Ch. 1671..1680
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1671
The King Is Back
The room fell into silence at his shout, and the board of directors instantly complied with his order since they were afraid of Zachary.
They all turned to Chris with a frown, waiting for him to continue.
“We’ll complete the signing today once the internet recovers,” Chris said confidently. “Let’s continue with our meeting on the changes in the board of directors—”
“What changes? You haven’t even signed yet, so who’s the largest shareholder now? Who gave you the right to speak if you’re not the largest shareholder?”
“Johann, I have found someone to replace your position. Even though you possess five percent of the shares, you also don’t have any right to speak in front of Mr. Gold, so it’s best if you stay silent,” Chris glowered.
“You!” Johann was flushed red from anger.
The rest were furious too, but they didn’t dare to say anything, for they were void of the right to speak since they had no shares. All they could do was watch as “Zachary” acted rudely toward Johann.
“Mr. Sterk’s reasoning was logical,” Jesse piped up. “The largest shareholder of the Nacht Group would be me since the shares have already been transferred to me, so I’m the one holding all the power to make the decision.”
He reached for a document, then flashed a grin at everyone in the room. “I’ll now announce the new personnel arrangement—”
“We won’t agree to it without the official transfer.”
After a glance at his phone, Kallum rose to his feet and bellowed, “We will only comply after the official signing of the agreement. Both of you are devoid of the right to speak since the last step is yet to be completed.”
“Who gave you the right to speak?” Chris shouted. “Sit down!”
“Chris, don’t think we’re afraid of you merely because you’re impersonating Mr. Nacht,” Kallum exposed his identity. “The real Mr. Nacht will be back soon, and you’ll be going to prison.”
A commotion stirred within the room at his shocking words.
“What? This Mr. Nacht is a fake?”
“Like I said, how could the real Mr. Nacht transfer his shares to another? So it was an imposter all along.”
“How preposterous!”
“Call the police!”
“I agree. Let’s call the police.”
The agitated directors were immersed in their discussion, feigning deaf to Chris’ yells.
Chris had yelled for attention a few times, but it was futile. Anxiety gripped him as he watched the situation slowly lose control.
Jesse barked, “Useless trash!”
Chris merely stayed silent while his face reddened with anger.
“Has the internet recovered?” Jesse asked.
“We’re still dealing with it.”
“Step on it!” Jesse urged.
“Yes, sir.” His subordinates then raced to urge the relevant department.
Johann took a glimpse at his watch and noted that it was already a quarter past three in the evening, but the man he was waiting for still hadn’t arrived yet. Hence, he could not help but wonder what was happening.
Right then, Lucy dashed to Johann’s side and whispered, “The internet has recovered.”
“What?” Johann yelled in shock. At that moment, Jesse announced, “Everyone, the internet has recovered. We’ll officially proceed with the signing.”
Then he gestured for his legal team to enter the room.
Nerves struck the directors as the transfer was about to happen right in front of their eyes.
Everything would be too late once the agreement was signed.
Soon, Nancy led the Gold family’s lawyers into the room with a stack of documents in her arms.
Jesse’s mood lifted at the sight.
Despite his unwillingness, Chris had no choice but to sign the agreement.
The directors’ stomachs tightened as they watched the two begin to sign the agreement.
After Jesse put his signature on the tablet, he handed it to Chris.
Chris accepted the tablet and signed “Zachary’s” name on it.
However, something strange happened. The system couldn’t recognize his signature, displaying an error message of incorrect signature.
Creases formed on Chris’ forehead at the error. He erased his previous signature and signed it again, but the outcome was the same. When he wanted to try again, a deep voice stopped him.
“There’s no need for you to try again. I have changed my signature.”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1672
The King Is Back 2
The sound of this voice astounded all present. In unorchestrated unison, they turned around to see a masked secretary, diminutive in stature, pushing a wheelchair along as she made her entrance.
Though enfeebled to a shade of his usual self, the person in the wheelchair had lost none of the air of regality that he was imbued with from birth. The inimitability of that presence and those keen, domineering eyes clearly belonged to Zachary Nacht!
“Mr. Nacht…”
“Could this be Mr. Nacht?”
All eyes fell upon Zachary, and then Chris, in absolute astonishment.
Chris was jittery when he regarded Zachary. As if in a dream, he could scarcely believe his own eyes.
How? Isn’t he already dead?
Chris’ consternation was immediate; His expression saw a dramatic shift, his vision became unfocused and even his knees clattered against each other.
Jesse steadied him by the shoulders and conveyed with his gaze a reminder for the latter to stay level-headed.
Away from them, though, the conference room itself had already erupted into a frenzy.
