Chapter 13

Zachariah ignored Maverick. Instead, he simply extended his hand and took the drink Jeremy offered him. He swirled the glass around as he held it in his hand. The crimson liquid seemed to cast a creepy glow. Maverick recalled what he'd come here for. He mustered up his courage to say, "Uncle Zachariah, about that project with Excel Group…" Westwind Group had bid for a project recently, and Excel Group was one of their competitors. Maverick had promised Bianca that he would hand this project to her. However, right when they'd been at the final stages of signing the contract, everything had come to a standstill because of Zachariah. It had been half a month since the contract had been sent to the president's office, but it had not been attended to until now. Otherwise, Maverick would not have bothered to brave the rain and rush here. Zachariah lifted his eyes and glanced coldly at Maverick. "This is a private club. It's not for business discussions." Even though Maverick had prepared an entire speech, he could only hold his words back when Zachariah made it clear he didn't want to talk business now. That said, when he thought about Bianca's request, he had no choice but to insist shamelessly, "Uncle Zachariah, it's about signing the contract. You—" Before he could finish his sentence, Zachariah slammed his glass down onto the table, much to everyone's surprise. The glass shattered to pieces out of nowhere. "Maverick, you've become one smart chap, haven't you?" Zachariah's eyes were dark, and his gaze was sharp. He wasn't very loud, but their surroundings had quietened down suddenly. Maverick started to feel like something bad was about to happen. He seldom interacted with Zachariah, and they didn't have many conflicts of interest at normal times. Why did it feel like Zachariah was enraged at him tonight? "Maverick, don't forget that you're working for Westwind Group. Have you assessed Excel Group's suitability? How dare you get me to sign the contract just like that?" Maverick explained, "I have assessed it. There are no issues with Excel Group." "Alright. In that case, answer this question. There is clearly a better choice. Why did you have to give Excel Group the opportunity?" Maverick was startled. He couldn't answer that question. "You can't answer that, can you? I'll answer it for you then. It's because someone at Excel Group asked you for a favor. Do you need me to specify who that person is in public?" Maverick's face dropped. Everyone present tonight were scions within their circles. A number of them knew him well, and they typically clung onto him. Through Zachariah's brief words, he might have looked like he was discussing work matters with Maverick, but in actual fact, he was oppressing Maverick and shaming him. How was Maverick going to face this bunch of people in the future? From the side, Jeremy seemed to have realized something. While he munched on some peanuts, he remarked, "Maverick, are you pleading with your uncle because of a woman? "It's no wonder Laurelle wanted to call off her engagement with you. You and your mistress aren't even trying to hide it anymore. Who in the world would ever tolerate that?" Maverick's expression darkened when he heard Jeremy mention how his engagement had been called off. With a grim look on his face, he argued, "Bianca isn't my mistress." Zachariah scoffed. "You're both in contact in secret. Who is she if she isn't your mistress?" Maverick choked. He couldn't find the words to retort. Belatedly, he wondered if Zachariah's fury tonight was related to the incident at the Fletcher residence. But Zachariah had never liked to interfere in trivial family matters. So, what was up with him? As Maverick mulled over it, he felt that perhaps it was because the Gray family's reputation might be at stake. Laurelle had openly said that she wanted to call off the engagement. If word got out, the Gray family would be humiliated. As the head of the Gray family, of course this was something Zachariah had to be mindful of. Maverick calmed himself down because he knew that it wouldn't be good for him to go against Zachariah. "Laurelle only wanted to call off the engagement out of anger. She'll come back to me to reconcile in a couple of days." Zachariah retrieved a cigarette from his cigarette box and put it between his lips. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is that so?" His question sounded cryptic. Nevertheless, Maverick didn't notice the implication behind Zachariah's question. He nodded and answered, "It's just a lover's quarrel. It's no big deal. Uncle Zachariah, you're a busy man. You don't have to trouble yourself over an insignificant matter like this. Once Laurelle apologizes to me, our family's reputation will be restored." Upon hearing that, Zachariah fell silent all of a sudden. That reminded him that Laurelle had indeed told Maverick she wanted to call off their engagement. But what if she regretted it? She and Maverick had dated for seven years. Would she truly be able to give up on him easily? With the cigarette at the corner of his lips, Zachariah puffed out a cloud of smoke slowly. An air of fury encircled him. After he was done with the entire cigarette, he said, "Bring Bianca here at 8:00 pm tomorrow." Maverick was stunned. He couldn't be sure why Zachariah suddenly wanted to see Bianca. Worried that Zachiariah would make things difficult for her, Maverick quickly defended her. "This is between Laurelle and I. It has nothing to do with Bianca." Jeremy finished munching on a handful of peanuts. He commented in a sharp tone, "Look at how you're defending her. How could it have nothing to do with her? He asked you to bring her here, so just do as he says. What good could come out of enraging your uncle?"