Zed glared at Jean. Although he was confused, a part of him felt elated because Jean was well enough to argue with him. The thought settled Zed's concerns as he felt that she hadn't suffered any major injuries or mental anguish from her most recent ordeal.
"Me! I said that we're getting divorced. And we reached an agreement about it, right?"
Jean felt a little helpless. Several days ago, they had talked about the divorce. They had even agreed to go to City Hall. However, Zed had not appeared for their first appointment. That same day, he had taken and hidden Jean's Residence Booklet. Without it, she could not get divorced.
"We had an agreement? Not that I recall."
Zed raised his eyebrows and asked with a flirty smile.
Jean was astonished with Zed's playfulness. She couldn't stop thinking about how handsome he looked when he smiled. His delicate cheeks and deep eyes had truly captivated her. 'I'm so lucky to be his wife.'
Jean was surprised by her thought. She grew anxious and nervous, and found that she couldn't look at Zed.
Shifting her gaze to the floor, she replied meekly, "Yes, we had an agreement. We have discussed this many times before. I even negotiated with my father to give me the Residence Booklet! Why are you doing this to me?"
"Well, so what?"
Zed responded. He scratched his chin in feigned contemplation. "I want to reconsider. If you insist, you're free to find a lawyer to draft the divorce papers. But I won't sign."
"You..." Jean felt speechless.
She thought, 'Zed is such a jerk!'
Jean was outraged by what Zed had said. After the initial shock had passed, Jean figured she would not benefit from quarreling with Zed. Since her father still hadn't acquired the land he had been yearning for, Jean was sure that her family would cause trouble for her again.
An old idiom flashed through Jean's mind and provided her with some comfort. 'Great trees are good for shade.' Jean knew that Zed would be the perfect 'great tree'. She was weak, had no money, and no support. To become stronger, she would need his protection.
"What is it going to take to convince you to go forward with the divorce? I swear I will not ask for anything. I don't need your house, your car, or your money. The only thing that I seek, is the divorce."
Jean said in a soft tone. Although her thoughts were causing her to blush from embarrassment, she felt happy at having thought of an alternative.
Zed glared at Jean disdainfully before walking away. He acted like nothing had happened.
'Hmm, don't get cocky. Let's wait and see. Sooner or later, I'll make you sign the divorce papers, ' Jean thought.
Jean scowled at Zed to ease the anger she felt.
Zed, who had reached the door, sensed Jean's actions. Instinctively, he turned to look at his wife. Jean hadn't expected such a reaction and swiftly moved the ice pack to hide her expression. She avoided eye contact with Zed as though nothing had happened.
Then Zed left with joy in his heart.
Jean didn't dare to open her mouth until she was sure that Zed had left. Once alone, Jean was able to think clearly. 'Zed mentioned that he had returned for something. But he left empty-handed.'
Jean could sense that Zed was not being entirely honest with her. Frustrated, she threw the ice pack on to the coffee table.
Although annoyed with Zed, Jean was touched by his gesture. It was thoughtful of him to make her an ice pack for her injury.
...
The first thing Zed did after he returned to his office was to order his secretary to call his lawyer. Then Zed described what had happened outside his villa to the lawyer before asking for a legal notice to be sent to Mr. Henry Wen.
After settling affairs, Zed finally had a few moments to introspect and calm down.
'Jean is such a nice girl. I must make sure that no one hurts her. Even if the people who want to hurt her are her family. And if someone dares to hurt Jean, they must suffer in return!'
Zed was determined to protect Jean. As he thought of Jean's father and his actions, Zed's expression turned cold.
All of a sudden, a noise from the outside disturbed Zed. He frowned at the interference.
In the next moment, Zed's secretary could be heard politely speaking to a visitor, "Miss Xu, you can't enter the office without permission."
"Why can't I? Your boss and I have been friends for many years. Moreover, I called before coming here."
As Eva Xu's voice filled Zed's office, he cringed.
He wondered, 'What is she doing here?'
"Miss, miss, " the secretary cried.
"Boom!"