“What’s going on here? How did two Mr. Nachts appear out of nowhere?”
“W-Which one of them is the real one?”
“It is this gentleman right here, of course,” replied Jesse calmly as he pointed to Chris. “That man over there looks nothing like Mr. Nacht. I’ve no idea where this imposter came from and what motivated him to disrupt our board meeting.”
“Indeed. Indeed.” Jean immediately chimed in.
Straightening his back, Chris tried to project upon his own poise for right now, he did physically resemble Zachary more than the real Zachary did, owing to how much weight the latter had lost over the course of his treatment.
That presence, however, was something that Chris was not able to replicate!
“True, that.” In her guise, Francesca regarded Chris before she turned her attention to Zachary in amusement. “He really looks more like you than you do!”
That got everyone looking in her direction.
Who’s this masked and mysterious secretary? They thought.
Though slight of build, those eyes of hers belied an indomitable haughtiness.
“What on earth is going on here?”
“I’ve no idea, but it feels almost surreal.”
“The internet service is back on. We should probably bring the police in.”
“Yes! Yes! Let’s!”
The collective disquietude of the board members prompted them to indulge themselves in a fervent discussion.
“What’s the matter with you people? Can’t you see that this here is the real Mr. Nacht?”
Johann’s attempt to speak, however, became lost in the shuffle.
“What a racket. Shut up, all of you.”
Chris’ frustrated grunts went completely ignored.
“Quiet!”
Zachary’s sudden outburst, though, settled the entire room into a compelling silence.
Although their inflections were similar, Zachary’s presence proved to be the difference. Every word he said, every movement, and every look he cast, projected its own commanding character!
With that, that sense of amity finally came back to them again.
“It is Mr. Nacht. It really is him,” cried one of the board members. “Although he looks a little different outwardly, that presence is unmistakable.”
“Yes. I felt that too…”
The others also looked upon Zachary with exhilaration as well.
“Mr. Nacht.” Johann got to his feet and walked over to Zachary’s side. “You’re finally back!”
The nerve-wracked and muttering Kallum, too, followed suit. “May the heavens watch over me and not let me throw my lot in with the wrong people again this time.”
“I’ve been ill for a while and only recovered consciousness recently.” Zachary cast a glance at Johann before turning to instruct Lucy. “Bring me the laptop.”
“Yes. Right away.”
Lucy had been in la-la-land and only just snapped out of it. Then, off she went to fetch the laptop.
“Who are you to give orders around here?” In his best impression of equanimity, Chris growled, “Get out…”
Before he was even done talking, Zachary had him cowed into silence with a cold stare before he went on to subject the latter to an imperious interrogation.
“What is the first technology ever to be developed by Divine Corporation? How many chips has it developed since? What’s the seventy-seventh serial number? How many subsidiaries are there under Nacht Group and how many investment projects is it involved in? What was Mr. Henry’s founding ethos? Are you able to answer these?”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1673
Worlds Apart
Zachary’s barrage of questions got Chris in a flux.
In the beginning, Jesse remained exceedingly calm, for he had already made Chris memorize all this information by heart. Unfortunately, Chris was not able to respond accordingly and convincingly.
That got Jesse quite unnerved and casting worried looks repeatedly at him.
“Are you seriously expecting to stump me with this sort of questions?” Chris then worked fervently to sift through his memories for the answers. “The first technological product developed by Divine Corporation is the child GPS tracking system. Altogether, we’ve produced a total of seventy-seven chips, and the serial number of the seventy-seventh one is… uh…”
For the life of him, Chris could not recall what the serial number was.
“Divine Corporation has developed sixty-seven chips, and the serial number is XSEG867636868R2,” a stony Johann interjected. “There was never a seventy-seventh…”
“I…” Stunned, Chris immediately tried to backpedal. “I guess that I’ve misremembered…”
“Age is catching up to you, Johann.” Zachary’s lips curled up into a smile. “Divine Corporation had indeed developed seventy-seven of them. The last ten that were credited to Robbie was yet to be, but should have been taken into account.”
“Right. Right. Of course,” replied Johann, slapping his own forehead. “Trust me to forget about those ten Robbie made…”
“You were saying that you misremembered?” Zachary’s raised a brow at Chris.
Chris was a bundle of nerves and dared not meet his gaze.
“Carry on answering!” Zachary pressed. “As the president of Nacht Group and the sole arbitrator of the Nacht family, the last few questions should be common knowledge and things that are impossible not to know.”
“Of course, I’m aware of that.” Chris quickly got down toward proving himself. “Nacht Group has thirty-seven subsidiaries with vested interests in the technological sector, finance, real estate, jewelry, fashion et cetera. Mr. Henry’s motivation for founding Nacht Group was to… rule the world!”
