Chapter 10

Upon hearing the name "Wendy", Anya paused slightly and instinctively glanced at Zachary, who hadn't yet left her office. The secretary, awaiting Anya's decision, followed Anya's gaze and turned to look at Zachary as well. Without a word, Zachary left the office, his expression unreadable. Anya took a moment to think, then nodded and said, "Let her up." "Yes, Ms. Wayne," the secretary replied and promptly exited. Not long after, Wendy arrived on the executive floor. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she caught sight of a figure she never expected to see. "Zachary?" Wendy froze in her tracks. Zachary saw her too but didn't greet her. Instead, he walked directly into the elevator and pressed the button. "Ms. Jennings, Ms. Wayne is waiting for you in her office," the secretary's voice rang out. "Right." Wendy gathered herself and followed the secretary to the executive office. As the CEO of Yel Corporation and the renowned "Goddess Anya" of Yelbric, Anya's appearance and presence needed no elaboration. Seeing Anya in person, Wendy couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of inferiority. "Hi, Ms. Wayne, I'm from Jennings Corporation," Wendy greeted cautiously. Anya cut her off bluntly before Wendy could finish. "No need for introductions, I know who you are. Ms. Jennings, if you have something to discuss, just get to the point. I'm very busy." Wendy began earnestly, "Ms. Wayne, I came to discuss the partnership between Yel Corporation and Jennings Corporation. "I understand that our company's capabilities don't quite meet Yel Corporation's standards, but we're willing to make concessions. All we ask is for Yel Corporation to continue this partnership." Wendy's proposal was straightforward. If Yel Corporation could be swayed by profit, they might maintain the cooperation. It was the most effective approach she could think of. Anya replied coldly, "I'm sorry, Ms. Jennings, but you're mistaken. Yel Corporation doesn't care about measly profits. If we did, we wouldn't have worked with Jennings Corporation for five years." She continued, "If you're here to discuss business, you should be speaking with the business department, not with me. This kind of minor partnership is always handled by those below." Anya didn't mince her words. "The partnerships I negotiate start with a minimum target of 100 million. Anything below that is of no interest to me. If there's nothing else, Ms. Jennings, you may leave." She lowered her head and began reviewing documents, dismissing Wendy entirely. Anya's words left Wendy feeling humiliated. The largest deal Jennings Corporation had ever managed wasn't even worthy of Anya's consideration. The contrast made Wendy's face burn with embarrassment as if she'd been slapped. But Wendy wasn't ready to give up. She asked, "Ms. Wayne, if Yel Corporation doesn't value Jennings Corporation, then why did you choose to partner with us five years ago?" Anya, still focused on her documents, replied without lifting her head, "Because of one person." Wendy's eyes flickered. "Could you tell me who the person is?" Anya replied in an instant, "Sorry, but that's confidential." "Is it… Zachary?" Wendy ventured. Anya finally looked up, her gaze hardening as she said, "Ms. Jennings, you're disrupting my work. My secretary will show you the way out." The secretary immediately stepped forward. "Ms. Jennings, this way, please." Wendy clenched her fists, unwilling to leave, but with Anya having issued a clear order, she couldn't shamelessly remain any longer. After leaving Yel Corporation, Wendy got back into her car. She didn't rush to drive back to the office, but instead sat quietly, replaying her conversation with Anya in her mind. "A partnership below 100 million isn't worth her time?" Wendy murmured, furrowing her brow. But why does she know so much about the Jennings Corporation's partnership? Her thoughts lingered on Anya's words. Who was the person who facilitated the collaboration between Jennings Corporation and Yel Corporation five years ago? Five years… "The only person connected to five years ago is Zachary," Wendy whispered to herself. After all, that was the year they got married. But how could her marriage to Zachary be linked to Yel Corporation or Anya? Suddenly, a realization struck her. Zachary was just at Yel Corporation. Could it really be him? Driven by her suspicions, Wendy immediately pulled out her phone and dialed Zachary's number. The call