As usual, the atmosphere on the top floor of the skyscraper was cold, silent, and oppressive. Behind the magnificent mahogany desk, Zacky sat straight-backed in a white shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled to his elbows. His eyes were fixed sharply on the financial report in front of him.
Zacky was the very definition of an uncompromising leader. As the youngest CEO in the banking industry, he was known for being cold-hearted, harsh, and seemingly incapable of sympathy.
To Zacky, a minor mistake was a major failure, and employee incompetence would never be forgiven.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in,” Zacky replied curtly without looking away from the papers.
His secretary, a young woman with a pale, tense face, stepped inside slowly.
“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Zacky. The marketing division’s quarterly report is finished, but—”
“The data on page three was miscalculated,” Zacky cut in coldly. He threw the file folder onto the middle of the desk.
“You’re paid well, not to hand me garbage like this. Tell the marketing team to work overtime tonight and fix everything before eight tomorrow morning. Otherwise, the termination letter will be on my desk.”
“Y-yes, sir. I’m sorry,” the secretary squeaked before hurrying out of the room, trembling.
Zacky leaned back in his executive chair and massaged the bridge of his nose, which throbbed with pain. Grief over Laras’s death, his late wife, still slipped faintly through the cracks of his busy life from time to time. But he had no time to mourn his fate.
Suddenly, the smartphone beside his laptop began vibrating loudly. Its screen lit up, displaying a very familiar name: Qiara.
Zacky frowned. It was rare for his sister-in-law to call him directly, especially during working hours. Without suspicion, he swiped the green button.
“Yes, Qia? What is it—”
“Zacky! What the hell do you mean?!” Qiara shouted furiously through the phone, cutting him off before he could finish speaking.
Zacky pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment, startled by the boldness and anger in her voice.
“Qiara, watch your mouth. What’s really going on?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” Qiara pressed, her voice trembling as she held back both tears and surging anger.
“Dad just told me to marry you! You asked him to, didn’t you? You talked Dad into setting us up for marriage?!”
Zacky let out a long breath. His tense face showed no sign of feeling cornered.
“Qia, calm down first. Speak slowly.”
“How am I supposed to stay calm?!” Qiara screamed from the other end of the line.
“You’re Laras’s former husband! My brother-in-law! Laras only died three months ago! How could you do this, Zacky? Have you lost your mind?!”
“Qiara, listen to me,” Zacky cut in, his low voice heavy with emphasis.
“This isn’t entirely my decision. It was your parents’ decision, and I only—”
“Liar!” Qiara cut him off immediately.
“If you didn’t agree, you could have refused! You’re a CEO. You’re a powerful man. Dad would have listened to you! So why did you just stay silent?! Do you want to ruin my life? I have Dewa, Zacky! I love Dewa!”
“Shut your mouth about that man, Qiara,” Zacky hissed coldly, his eyes narrowing sharply.
“This decision was made by your father. Do you think I’m happy about this situation? I never planned to marry my late wife’s own sister!”
“If you don’t want to, then refuse! Don’t just sit there silently like a coward!” Qiara sobbed.
“I don’t want to marry a cold, awful guy like you! I hate you!”
“That’s enough, Qiara!” Zacky barked so firmly that the atmosphere in his office seemed to freeze even further.
“This arrangement will go forward whether you like it or not. Your father has a strong reason, and you have no right to argue with him. Prepare yourself for next week.”
“No! I’ll never—”
Click.
Zacky ended the call unilaterally. He set the phone down hard on the desk, then clenched his fists tightly. His emotions suddenly boiled over, but the look in his eyes hinted at a great secret he had deliberately kept hidden from the girl.