“I’d consider that you got them right,” replied Zachary with a smirk. “However, Nacht Group’s total number of subsidiaries is actually forty-one, because of the additional two focused on renewable energies which I’ve established in Dartan just two months ago.”
“You…” Chris was stunned. He was not aware of the existence of these two new subsidiaries as the information he was made to memorize previously made no mention of them.
“That’s right. I’m the one in charge of those two companies.” exclaimed an elderly board member while he regarded Zachary. “This is really our Mr. Nacht. Mr. Nacht has returned!”
“Mr. Nacht…”
Convinced of Zachary’s identity, all of the board members flocked over to his side right away.
Francesca cast Zachary a rare look of admiration. Only now did she realize this Fugly she had picked up to actually be someone quite accomplished.
Standing by the window, Nancy looked at Zachary with tears welling in her eyes, for this was the one man she had revered, admired, and adored throughout her life!
“I’ve taught you since you’ve been little that one must be diligent because otherwise, it would surely come back to bite you one day!”
Although wheelchair-bound, Zachary nonetheless carried himself with that air of superiority.
In that brief few minutes and with a couple of simple questions, he was able to have Chris strung up and battered like a piñata till the latter was left without recourse to fight back!
Jesse was so incensed that he closed his eyes and gripped his fists until they started crackling. It was known to him all along that Chris could not measure up to a fraction of what Zachary was, except that he did not expect the gulf to be this glaring.
They are simply world’s apart! No wonder one of them is the reigning king of the corporate world, while the other, is an unlearned playboy!
“Mr. Gold…” Zachary suddenly turned to regard Jesse offishly. “Kindly bear in mind that as fat a morsel the Nacht Group is, it’s probably too meaty for you!”
“The agreement for the transference of shares had already been sealed in ink, with all the paperwork vetted and approved by the relevant governing bodies as well,” Jesse stubbornly replied. “Even if the transfer does not go through, it remains an immutable fact that the shares belong to me.”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1674
Screw You
“Really?” Zachary scoffed. “Don’t you know that so long as the police are able to establish that this man here is not the real Zachary Nacht…”
He pointed at Chris. “All of the documents that passed through his hands would become invalidated.”
“Try to put together a case first, then we’ll see.” Jesse approached Zachary steadily before he uttered a subtle threat, “You ought to consider carefully, and decide whether it is the shares you value or your son’s life!”
“I was planning to settle this score with you at a later time, but it seems to me that you have a real death wish!” Zachary narrowed his eyes. “Dare to kidnap my son? You must be tired of living!”
“Haha. What are you going to do about that, huh?”
With a clap of his hands, all of Jesse’s subordinates pulled out guns and lifted them threateningly toward Zachary.
There’s nothing he could do inside this conference room today that would surprise me.
“T-This…”
Everyone was stunned, as they did not expect Jesse to have his men bring firearms into the conference room.
In that instant, the initially fretful Chris also became emboldened.
“Dad…”
Distressed, Nancy approached in an attempt to intervene but was held back by the subordinates.
“The gall of you. Have you ever considered the consequences?”
In his eyes, a chilling glint flickered as Zachary glared at Jesse with hostility.
“Consequences were never a factor in my approach to doing anything,” declared the haughty Jesse while he puffed away on his cigarette. “Resistance is futile at this point, Mr. Nacht. I’d say, it might be more advisable for you to quietly sign off on the transfer agreement!”
With that, Jesse pushed the laptop in front of Zachary and spoke candidly, “Sign it, and your wife and son might still stand a chance. Or else…”
Scrutinizing Zachary mockingly, he continued, “With you crippled, and your family in shambles, what point is there for you to continue living any way?”
“What?” Zachary picked up his phone and was about to show him who was the one whose family was in shambles when…
“Screw you!”
Francesca suddenly lashed at Jesse’s chair with her foot, sending the latter tumbling to the floor, disheveled.
“Ugh…”
Chris and Nancy were dumbstruck, as was everyone else.
Before anyone could react, Francesca was upon Jesse in flash with her hands around his throat. She swore through gritted teeth, “I absolutely hate people who target children. I haven’t even made you answer for hurting my Alpha yet, and here you are again, threatening other people with their kid?”
“Stop!”
The armed subordinates from the Gold family thus redirected their firearms at Francesca, who had only gone harder at it with her throttling since.
Seeing that those subordinates were preparing to fire, Zachary promptly called out, “Get in here!”
In rushed a large number of policemen with Lupine at their fore. Jesse’s subordinates quickly froze when the law enforcers’ weapons trained upon them.
