The next day, the atmosphere on the top floor of Zacky’s office building was busier than usual. Zacky strode down the main corridor, a thick file in hand.
Behind him, two division managers followed with anxious expressions, listening to brief instructions from the cold-hearted man.
“Make sure there isn’t a single flaw in the presentation materials for the board of commissioners. I don’t want even the smallest data error in the meeting ten minutes from now,” Zacky said coldly without looking back.
“Yes, Mr. Zacky. All the files are ready,” one of the managers replied quickly.
Just as Zacky was about to turn the handle of the main conference room, the phone in the pocket of his expensive suit began to vibrate loudly. He pulled out the slim device and stopped in his tracks. His eyes narrowed as he read the name displayed on the screen.
Qiara.
Zacky gestured for his subordinates to enter the conference room first. Once the corridor was empty, he swiped the green button and raised the phone to his ear.
“What is it, Qiara?” Zacky asked briefly, his tone flat.
“Zacky… can we meet now?” Qiara’s voice came through the phone. There were no more emotional screams or hysterical outbursts like yesterday. The girl sounded incredibly calm and flat, with a mysterious undertone.
Zacky furrowed his brow. Qiara’s sudden change in attitude felt extremely strange and unusual to him.
“I have an important meeting in ten minutes. We’ll talk tonight at your house.”
“No. I want to talk now,” Qiara cut in firmly.
“It’s important. It’ll only take a moment, Zacky. I’ll wait at the café across from your office.”
Zacky glanced at his expensive watch, then fell silent for a moment. His business instincts and habit of analyzing situations made him suspicious, but the desperation and devastation Qiara had shown yesterday were still vivid in his memory.
“All right,” Zacky finally replied.
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Click.
Zacky ended the call and turned around. He postponed his important meeting to meet the girl who hated him.
Fifteen minutes later, Zacky stepped into the modern café directly across from his office building. His gaze swept over the room until he found Qiara sitting in a corner, staring out the large glass window.
Qiara was dressed in neat, casual clothes. Her face still showed faint traces of swelling from crying, but her eyes had changed. They were now cold and wide-open—nothing like those of the fragile girl who had cried in the hospital yesterday.
Zacky pulled out a chair and sat across from Qiara.
“What is it? I even postponed my meeting.”
Qiara did not answer right away. She turned her gaze from the window and looked straight into Zacky’s sharp eyes.
“I’ll accept this marriage,” Qiara said softly but clearly, without the slightest hint of hesitation in her voice.
Zacky was stunned for a moment. His thick eyebrows drew tightly together.
“What?”
“I agree to marry you. Next week,” Qiara repeated, straightening her back.
Rather than feeling happy, Zacky sensed that something was wrong. He leaned back in his chair and studied Qiara with a deeply probing gaze.
“Yesterday, you tore up Laras’s will and said you hated me. Why the sudden change of heart?”
Qiara gave a faint smile, a cold smile Zacky had never seen from her before.
“It’s not because I like you, and it’s not because I’m obeying Dad,” Qiara whispered as she leaned toward the table.
“I’ll marry you… but on one condition.”
Zacky narrowed his eyes.
“A condition?”
“Yes,” Qiara replied softly, her eyes gleaming with secrets.
“And if you can’t fulfill this condition, I’ll make sure this marriage becomes hell for both of us.”