Crises And Disappointments
The atmosphere within Jacob Real Estate had dropped to freezing point, but the caller on the other end
had no way of knowing. Despite being hung up on repeatedly, she kept up her stubborn persistence in
dialing.
When he could not bear it anymore, Jacob finally picked up. “Hello!” he barked, trying to suppress the
anger in his voice.
“I can’t find Zack, Dad!”
After leaving Shappiray Mansion, Lucille searched almost everywhere for where Zack might appear but
did not manage to find anything.
After ignoring her calls, he eventually turned off his phone. It was as if Zack’s appearance the night
before had been a hallucination.
I had everything planned. What went wrong?
Intuition told Lucille that something must have happened.
Calling her father in desperation, Lucille did not expect Jacob to be overwhelmed at that moment.
After hearing Lucille’s voice, Jacob became even angrier. “What good are you if you can’t even keep an
eye on your own man, Lucille? Let me be clear. I applaud you for successfully marrying into the Xander
family. But if Zack doesn’t want you, never show yourself before me again. Do you know that it was
because of you that I have even managed to offend Jonathan? Do you want the entire Lingard family to
be ruined because of you?”
“Can’t you see, Dad? I’m the only one who makes sacrifices for the Lingards! Michaela only plays the
victim to gain sympathy. Earlier, if I hadn’t managed to get out of the way in time, Mr. Xander’s car would
have run me over. I am your true heir, Dad!”
Upon recalling her earlier encounter, Lucille’s pulse quickened with fear. Originally intending to obtain a
sliver of sympathy from her father, she was dismayed to discover that the voice on the other end was
nothing but livid. “Shut your mouth! Didn’t I warn you yesterday? Never provoke Michaela again. Did your
brain fall out? You might as well die and spare us all the trouble of having you around!”
Jacob was happy to see Lucille and Zack make things work as he aspired to curry favor with the Xander
family.
He would never have imagined that Jonathan would protect Michaela to such a degree. It only took
several misplaced words of anger to have the entire company plunged into peril.
Despite having rushed back to the company in the middle of the night to deal with the matter, it was
already too late.
By that point, self-preservation was a higher priority than his unrealistic endeavors.
Though she always knew of her father’s distance, Lucille’s eyes screwed up at the cruel words from his
mouth. “Dad!” she cried in disbelief.
“I’ll tell you again – Michaela is now being protected by Jonathan. You will not provoke her anymore.
Also, I will not offend Jonathan for you. I expect you to think for yourself and never bother me again!”
After hanging up, Jacob threw the phone on the ground in a rage just as his secretary knocked on the
door and came in. She froze in her approach upon witnessing the scene.
With the sudden predicament the company was placed in, every employee was equally susceptible.
There were rumors that Jacob had offended somebody he could not afford to offend and that Jacob Real
Estate may go bankrupt at any time.
Despite Jacob pulling an all-nighter to resolve the issue, there was nothing he could do.
If it was not for the emergency, the secretary did not want to be in Jacob’s vicinity at that moment.
“What is it?” Jacob asked coldly.
“The survey report for the plot of land has come out, Mr. Lingard. Nothing can be built on it. The
foundation cannot be penetrated from being full of hard stones and dense rock. The businessman who
sold the piece of land to us has run away. The reports he provided were also false.”
The secretary observed Jacob’s expression cautiously as she delivered her report.
As the final syllable rang from her lips, Jacob suddenly stood up and swept everything off his desk to the
floor. “Godd*mn it!”
Since the cancellation of Michaela and Zack’s wedding, Jacob Real Estate had lost several projects one
after another. Even the partnerships that had been successfully secured prior were suddenly backing
out.
It was then that the businessman appeared with the plot of land.
Being originally untempted, Jacob later heard that several real estate companies in the city were actively
expressing their interest and gathering preliminary research. Sensing an opportunity, Jacob brought a
professional team to the site for an inspection before making contact with the businessman.
After smashing its way through countless obstacles and breaking through the siege of its competitor’s
pressure by spending almost everything it had, all Jacob Real Estate got in return was a plot of
wasteland.
Jacob’s mood at that moment was easy to predict. With his hands on his waist, he panted heavily with
anger for a long while before speaking again. “If we keep the media quiet now, what are the chances of
flipping this piece of land?”
“Almost none!” the secretary said bluntly.
If it were not for the urgent news they received about the land the night before, they would not have
thought that there would be problems with the plot of land.
As the news was already leaked, it was easier said than done to stop tongues from wagging.
“What do you think we should we do now?”
Hardly built as a businessman, Jacob had only managed to make some money from following the trend
as the past couple of years had been good. On top of the special privileges of being Old Mr. Simmons’s
son-in-law, he naturally received much attention and recommendations.
Ever since Adrian’s demise, the pressure exerted by his competitors had been steadily increasing year
by year. The emergence of many young people who had better brains, ideas, and capabilities than him
revealed the extent of Jacob’s actual potential.
Surprised that her boss had sought her opinion, the secretary took her time to consider the matter before
answering cautiously. “Call the police!”
In the best-case scenario, the businessman would be apprehended before he spends all the money. If
that happens, Jacob Real Estate would still be able to recover some compensation which would spare
me from having to lose everything as I have now.
“I’ll keep it under advisement!” Jacob could not hide the tiredness on his face.
Once the matter became a police case, it would be as good as announcing to the public that Jacob Real
Estate had been deceived. By then, it would be hard to imagine anybody willing to do business with him
as the joke of Quakersville.
But if the police was not alerted, the businessman would get away scot-free. The loss alone would be
unbearable for Jacob Real Estate which would make the company’s demise only a matter of time.
Although everything that was happening seemed to have nothing to do with Jonathan, Jacob had the
vague suspicion that it was he who was orchestrating everything from the shadows.
“One more thing!” The secretary put the list of accounts sorted in her hand on the desk before reminding
him. “Our cash flow at this juncture can only keep us afloat for another three months, Mr. Lingard. You
must make a decision as soon as possible!”
“I am aware of it. You may leave!”
Recognizing Jacob’s gesture of dismissal, the secretary turned and walked out of the office.
At that exact moment, Lucille dragged her tired body back to Zack’s apartment.
From the time she was sent to the orphanage, she knew that she would have nowhere to turn to and rely
on. She had long since seen through her father’s indifference toward her.
Zack was the only lifeline she had that she could not afford to lose.
Still lost in thought about where Zack might be, it took her several moments to notice the pair of men’s
leather shoes at the door of the apartment when she walked in. Joyous surprise flashed in her eyes.
“Zack!”
Lucille was about to remove her shoes when she froze in her movement at the sight of the briefcase.
Lucille raised her head at the sound of footsteps approaching and saw Zack coming out. He appeared
hungover the night before and reeked of alcohol.
There was stubble on his cheeks. His collar was undone and his sleeves were rolled up, revealing his
strong and powerful forearms. When he saw Lucille, the love and affection of the past were no longer
there. Only coldness and indifference remained in his eyes.
“How much did you drink, Zack? You didn’t come back all night. I spent an entire day looking for you.
What happened? Did your uncle teach you another lesson?”
Lucille was about to step forward but Zack took a step back to avoid her touch. “Go away,” he said
plainly. “Never show yourself before me again.”
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