Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Victor, who had been sitting there quietly, was clearly caught off guard. He hadn't expected to be figured out so quickly.

Then again, it made sense. The look on his face all this time made it pretty obvious he needed a favor.

Finally, Victor sighed and spoke up. "William, you're not too busy these days, are you?"

"Not really." After all, aside from the Greasley situation, he had nothing else going on.

And Greasley wasn't going to show up that fast anyway, so William wasn't worried about him making any moves.

Victor let out a sigh and said to William, "I need your help. If you're willing, I'll give you every dollar I have on me."

Both Nora and William were visibly stunned when they heard that.

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Nora jumped to her feet and walked over to Victor. "Did something happen to Mom?"

Victor had mostly stepped back from running the company, but he still had a few million dollars in liquid assets.

To offer that kind of money for help — what on earth had happened?

Nora wasn't worried about the money. She was worried about Cecilia.

After all, since coming home, she hadn't seen Cecilia anywhere.

"Your mom went back to your grandmother's place," Victor said with a sigh.

"What!"

Nora shot to her feet, staring at him in disbelief. "How could you let her go alone? Those people are going to drain every cent she has."

Victor replied helplessly, "There was nothing I could do. The day after tomorrow is your grandmother's birthday, and she went back early to help prepare the birthday dinner."

"So you just want me to go bring her back?" William honestly couldn't quite understand their thinking. Cecilia was sharp-tongued and mean, yet these two cared about her so deeply — that genuinely puzzled him.

"Yes, William. You're the only one I can turn to for this. If you're willing to help, the money on this card is yours, just like I said."

Victor pulled out a bank card, stood up, walked over to William, and set it down in front of him.

William stared at the card and fell into thought. He wasn't sure whether he should take it or not.

Then Nora pulled out a card of her own. "If that's not enough, I have some funds I can add."

"I already said I'd protect the Adams family. There's no way I'm taking your money for this." William didn't touch either card. Instead, he stood up and asked Victor, "Where is Mrs. Adams right now?"

"Seattle. The Thorne family," Victor said plainly.

The two families had been joined through an arranged marriage, but back then, Cecilia's own family hadn't treated her well at all — she was nothing more than a bargaining chip to them. Victor had even paid a large sum to marry her, and every bit of that money had gone straight into her brother's hands.

Honestly, Victor had a feeling this trip had nothing to do with celebrating a birthday. It was just another excuse to get money out of Cecilia.

"I don't have much going on right now anyway, so I'll head over," William said, glancing at the time. He pulled out his phone and started booking a flight to Seattle.

"I'm coming too," Nora said quickly.

But William shook his head. "That's not happening. Are you really going to walk away from your company?"

Nora didn't know what to say to that.

Just the recent trip to Washington for business had left her with a pile of things she hadn't dealt with yet. If she went to Seattle on top of that, the company would fall apart.

"In the meantime, have Mr. Adams' bodyguards stay close to you. If something comes up that you really can't handle, call me."

William had already booked his flight and was getting ready to leave.

"You're heading out already?" Victor looked up at him, clearly surprised.

"The sooner I get there, the sooner I can come back."

If he took too long, Nora and the others might end up in Greasley's hands.

After going back and forth, Nora finally gave up on the idea of going with William.

She stood there and said seriously, "Then please be careful."

"I will."

William gave a wave and headed for the door.

He hadn't gotten far when Zara, who hadn't said a word this whole time, suddenly came running after him.

"What's up?" he asked, puzzled. "Are you coming with me?"

Zara shook her head. "I don't want to get in your way. Besides, I've got things to take care of here in Atlanta."

"Then why are you following me?" William asked.

A warm smile spread across Zara's face. "I may not be going to Seattle, but I can at least drive you to the airport and bring the car back."

That stopped William in his tracks. He genuinely hadn't thought of that.

Every time he went to the airport, he either called a ride or left his car in the parking lot and picked it up when he got back.

"Come on, stop standing there. Let's go," Zara said.

She took the car keys from William's hand and got into the driver's seat.

William didn't argue. He settled into the passenger seat and rested quietly.

Zara didn't say much the whole way there, keeping her focus on the road.

When they finally reached the airport, she pulled into the nearby parking lot.

William had just unclipped his seatbelt when he heard Zara's voice. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. You and Nora are friends — of course I'd help when you're in trouble."

It was all easy enough for him to handle, so as far as he was concerned, it was no big deal.

With that, he pushed open the passenger door and stepped out.

He was about to head straight into the airport, but Zara got out too and stepped right in front of him.

"Something you need?" William asked, a little confused. They were just a few steps from the entrance — why was she still following him?

Zara didn't answer. She just quietly walked toward him.

She took a deep breath, as if she'd made up her mind, and suddenly leaned in close.

"You helped me, so I have to thank you properly."

While William wasn't paying attention, Zara pressed her lips against his.