had entered negotiation mode.
"You accept the flowers, and I'll get up."
To end this farce quickly, Quinley gave in. She took the bouquet from David's arms, and thunderous applause erupted around them.
Having gotten his way, David suddenly swept Quinley up in his arms. "Oh yeah! Starting today, I'm a man with a girlfriend!"
That's when Quinley spotted Zachary beyond the crowd. He stood apart, his narrowed eyes like a pool of ice.
The noise around her was deafening, yet Quinley felt the entire world go silent.
"Quinny, I love you."
David cupped Quinley's face and impulsively kissed her cheek.
With strength she didn't know she possessed, Quinley shoved David away hard. "I'm sorry."
She fled, leaving the bouquet behind. But the scene of David's declaration lodged like a thorn in Zachary's heart.
Two in the morning. Colin was asleep, and Quinley was keeping watch, but she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, Zachary's image appeared in her mind. She tried desperately to banish it, but it wouldn't go away.
Eventually, Quinley went downstairs to the hospital's small garden. She never expected to run into Zachary there.
He stood before her in all black—black clothes, black pants, black shoes, black expression, black eyes.
Quinley was caught off guard and stumbled backward a step.
"Guilty conscience?"
Zachary's voice wasn't loud, but his tone was heavy. She could tell he was angry.
But what right did he have to be angry?
"If Mr. Jennings thinks I'm a thief, you can call the police to arrest me."
Quinley fixed her cool, water-like eyes on him, lifting her gaze to meet his. She was angry too, but wouldn't say so directly.
Their gazes locked in the darkness, testing and wearing each other down.
The night breeze stirred the wisps of hair across Quinley's forehead. She stood under the streetlight, the white light casting a gentle glow, yet she seemed like a thorned white rose.
Zachary's breathing was heavy, his heated breath floating in the air.
"David isn't right for you."
As if he'd been building up to it for a long time, he finally spoke.
Was it advice? Or a command? Quinley couldn't tell.
She wrapped her arms around herself, her fingertips growing cold. "Whether he's right for me is my business and has nothing to do with you, Mr. Jennings."
She put distance between them again, insisting on clear boundaries.
Suddenly, annoyance flashed in Zachary's eyes.
"Are you still holding a grudge because I didn't trust you then?"
He reached out and grabbed Quinley's arm.
"How would I dare?"
Quinley fought back, struggling to shake off his grip. But he tightened his hold and pulled her directly into his embrace.
"Let go!"
Quinley was like a wild horse—the more he restrained her, the more she struggled.
"She's my mother. When something happened to her, I couldn't just stand by. So many eyes were on me—if I had openly protected you, it would only have hurt you more. They dared to target my mother, which means they could hurt you too. Quinley, some things aren't what you think they are."
Zachary's words trailed off, as if he wanted to say more but held back.
"What do I think?" Quinley shot back.
"You know perfectly well these incidents are connected to the Davis family siblings, yet you've done nothing. Mr. Jennings, are you really protecting me, or are you enabling evil?"
Her questions were direct, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Zachary was momentarily speechless. Quinley rarely pressed him so aggressively.
"Now isn't the right time to punish them."
After a long pause, he gave his answer.
If not now, then when? A cold smile tugged at Quinley's lips as she shoved Zachary away forcefully.
"I forgot—you and Ms. Davis are already engaged. How could you go against your own fiancée? My mistake."
She stepped back, her smile like a dagger aimed precisely at his heart.
His eyes darkened gradually, like ink spreading across white paper.
Suddenly, he strode forward and pulled her into his arms. Before she could resist, he gripped her chin and crushed his lips against hers.