Chapter 174 - Has Her Father Been Swapped?
"You…What did you say?" Zaria was taken aback. Did he just say that he was guilty? And with a straight face?
His eyes lowered as he repeated the words that had shattered her brain. "I'm guilty, princess. Don't waste your time on hiring lawyers."
Her mind went blank for a while. When she processed what she had just heard, her voice lowered as she weakly asked, "Why?"
Theodore let out a sigh. "I wanted to be the first to garner a huge scoop. Nothing interesting has been happening lately in Olphire, you know. Scandals are a dream come true for the media. You know this yourself, princess." He explained. "However, you cannot always guarantee that as soon as something happens, your agency will be the first to get the scoop. Reporting a piece of news after someone else does it is not fun either. It only makes it appear as though F&P Media is outdated. What faster way is there for me to capture the news as soon as it happens than to create it myself?"
If Zaria had not known Theodore for so many years, she might have believed that the police swapped her dad and brought an impostor before her.
She knew what he was talking about. She had heard rumors about some agencies causing crimes to be able to capture them, because it would attract readers and viewers—especially if the crimes had to do with celebrities. But to hear him say that he was involved in such underhanded dealings…
"So you shot Amanda Black just so you would publish a piece of explosive news?" She asked.
"Yes." He answered dryly. "Wasn't it a great headliner, though?"
She took a deep breath to calm down before she asked, "Is that also why you kidnapped Laia?" "Yes." He admitted yet again, before adding that it caused quite a stir for the mayor's wife and his granddaughter to be attacked just a few days apart. It got everyone talking and wondering whether they had a hidden enemy in their family, which made F&P Media's forum busier than ever.
"Zaria, I'm sorry. I have failed as a father." He apologized in the end.
"Enough." She couldn't take it anymore and stood. "I will get a lawyer, and I will investigate this matter."
When she ran out, Theodore knew just how upset she must be. Since she was born, he had always been beside her. No matter what happened, she would turn to him for comfort. For the first time, he was unable to hug her despite knowing just how torn she must be feeling inside. "My dear Zaria…" He muttered helplessly.
"Williams, time's up. You have to go back." The wadern closed in on him to escort him back into his cell. He could only stand and allow himself to be led back.
___
Zaria didn't know how she left the building. The tears she had been holding back all came gushing out.
"Dad, why?" She mumbled through her cry.
When she asked him the same question just now, he had given him an answer that thoroughly destroyed his reputation. At the same time, their conversation might have been recorded—she could never be totally sure that it wasn't.
However, the reasons he gave were not what she wanted to hear. What she wanted to hear was why nothing made sense.
She had watched F&P Media rise from nothing years ago. If all he had to do was create some scenes and capture them, would he have struggled for so many years? Would he have stayed up for all those nights to find ways to improve?
If she hadn't known him for so long, she would have believed his reasons. However, he knew that they were lies. There had to be another reason and it probably had nothing to do with what he wanted.
A reminder alarm chimed on her phone. Seeing what time it is, she hurried home to freshen up before speeding all the way to the company.
"You are late." Lucy reprimanded when she arrived.
"I'm sorry. I got caught up." She lowered her head, not meeting Lucy's gaze.
Lucy was still able to see her swollen eyes and dark circles. "What happened?" She asked worriedly.
Zaria shook her head. "It's a personal matter."
Lucy did not push her, seeing as she was unwilling to talk about it. She only looked up at her. "Do you need to take the day off?"
"Thank you but it's alright. I can handle it." Zaria rejected the offer. Thanks to Desmond's indulgence, she had already taken several breaks from work. If this continued, she would be the most incompetent employee at Preston and Fort Group.
She took Lucy's instructions and went back to her office. A few hours later, a man barged in.
"Sis, you have no idea. That man basically wanted to kill me. I've been bullied…" He complained pitifully. Only when his words were out did he get a clearer look at Zaria who was in a daze.
"Zaria?" He called out.
She looked up at him and tried to smile. But no matter how hard she tired, she only triggered the tears she had been holding back to come gushing out.
Zeus' hands clenched into fists as he closed in on her and hugged her. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" She asked.
He patted her back gently. "As a brother, I failed in my most basic role. I was not able to protect you, letting you cry. What happened?"
"It's…" For a moment, she wanted to blurt out everything that happened but she didn't want to bother anyone with her matters. She shook her head. "I'm just tired."
Of course, Zeus was not a fool. He knew that she was hiding something. Based on the little knowledge he had of her, he knew that she only had one weakness—Theodore. Had something happened to his father? He was yet to ask when her phone rang, and the caller just had to be the man he was complaining about earlier.
"Honey, do you want to grab lunch together?"
Her mood brightened a little when she heard Desmond's voice. She flashed a smile and wiped her tears. "Yeah. Let's eat at the employee cafeteria."
When she ended the call, she turned to her brother with a smile. "Thank you Zeus. I'll catch up with you later. You should get something to eat too."
"Bye." He could only wave at her. Now he had something else to complain about his new boss. Did he have to choose this moment to ask Zaria out? He was also probably going to grab the chance to help Zaria out, stealing the opportunity to be the brother that saves his precious sister.
…
Desmond was already at the employee cafeteria when Zaria arrived. There were countless female employees buzzing around him, smiling and asking random questions to try and get on his good side. There were even some dropping their trays because they were focusing on him and forgetting that they were walking.
She facepalmed. How could she forget that he attracted attention wherever he went? Although the food at the employee cafeteria was delicious and of good quality, seeing the CEO here was a rare sight so they were excited to see him. She hoped they wouldn't throw forks at her for dining with their dream man.
Soon after she arrived, he asked what he wanted to eat and went to bring their food. There was no queue so he was back within a few minutes, placing her food box in front of her.
She thanked him with a gentle smile. "How is Zeus at work?"
"Not as bad as I thought. At least he is smart and efficient." He had to admit that he had nothing to nitpick.
"That's great. At the end of the three month period, you can keep him." She let out a sigh of relief. She had expected the two to turn the office of the CEO into their battlefield but it seemed like they were doing great. At least they had not killed each other yet.
" Don't even think about it." He frowned as soon as he heard her words. "I want my assistant back as soon as Lucy finishes whatever it is that she is doing at Preston and Fort Group."
She chuckled at his tone. It seemed like the peace was simply because neither of them had a choice after all…
When she spaced out for a few seconds, he reached to hold her hand on the table. "Honey, don't worry about your dad. I have already contacted my lawyer. I already told him that there is a possibility that your dad is being threatened."
"When did you even find out?" She was confused. She was certain that she didn't tell him. Besides, wasn't Theodore arrested the previous night?
"Honey, if I can't even tell why my girlfriend has been distressed all morning, do I deserve to be her boyfriend?" He smiled gently.
She gripped her fork in distress. "I didn't want to drag anyone into this. Ow…" She whined softly when he flicked her forehead.
"You are not dragging me into anything. You are only letting me into your life. You already have me so can you please not choose to suffer in silence?" He seriously pleaded.
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