Ch. 561..570
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 561
As Sharon finished with her threat, she slashed the fruit knife towards her wrist…
“No! Ms. Blackwood! Don’t be hasty!” Ben shouted after her.
Zachary had no intention to stop the whole incident. Instead, he sat down on the sofa with his legs up comfortably and lit his cigar calmly.
Meanwhile, the knife found its mark. A shallow slash appeared as fresh blood slowly trickled out…
Sharon slumped onto the floor dramatically, weeping pitifully as torrents of tears streamed down her face.
‘What a farce. With such a shallow wound, it’s impossible for you to die.” Zachary dangled his cigar in his mouth and raised his eyebrows. “Shall I teach you how to do it instead?”
Walking over, he grabbed Sharon’s hand, picked up the fruit knife, and put it against her injured wrist, as he cold-bloodedly instructed, “You’ve got to show more resolve. Use more force to jam the knife in. Let me hear the sound of the blade piercing into the arteries. Let me witness the glorious fountain of blood spurting out. Only then you will die quickly!”
“You…” Sharon opened her eyes wide in astonishment, staring at him incredulously as if she was looking at a total stranger.
Everyone knew of Zachary’s ruthlessness and resoluteness. From the very beginning, she had admired those qualities of his; these were the aspects of a man who would stand on top of the world in the future. She had thought that she could become his wife by leveraging the existing relationship built by her parents with his family.
Alas, right now, she finally got a taste of his cold-bloodedness firsthand.
“What’s the matter, my dear?” Zachary sneered, “Aren’t you going to die in front of me? Go on! C’mon!”
“You…” Sharon was nearly driven mad as her whole body shook. “Fine! Just you wait!”
Throwing the fruit knife away, she got up and left, slamming the door with all her might on her way out.
The few secretaries outside exclaimed in horror at the sight of her bloodied hand. Lucy frantically rushed in and asked, “Mr. Nacht, what happened to Ms. Blackwood? She…”
“Forget about her,” Zachary responded ruthlessly.
Ben quickly made a hand gesture.
Understanding the signal, Lucy hurriedly withdrew. Dispersing the panicked secretaries outside, she barked, “Get back to work. Nothing interesting to see here.”
As the secretaries returned to their positions one after another, some could not restrain their curiosity and started whispering. “Ms. Blackwood has cut her wrist. My goodness! For her to walk out alone, won’t she die?”
“From what I saw, there’s not much blood. Her wound shouldn’t be too deep…”
“Makes sense. If it were life-threatening in the first place, the president would not have ignored it. After all, it’s a matter of life and death.”
“You’re right. Serve her right for putting up such a show in an attempt to force Mr. Nacht’s hand. Such a primetime display of drama worthy of the Grammys.”
“Hmph! Mr. Nacht would never be threatened by such cheap farce.”
“That’s right! Mr. Nacht did not even bat an eyelid! Such a complete catastrophic wipeout.”
“It’s a blessing for us! Thank goodness. We’ll be spared from such a terrible future lady boss.”
“I wholeheartedly concur with that!”
“Quit yapping around and get back to work. Pish posh!” Lucy popped back to remind. Turning her head to Dani, she instructed, “Go and call up the cleaner lady. Tell her to get rid of the bloodstains on the floor.”
“Affirmative.” Dani obediently scrambled out.
Deep down their hearts, all the secretaries on the floor were glad. Finally, they did not have to put up with Sharon’s atrocious antics anymore!
…
Back in the president’s office, Ben asked cautiously, “With that has transpired, what if she impulsively turned to Lindberg Corporation?”
“With our joint projects in hand, if she were to turn to Lindberg Corporation, the Synder Group would naturally lose a lot of money. I’m sure she’s smart enough to weigh the pros and cons. Besides, even if she were to act foolishly, she still had the arduous task to convince her other shareholders to jump in on her ship as well.”
Casually, Zachary puffed his cigar, proverbially having all the winning cards securely in his hand.
“That’s true.” Breathing a sigh of relief, Ben asked once more, “But haven’t you perhaps gone too far just now? She may report all these to old Mr. Nacht.”
“Jolly old Mr. Nacht now has great-grandchildren. Who would care about her?” Zachary rolled his eyes, “Let’s stop with the nonsense for now. Get someone to clean up the mess here. I don’t want the children to be shocked when they come in here.”
“As you wish.”
As Ben was about to call for someone, Lucy had already brought in people for the clean-up.
Zachary was about to go to the adjacent room to his children when Bruce hurriedly rushed in to report, “Sir, old Mr. Nacht has awakened!”
“Huh?” Zachary frowned.
“It’s not just a minimally conscious state. He’s fully conscious now. Fully sound. And oh, he said that he wants to see you,” Bruce reported with much joy and excitedly ushered, “Come now. See for yourself, sire!”
“Alright.” Stubbing out his cigar, Zachary got up to get the children…
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 562
The president’s office was so well-insulated that the sound from the previous commotion had not passed through the wall to the adjacent room where the children were. They had no idea what had transpired.
The bad mood caused by the intrusion of the uninvited guest just now had been allayed by the fun and games.
The three children had a great time playing VR games in the lounge.
The gaming setup in here was the most advanced. Equipped with hi-tech seats, the gaming experience was as real as it could get, almost transporting the children into the game itself.
The trio was seated side-by-side in the seats, donning the special goggles. They were experiencing the mysteries of space currently.
From time to time, they exclaimed excitedly and screamed in pleasant surprise as their hands fluttered around.