Eva forced the door with such strength that it s
When her boyfriend betrayed her, all light and joy was gone from Cherry’s life. Deserted, bereft of hope, she married a man that she had barely met, but she had never expected him to be her ex-boyfriend’s uncle.
Cherry thought that she had finally found her happiness, but she had no idea about the dark secrets that were bound to unfold and haunt her forever...
lammed into the wall. She hurried into Zed's office. The secretary, who had followed her into the office, looked anxious. He was worried that Mr. Qi would punish him for not stopping Eva.
"Mr. Qi, I am sorry but there was nothing that I could say to stop her." The secretary said apologetically.
Zed leaned back in his chair. He raised his chin and studied the two people who had entered his office.
Eva was pleased to see that Zed was looking at her. "Zed, " she said with as much charm as she could muster.
This was a calculated step by Eva. She called Zed by his name instead of adhering to his formal title, Mr. Qi, as she wanted to remind him of their previous intimate relationship. This was not the first time that the secretary had been confronted with such a situation. After all, Mr. Qi was a successful young man. He was also very handsome. Over the years, many ladies had made up all kinds of excuses to meet him. However, most of the time, Zed would ask his secretary to send them away.
But this time, the secretary sensed that Eva was a special case. Why would the secretary have such a feeling? There were two reasons. The first one was that Eva was dressed fabulously. More importantly, she called Zed by his name, which suggested a deeper, more personal relationship existed between them.
When he realized the difference, the secretary intended to leave the office without being noticed.
However, Zed stopped his secretary before he could step away. "I remember telling you that no one should enter my office without my permission. Did you forget?" Zed questioned the secretary.
Although Zed was speaking to his secretary, everyone in the room knew that Zed's remark was for Eva's benefit. He was indirectly admonishing her for forcing her way into his office.
Instinctively, the secretary took a look at Eva. But when he sensed that Eva was not going to leave, the secretary didn't know what to do.
Eva felt extremely insulted. Her face turned pale with embarrassment.
"Zed, I came here for you, " Eva coaxed. Eva had presumed that Zed, like other men, would submit to her persistence.
However, to her surprise, Zed remained unmoved. It was as though he was as cold as ice.
Zed replied, "You came here for me? Miss Xu, if you came here to discuss a personal matter, then I don't have anything to say to you. But if you came here for business, please contact my secretary first. He will check my schedule and then arrange an official meeting for when I am available. Regardless of the situation, it is inappropriate for you to enter my office without an appointment today."
No matter how intimate and personal Eva pretended to be, Zed behaved as though he was speaking to a stranger.
The secretary was pretty happy with what Mr. Qi said. He thought, 'Everyone knows that Mr. Qi had married Miss Wen, the daughter of the Wen Group. Although the rumor was that they had married for business, the agreement brought no commercial benefit to Mr. Qi. Since Mr. Qi doesn't need the Wen Group at all, he must have married Jean Wen for love.'
"Zed, I..."
Eva was very upset with the harsh treatment she was receiving. This meeting was certainly not going as planned. She felt scorned and couldn't understand why Zed was behaving in such a manner.
What was worse was that he doing all this in front of the secretary on purpose? This added to Eva's embarrassment.
Eva was in a dilemma right now. On the one hand, she didn't want to speak more intimately in front of the secretary. On the other, she didn't want to leave without implementing her plan.
Zed asked, "Well, Miss Xu, do you have anything else to say to me?"
Miss Xu?
Miss Xu!
Why would Zed insist on addressing her so formally? Eva was baffled. She pursed her lips, and her eyes filled with tears.
When the secretary saw her reaction, he shook his head helplessly. As a red-blooded man, he couldn't bear to see a woman cry, even if that woman was a stranger to him.
But Zed was completely different from his secretary. He was at a complete loss as to how to behave with someone like Eva.
"Zed, Can I say something, please? Just let me talk for a second, okay? It won't take up too much of your time, "
Said Eva in a broken voice.
The secretary immediately turned to look at Zed.
However, Zed didn't pay any attention to what Eva had said.
When the secretary turned to look at Eva, he happened to make direct eye contact with her.
Eva's eyes were filled with tears, which made the secretary uneasy. It seemed as though she was imploring him to help. But he could do nothing for her.