Chapter 5

Zora took the call out on the balcony. "What's up, Ms. Jacobs? Regret your decision now?" Winona gritted her teeth. "Don't overstep your line, Zora. We're already willing to spend a hundred and forty million dollars on you, so thread carefully!" "Is that so? Well, it's not that I need these hundred and forty million dollars." Zora smiled as she leaned against the balcony railing. "Since you don't even seem genuinely interested to be working with me, I shall revoke my contract. Please don't ever call me again." "Wait!" Winona called out before Zora could hang up. She lazed back in her office chair, sneering, and said, "Don't forget something, Zora; I still have that video of yours with me." The smile froze on Zora's face when she heard this. Winona's grin grew even wider at Zora's silence. "You'd better come over for a meeting with me tomorrow morning, especially if you don't want me to expose what you did six years ago." Zora sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she hung up the phone. Nina, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation behind the curtains, sprinted back to her room and told her brothers what she had overheard. "That bad woman just called Mommy and threatened her!" "Alright. I guess it's go time. We'll spring into action when Mommy goes to meet her tomorrow," Bobby declared. Casper gave him an okay sign, then proceeded to send Nina and Bobby's resume to Young Blood, the children's fashionwear brand that was recruiting models for their new campaign. They just so happened to be hiring two models, and with this resume, Nina and Bobby would surely get the job! Once they managed to get the job, they would have plenty of chances to approach the man whom they suspected to be their father. The truth would reveal itself very soon! The next morning, Zora arrived at Vienna Jewels on the dot. Winona's secretary brought her to the office, where Winona had been perched on the couch, waiting. The moment the secretary left, Winona stood up, smiling, and approached Zora. "I thought you wouldn't show up." "How can I not, knowing you still have my video with you?" Zora chuckled. "I must say, I should be thanking you instead for not leaking my video to the public all these years." Winona's expression darkened. The only reason she had held back from leaking Zora's video was because she did not want Jay to find out the truth that the woman he had spent the night with was not Winona at all, but Zora! However, judging from Zora's behavior, she clearly did not know that she had slept with Jay that night, so Winona seized the opportunity to use this against her. "Enough about this. let's get back to our main topic today. I've already prepared the contract for you, and as long as you sign this, you'll get a hundred and forty million dollars in your account," Winona said as she slid the contract toward Zora. Zora, however, did not take it from her. "I guess you really do need me after all." "Do you honestly think I'm doing this by choice?" "Of course not. That husband of yours was the one who had funded a hundred and forty million dollars to hire me, so now you can't turn back anymore. It's been six years since we last met, and I never thought you'd get your hands on a sugar daddy. Unfortunately, you still owe me a slap from yesterday. I won't sign the contract unless I get my revenge," Zora said scornfully. The color drained from Winona's face. "Don't overstep your boundaries, Zora." Zora strode over to Winona, raising her brows in a come hither expression. "I fell for your trick six years ago, and I won't commit the same mistake again. I will not sign the contract unless you get on your knees and apologize." The next moment, Winona raised her arm above her head, but Zora grabbed hold of her wrist before she could slap her. "Are you trying to slap me again?" "My advice for you is to sign this contract before it's too late, Zora. If you don't, I'll leak your video to the media so everyone in Ethertown will find out what a slut the world-famous Zora is." Before Winona knew it, Zora had twisted her wrist back and smacked her right across her face, the crisp sound of flesh on flesh echoing through the room. Winona was utterly stunned by this. She took a moment to regain her composure and gritted her teeth in fury. "You bitch…" "Is this how you've been treating your colleagues at Lux Jewels, Ms. Zora?" a familiar voice rang out from behind them. Jay had just so happened to walk into the room with his assistant when he caught sight of this scene. He was not a stranger to Zora's arrogance, but he never once imagined her to be such a bully. 'What a coincidence,' Zora thought to herself. Winona was delighted to see Jay show up just in time. She bit her lip in feigned innocence and said, "Jay, don't be mad at Ms. Zora. It's all my fault. I must've done something to offend her." Jay strode over to Zora and said as calmly as he could, "If you insist on behaving this way, I will make your life so miserable you won't even be able to return to Lux Jewels even if you begged to." "Are you threatening me?" Zora lifted her head to glare at him. She absolutely despised being threatened like this! Jay frowned at the sight of her disgust. "So what if I am?" Zora chuckled. "Well, you were the ones who hired me, but you've been treating me with nothing but disrespect the moment I set foot here. Your wife here was the one who hit me first, so what makes you think I'm the one in the wrong?" "She will apologize for her wrongdoing." Jay stepped forward. "But aren't you going to apologize for yours?" "What did I do?" Zora crossed her arms in front of her chest. "An eye for an eye, right? She slapped me, so I slapped her in return, and now we're even. How is it still my fault? It's as though I'm wrong for calling the cops on someone who tricked me out of money." Jay's expression was cold. "Don't try to be smart with me." Zora snickered and turned around without giving him another glance. "I have nothing else to say to you." She made her way to the elevators, but all of a sudden, someone grabbed hold of her arm, dragging her into the fire exit. Zora struggled against this person's grip. "What are you doing? Let go of me!" A malicious glint flashed through Jay's eyes as he demanded, "Go apologize."