Chapter 253 Give Me A Kiss.
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“What did you just say?” Zachary turned his head, giving her an intense look that bordered on suspicion.
Lenora shook her head resolutely. “I didn’t say anything. You must’ve heard wrong. Now, give me my phone!” She stared at him, her expression unwavering, her intent unmistakable.
Her phone held a treasure trove of secrets she had no intention of sharing with him. She couldn’t trust Zachary not to tamper with it, and if he somehow managed to send a stray message to Connor, it would undo all the careful planning she’d managed up to this point.
Besides, she worned that he’d see her recent conversations with Gordon and might figure out why she’d been cozying up to Connor lately. Knowing she didn’t actually have feelings for Connor had only made Zachary bolder and more insistent in his pursuit.
“Is your phone really that important? Zachary asked.
Anger surged within her, and she took a deep breath to keep it from boiling over. She glared at him, then exhaled slowly, allowing a touch of resignation to color her tone. “It’s not like I can go anywhere at the moment, so having my phone doesn’t exactly change anything for me.”
An idea flashed in Zachary’s eyes, his expression shifting as he gazed at her with an unexpected intensity. Their eyes met, and suddenly Lenora felt uneasy.
“Give me a kiss, and it’s yours,” he said, his lips curling into a smirk.
Lenora’s jaw dropped, stunned. She blinked, then scowled, disbelief turning quickly to disgust. “Zachary, you’re shameless!” she spat.
“Are you going to do it or not?” he challenged, his tone almost teasing.
Lenora huffed in frustration, her fists clenched, her gaze as defiant as a kitten’s angry glare. But as hard as she tried, she could see no other way out.
“Decided yet? I need to get to the hospital,” Zachary said, his eyes flicking to the door. With a few long strides, he reached the entrance of the living room.
“Wait!” Lenora called, her voice firm, if reluctant.
He stopped and turned to face her, noticing her tense expression and the way her lips pressed into a tight line. “You’re agreeing, then?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
With a quiet, frustrated exhale, she gave a firm nod, determined to get this over with. She walked over to him, rising on her toes as she reached his side. She cupped his face with her hands and gave him a quick, light kiss on the cheek. “There, satisfied?”
Zachary looked at her with a mix of amusement and satisfaction. He was just about to respond when a small voice interrupted them from the stairway. “Aunt Lenora kissed Uncle Zachary all by herself! I want a kiss from Aunt Lenora too!”
Lenora froze, feeling like she’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Zachary chuckled, thoroughly entertained by Harrietta’s reaction. He looked at the little girl with an
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Chapter 253 Give Me A Kiss
affectionate smile. “Hattie, your Aunt Lenora can’t kiss you right now. She has a cold.”
Harrietta tilted her head thoughtfully. “But aren’t you scared of getting sick too, Uncle Zachary?”
“No, Hattic,” he said gently. “I’m an adult, so I’m not scared.”
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The little girl nodded, appearing to accept his explanation, though her expression still showed a hint of
curiosity.
Lenora cleared her throat, turning her gaze back to Zachary, “Can I have my phone now?”
Without a word, he pulled it from his pocket and handed it over. She grabbed it quickly and moved toward the couch, clutching it as if she’d just reclaimed a prize.
“Hattic, your Uncle Zachary’s heading to the hospital. Do you want to go with him or stay home and play with Ms. Miranda” Lenora asked.
Harrietta paused, considering. “I’ll stay home,” she said after a moment.
“I’m heading out then,” said Zachary
“Okay.”
Zachary started to head out when Harrietta’s voice called after him again, stopping him in his tracks. “Wait, Uncle Zachary!”
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s a lipstick mark on your face, from Aunt Lenora!”
Lenora flushed instantly, her face warming with embarrassment, but Zachary only grinned, clearly in a good mood.
Once outside the mansion, Zachary looked back at the grand entrance briefly before sliding into the backseat of the waiting car.
The driver glanced at him. “Mr. Fuller, heading to the hospital?”
“Yes,” Zachary replied, his gaze already on his phone as he dialed a number.
The call connected quickly, and a woman’s respectful voice came over the line. “Mr. Fuller?”
“How are things progressing?” he asked, his voice low and measured.
“We’ve met several times, but there hasn’t been much advancement yet.”