Fifi seemed to be joining in the fun as well, as it flapped its wings and flew around the screen, seemingly wanting to enter into the same world to experience the same joys as the three children.
Zachary had changed his clothes and walked in. Witnessing the children’s elation, he could not help but curved the corner of his lips into a satisfied smirk.
He felt he now knew why Charlotte was so obsessed with money in the past. For the sake of earning more, she would even sell him off to some rich cougar…
After all, it was all for the sake of raising up these three little rascals!
No matter what trials and tribulations one faced outside, the moment one stepped back home and witnessed the three of them, surely all troubles and worries of the day would just dissipate…
“Mr. Nacht…” Seeing him coming over, the three nurses prepared to inform the children.
Zachary gestured to them not to disturb the children. He wanted to let them finish the game first.
Outside, Ben had already readied the car. Bruce stepped in and mentioned, “Sir, shall I go back to fetch Ms. Windt?”
“Don’t worry too much about it.” Checking his watch, Zachary decided, “We’ll go over first. Let her set out one hour later.”
“Understood.”
“There’s something else I wish to report.” Leaning into Zachary’s ear, Bruce whispered, “Ms. Nacht has been staying in H City and hasn’t left. Mayhap she is waiting for the news of the old man waking up.”
Upon hearing these words, Zachary deeply furrowed his brows. He had not cared much for neither the Blackwoods nor the Browns. The troublesome one he was wary of was this aunt of his.
She possessed a black heart and a cunning mind. Her methods were swift and vicious. Her plots were sly and subtle. She would do anything and sacrifice anyone to achieve her insidious goals. Those qualities combined made her a formidable opponent not to be underestimated.
During the last visit to Grandpa, even though she seemingly did nothing out of place, he had long suspected that there was something amiss. He did not manage to smell out the tricks up her sleeves…
Due to this, he dared not to lower his guard against her.
“Let’s not fetch Charlotte today,” Zachary uttered, changing his mind, “Deploy more personnel to protect the children.”
“Acknowledged.” Bruce immediately sprang to action.
Zachary had known that something that happened last time had cast a great shadow over Charlotte. She herself had known that her father’s death was related to Zara. Should a chance encounter occur at the hospital between two of them later, Zachary could not predict what the outcome would be…
It would be troublesome as well should the children be frightened.
Rather than taking chances, might as well not let her go this time. Utilizing all manpower to ensure the children’s safety would be the next prudent thing to do.
As the children were still engrossed in their games, Zachary went out and called Charlotte.
“Hi!” His call was quickly picked up. Charlotte sounded groggy as if she had just woken up from her sleep, “What’s the matter?”
“Grandpa is awake,” Zachary curtly relayed the good news.
“Really?” Seemingly fully awake from her previous slumber, Charlotte joyfully asked, “That’s great! Shall we go there earlier? Let me start preparing now…”
“No.” Zachary cut her off and gently said, “Just rest at home. We won’t go over today.”
“Huh?” Charlotte had not expected the reply and reacted, “Why? Then what about the children?”
“I’ll take them over,” Zachary answered.
Charlotte was surprised. After all, he had promised in the morning to take her along. Suddenly now he had changed his mind…
What does this signify?
Perhaps he did not plan to tell old Henry about her yet. Even worse, maybe he had not prepared to marry her?
“Daddy…” The shouts of the children could be heard coming from the back.
“I’ll hang up the call first,” Zachary informed before advising, “Get some good rest.”
Immediately after, he hung up.
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 563
Charlotte held the phone in her hand. She was dizzy with disappointment.
She tried comforting herself in her heart. Perhaps Zachary feels that since the old man has just woken up, it'll be better not to rile the latter up too soon...
Charlotte pitifully comforted herself.
An elongated Rolls-Royce made its way to the hospital, escorted by two rows of convoys in front and at the back truly a sight to behold.
The bodyguards deployed were all vigilant, checking and scanning around to spot any untoward surprise ambushes.
Nonetheless, everything went on without a hitch as the journey itself was smooth.
As the cars drove up to the hospital, Zachary led the three children out of their ride. Jamie, whose foot had not fully healed, was sitting on his shoulders. He held the hands of the other two: Robbie and Ellie.
Jamie was feeling elated, with a special sense of superiority seated on his father's broad shoulders. Fifi was perched meanwhile on Jamie's head, its eyes opened wide, gawking around curiously. “Daddy, I don't want to hold your hand anymore.” Breaking away from Zachary's hand, Ellie childishly complained, “You're too tall. I have to keep raising my hand to hold onto yours. My arm is now tired...”
“Truthfully, I'm tired too.” Looking up to Zachary, Robbie blinked and asked innocently, “I'll be as tall as Daddy in the future, won't 1?”
"Of course you will.” Bending down, Zachary heaved up both Robbie and Ellie in his arms while carefully making sure Jamie was securely seated on his shoulders. “Hang tight, Jamie.”
“Okie.” Jamie held onto Zachary's head for fear of falling.
“Yay! I'm high up now too!” Ellie cheered, clapping her little hands together.
"Suddenly I feel like my visual field has expanded,” Robbie mused, smiling.
“I'm higher up than you still.” Jamie raised his brows, proudly showing off.
“I'm higher! I'm higher!” Fifi squawked exuberantly, flapping its wings in response as if it understood the whole childish competition.
“Shush!” Ellie pointed to Fifi with her chubby small hand, pouted her mouth, and playfully scowled, "Fifi, if you squawk again, I'm going to pull off your feathers!”
The intelligent bird quickly covered its mouth with its wings and dared not make any more noises. Its eyes were rolling around, making it looked both funny and adorable.