went through, but he didn't answer. She tried again, and then a third time, but there was still no response. On the fourth attempt, Zachary's phone went straight to voicemail. "Damn it!" Wendy slammed her phone onto the passenger seat, seething with anger. "Zachary, how dare you ignore my calls?" Wendy said to herself. After a moment, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her mind raced, considering all the possibilities. The most plausible one seemed to be that Anya knew Zachary, or, perhaps, Anya had feelings for him. If she liked Zachary, it would explain why, after Wendy married him, Anya decided to partner with Jennings Corporation. Wendy muttered, her eyes narrowing. "It fits. The moment Zachary and I finalized the divorce, Yel Corporation canceled the partnership." It all made sense now with the reasons and the timing. One occurrence might be a coincidence, but two? Impossible. Wendy concluded, her voice barely audible. "There's no such thing as that many coincidences. Zachary, did you push Anya to cancel the partnership? Is this your revenge against me?" She clenched her teeth, her eyes cold with determination. She muttered to herself, "If that's the case, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I, Wendy Jennings, will never bow my head over a mere partnership with Yel Corporation." Her thoughts drifted to the previous night when she'd intentionally drunk too much and, under the guise of drunken vulnerability, made one last attempt to salvage their relationship. But Zachary had turned her down without hesitation. As the heiress of the Jennings family, the General Manager of Jennings Corporation, and its future successor, Wendy held onto her pride firmly. She was willing to make an effort to hold on, but lowering herself to apologize was something she would never do. Last night's attempt to reconcile had already been her greatest concession. … Ten minutes later, in the executive office of Yel Corporation, Anya turned a phone back on and, after confirming that no more calls were coming in, curiously opened WhatsApp. Seeing the chat at the top of the list, she impulsively clicked on it and updated her contact name to "Sweet Secretary". A mischievous smile tugged at Anya's lips as she looked at the new contact name. The phone belonged to Zachary. In his rush, he had forgotten it, and Anya, not wanting to bother with taking it downstairs, decided to wait for him to come back and get it himself. However, during this time, Wendy had gone almost mad, continuously calling Zachary. Annoyed by the relentless calls, Anya had turned the phone off. … Back at Jennings Corporation, Wendy reported her suspicions and described Anya's attitude in detail. Upon hearing that Yel Corporation's partnership might be related to Zachary, Harold was visibly skeptical. "That's all just your speculation. Do you have any proof?" he asked, his voice lined with doubt. "One time could be a coincidence, but twice? And today, I ran into Zachary at Yel Corporation!" Wendy pressed. "That still doesn't prove anything," Harold countered, unwilling to accept it. As someone who had been Zachary's father-in-law for five years, he believed he knew the man well enough. To Harold, Zachary was a spineless man with no ambition, so how could he possibly have a connection with Yel Corporation's Ms. Wayne? Given Ms. Wayne's status and position, why would she even consider someone like Zachary? The two were worlds apart. Unless Ms. Wayne was blind, there was no way she would take an interest in Zachary. Seeing her father's disbelief, Wendy grew anxious. She said, "Dad, if you don't believe me, call him yourself! I'm telling you, Zachary's definitely behind the cancellation of this partnership with Yel Corporation!" Harold's face darkened, his voice turning serious. "I will ask, but not now. I'll question him directly when the family is sitting at the dinner table tonight." "But I've already divorced him! He might not come home for dinner," Wendy a.rgued "You two have only signed the divorce agreement. Until you get the final divorce certificate, he's still a son-in-law of the Jennings family," Harold asserted firmly. "But…" Wendy wanted to say something. "No buts! You contact him and tell him he must come home for dinner tonight! Tell him it's my order. I refuse to believe he would dare defy me," Harold commanded, leaving no room for argument. "Alright… I'll try," Wendy replied reluctantly, knowing she had no other choice.