With the arrival of the police, the board members realized right away that this was what Zachary had staged all along, and everything was coming to a close.
Chris sat slumped in his chair for he knew that he was done for.
“Come on, out with it. Where’s the kid?” Francesca interrogated fiercely.
“Ugh—”
Jesse was unable to breathe as his windpipe was almost crushed between her fingers.
“Let go of him first.” Zachary wheeled himself over and anxiously tugged at Francesca. “You’re going to kill him.”
“This rogue deserves nothing less!”
She kept up her cussing after relinquishing her grip on Jesse, but not before she booted him a couple more times on his head.
“Y-You…”
There was no way Jesse was going to stomach this manner of humiliation like this. He was so livid that his face drained and his body quivered. “Seems to me that you really have no desire to see your wife and child alive again…”
“Why you…”
Francesca wanted another go at him but Zachary quickly held her back. “Calm down!”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1675
Complete Defeat
“Calm down my ass…”
Francesca was about to continue cussing when she spotted Chris attempting to slip out from the back. Very quickly, she moved to give chase. “Come back here, you cur!”
With Francesca’s exit, the conference room was finally at peace.
The police swiftly went about apprehending the Gold family’s subordinates, and also seized Jesse himself.
“Why are you arresting me for?” Jesse protested aloud in displeasure. “What crime am I guilty of?”
“You’re under suspicion of involvement in the kidnapping of Robinson and Jamison Nacht and using illegal means to acquire the Nacht Group’s assets. Is that criminal enough for you?” an officer bellowed.
“Like you said. Under suspicion. Where’s your proof? If without proof, you can at most seek my cooperation with the investigation. What right have you to arrest me?” Jesse massaged his own neck and smirked, “Don’t think that I’m not familiar with the law because I know your Chanaean laws like the back of my own hand!”
“Those illegal firearms in your men’s possession. Does that not constitute lawbreaking?” the frustrated officer asked.
“Well, let them be answerable for their own actions then. What’s that got to do with me?” Jesse continued to argue.
“You…”
“Do you have proof or not? If without evidence, I’d advise you to you speak to me politely.” Jesse was extremely cocky. “My lawyers are all present here, and they can jolly well sue you if you so much as lay a finger on me.”
“Evidence, you say?”
Zachary flipped open the laptop and immediately went about connecting it to the projection system. Then, he played some videos that showed Jesse in the act of making arrangements for his subordinates to kidnap the two children.
Jesse was in shock and utter disbelief.
What is this? Where did this come from?
In the next second, he arched his head toward Nancy. It was clear to him that all of these were captured in the study room, and no one, apart from someone from within the family, could possibly have had the chance to come into this as evidence.
“I’m sorry, Dad.” Nancy made no attempt to deny this. Instead, she was adamantly proud. “An honest person was what you raised me to be!”
“You…” Hopping mad, Jesse lunged over like a rabid dog in a bid to strangle her. “You traitorous slut! I’d kill you! I’d kill you—”
When Nancy regarded her own father and thought about all the hurt he had caused her, she felt no pity for him. Instead, all she had for him was contempt. She lifted her head and said with a cold sneer, “Officer, I’ve also evidence of Mr. Gold and Chris Broid’s conspiracy to seize the Nacht family’s assets. It’s both clear and comprehensive!”
“Very well. Please follow us down to the station to assist with the investigations.”
The officer assigned someone to escort Nancy.
“All right,” Nancy replied and left with the police, with scant regard for the ranting and raving Jesse. Her eyes reddened when she passed Zachary as though she meant to say something, but in the end, she held her silence.
“Thank you!” said Zachary.
Nancy’s tears flowed, but she merely lowered her head and quietly made her exit.
“Don’t think that you’ve won just yet, Zachary Nacht.” Unwilling to accept his own defeat, he continued to rage away. “Your son is still in my hands, and your wife… They’re…”
“His son has been rescued.” Just then, an aloof voice suddenly rang out. “And his wife is right here!”
Zachary shuddered. When he turned, his heart was almost ripped asunder upon the sight of the person pushing through the doors…
Despite having her face bloodied, her white top stained red, her hair plastered into place by fresh crimson, and the shocking knife wounds sitting prominently upon her shoulder, Charlotte remained as spirited as ever…
Those pristine eyes of hers fixated upon Jesse with a furious loathing. “Evil can never trump over good. You’ve lost, Jesse Gold!”
Jesse fell slumped upon the floor. Yes, he had lost, most utterly and completely…
“Take him away!”
The police had Jesse and his subordinates swiftly bundled off and went about tying up any loose ends.
Charlotte’s gaze drifted through the crowd and she began to sob uncontrollably when they came upon Zachary…
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1676
An Exchange
At this moment, she was overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions inside.