“Hahaha...” The three children filled the air with their laughter simultaneously.
Zachary could not help but grin. Since these three children had appeared in his life, his world had been filled with nothing but laughter and joy. He had also been slowly changed into a more cheerful person who tended to smile more.
“These kids are so adorable!” Bruce remarked with a satisfied sigh. “Everything has been a little different since Mr. Nacht has become a father. He's a changed man.”
"Agreed. A change for the better. A more humane person overall,” Ben whispered.
Bruce laughed, “Yeah. Way better.”
As the entourage entered the hospital from the side door, they were greeted by the dean and heads-of-departments all lined up ready and waiting. They lined and led them directly to the special ward.
Spencer, who had been waiting downstairs all the while, was glad to see Zachary. He promptly greeted the latter and informed excitedly, “Mr. Zachary, Mr. Henry has awakened and has been thinking about you.”
“Noted,” Zachary nodded before asking, “You haven't told him anything, have you?”
“No, definitely not. I'll leave you to tell him personally, as per your instruction.”
Gazing at the children one by one, Spencer smiled giddily, allowing himself a brief moment to show his true feeling. After that, his face tightened as he hinted meaningfully, “Mr. Zachary, since Mr. Henry has just woken up, please be mindful that he can't handle any bad stimulus yet!"
The meaning was clear as day: double down on the good news, avoid the bad ones.
Zachary instinctively understood what Spencer meant and assured the latter, “Fret not. I'll be tactful!”
The whole family soon arrived outside the special ward. Zachary took the children to the decontamination chamber for a change of clothes. Fifi intended to follow but was prevented by Zachary who tapped its beak and ordered, “Stay outside. Don't cause a ruckus.”
Stopping what it was about to do, Fifi immediately landed on Ben's shoulder. It looked aggrieved as it shrugged its little head.
"Make sure you don't poop on my shoulder,” Ben threatened, giving Fifi a vicious look, “Or else I will pluck out your feathers one by one..."
“Daddy, Daddy.”
Before Ben could finish his sentence, Fifi flew over to Zachary and complained, “Pluck feather, pluck feather. Scared. Scared...”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 564
“Umm, Ben?” Zachary coldly stared at him.
“I dare not.” Ben hurriedly bowed his head in apology, somewhat reluctantly.
Sensing its victory, Fifi shook its hips triumphantly, fluttered its wings, and flew over once more to Ben’s head. Raking his hair with its claws and treating his head as its nest, it promptly perched down after a while.
Such a flaunting display of arrogance and dominance – coming from a mere parrot!
Ben’s face darkened, unhappy to be defeated by a mere bird. He rolled his eyes upward and stared at the blasted bird perched comfortably on his head, wishing to throw it into a nice pot of hot stew…
Witnessing the whole episode in front of his eyes, Bruce could barely contain his guffaw, and let loose his laughter with a loud snort. “Bwahahaha! This little parrot is quite a human. Hahahaha!”
“One of these days…” Before Ben could finish grumbling, Fifi perked up and postured itself to squawk a complaint once more.
Taking a deep breath, Ben had no other choice but to swallow his pride and his gripe. No matter what, the blasted bird was now his master.
Better not mess with it!
After changing into their isolation gown, Zachary and the children stepped out of the decontamination chamber into the isolation ward.
“I’m already fully awake. Why am I still locked in this accursed ward? Just transfer me out, stat! I’m not that vulnerable, you hear?”
Just as they stepped in, they heard the unhappy complaint of old Henry.
Although he had not been fully healed from his serious illness yet, and his voice was not as energetic as before, he was still filled with quite the vigor.
The doctor and the health specialist standing next to him hurriedly comforted, “Don’t worry, Mr. Nacht. We’ve already done a full-body detailed scan on you this morning. When the results of the scan come out, as long as all the parameters are okay, I assure you we will immediately transfer you to the general ward.”
“Why bother with all the troubles. Now listen, y’all, when I said I want to get transferred, I expect y’all to get it done right away…”
“Grandpa!” Little Ellie’s cute voice rang out, interrupting Henry’s sentence halfway.
Old Henry was jolted from his grumbling. Turning to look, he was overjoyed at the pleasant sight. “Ellie! Robbie! Jamie!…”
“Grandpa!”
“Grandpa!”
The trio shoved Zachary’s hands away and rushed over excitedly to Henry’s side.
“Grandpa, you’re finally awake…” Robbie’s eyes were red and he nearly choked with tears. “Every time we dropped by to see you, you were always sleeping. We’re so anxious and really hoped for you to wake up soon.”
“I’m awake. I’m awake. Dear old me ain’t be sleeping no more.” Shaking Robbie’s hand excitedly, the old man said, “It’s a glad ol’ thing to see y’all the first thing I wake up!”
“Grandpa, you promised to take me to play soccer last time.” Jamie’s eyes were red, but he had a big and bright smile on his face. “Now that you’re awake, you’ll fulfill your promise, yes?”
“Of course,” the old man uttered with a smile as he asked, “How’s your tiny foot doing? Better?”
“Almost healed,” Jamie raised up his leg to show the old man. “The cast has been removed, along with the splint. I’m healed enough to climb the stairs unassisted.”
“Hahaha, awesome!” Old Henry laughed heartily. “The moment I’m discharged from this blasted place, I’ll take Jamie along for some ball-kicking.”
“Hey, Grandpa! You’ve said you’re going to take me to Disneyland to see the princesses.” Not wanting to be left out, Ellie grabbed old Henry’s hand and squeaked childishly. “Your words still count, yes?”
