Chapter 219: Zachary’s plan to outshine Nathaniel
Riya shook her head quickly, her complexion growing even paler. "No... I’m not hiding anything. I swear I had nothing to do with that incident. Zara is framing me. She always suspects me—it’s like a habit of hers. I fear she’ll blame me for everything that happens in her life."
Zachary fell silent. He was not very familiar with Zara, but he knew enough to realize she wasn’t the type to hurl baseless accusations. Riya was clearly lying. Yet, the moment she spoke again, his anger softened.
"Please, help me get my contract back," she pleaded. "The news of Shay Walsh terminating me is spreading, and now other clients are hesitating. It’s affecting my career."
Zachary considered this. Riya was his woman—he couldn’t let her be dragged down. And since the one tormenting her was Zara, Nathaniel’s wife, siding with Riya only made sense. Even knowing she lied, he would still protect her.
"Fine, I’ll look into this," he promised.
"Thank you." She finally smiled genuinely, hugging him.
The warmth of her body, her smooth skin, and her familiar scent stirred and reignited the fire of desire. Tilting her chin upward, he forced her eyes to meet his. "You little temptress," he muttered darkly. "Still not satisfied?"
Riya tried to pull away, but his grip tightened around her, locking her in place.
"Hungry for more? Let me feed that craving." His words burned against her skin as his mouth crashed onto hers in a fierce kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nathaniel returned to the venue and found Zara waiting for him.
"Where were you?" she asked. "I’ve been looking everywhere."
Nathaniel felt a bit awkward. He scratched the back of his neck, giving a sheepish grin. "I ran into a friend and stopped to chat."
Of course, he couldn’t tell her the truth—he didn’t want her to worry. He would punish Jaxon in his own way.
"You know, there was a problem during the event," Zara said with a serious expression. "A live wire came loose. I was terrified. Luckily, the staff spotted it in time and fixed it."
She let out a long breath as if the tension was easing from her shoulders. "Thank goodness everything ended smoothly. Rachel was thrilled, and we secured a lot of deals."
She grinned proudly, her chest swelling with enthusiasm. But that smile soon transformed into a pout. "Which also means we’ll have to work overtime to handle the new orders. I was planning to visit my aunt after this event, but now I’ll have to postpone it."
Nathaniel’s expression softened at her disappointment. "Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Rachel. She can manage without you for a few days."
"No, I can’t," she said adamantly. "I won’t... The team is thrilled about the new opportunities—I can’t abandon them now. Once the first batch is delivered, I’ll take a break."
"As you wish. Now, let’s go. It’s getting late."
"Let’s go..."
Together, they left.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Several days slipped by with Zara buried in work, striving to meet client demands, while Nathaniel remained occupied with preparations for the AI system launch. As always, he worked late into the night.
This evening was no exception. He was in his office, still poring over documents, when Ian walked in, his face clouded with worry.
"There is a problem," Ian said grimly.
Nathaniel looked up sharply. "What is it this time?"
"We have a snake among us," Ian muttered.
Nathaniel dropped the file he had been checking. He recalled Kelvin warning him not to trust anyone. "Who is it? Did you get any clue?"
Ian shook his head with a grim look. "It’s frustratingly annoying that I don’t know who it is. I have my suspicions."
He looked at Nathaniel as he continued, "I’ve been watching the senior executives closely," he explained. "During my interrogation of Jaxon, he hinted at this traitor’s intention. Someone is trying to leak the details of our new project. It’s clearly an enemy move to sabotage the launch."
"I want the name," Nathaniel said with growing impatience.
Ian thought for a while. "I don’t have the name yet. But I’ll root them out soon. For now, we don’t have time for this. Kindly follow my instructions."
He leaned closer, whispering his plan.
Nathaniel’s expression shifted as he listened, tension giving way to reluctant agreement. Finally, he gave a short, decisive nod. "Alright. We’ll do it your way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the day of the seminar. Nathaniel arrived at the venue with Zara beside him. They both looked radiant, beaming with confidence and anticipation.
