Chapter 69
• Meanwhile, Kenneth was still around when Zachary came downstairs.
Although, it would be more accurate to say the former was waiting for the latter.
• "You're still here, Mr. Hamilton?" asked Zachary, who had approached by then.
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That was when Kenneth locked eyes with him and spoke without beating around the bush. "How long have you been with her?"
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Zachary's brows twisted into a frown. "You mean Nat?"
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It was evident that Kenneth was referring to her from the way he fell silent and seemed irritated by that nickname.
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Hence, a chuckle came from Zachary as he then explained, "Mr. Hamilton, you seem to have misunderstood. Nat and I aren't dating."
"Really?" Kenneth appeared shocked upon hearing that.
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"Yep." Zachary nodded.
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Darkness left Kenneth's face as his mood improved, and he spoke with less hostility. "So, you guys are-"
Zachary looked at him while interjecting, "Pardon my candidness, but may I ask what your relationship with Nat is, Mr. Hamilton?"
• At once, Kenneth's eyes narrowed to slits as he responded, "What do you think?"
• "Mr. Hamilton, if you wanted to keep your relationship with her private, was it really necessary to come over and interrogate me?" Zachary retorted. While he was not involved in the corporate world, that did not mean he would allow others to walk all over him.
• Kenneth walked over while locking eyes with Zachary. An arrogant countenance radiated from the former as he stated, "She and I used to share a deeply intimate relationship."
• Not a trace of annoyance or anger showed on Zachary's face upon learning that. Instead, he slightly raised a browed while asking, "You're her ex-husband?"
• Kenneth's eyes narrowed even more. "You're aware that she was once married?"
• "Is that so shocking?" Zachary chuckled amusedly.
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Kenneth scrutinized Zachary, thinking the latter was not as much of an open book as his appearance suggested.
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A grin curved on the former's face as he replied, "It is."
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Zachary placed both hands in his pockets, his tone coming off casual and languid. "Since you've been nothing but honest with me, Mr. Hamilton, I won't bother hiding the truth. Nat and I are currently friends."
"Currently?" Kenneth fixated on him.
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Another chuckle came from Zachary. "Yeah. I intend to pursue her."
• Once more, Kenneth murderously narrowed his eyes.
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"That's why we're friends for now. I'll soon give my all into pursuing her." Zachary put on a look of utmost seriousness than he ever showed before at that moment.
• Not a word came from Kenneth, but one could clearly see the treacherously growing disbelief and warning in his eyes.
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Sometimes, men did not need words to communicate; All it took was one glance.
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Zachary was no match for Kenneth in terms of having an influential and money background.
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"You've asked quite a lot of questions, Mr. Hamilton. You're not still hung up and planning to get back with Nat, are you?" asked Zachary.
Hearing that, Kenneth chuckled. "So what if I am? And so what if I'm not?"
"If you are, then from this moment on, we're enemies. However, if you're not, I hope you won't interfere too much with Nat's life because I'll be looking after her in the future," Zachary stated smilingly as if he were a charming gentleman.
• Despite having the same height and build, the men exuded utterly different auras; One seemed so sincere like a ray of warm sunshine, while the other was aloof like an icy blizzard.
• Both would be equally matched if they had a face off.
• "Don't get too cocky. I doubt you can lock her down," said Kenneth.
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"My goal isn't to lock her down. What I want is to give her all the happiness and joy in this world. I intend to make her feel bliss like never before." The innuendo in Zachary's words did not go unnoticed. • A sneer came from Kenneth. "Let's hope you remain this confident in the long run."
• "I will." Zachary confidently nodded under Kenneth's gaze.
• It was then that Zachary's phone rang, and took it out to look at the caller ID. However, he did not intend to answer it.
• "Well, Mr. Hamilton, I'll be on my way if there's nothing else."
. "Go ahead."
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Zachary nodded before getting up to leave.
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Yet, he paused after taking a few steps to look back at Kenneth. "Mr. Hamilton, do you know someone named Anthony?"
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A narrow-eyed look crept onto Kenneth's face. "Who's that?"
• "No one important. It was a random question," Zachary said and chuckled upon seeing the former's reaction. After that, he departed.
• It must be a man thing, but Kenneth's prideful aura swarmed from his body, filling the space as he watched Zachary's distanced figure.
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By the time Zachary got onto his car, he glanced over at Kenneth, who was Natasha's ex-husband and Anthony's father.
Zachary had guessed that after witnessing Kenneth and Natasha's interactions earlier.
• Not to mention, Anthony bore a striking resemblance to Kenneth's aloofness.
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Plus, from the men's conversation earlier, Zachary had also sensed Kenneth's concern toward Natasha. While Kenneth did not admit it, Zachary could tell since he was a man himself. The only thing was that Kenneth did not bring up his and Natasha's children. That was why Zachary asked if the former knew about Anthony.
It seemed that Kenneth had no idea about the three kids' existence.
• The thought of that made Zachary grin as he buckled up and drove off.
• Kenneth found Zachary's last question suspicious, but he did not concern himself with it too much.
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Instead, his mind focused on Zachary's declaration to pursue Natasha.
• He could not comprehend why Zachary had such poor taste to fall for a boring and aggressive woman like Natasha.
• At the same time, he felt inexplicably unhappy, as though a heavy weight was crushing his chest.
• He weirdly felt annoyed as he glanced upstairs.
Just then, he received a call from Fabian, who said, "Are you back, Mr. Hamilton?"
• "Do I need to inform you about everything I do now?" Kenneth retorted.
Hearing that, Fabian did not know what to say.
⚫ It took a while before he responded with, "That's not what I meant, Mr. Hamilton-"
. "Well, what do you mean?"
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Fabian answered, "Um... didn't you previously ask me to call you before the meeting?"
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"So? You're going to call me just because I told you to?"
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Fabian felt wholly helpless in that instant.
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What's up with you, Mr. Hamilton? Why are you taking your anger out on me?
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Kenneth arrived at his company soon after.
He wore a stormy expression all afternoon, even during the meeting, which made everyone nervous.
When the meeting ended, all the staff quickly rushed off. Just as Fabian wanted to escape too, Kenneth stopped him and said, "Come to office, Fabian."
Freezing with one foot lifted off the ground, Fabian turned to notice the sympathetic looks his colleagues shot him. Some even seemed to gloat over his misfortune.
⚫ Damn it. Is this a blessing or a curse? Then again, it's not like I can run away from it. I'll have to face it head-on either way...
• With that thought, Fabian summoned all his courage and headed into Kenneth's office. "Is there anything you need, Mr. Hamilton?"
• Kenneth frowned. "Why are you standing so far away?"
• "Gosh, I was merely afraid you would be upset after seeing me," Fabian said while take one tiny step closer.
• Kenneth could not care less as he questioned, "How are things going with the investigation I asked you to do?"
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• "What investigation?" Just as Fabian asked that question, Kenneth's murderous glare shot over at him. Chills ran down his spine as he added, "O-Oh, did you m-mean the matter regarding Ms. Watson?" Seeing that Kenneth said nothing, Fabian knew he had guessed correctly. Thus, he proceeded. "I've investigated it and was just about to report the findings to you. It turned out that Ms. Watson was also a programmer while overseas. She earned quite a living by doing programming work for others. However, her income is far less than ten million."
• "That's it?" Kenneth asked.