“Hohoho! Of course, my dear!” Old Henry nodded repeatedly. “The minute I’m outta’ here, I’ll whisk dear Ellie away to the good ol’ magical world of Disneyland in a jiffy!”
“Thanks, Grandpa…” Ellie said as she raised up her chubby small hands and cheered, “All hail Grandpa! Long live Grandpa!”
“Hahaha. If I were to live a thousand years wouldn’t I end up an old geezer later, aye?” old Henry remarked in a jocular fashion.
“Naw, Grandpa won’t be an old geezer. Grandpa will always be the best! Hip hurray!” Tilting her head, Ellie said with a serious face, “Grandpa must watch us grow up, okay? We still want to honor you for years to come!”
“Good, good! Good kids, y’all are!” old Henry nodded joyously, feeling his eyes slightly wet.
Due to aging, or perhaps having gone through life and near-death experiences, he had become a more sentimental person. Whenever he would see children, he would be easily touched. I’ve become a big ol’ softie, haven’t I?
“Gee, grandpa. Playing favorites now, are you?” Zachary sourly noted before continuing in feigned jealousy, “The moment you have great-grandchildren, you don’t care about your grandson anymore!”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 565
“No one wants a cheeky rascal like you…” Old Henry paused mid-sentence and frowned. Staring at Zachary suspiciously, he asked, “What did you just say? ‘Great-grandchildren’?”
“Your hearings must have deteriorated with age,” Zachary feigned a sigh while shaking his head.
“Daddy, Grandpa’s ears are still good,” Ellie defended Henry, puffing up her cheeks childishly.
“Ellie, what did you just call him?” Old Henry was stunned.
“Daddy.” Turning her head, Ellie replied with a straight, serious face.
“Hell, what’s going on ‘ere?” Old Henry looked intently at Ellie, before turning his gaze to Zachary and demanded, “Cheeky rascal, you’re gonna do some explaining ‘ere?”
“Grandpa… Actually scratch that. You’re going to be called Great-grandpa from now on…” Robbie chuckled as he faced old Henry and enthusiastically explained, “Since he’s our Daddy,” the young boy paused and pointed to Zachary before continuing, “And we’re Daddy’s children. Therefore, we can’t address you as ‘Grandpa’ from now on, but rather ‘Great-grandpa’.”
“Yes!” Jamie nodded in agreement as he chirped in, “Daddy’s grandfather should be called great-grandpa.”
Old Henry was absolutely flabbergasted. His eyes widened in astonishment. It took him a while to regain his composure as he impatiently called Zachary over, “I can’t make no head nor tail of this. Zachary, get your ass over ‘ere!”
The children pouted pitifully and stood aside, giving their spot to their Daddy. Gathering at the corner, they started whispering to one another.
“Why can’t Grandpa understand what we’re saying?”
“Perhaps we didn’t express it clearly enough for him to understand?”
“Makes sense. We’re still in kindergarten anyway. It’s normal for adults not to understand us. Daddy will explain on our behalf.”
“We’ll ascend to the second year of kindergarten next year. We should improve our communication skills.”
“Yes. We really should read and recite more. This way we can definitely improve our communication skills…”
“Agreed.”
Meanwhile, as soon as Zachary approached, old Henry punched him on the arm angrily. “Cheeky rascal.”
With his current condition, the punch lacked any strength…
“Spencer mentioned to me that during the time I was sick, you helped me to take care of these children. I was elated, thinking that you finally had grown a conscience in that thick skull of yours.”
Prodding his finger at Zachary’s head, he continued gently, “You know that I care for them greatly. And I know you do a great job taking care of them so I’ll be happy when I wake up.”
“Yet when I finally wake up, bingo! There you are, teaching these innocent children to call you ‘Daddy’?” The old man’s genial tone suddenly took a totally drastic turn. “Have you lost your friggin’ mind?”
“Done with your lecture, old man?” Zachary did not mount a single refutation throughout. After old Henry had finished with his tirade, Zachary calmly took out a DNA test result sheet and handed it to the old man. “Now that you’re done, take a look.”
“What in Hades’ hell is this?” As old Henry scanned through the content, his jaw dropped as he stuttered, “This, this is…”
“The irrefutable proof that they’re my children. My genuine offspring,” Zachary solemnly proclaimed. Smiling, he challenged, “If you don’t believe it, we can run the test once more.”
This time, old Henry was completely confounded. He could only stare on blankly with eyes filled with utter disbelief.
“Mr. Zachary, it is prudent not to excite nor surprise Mr. Nacht too much. His heart may not be able to handle it.” Looking on anxiously from the side, Spencer soothed, “Sir, what Mr. Zachary said is true. These three adorable children you love are truly the biological children of Mr. Zachary, hence your great-grandchildren…”
“Don’t lie to me, you old geezer,” old Henry muttered. With excitement trembling in his voice, he turned to Zachary and said, “Cheeky rascal, don’t you dare prank me. I can’t stand the thrill…”
“Old man, why are you so melodramatic?” Unable to bear it anymore, Zachary boldly challenged, “I’ve revealed the DNA test result. Yet you still doubt it. Shall I do the test once more right here and now?”
“What test?” Ellie widened her eyes blankly.
“You’re such a ditz. Even I understand what’s going on. It’s a test to confirm whether we’re Daddy’s children,” Jamie felt upset at his sister’s stupidity.
“A DNA test requires drawing of blood. Quite painful, that one,” Robbie shuddered as he remembered the lingering fear of having his blood drawn out from last time.