Having escaped the jaws of death and still being able to see one’s beloved again, must be the greatest blessing in life.
“Charlotte…” Zachary’s voice was shaking when he called out her name. With great difficulty, he extended his stiffened arms toward her.
The tearful Charlotte wanted very much to throw herself into his arms but when she took a step forward, her strength failed her…
“Charlotte!”
“Ms. Lindberg!”
Raina promptly attended to Charlotte’s wounds and had her admitted to the hospital.
Zachary held on fast to Charlotte’s hand all the way and refused to let go. Seeing her covered with blood all over pained him and also filled him with regret…
He regretted not returning earlier and not getting everything set up sooner, and lamented his own failure to protect her, leaving her to endure so much pressure and face such tribulations on her own…
He thus swore to himself that no matter what the future holds, he was never letting go of her hand. They must be together forever and never apart…
Lupine and Ben accompanied alongside while they made their way to the hospital, while Bruce stayed behind to set things back in order.
Investigations revealed that Spencer’s traffic accident was brought about when he was waylaid on the way to the office. In spite of it, he came away from it mostly unscathed as Zachary had already arranged for someone to protect him in secret, and had recovered since.
Johann and those board members were relieved. Though the police needed time to look into the case, the Department of Commerce also needed time to assess the situation as well. The return of the real Zachary Nacht, however, filled their hearts with renewed hope.
They had confidence now that the Nacht Group would hold together and Divine Corporation would not fall to the wayside, and things would only start looking up from here on out.
Charlotte had suffered numerous external injuries. Though some were serious, none were life-threatening.
It was the extended periods of exhaustion, coupled with excessive loss of blood, that brought about her fainting.
As he held her hand tightly and kept watch by her bedside, Zachary was all torn up inside.
Once Raina was done attending to Charlotte’s wounds, she gave Zachary a run-down of the current situation. Things were being sorted out at the company and it was being managed just fine. However, Chris got away while Francesco had disappeared as well…
Finally, she said with a heavy heart. “With your ailment not fully cured and Francesco nowhere to be found, what shall we do, Mr. Nacht?”
“Don’t worry. She’d come calling, eventually.” Zachary was conversely stoic about the whole affair.
“That’s good to know,” Raina breathed in relief.
“Go look into the company’s surveillance system. See whether Danrique had come by,” Zachary instructed.
“Huh?” Raina was very surprised.
“Francesca went after Chris when he fled. Logically speaking, with her skills, there was no way Chris could have eluded her. I suppose it must have been the appearance of Danrique that led her to take off…” Zachary analyzed.
“I see. I’d get right on it.” Off went Raina to follow up.
At this moment, Bruce hurried over. “Everything has been settled, Mr. Nacht. We’ve already weeded out all those people that Jesse had embedded inside the company. Now, the group is staffed only by our own people and all their posts have been reinstated.”
“Good.” Zachary nodded. “What about Robbie?”
“I’ve gotten into contact with Sean. He’d brought Robbie over to Mr. Lindberg’s, and said that he’d liaise with Ms. Lindberg before sending him back later,” Bruce said.
Hearing that put Zachary’s brow in a taut furrow. “Try to figure out where they’re staying.”
“Huh?” Bruce did not understand why that had to be done.
“By not sending Robbie back directly, I suppose that Sean means to try to trade Robbie for Francesco. “For him to make this trip to H City during this critical period for the Lindberg family shows how much he values Francesco. This time, he must surely be seeking to bring her back with him. He knew that Francesco must be in contact with Charlotte and me, and figured that it might, perhaps, be easier for us to reach her. That’s why he had kept Robbie by his side. He has to be waiting for us to send him Francesco in exchange…”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1677
Pick Up The Girls
“Why would he do this?” exclaimed Bruce. “He’s the boy’s uncle, so why would he use the child as a bargaining chip?”
“He won’t harm Robbie.” That much Zachary was certain. “He’s only trying to make Francesco return to him.”
“What should we do then?” said a vexed Bruce. “Mr. Lindberg has not only saved Ms. Lindberg and me today…”
“Certainly, we cannot turn this into an open confrontation…”
After everything that he went through, Zachary came out the other end having matured a lot. He began to view the relationship between the Lindbergs and the Nachts with a renewed sense of objectivity, and no longer harbored the same degree of animosity he held toward Danrique as he did before.
Reflecting upon what had transpired during this stretch, he lamented, “Regardless, he was the one who saved Charlotte and Robbie, and his wife saved me. That makes us very much in their debt.”
“This…” Bruce was very surprised. Mr. Nacht seems to have gained clarity on the situation.
“Go ahead and attend to things back at the office,” Zachary instructed.