As they walked down the hallway, Nathaniel leaned toward Zara slightly and murmured, "Many renowned figures will be here today. Some will pitch new business ideas, some will seek investors, while others will simply showcase their innovations. A few will even unveil new projects during the seminar."
"Just like you," Zara looked at him with a hopeful smile.
"Yes, just like me," he replied.
"I am excited," she beamed.
"Me too," he said with a proud smile on his face. "I can’t wait to finally make the launch official."
When they entered the grand hall, guests were already gathering. Zara and Nathaniel moved toward their designated seats. He pulled out the chair for her.
"Thank you," Zara said with a smile as she sat down.
Nathaniel leaned down over her shoulder from behind and whispered in her ear, "Wait for me. I’ll go have a few words with my team members."
"Go ahead, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine," she assured him.
"I’ll be back in a while." Nathaniel pressed his lips on the top of her head before going away.
Zara sat alone, her eyes settling on the podium where a large screen dominated the wall. Staff moved busily up and down the stage, checking every detail of the setup.
Zara’s gaze drifted to the distinguished guests filling the hall. Just then, she heard a voice from behind.
"What a pleasant surprise! You are here too."
Zara instantly recognized the voice. She turned her head and saw Riya. "You?" Surprise was written all over her face.
"Yes, I am here as Liam’s female acquaintance. You know, I’m now his fiancée."
Liam
The name sparked something inside Zara. Yes, he would also attend the seminar. And as his fiancée, Riya would certainly accompany him.
Zara gave her a tight smile. "Well, that’s great. Where is your seat? Shouldn’t you be with him?"
"Uh, my seat is here," Riya pointed at the table next to Zara’s, "right beside yours."
"Oh, how convenient," Zara muttered, her tone neutral as she turned her attention away, pretending to scan the crowd of guests. In truth, she simply didn’t want to engage.
"Where is Nathaniel?" Riya asked, looking around. "I have been looking for him since I arrived."
"Maybe with Liam," Zara replied quickly.
Riya’s smile faltered at Zara’s clipped tone. "No, he is not. Liam’s over there." She gestured toward the corner, where Liam was engrossed in conversation with a group—friends or clients, perhaps.
Zara glanced in that direction and spotted him.
"See? Nathaniel isn’t with him," Riya remarked pointedly before turning back to Zara.
"Do you have business with him?" Zara asked evenly.
"No," Riya shook her head. "I am just curious. I saw you, but couldn’t find him. So, I was wondering where he had gone."
Meanwhile, the host stepped onto the stage and greeted the audience.
"The program is beginning. Don’t you think you should call him and see where he is?" Riya pressed.
"He is busy with his own work," Zara replied, this time sharply, her patience snapping. She had been tolerating her nonstop questions. And now, she couldn’t. "You should focus on the event instead. Sit down and take a breath first."
Riya’s mouth twisted with annoyance, but she managed a smile. Soon, Nathaniel and Zara’s calmness would go away. Zachary had told her that he would do something today at the seminar so that Nathaniel would be humiliated and defeated. Riya wasn’t sure what he was planning to do, but she couldn’t wait to see Nathaniel’s troubled look.
Nathaniel’s defeat meant Zara’s sadness, and Riya didn’t want to miss the opportunity to watch them being disturbed and humiliated in front of so many elite guests.
The host’s voice boomed again as he announced Zachary’s name.
Riya turned her attention to the podium and started clapping enthusiastically. She was eager to see how Zachary was going to defeat Nathaniel.
Zachary started his presentation. He looked confident and enthusiastic about the AI system they had developed.
Nathaniel finally came back to his seat, his gaze fixed solely on Zara, not even sparing a glance at Riya seated beside them. Leaning toward Zara, he whispered, "Sorry I took so long. Were you bored waiting?"
"Not at all," Zara answered softly, shaking her head. "I understand—you were tied up with work. Today is an important day for you."
"Yes," Nathaniel replied with a hopeful grin, determination flickering in his eyes.
"But your uncle has also launched an AI system," Zara remarked, her eyes shifting to Zachary, who was still busy with his presentation. "That’s quite impressive."
Nathaniel let out a cold, sarcastic smile as he watched Zachary. "Soon enough, he’ll turn into nothing more than a clown."