“I don’t want my blood to be drawn. I’m afraid of pain…” Ellie exclaimed as she suddenly bawled her eyes out. “Boohoo… Grandpa, why can’t you just believe that we are Daddy’s children?”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 566
“Of course I believe in y’all.” Seeing Ellie sobbing, old Henry’s heart softened. Directing his anger at Zachary, he explained, “I just don’t trust this rascal…”
“He’s not a rascal. He’s our Daddy.” Jamie hurriedly defended Zachary, even running over and spreading his arms in front of the latter, as an act of protecting his precious father!
“Grandpa, Daddy wasn’t lying to you,” Robbie earnestly explained. “I was allergic to kiwi. Daddy felt that something was wrong and took me for a DNA test. Through that, he found out I was his child.”
At this moment, old Henry finally believed. After all, Zachary himself was allergic to kiwi fruit since he was still a child. This information was never revealed to anyone as a protective measure so enemies would not be able to cash in on such a weakness.
No one knew about this except for those in the inner family circle.
Also, Robbie was a mere three-and-a-half-year-old boy. Surely it would be impossible for him to fabricate it. Even though Robbie was the most mentally independent amongst his siblings, it was still a tall task to fool both old Henry and Zachary with this prank…
“Gracious heavens! I’ve thought I won’t be able to see the fourth generation of the Nacht family with my own eyes in this lifetime…” Old Henry was so touched that he burst into tears of joy. “Such a great surprise to greet me just as I open my eyes! Good Lord!”
“It’s great that you’re so happy.” Zachary finally heaved a sigh of relief.
“Such nonsense. How could I be unhappy? Those countless moments when I fantasized about such a scene… I’ve hoped for ages that these three would turn out to be the real flesh and blood of our Nacht family. Ain’t expecting my dream to be real…” Trailing off, old Henry tremblingly stretched out his arms to the children and called out, “Children, come ‘ere! Give yer’ Great-grandpa a hug!”
“Grandpa… Great-grandpa!”
The three children rushed over immediately and dived into the waiting arms of old Henry.
“Aww, my good kids!”
Moved to tears, old Henry hugged the children tightly. The dream that he had for a long time finally had come true…
Witnessing the touching scene at the side, a smile crept across Zachary’s lips. As long as old Henry was happy, everything else would be easy.
Even Spencer who was the sideline spectator found his eyes uncontrollably wet.
“Great-grandpa, we’ve all moved to Daddy’s house now. Let’s live there together when you’re discharged from the hospital,” Robbie invited as he tugged old Henry’s hand.
“Aye, for sure.” Old Henry stroked Robbie’s little head and said, “Good boy. Study hard, and you’ll achieve great things in the future!”
“Of course, I will!” Robbie nodded excitedly.
Not wanting to be left out, Jamie interrupted, “Every night, Daddy has been teaching us lots of knowledge. As a result, I’ve improved my self-defense skill. Robbie’s scientific and tech knowledge have improved by leaps and bounds too…”
“Really? Such great prowess?” Old Henry was happy to hear.
Ellie chirped in, “I’m not learning. I’m the one teaching daddy how to sing…”
“Hahaha, your Daddy’s singing has been straight-up awful since young. Can he really sing now?”
“He’s still quite dumb…”
As the three children chatted merrily around old Henry, Zachary signaled everyone else to leave the room.
Upon stepping out of the ward, Spencer had a worried look on his face, yet he chose to remain silent.
“Mr. Spencer, do you have something in your mind?” Zachary asked.
“I’m only afraid that…” Thinking for a moment, Spencer tactfully chose his words, “If Mr. Nacht knew that the children’s mother is Ms. Windt, would he perhaps…”
“After all the sacrifices she has made to give birth to these three children, in the end, her identity and social status still matter?” Raising his eyebrows, Zachary stated, “At worst, she lacks an influential family background. Nonetheless, it’s still miles better than Sharon’s twisted nature, am I right?”
“Aye, this I concur.” Nodding repeatedly, Spencer proceeded to caution, “But you must know that the Blackwood family is still crucial to us at this juncture. If your relationship with Ms. Blackwood sours, the Blackwoods will turn to the Lindberg family. That, I believe, is something totally detrimental to us…”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Zachary interrupted Spencer mid-sentence and revealed, “But the damage has been done.” As Spencer gaped at the revelation, Zachary summarized the incident earlier, “I’ve told her everything. Straightforwardly. She threw a huge tantrum in my office, threatening to kill herself. I did not relent to her drama. Ah, yes. Did you know that she slashed her own wrist? And oh, as she was bleeding, I chased her out.”
“…”
Spencer could barely manage to stand, stunned beyond words.
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 567
“What has happened, happened!” Spreading out his hand, Zachary stated nonchalantly, “Regardless of his feelings, Grandpa has to agree no matter what. There’s no turning back now!”
“Act first, report later, huh? You’re playing a dangerous game here, young man.”
Spencer sighed, his face pale with fright. For a moment, he was at a loss for words as he staggered back.
“Mr. Spencer, are you okay?” Ben tried to support him but was pushed away. “Get off me, you brat. Why didn’t you warn Mr. Zachary beforehand?”
“Do I dare to?” Ben muttered back.
“Mr. Spencer, it’s not like we could do anything to change the situation anyway. Might as well help us to persuade Mr. Nacht to accept Ms. Windt,” Ben cautiously advised. “In fact, Ms. Windt is quite a decent…”
“Damn brat.” Spencer slapped Bruce hard across his back. “You’re also part of the mess!”