“Understood.” Bruce nodded and departed in a hurry.
Zachary turned back to regard the bed-ridden Charlotte. His heart ached when he caressed her cheeks.
“Ms. Lindberg had lost a lot of blood and is currently in a delicate state, Mr. Nacht. I’m afraid she won’t be able to rouse before dark,” the doctor beside whispered softly.
“Understood,” Zachary responded in acknowledgment before he turned to Lupine. “Help me take care of her.”
“Will do.” Lupine nodded. “Are you leaving?”
“I have to make a trip back to the office.” Zachary checked the time on his wrist. “But I’d come by in the evening.”
“All right. Leave it to me. I’ll take care of things here.”
Lupine saw Zachary outside to where Ben was waiting. When the latter saw Zachary, he was extremely emotional. “Mr. Nacht!”
Both boss and subordinate were wheelchair-bound. Coming away from such an ordeal, they mutually had a lot on their minds.
“It’s good that you made it out alive.” Zachary patted Ben on the shoulder and regarded the latter with a slight smile. “Get well soon. I’ve still much with which to count on you.”
“Okay.” Ben nodded profusely.
“Mr. Nacht!”
Marino and the other elite subordinates had awaited in the long corridor for some time now, and all of them were profoundly moved upon seeing Zachary.
After undergoing this catastrophe, they had come to treasure, even more, the time spent in Zachary’s service.
“None of you are missing. This is most excellent.”
When Zachary regarded this group, his lips curled up in relief, and all of their eyes reddened when they heard that.
“Squad One is to remain here to protect Madam, while Squad Two shall accompany me to the office.”
Zachary handed them their orders without a surfeit of sentimentality.
“Understood!” responded all eighteen of them unanimously and thunderously.
“Shush!” Zachary put a finger to his lip. “Do not wake Madam.”
“Yes, hehe…” the eighteen six-foot-odd men became somewhat self-conscious and chuckled sheepishly.
To the side, Bruce and Ben’s eyes welled up at this scene.
While everyone else said that Mr. Nacht was cold and insufferable, only they understood him to be a really loyal and compassionate man. Otherwise, these people would not have continued to serve him so faithfully and wholeheartedly.
All of them were made to undergo various unprecedented trials and tribulations in recent times, but now, it would seem that they could finally look forward to brighter days to come.
Lupine parted the curtains inside the room and her mood was instantly uplifted by the sight of the rainbow over the horizon.
Like the sky clearing after a shower, everything seems renewed. How wonderful it is to see the gloominess pass!
Ring…
The phone suddenly rang. Afraid of waking Charlotte, Lupine hastened to turn off the sound and pick up the call with a hand over the receiving end. “Hello. Morgan!”
“Where’s Ms. Lindberg, Lupine?” Morgan anxiously asked.
“She’s still out of it. Why?”
Lupine glanced at Charlotte on the bed.
“Mr. Lindberg has sent someone here to pick up the girls, and the car is already waiting in the courtyard. I thought that I should run this by Ms. Lindberg.”
“Well…”
“Are you defying Mr. Lindberg’s orders as well, Morgan?”
Before Lupine could answer, Sean’s voice of discontent was heard coming from the other end…
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1678
Spare Me
“That’s not what I mean, Sean,” explained Morgan hurriedly. “I just want to inform Ms. Lindberg.”
“Ms. Lindberg is injured, so let her recover,” asserted Sean firmly. “Mr. Lindberg is still waiting for me to bring the kids back.”
“Understood.”
Naturally, Morgan did not dare to say anything else. She quickly hung up and brought Sean to the girls.
At the hospital, Lupine called out, “Hello? Hello?” She anxiously tried to call back. However, she remembered that Sean had already reached Northridge and Morgan definitely would not dare to defy Danrique’s orders.
Hence, she called Zachary to inform him.
“Danrique probably wants to lure Francesca back using the kids…” guessed Zachary calmly. “Since he wants to take back his own kids, I have no right to stop him.”
“Yeah, but…”
As Lupine had overheard Zachary’s conversation with Bruce earlier, she knew that Danrique was doing that to make Francesco return. However, if Francesco went back so quickly, Zachary’s illness would not be cured.
If Charlotte is awake, she’ll feel anxious…
“You’re from the Lindberg family, so don’t be distracted by other thoughts.”
With that, Zachary hung up.
Still gripping the phone, Lupine felt extremely conflicted. She knew that Zachary was reminding her not to defy her duty and to always remember her identity.
Otherwise, she might be labelled as a traitor…
Naturally, she did not dare to betray Danrique. While she did not want Charlotte to be sad, she also hoped that Ben could get treated too.
