The car door opened, and a polished black leather shoe stepped onto the concrete.
Zachary Sinclair got out and walked around to the other side to open the door for Zoe Quinn.
Sunlight fell on his meticulously styled short hair.
His tailored suit accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and a silver-gray tie was knotted impeccably at the collar of his white dress shirt.
At twenty-five, he was the picture of a young, successful elite.
Though his features weren’t strikingly handsome, the understated Rolex on his wrist caught the sunlight, perfectly projecting his privileged background and refined upbringing.
“Watch your head,” he said warmly, placing a hand over the doorframe.
As Zoe stepped out of the car, Zachary naturally reached for her hand.
But Zoe reacted as if she had been burned.
She instinctively pulled away, lowering her head and whispering, “Thank you…
thank you for bringing me home.”
Zachary’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, but his expression quickly smoothed over.
He smiled, though the look in his eyes remained cool.
“Zoe, we’re getting married soon.
We’ll be husband and wife; you don’t need to be so polite with me.” He paused and turned toward the trunk of the car.
“I brought some gifts.
This is the perfect time to visit your parents.”
The trunk slowly lifted to reveal several exquisitely wrapped gift boxes—imported red wine, premium tea leaves, and a luxuriously packaged box of edible bird’s nest.
Zachary took the boxes out one by one.
Zoe watched, her lips parting, but she ultimately said nothing.
“Let’s go,” Zachary said, nudging her gently with his shoulder as he balanced the boxes in his arms.
Zoe nodded.
“Then…
let’s go inside together.”
It was lunchtime, and the hallway was filled with the aroma of home-cooked meals from the neighbors’ apartments.
The Quinn family lived on the fifth floor, and the older residential building didn’t have an elevator.
Zachary walked ahead as they climbed the stairs, Zoe trailing behind him.
Their footsteps echoed through the empty stairwell.
When they reached the door, Zoe pulled out her keys, but before she could insert them into the lock, the door opened from the inside.
“Zoe, you’re back—” Mrs.
Quinn’s voice cut off abruptly.
Seeing Zachary behind her daughter, her eyes lit up, and a radiant smile instantly bloomed across her face.
“Oh my, Zachary is here too!
Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?
Come in, come in!”
Hearing the commotion, Mr.
Quinn hurried over from the living room.
Seeing the gifts in Zachary’s arms, he quickly took them.
“You didn’t have to bring anything!
You’re much too polite!”
“Hello, Mr.
Quinn, Mrs.
Quinn,” Zachary said with a respectful nod.
“Just a small token of my appreciation.
I hope you like it.”
“We love it, of course we love it!” Mrs.
Quinn beamed from ear to ear, pulling Zachary inside.
“Have you eaten yet?
We’re just making lunch.
Stay and eat with us!”
“Then I’ll gladly impose,” he replied with a smile.
“It’s no imposition at all!” Mr.
Quinn insisted enthusiastically.
He turned and shot Zoe a pointed look.
“Zoe, hurry up and pour Zachary some tea!”
Zoe walked silently into the kitchen.
Mrs.
Quinn followed her, lowering her voice as soon as they were out of earshot.
“You silly girl, if Zachary was coming, you should have called ahead so I could prepare a few more dishes.”
“I didn’t know he was coming either,” Zoe murmured, turning her back and rolling her eyes before taking some teacups from the cabinet.
Mrs.
Quinn looked at her and sighed.
“Zoe, a man with Zachary’s qualifications is someone most people could only dream of.
You have to hold onto him tightly, understand?”
Zoe didn’t answer.
She focused solely on washing the cups, the SPLASH of the tap water echoing loudly in the cramped kitchen.
Out in the living room, Zachary was already chatting with Mr.
Quinn.
“How are things at the factory lately, Mr.
Quinn?” Zachary asked, elegantly taking a sip from his teacup.
Mr.
Quinn rubbed his hands together, an ingratiating smile on his face.
“Not bad, not bad.
It’s just that funds are still a bit tight.
I’ve borrowed from everyone I can…
but with your help, Zachary, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Dad…” Zoe murmured as she walked out with the tea tray, gently reminding him of his manners.
Realizing he had been a bit too blunt, Mr.
Quinn laughed awkwardly.
“Listen to me, rambling about all that.
You’re here to talk about the wedding today, aren’t you, Zachary?”
Zachary set down his teacup and nodded.
“Yes.
My parents have almost finished the preparations, and the invitations have all been sent out.
I personally inspected the menu and decorations at The Water’s Edge Hotel.
Everything is tailored to Zoe’s tastes.” He turned to look at Zoe, his gaze soft.
“Zoe likes lavender and white, so I had them use those as the main color palette.
The venue will be decorated with plenty of wisteria and lilies.”
Mr.
and Mrs.
Quinn nodded repeatedly.
“Wonderful, wonderful.
That’s very thoughtful of you, Zachary.”
“Everything is ready.
Now all that’s left is to marry Zoe next weekend,” Zachary said, reaching over to take Zoe’s hand.
This time, Zoe didn’t pull away.
She kept her head down, staring at their intertwined hands.
Zachary’s fingers were long and strong, and a simple platinum band already sat on his ring finger.
It was their engagement ring.
She had a matching one, currently resting on her own finger, feeling faintly hot against her skin.
Suddenly, the image of Silas Sutton at the university flashed through her mind—his anxious face as he begged her not to cry. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Her heart twinged with a dull, contracting ache.
“Right,” Mr.
Quinn hesitated before finally speaking up again.
“About that loan…
your father…”
Zachary smiled and patted the older man’s hand.
“Don’t worry, Mr.
Quinn.
Although your current credit qualifications normally cap out at five hundred thousand, my father is already helping to sort that out.
After the wedding is over, the two-million-yuan loan will definitely be approved.”
“After…
after the wedding?” Mr.
Quinn’s smile stiffened.
Mrs.
Quinn hurriedly smoothed things over.
“Of course, of course!
The wedding is the most important thing.” She glared at her husband.
“Besides, his family doesn’t own the bank.
It takes time to go through the proper procedures.”
Zachary acted as though he hadn’t noticed the change in Mr.
Quinn’s expression.
“Mrs.
Quinn is right.
There are procedures to follow, and that takes a little time.
But rest assured, Mr.
Quinn.
With my father involved, there won’t be any issues.”
Mr.
Quinn opened his mouth to speak but ultimately swallowed his words.
He forced another smile and picked up the serving chopsticks to place a large piece of braised pork into Zachary’s bowl.
“Here, Zachary, try this.
It’s my wife’s specialty.”
“Thank you, Mr.
Quinn,” Zachary replied politely.
Mrs.
Quinn chimed in, serving him more food.
“Eat up, you look like you’ve lost weight recently.
No matter how busy work gets, you have to take care of your health.”
“Zoe, serve Zachary some food too,” Mr.
Quinn urged, shooting her a meaningful look.
Zoe mechanically picked up her chopsticks and placed some greens into Zachary’s bowl.
“Thank you.” Zachary looked at her, the smile in his eyes deepening.
At the dining table, Zoe’s adoptive parents were almost overbearing in their attentiveness toward Zachary.
They constantly served him food, refilled his drinks, and asked about his work and family.
Zachary maintained a polite smile throughout, answering every question flawlessly.
Zoe ate in silence, only chiming in with the occasional murmured agreement.
But her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere—back to the university campus that morning, and to the man with the anguished eyes wearing the worn-out jacket.