Chapter 99 He Lost
David picked up the document and gold card with a puzzled expression, glancing at Quinley as he slowly unfolded the papers.
"Quinny, you just got your warranty deed? How'd it end up on the floor? This stuff's important—you need to keep it safe."
David wasn't suspicious at all. He handed everything over to Quinley without a second thought.
"Got it." Quinley took the items, acting completely casual as she headed toward the bedroom. "Give me a sec to change clothes."
Once the bedroom door closed, Quinley opened the warranty deed. The apartment had always been under Zachary's name. He'd offered to give it to her before, but she'd refused. She never imagined he'd already transferred ownership to her name ages ago.
This downtown apartment sat in the heart of Rosewood City, where property values only went up. Her place might not be huge, but it was worth serious money. The gold card she recognized too—Zachary had tried giving it to her before, but she'd turned it down.
Now both items were in her hands. What was Zachary's game? Trying to keep her as his mistress? Or was this some kind of compensation?
Quinley stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment while David grew impatient outside.
"Quinny, you're already gorgeous! No need to fuss. Can you hurry up? My mom's called like three times already."
"Almost ready!" Quinley called back, applying thick foundation to hide the exhaustion on her face.
It was her first time meeting David's family, but she hadn't bothered with anything fancy. They headed downstairs together, David cheerfully opening the car door for her. That's when Quinley caught sight of Zachary's figure.
He stood under a tree, face dark, brow furrowed, eyes burning as they fixed on her. Quinley looked away, pretending she hadn't seen him.
"Quinny, you look amazing today!" David was generous with his compliments.
Quinley smiled sweetly. "Well, I'm with you today, so of course I had to look good. You look pretty handsome yourself!"
Her voice carried just the right tone—not too loud, not too soft. Zachary might hear it, might not, but he could definitely see the picture-perfect harmony between her and David.
David rarely got compliments from Quinley, so he was practically floating. Forgetting their agreement completely, he leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Quinny, love you!"
David's eyes sparkled like stars. Quinley's brow twitched, but she quickly put on a shy smile and ducked into the car.
Emboldened by his success, David got increasingly cocky. He bounced into the driver's seat and immediately tried to put his arm around Quinley's shoulders.
One icy glare from her shut that down fast. "Dr. Brown, should I get out?"
David shook his head so hard he looked like a bobblehead doll, quickly returning to his proper position. "Sorry! I swear I'll never cross the line again."
The Bentley pulled away from the downtown apartment, but Zachary remained rooted under that tree for a long time.
"Mr. Jennings, your mother and brother are causing a scene at the company again!" Adela's call came through with chaos in the background. Zachary could hear Emily's arrogant voice cutting through the noise.
"My son is the rightful CEO of Apex Global Group! Zachary has no business in that position!"
His expression darkened instantly. "I'll be right there."
When Zachary arrived at Apex Global Group, Emily had led Landon straight into his office. Adela stood there with one side of her face red and swollen—clearly she'd been slapped.
"Mr. Jennings, they're in your office. I couldn't stop them." Adela's brow was creased with worry, her voice tight with stress.
"Take the day off. Go get that injury checked at the hospital." Zachary gave the order without slowing his stride toward the office.
He pushed open the door to find Landon sprawled in his executive chair, feet propped up on his desk.
"Zach, you're finally back!" Landon was scrolling through videos on his phone. When Zachary entered, he didn't bother moving his feet or getting up.
"Get out." Zachary's voice was ice-cold.
His face was frozen, his eyes glacial as they cut toward Landon like blades. Landon's legs trembled so hard he nearly fell off the desk.
"Zachary, you're back?" Emily had been lounging on the reception sofa, admiring her fresh manicure. Now she stood up.
Her surgically altered face was written all over with smugness. "Zachary, we're family, so let's not beat around the bush. You've been running Apex Global Group, that's true. But your father left a will before he died—whichever of you three brothers produces the first Jennings heir gets the company. I figured this had nothing to do with your younger brothers. You're the eldest, you were engaged... having a kid seemed natural enough. Who would've thought you'd be... inadequate?"
"Mom, how can you say Zach's inadequate? He's a man—even if he is, you can't just say it like that. You'll hurt his pride," Landon chimed in.
The mother-son duo was working in tandem, clearly here to humiliate Zachary. There was also a strange woman in the room, wearing loose clothing that Zachary didn't recognize.
"I need you all to leave. Now." Zachary's voice was sharp with warning.
Emily laughed lightly. She'd started to stand but now sat back down next to the woman. "I'm afraid you're the one who needs to leave today."
Her smugness intensified. She spotted Adela hovering by the door. "What are you standing around for? I told you to notify the board members about a meeting. Did you do it?"
Her tone with Adela was completely disrespectful. Adela didn't move, looking to Zachary instead.
Emily snorted. "As of right now, you're fired."
"You don't have that authority!" A vein pulsed in Zachary's forehead as he stepped forward, grabbing Landon by the collar to drag him out of the chair.
The woman who'd been sitting quietly suddenly stood up. "Let go! Why are you bullying Landon?"
She was small but threw all her strength into trying to pry Zachary's hands away. His eyes blazed with fury, looking absolutely fierce, but the woman showed no fear.
"Coco, my brother's just playing around. He wouldn't actually hurt me," Landon soothed her.
"Congratulations, big brother. You're going to be an uncle. Coco's carrying my child—she's already four months along."
Only then did Zachary notice the woman's slightly rounded belly. He was shocked, confused, even disbelieving.
"Prove it." The words came out through gritted teeth.
Landon grinned, handing Zachary a piece of paper. It was a DNA test report.
"I didn't believe it at first either, but technology's amazing these days. One test confirmed it's definitely mine. Zach, I won!"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Zachary never expected Landon to beat him to the punch.
He glanced at the report, his eyes narrowing to slits.
Emily sighed dramatically. "Well, you can't fight fate. Even heaven is on our side. Landon might not have your abilities, but he's always been lucky. Zachary, tell me—do we have the authority now?"
Landon stood up like a victorious general, one arm around the woman's shoulders. "I hate this office's décor. This chair's uncomfortable, and this desk isn't impressive enough. I'm changing everything."
Winner takes all. In this round, Zachary had definitely lost.