However, Zachary’s words served as a reminder to her. If she was overly concerned about this, she might invite trouble to herself…
Upon that thought, Lupine took a deep breath.
Soon, Morgan called and said anxiously, “Sean took the girls away. When I asked Robbie when they’ll be back, he said that he’ll talk to Ms. Lindberg directly after she wakes up. What should we do?”
“If Mr. Lindberg wants to take the girls back, we have no choice either..” replied Lupine. “Ms. Lindberg is still unconscious, so let’s wait till she wakes up. Meanwhile, you should take good care of Jamie and Ellie.”
“Okay, then.” Morgan sighed. “How are things going with the Nacht family? Marino hasn’t been replying to my messages today. I’m worried about him.”
“Jesse has already been arrested by the police and Chris ran away. Bruce is dealing with the remaining problems now. Everything’s under control…”
“That’s good!” Morgan heaved a sigh of relief. “Is Mr. Zachary back?”
“He’s back…”
“Great!”
When Morgan was talking to Lupine, a figure suddenly barged in from the windows. Morgan spun around warily. However, before she could say anything, she felt a huge knife pressing precariously against her neck.
Shocked, she stared at the short girl in front of her and blurted, “Fran…”
Francesca gestured her to remain silent.
“I’ll stop talking to you now, Lupine. I’ll go look at Jamie and Ellie.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up the call, Morgan craned her neck carefully and greeted with respect, “Mrs. Lindberg, spare me!”
Although she had always been working for Charlotte, she knew how deeply Danrique loved Francesca.
It was better if she did not offend her future employer.
“Why are you calling me that?” Francesca frowned unhappily. “Who’s Mrs. Lindberg?”
“You’re Mr. Lindberg’s wife. We wouldn’t dare to offend you,” said Morgan appeasingly. “Mrs. Lindberg, if you have any orders, just tell me. There’s no need to resort to weapons. Haha…”
“Where are my kids?” asked Francesca with a frown. “I searched the entire place but couldn’t find them. Where have they gone?”
“Just around ten minutes earlier, Sean took them away,” replied Morgan carefully. “You know Sean, right? He’s Mr. Lindberg’s right-hand man.”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1679
Unable To Return
“What do you mean? Did that jerk, Danrique, ask someone to take my kids away?” exclaimed Francesca in surprise, almost alerting the bodyguards outside.
“Mr. Lindberg probably asked him to pick the kids up.”
Morgan glanced at Francesca timidly. She was probably the only one who dared to call Danrique a jerk.
“How dare he?” Fury surged within Francesca. “What is their address?”
“I don’t know, Mrs. Lindberg,” replied Morgan carefully.
“If even you don’t know, who’d know?” Francesca started feeling anxious. “Where’s Charlotte?”
“Ms. Lindberg is injured. She’s in the hospital and still hasn’t woken up,” replied Morgan.
“What about Zachary?” demanded Francesca again.
“Mr. Nacht is probably at the office…” said Morgan weakly. “Don’t panic, Mrs. Lindberg. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are Mr. Lindberg’s children. He won’t hurt them. Mrs. Lindberg… Mrs. Lindberg!”
Before Morgan could complete her sentence, Francesca flipped out of the window and ran away.
When Morgan rushed to the window, she felt something cold and withdrew her hands in shock. It was a green snake with its tongue sticking out, looking extremely terrifying.
However, the snake did not bite her. Soon, it fell onto Francesca’s shoulder and slithered into her cape.
Francesca passed through the forest rapidly, her destination unknown.
On the tree, Fifi flapped its wings and cawed, causing the birds in the forest to disperse.
Morgan felt uneasy. Afraid that Francesca would go looking for Charlotte, she grabbed her phone to call Lupine. However, Lupine called her first.
“What’s going on? Your voice sounded weird just now. What happened?”
“Francesco came,” explained Morgan hurriedly. “After knowing that Mr. Lindberg’s subordinate has taken the girls away, she’s furious. I don’t know if she’d seek trouble with Ms. Lindberg.”
“She won’t do that, right? Francesco seems quite reasonable to me.” Although that was what Lupine said, she still closed the windows immediately. “But it’s better to be careful.”
“Yeah. Take good care of Ms. Lindberg.”
After hanging up the call, Lupine sent a message to Zachary. She informed him that Francesca had just visited Northridge and was furious after finding out that Danrique had taken the girls away.
When Zachary read the message, the car had just driven into Divine Corporation. Lucy and the security guards immediately welcomed him with the security guards. They helped him open the door and push the wheelchair.
In the lift, Lucy and the other upper management officials were informing Zachary about the company’s restructuring.