“He’s right, you know,” Defending Bruce, Zachary raised an eyebrow and asked, “Tell me, where have I gone wrong?”
“…” Spencer stayed silent for a long time. Unable to come up with anything, he could only force a stiff smile and said, “Yes, Mr. Zachary!”
“So you’re now on board my plan to help to convince Grandpa?” Zachary immediately took advantage of the situation and made the first move. “Thank you, Mr. Spencer. You’re the best!”
“…” Spencer fell into an even longer silence. Have I just accidentally fall into a trap set by Mr. Zachary? This proverbial pit that ensnared him was way too obvious.
“Thank you, Mr. Spencer!” Both Bruce and Ben echoed the gratitude and bowed their heads.
The realization was too late to save Spencer from the deep pit he was now in. He felt suffocated and speechless. His face had turned proverbially purple as he stood rooted to the spot.
At this moment, the medical staff walked out of the ward with the children in tow. One of the staff said to Zachary, “Sir, Mr. Nacht is expecting your presence.”
“Aye.” Zachary nodded, knelt down, and said to the children, “Go to the lounge for some snacks first and wait for Daddy, okay?”
“Aye, Daddy!”
The children nodded obediently and followed the medical staff to the lounge.
Zachary looked at Spencer meaningfully before turning and walking into the ward.
Spencer knew what those eyes meant. Feeling awkwardly embarrassed, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and followed behind.
“Cheeky rascal. At least you’ve lived up to my expectations!” Old Henry grumbled good-naturedly, still immersed in the joy of having gained three great-grandchildren. He was still grinning from ear to ear…
“All these years, I kept wondering if my overly strict ways had caused you to be bull-headed and oblivious to relationship matters. Hell, I’m impressed that you’re quite a capable man, after all, even giving me three adorable great-grandchildren. Heh!”
“As long as you’re glad,” Zachary smirked.
“Of course I’m glad. I’m beyond glad. But now it’s time for us to follow up with our next moves.”
Veering into this topic was exactly what Zachary had hoped for. Old Henry’s face turned into serious mode as he uttered, “After all, these are the true flesh and blood of our Nacht family we’re talking about here. I can’t possibly let them live outside, let alone bearing other surnames. Have you communicated with the mother of the children in any way? Change the names and surnames of the children perhaps?”
“Not really.”
Having grown up overseas, Zachary had not given this issue any proper thought, nor paid much attention to the surnames. He had initially thought that the names Robinson Windt, Jamison Windt, and Elisa Windt sounded pretty fine.
Therefore, he had not once raised up this issue with Charlotte at all.
“We’ll discuss this today. Tomorrow we’ll change their surnames.” Old Henry was obviously strict on this kind of matter and was already feeling impatient. “Also, what’s your plan to house the children’s mother?”
“Now, now, about this issue…”
“I’ll suggest to you this: just stuff a huge sum of money into her account so she can settle down comfortably in the future somewhere, preferably away from the children.”
Without giving Zachary a chance to speak, old Henry had laid down the law. “After all, she’s probably not from a prominent family. It’ll be impossible to marry her. But since she has borne us Nachts three lovely children, we can’t treat her bad…”
“Grandpa…” Zachary found an opportunity to interrupt old Henry. “Our family already has tons of money. Therefore we have no need to rely on marriage to increase our wealth. I don’t see a problem with marrying a mere commoner.”
Hearing these words, old Henry was a little surprised. “So you’re saying, you’re willing to marry the children’s mother?”
“Of course.” Feeling determined, Zachary confidently revealed, “In fact, I’ve already brought her home. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up before starting our preparation for our wedding.”
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Henry frowned as rage surged within him. “This is nonsense! What is in your mind? We have issued an official announcement on your marriage with Sharon. The date for the engagement ceremony is also finalized!” he bellowed at Zachary.
Zachary shrugged his shoulders and replied casually, “Nothing to worry. Just call it off. After all, it’s never my idea to hold the engagement ceremony.”
Henry almost burst a blood vessel. He lashed out at Zachary, “Have you gone nuts? Aren’t you aware of the current extreme circumstance? Lindberg Corporation has penetrated into the local market, and you’re now on bad terms with your aunt. If both Synder Group and Brown Groupjoin forces with Lindberg Corporation, the status of Nacht group would be
greatly shaken, don’t you understand?”
“Brown Group has already joined forces with Lindberg Corporation,” Zachary replied placidly.
“What? Are you sure? Is it confirmed?” Henry was stupefied.
Zachary nodded and said slowly, “It’s confirmed. Hector has a grudge against me all this while. Since he’s marrying Helena Brown soon, it’s a sure thing that the Browns will join forces with Lindberg Corporation and conquer Southcastle Shore.
Henry’s frown deepened into a scowl. “In that case, you mustn’t call off your wedding with Sharon. If not…”
Before Henry could finish his words, Zachary cut him off, “I’ve already called it off.”
“Mr. Zachary…” Spencer gasped and was not in time to stop Zachary. Initially, he was thinking of reminding Zachary not to tell Henry about that first. As Henry had just regained consciousness, he was worried that the breaking news would be a great blow to him.
“What do you mean?” Henry’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“I’ve already called it off this morning.” Zachary added with a sense of placidity in his tone, “As for the detail, I’m not planning to elaborate on that, in case you can’t take it…”
“You’re really an unfilial child! How could you do that without my consent?” Henry was exasperated and screamed at him.
On the instant, he grabbed the cup in front of him and smashed it onto Zachary.
Zachary moved aside swiftly and ducked the cup. Crack! In a split second, the cup shattered into pieces on the floor.
