Zachary had been incredibly busy recently, which prompted Yaritza to grant him two days off for some much-needed rest. Looking for a way to unwind, Zachary decided to go fishing, carrying his fishing rods, nets, and bait. Although his initial plan was to use his new sports car for a race, an unfortunate incident occurred the previous night. While driving his new car to the race location, Zachary came to a stop at a red light. Little did he know that this moment of pause would lead to a startling turn of events. His sports car's convertible top was down, leaving his belongings exposed. Seizing the opportunity, a robber approached his car and swiftly took his wallet and watches. The incident happened so quickly that Zachary couldn't react in time. The robber made a swift escape. Feeling violated and shaken by the experience, Zachary reached for his phone to call for help. However, before he could dial, a sense of fear washed over him as the robber returned and snatched his phone as wel
Yaritza returned home and changed her clothes before heading to the kitchen. Zachary mentioned that he had caught two large fish, but no matter how she looked, she could only see one.Curious, Yaritza asked, "Zachary, where are the two fish? Why do I only see one?"Zachary replied, "They're both in that bucket."Yaritza raised an eyebrow and questioned, "But didn't you say there were two?"Zachary rolled up his sleeve and revealed the large carp, uncovering a smaller fish beneath it. He proudly said, "Here's the other one."Yaritza observed the small fish, barely the size of a finger, and commented, "So you consider this a big fish? This tiny fish is what you call big?"Pointing to the carp, Zachary defended himself, "The big fish is this one!" He then turned to Yaritza and added, "And don't underestimate the other fish. It took me four hours to catch it!"Expressing his frustration, Zachary continued, "Today, I felt belittled. Someone looked down on me because I'm poor."Surprised, Y
Yaritza responded, "Yes, but it might induce spasmodic reactions.""What kind of reactions?" Zachary questioned, seeming puzzled."They're nervous tics, similar to your current head tilting and shaking," Yaritza clarified.Zachary, in a light-hearted manner, lifted his hand, mimicking a spraying motion towards Yaritza, humorously remarking, "Looks like you've got some twitching and head-shaking too!"Yaritza observed the feverish, vomiting, and sniffling dog, clearly in the severe stages of the disease, and suggested, "Maybe euthanasia would be a more humane option to alleviate its pain."Zachary frowned and looked at the dog slowly dragging towards him, leaving trails of mucus on his shoes. The dog was still struggling! How could euthanasia even be an option in this situation? After contemplating for a moment, he said, "Yaritza, could you accommodate the dog at your place tonight? I'll take it to the vet tomorrow." Yaritza almost sprung up, protesting, "I have a baby at home! You're n
The police officer ended his call and handed the phone to Zachary, saying Jared Winthrop was on the line.Zachary took the phone. "Brother!" "Are you alright? Don't be scared," came the calming voice of Jared."Where's Yaritza?" Zachary questioned, his voice unsteady."She's searching for you too," Jared responded. "She's okay for now, although someone from the disciplinary committee did talk to her yesterday. You need to focus on yourself for now. How badly were you hurt? What happened?""I was kidnapped by a group of people pretending to be the disciplinary committee," Zachary confessed, his grip on the phone tight as he trembled. "They tormented me all night. But I'm... I'm not dead yet."After his phone conversation, Zachary was taken to the hospital for an examination. His body was littered with bruises, along with soft tissue injuries and some subcutaneous bruising. Jared Winthrop, alongside Lucy and Yaritza, and a single officer from the Public Security Bureau arrived at the h
Yaritza emerged from her phone call and noticed Zachary, awake and sitting up in bed with the bedside lamp turned on."Why did they leave you here?" Zachary asked. "No more nurses? Leaving you to look after me? What kind of situation is this?"Yaritza smiled and replied, "Consider it an opportunity for me to make amends, okay?""You can't be blamed for this," Zachary reassured her.Yaritza smiled lightly and asked, "Are you hungry? I still have some warm porridge and soup for you.""I'm hungry," Zachary responded.As Yaritza went to get the porridge and soup, she asked, "Which one would you like?""Porridge," Zachary said, getting out of bed and serving himself at the table. After finishing a bowl of porridge, he looked at Yaritza."Tell me what's going on," Zachary said.Yaritza nodded and mentioned a name, "Hezekiah Head!""Who?" Zachary looked confused. "His name isn't on the list of local important figures! Is he just a local troublemaker? But someone like that wouldn't be involve
The men sent by Zachary's grandfather stood in front of him, both of them experienced special forces soldiers, intelligence operatives, and undercover agents. Their capabilities in combat and subterfuge were unquestionable. As they sat down, their official presence made Zachary feel a sense of authority looming over him. With a slight smile, Zachary looked at the two men, feeling quite satisfied. However, in his mind, he couldn't help but complain: "Did my grandfather really have to give me such high-profile support for investigating Hezekiah Head? Now I feel a bit guilty." He then asked, "Did my grandfather provide any specific instructions?" Did dealing with Hezekiah Head require the involvement of such highly skilled professionals? Was it like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Or perhaps Hezekiah Head was more formidable than he initially assumed? Alternatively, did his grandfather want to provide an extra layer of protection for him? Their response was rather cryptic: "If you
At this point, it was evident that Yaritza was equally determined. The truth was that evading challenges on the battlefield often resulted in undesirable outcomes. Yaritza's voice echoed from her office, "Please come in." Zachary pushed the door open and noticed the bouquet of flowers he had sent resting on Yaritza's desk. Closing the door behind him, he approached her desk, holding a movie ticket in his hand. With a shy smile and a hint of nervousness, he stammered, "These flowers... I mean, this flower... I was planning to send it secretly!" Realizing that the flowers might not be to Yaritza's taste at the moment, he decided not to ask if it was a good idea. Yaritza looked up at Zachary and remarked, "Oh, so your secret delivery involves blocking my door with a lot of fanfare and making the whole company aware of it afterward." Zachary chuckled and admitted, "Well, that was a mistake! It was a mistake." Zachary blinked and looked at Yaritza, lost for words. Yaritza asked Zachar
Deon, Zachary's grandfather, spotted him and greeted him with a rare smile. "No more trouble this time, right?" he asked.Zachary replied, "I've been staying at my place, so how could anything happen?" He narrowed his eyes at Deon and added, "Your grandson is tough. If anyone dares to bully me, I'll fight back with full force."Deon glanced at Zachary and said, "So you're still getting into fights?"Zachary chuckled and said, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose; that's just how it goes." Quickly changing the subject, Zachary congratulated his uncle, parents, and cousin, Alani Dickson, on their recent achievements.Alani Dickson laughed lightly and commented, "It's been years, but you're still as smooth-talking as ever."Zachary pursed his lips and replied, "I call it charm, and charming folks get rewarded with candy." He winked at Deon and continued, "Right, Grandpa?" When Zachary was a child, his grandparents used to save candy specifically for him rather than for Alani Dickson an