A flicker of displeasure passed through Zachary’s eyes. “Get things moving in the next few days. Whatever you need, let me know, and I’ll make sure you have it.”
Feeling the edge in his tone, Madison responded quickly. “Understood, Mr. Fuller. I’ll take care of it.”
After finishing her medicine, Lenora returned to the master bedroom and checked her phone. She found messages from Connor and Sophia from the day before
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Chapter 253 Give Me A Kiss
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It seemed Zachary had taken the liberty of replying on her behalf, even going as far as to offer a plausible excuse to Sophia for her delayed return. Thankfully, he hadn’t gone off–script
She wasn’t entirely sure if he’d snooped through her clits with Gordon, and she hoped he hadn’t.
Connor had also sent her two more messages that morning. The first, at seven–thirty in the morning, was a simple sun emoji, followed by a cheerful: Good morning, Lenora.
Smiling faintly. Lenora replied with a quick: Morning
Connor answered shortly after, mentioning that he was already at work, whereas Lenora mentioned her bout with a cold.
Their conversation continued for a bit until Sophia showed up at the mansion with a paper bag full of clothes for various types of weather, just as Lenora had requested.
Zachary sure is naive! Did he really think I’d stay in the mansion?
Sophia entered the master bedroom, glancing over her shoulder to ensure Harrietta was downstairs, then closed the door and burst out, “Honestly, Tyrant Fuller is devious. I’m telling you, once you’re entangled with him, there’s no escape. He might’ve been lenient this time, but next time he might actually try to trap you here!”
She took a breath, her gaze softening a bit. “I know you’re fond of Hattie–I am too–but you need to think of yourself. Lenora. Remember, she’s not your child. It’s not worth it for you to spend your life tied down. here
Lenora paused, Sophia’s words weighing on her mind. “Are you working today?” she asked, changing the subject.
In truth, she felt Harrietta had little to do with her connection to Zachary. Without the child, he would still find some way to keep appearing in her life,
Nothing short of leaving the country would sever his persistence. And, in fact, she was considering it- emigrating like Tamara had. But that decision would wait until after she avenged her father.
Sophia checked her watch and sighed. “D“mn it, I’m going to be late. If you’re leaving, go now!”
After Sophia departed, Lenora headed out briefly herself. Harrietta, not able to tag along, looked a bit disappointed, so Lenora promised to return for lunch together.
Taking one of Zachary’s cars, she drove out to a warehouse in the suburbs. The building was owned by a logistics company Daryl ran, a venture Gordon had investigated thoroughly for her.
Along with researching the Morris family, Gordon had managed to track down Daryl’s business details, uncovering that he was now running a small logistics company out here with a large, well–kept warehouse,
The records showed that Daryl had managed to rebrand himself as a modest business owner in the logistics industry. He now owned a large warehouse on the outskirts of town, bustling with a steady flow of goods moving in and out daily.
This warehouse was something he had built shortly after being released from prison, right around the time online shopping and e–commerce were becoming hugely popular. The timing couldn’t have been better–Daryl had quickly turned a profit, and his warehouse only grew larger as business boomed.
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As for the capital he used to launch this logistics business, he’d claimed to have borrowed it from “friends.” Yet when Gordon dug into his connections, it turned out that the amount he borrowed from known contacts was far less than what he’d needed to start up. I was widely suspected that most of the initial funding had come from some hidden benefactor, likely money of dubious origin.
Every time Lenora thought about it, her heart churned with bitter frustration–the life of comfort and profit that Daryl was now enjoying had been bought with her father’s blood.
Her father had been lying in a grave for years now, while his murderer was thriving, growing richer by the day. The injustice gnawed at her.
That was why she’d driven out to the far edge of town, circling around the warehouse herself, hoping to get a sense of the place and to confirm Gordon’s information.
Everything lined up–the information suggested that Daryl stopped by the warehouse daily, and sure enough, her own observations confirmed it. She even caught a glimpse of Daryl’s car leaving the site as she arrived, which only reinforced her suspicions,
Lenora sat in her car for a long time, weighing her options. She’d finally decided that starting with Daryl might be her best way in.
If she remembered correctly, there was a hot spring resort not far from the warehouse–a perfect place to clear her mind and plan her next steps.
After returning home, she sent Stanley a quick message Hey, Stanley, are you guys doing any team–building events before the holiday?