The subordinates outside the ward were taken aback by the loud noise.
Bruce and Ben gave each other a glance; they both had a grim look on their faces.
“Just a while ago, you were still complimenting me for being capable, yet you you’re yelling at me now,” Zachary mumbled in displeasure.
“You! You are a bloody fool!”
Feeling suffocated by the growing rage, Henry started panting and clutched his chest. Blood drained from his face.
Spencer rubbed his chest at once and tried to appease him. “Mr. Nacht, cool down. Don’t be angry. You can’t get so agitated as you’ve just regained consciousness.”
“Mr. Nacht, please take the oxygen!”
The medical staff attended to Henry immediately.
After a while, Henry’s breathing stabilized. However, his forehead was still creased into a frown.
To prevent Zachary from blurting out any inappropriate words and infuriated Henry again, Spencer reminded him warily, “Mr. Zachary, how about you bring young masters and little princess home first? I’ll update you on Mr. Nacht’s condition every day. You can pay him a visit again when his condition is more stable later.”
“Alright.” Zachary nodded and turned to look at Henry. “Grandpa, I’ll make a move first. You’ve a good rest. I’ll come and visit you again.”
“Where are you going! I want you to face the wall and reflect on what you have done!” Henry roared at him again.
Zachary heaved a silent sigh and turned to face the wall obediently. At that very moment, he looked exactly like a problematic student who was being punished.
He knew well about Henry’s temperament. Henry would never let him step out of the ward without a proper explanation.
The ward was in pin-drop silence for quite a while before Henry broke the silence. He glared at Zachary and snapped at him, “Turn and face me now!”
Zachary did as he was told and turned to face him.
“You better be frank with me. What’s your intention? You have started all sorts of intensive training since the year you turned six. Ever since then, you never let your guard down all these years. I’ve always reminded you to look before you leap, haven’t I? How can you be so inconsiderate and impetuous out of a sudden? Tell me, what’s actually playing in your mind now.”
“I can never marry a woman whom I don’t love. Moreover, this woman is manipulative, good at playing mind games and ruthless. If I marry such a troublemaker, my energy would surely be drained from trying to get matters resolved with her every day. Do you think I can still focus on my career advancement with all the disruptions? Grandpa, don’t you think that I’ve made a wise decision?”
Zachary tried to convince Henry by reasoning out with him. He was confident that Henry would accept the facts and give in to him.
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“I have never asked you to spend the rest of your life with Sharon…” Apart from frustration, there was weariness in Henry’s tone. “Just marry her first and hang on temporarily. After Nacht Group has survived this crucial moment and once the operation stabilizes, you have the freedom to divorce her at any time. I won’t stop you from doing that by then.”
“To me, marriage is supposed to be once in a lifetime affair, and it can’t be exploited as a stepping stone just for the sake of my career advancement. I would never give in to my marriage. It’s merely an act of cheating and is really unfair to my future spouse as well. Grandpa, I really hope you understand.”
Zachary responded sternly as his face darkened.
“My parents became the victims because of your so-called arrangement. Haven’t you learned a lesson from their misfortune?”
“You…” Henry was instantly infuriated, yet he could not refute him.
Spencer chimed in and said tactfully, “Mr. Nacht, we are unable to decide on everything for the younger generation. They have their own rights to make their own choice in whom they marry. Just let Mr. Zachary decide for himself.”
“You silly old bugger, what do you know? You’d better shut up!” Henry unleashed his anger onto Spencer.
“Mr. Nacht, allow me to point out something. Ms. Blackwood has been insidious and scheming all this while, yet she looked and acted as if she was innocent.
“If she is really married to Mr. Zachary, do you think she will treat your three beloved great grandchildren nicely? “If she tortures them secretly again without you and Mr. Zachary’s knowledge, the consequence can be worrying indeed…”
Even though Spencer had not really finished his words, he had managed to trigger Henry’s thoughts.
As expected, Henry’s expression changed as his mind sank into deep thought.
My three precious great-grandchildren are definitely a lot more important than Synder Group!
Henry finally gave in after pondering for quite a while. “Alright, since you’ve already called off the wedding, there’s nothing more I can say.”
“Grandpa, thanks for being understanding…” Zachary heaved a sigh of relief.
“The mother of the three kids seems to be quite a nice woman, although she comes from normal family background. I can see that the children are brought up well, it proves that she is a woman of virtue. At least, she’s still a lot better than Charlotte Windt,” said Henry analytically.
Upon hearing Henry’s words, Spencer stiffened.
“Actually, Charlotte is…”
“Mr. Zachary!” Spencer immediately cut him off and winked at him. “The three kids are still waiting outside for you. How about you go back with them first? When Mr. Nacht’s condition…”
“You silly old bugger, what are you doing?” Henry glared at Spencer and pushed him. “Why do you keep interrupting when I’m talking to my grandson?”
“Mr. Nacht, I’m just concerned with your health condition. I’m afraid you can’t take another blow. What if your blood pressure shoots up again…” Spencer said nervously.
“You’re ridiculous! What kind of blow will there be now? It can’t be that the problem is regarding the kids’ mother this round…”
Henry stopped abruptly as if he had just realized something…
“Wait a minute, the three kids have the same family name as Charlotte, could it be…”
Henry raised his head instantly and stared at Zachary in bewilderment.
“Grandpa, you got it right!” Zachary smiled and nodded.
Spencer covered his forehead helplessly and did not dare to look at Mr. Nacht. Poor Mr. Nacht! Mr. Zachary is really a devil in disguise! How many blows has he given Mr. Nacht today?