Zachary quickly proposed the suggestion for the company’s restructuring and told them to reject all media interviews until the restructuring was done.
Although Johann was already old and feeling unwell, he still remained in the company to handle the affairs.
Zachary felt extremely guilty when he saw how Johann was forcing himself to carry on. He immediately took over his responsibilities and managed the company’s affairs.
Once Zachary started working, everything was much more efficient. The upper management and the board of directors could not help but exclaim at how the real Zachary was so different from the imposter, even though they looked identical.
No one else could replace his confidence, decisiveness, and ability to handle everything!
Just when Zachary was busy with work in the office, Lucy brought his phone over to him. “Mr. Nacht, it’s a call from Ms. Gold.”
“Tell her to come directly.” Zachary did not even raise his head.
“Okay.” Lucy relayed the message.
Soon, Nancy arrived with two female bodyguards. She was holding a thick pile of documents.
After preparing coffee, Lucy left with the others.
Zachary finally raised his head and looked at Nancy. “Have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Nancy sat opposite him. When her gaze landed on him, she could not tear her eyes away anymore.
When they met in the conference room earlier, he was too busy to mind her. Only now could they meet properly.
Although she had been looking at a face that was identical to his, she could only feel admiration when looking at the real Zachary.
However, everything had since changed. It was impossible to return to the past.
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 1680
She Is Here
“Have you finished leaving your testimony at the police station?” asked Zachary with a smile.
“Yeah.” Nancy nodded and said calmly, “For that four hours, I said everything I could and provided all the evidence possible. My lawyer told me that after these questions are confirmed, it’ll be impossible for my father to get out of jail anymore.”
“Do you regret it?” asked Zachary.
“I don’t.” Nancy smirked mockingly. “Looking at how pathetic he is, I felt extremely satisfied… I’m planning to go back to Salinsburgh to pay my respects to my mother. If she learns about this in heaven, she’ll definitely be delighted.”
When Zachary heard that, he fell silent. He could imagine what had happened to Nancy during this period of time. She must have hated her father so much that she would react in this manner…
Actually, he expected all these.
“Mr. Nacht, will you still fulfill your promise?” asked Nancy softly.
“Of course.” Zachary smiled. “I said that if your father touches the Nacht Group and you help me accuse your father, I will not touch the Gold family. In fact, I’ll help you rise to power!”
“Actually, now that my father is gone, I’ll definitely inherit his role. My sister can never defeat me.” Nancy grinned. “However, I just need you to promise that you’ll not touch the Gold family.”
“I’m a man of my word,” promised Zachary.
“In that case, thank you.” Nancy lowered her head and thanked him. Immediately afterward, she mumbled,” Oh, right… Um…”
She hesitated, unable to say what was on her mind.
“What do you want to say?” Zachary raised his head and looked at her.
“I haven’t married Chris yet. We reached a mutual agreement that we’ll just put up an act, so we didn’t actually register our marriage. Hence, I didn’t infringe on your legal rights.”
Nancy hesitated before saying that. On her way there, she kept wondering if she should test Zachary using the marriage and see if there was still a possibility between them.
However, after she met him, she realized that he did not love her at all. Thus, she suppressed her urge to even test him out.
She started to understand that some people were not fated to be hers.
No matter how hard she tried, she would never get them.
Hence, she decided to preserve the last remnants of her pride instead.
“Actually, since Chris is an imposter, the marriage will not be effective legally even if you have registered it,” explained Zachary calmly. “Of course, it’s better if it’s not registered. It’ll save us the hassle of going through so many procedures.”
“So, you’re going to marry Charlotte, right?”
Nancy still asked the question. She really wanted to know how deeply he loved Charlotte.
“Of course,” replied Zachary unhesitatingly. “I’ll give her a perfect wedding and a happy future.”
“Congratulations!” Nancy squeezed out those two words through her sobs. Then, she got up and left with her head bowed.
“Thank you,” replied Zachary politely. He watched her leave before continuing to review the documents.
When Nancy reached the door, she turned around and glanced at Zachary, who had resumed work. She said again, “I have another request.”
“Go ahead.” Zachary raised his head and looked at her.
“Can you leave Chris to me?”
When Nancy said that, her eyes were filled with hatred. She would never spare the man who destroyed her entire life.
“He’s from the Nacht family, so I have to deal with him personally,” said Zachary calmly. “I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to that.”
Although Nancy was disappointed, she did not say anything and left.
After Zachary finished dealing with the last contract, he saw that it was getting dark outside. Hence, he stopped working and headed to the hospital.
Bruce and the rest were accompanying him. The car had just left the underground carpark when an eagle’s shriek sounded from outside. He raised his head and looked out of the window, knowing that she had come.