Henry was at a loss for words.
He was dumbfounded and it took him a long time before he came to his senses again.
He recalled that whenever he used to visit the kids previously, he had never met their mother. Even when he bumped into them at the main entrance of the residential estate, there was no sign of their mother as well.
Spencer had reminded him numerous times that there was something amiss, yet he did not think further as he really liked the three kids…
Henry asked again for confirmation, “Do you mean to say that the three kids’ mother is Charlotte Windt?”
He enunciated her names, fearful of making any mistakes again.
“That’s right. She’s the one.” Zachary nodded again. “She was actually pregnant with my child four years ago, yet I only get to know about it recently…”
Henry was overwhelmed again and his hands started shaking.
The next moment, he slumped onto the bed; his blood pressure shot up in an instant.
“Mr. Nacht, cool down, cool down… Doctor! Doctor!” Spencer stuttered and dashed out of the ward to look for a doctor.
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Zachary was shocked at the sight of Henry’s rising blood pressure as well. He too darted out of the ward at once to look for doctor.
The doctor reached the ward within seconds and requested Zachary to wait outside as he attended to Henry immediately.
“But I haven’t finished my words…” Zachary tried to protest.
“What more do you want to say now? Do you want your Grandpa to have a heart attack?” Spencer stomped apprehensively.
“Just leave first, you troublemaker!”
Spencer urged Zachary to leave as he pushed him out of the ward.
The moment Ellie spotted Zachary’s figure, she ran excitedly toward him, holding an ice cream in her hands. “Daddy, my ice cream is really yummy! Do you want to have a try?”
She was stunned and froze in her steps when she saw how Spencer pushed him out of the ward.
“Daddy, what happened to Great-grandpa?”
Robbie who happened to see Zachary being pushed out of the ward was also puzzled.
“Great-grandpa is pissed off with me because I don’t allow him to eat ice cream,” Zachary replied jokingly and took over the ice cream from her. “Thanks, Ellie. You’re so sweet!” he planted a kiss on her chubby face lovingly.
“Why don’t you let him eat ice cream? He’s really pitiful,” Ellie tilted her head and asked innocently.
“He can’t eat ice-cream because he’s not feeling well. Let’s go home now.” Zachary stroked her head gently and lifted her up in his arms.
“Hurray! I can’t wait to go home!” Ellie’s eyes lit up and applauded jubilantly.
“Why is Great-grandpa behaving like a child? It’s really funny. He’s angry just because Daddy didn’t allow him to eat ice-cream?” Jamie commented quizzically.
He was savoring every mouthful of his ice-cream as he walked slowly.
“Old folks tend to behave like kids. I bet Great-grandpa likes our snacks too. So, next time we must count him in whenever Daddy buys us snacks.” Robbie analyzed and commented seriously.
“Alright. We’ll share with him next round…” Both Jamie and Ellie nodded in acknowledgement.
Spencer was finally relieved after Zachary left with the three kids. He returned to the ward in a hurry again.
He was thankful that the doctor attended to Henry at once and his blood pressure was back to normal again.
Looks like Mr. Zachary deliberately blurts out everything to Mr. Nacht in one go so he has no chance to reject but to give in…
Spencer could not help but let out a deep sigh as he really pitied Henry. If Mr. Zachary were my grandson, I would surely have a heart attack!
After quite a while, doctors who attended to Henry were relieved that his condition was under control again. However, they insisted on putting Henry under observation closely for another day before he could be transferred to the normal ward.
A few of them were on standby in the room next to Henry’s ward in case there was any emergencies again.
Spencer helped to wipe off Henry’s sweat from his forehead and pacified him tactfully, “Mr. Nacht, don’t be angry again. If not, your blood pressure will shoot up again. Your health condition is the top priority now. Don’t worry so much for Mr. Zachary…”
“You silly old bugger. You knew about that long ago, didn’t you? How dare you keep mum about it all this while!” Henry glared at him.
Intimidated by Henry’s fiery eyes, Spencer lowered his head and explained softly, “I only knew about it when you’re still unconscious. Even if I told you that time, you couldn’t hear it as well…”
“What had exactly happened? Tell me everything.” Henry urged Spencer desperately.
“Mr. Nacht, You missed the three kids a lot when you were first hospitalized previously. That was why I brought them here to pay you a visit. We later found out that their mother was abducted on that day, and the kids asked for my help to save her. When I assigned our people to have an investigation, I discovered that Mr. Zachary had already taken action earlier.
“He told me that it’s risky for the kids to go home, and asked me to bring them back to your villa for a temporary stay. I just followed as instructed by him. “Even though the kids were well taken care of in your villa, they missed their mother a lot and cried every day.
“Later, Robbie requested to see Mr. Zachary. I wondered why, yet still arranged to let him meet Mr. Zachary. Unexpectedly, both of them had a long conversation in the study for more than half an hour. Apparently, Mr. Zachary really liked Robbie. He even sent him off by himself when it’s time for us to leave.
“I thought Robbie must have caught Mr Zachary’s eye because he’s smart and considerate. On the way home, Robbie started to have stomachache, and there were rashes all over his body.
“Without hesitation, I rushed him to the hospital. At the same time, something suddenly crossed my mind. I called Mr. Zachary to ask him if he had given Robbie any drinks earlier, and Mr. Zachary replied that Robbie had a glass of kiwi juice…”
“Spencer paused a while and continued, “Something apparently came into Mr. Zachary’s mind at once as well, yet he was hiding it from me. Later, he secretly instructed Raina to do a DNA test for him and Robbie…”