She allowed it. Her skin felt cold.
“I ask for your forgiveness.”
Zelica just looked at him, waiting.
“I know I was very wrong,” Quacy continued. His eyes got misty. His performance was perfect. “Aniya, she is just a toy. I was pressured. Zel, business is hard. And you—you were busy with your mother. I felt lonely.”
“So it was my fault? Was it my fault?” Zelica asked. Her voice was calm.
“No, no, it was my fault,” he rushed to correct himself. “I was blind. I didn’t see the diamond I had until I saw you in the meeting room the other day. I realized.”
“Realized what?”
“How fantastic you are. We can be the best team, Zel. We can start over.”
He leaned in.
“I’ve already left Aniya. She’s already out of the apartment.”
It was a lie. Aniya was shopping with his credit card at that very moment.
“We will dominate Atlanta,” he whispered. “You with your land, me with my expertise. Forget Seek. You don’t need him. You only need me.”
Zelica withdrew her hand slowly.
“Your seduction is good, Quacy. Better than your business presentation,” she said coldly.
He was surprised.
“Maybe you’re right,” Zelica continued, as if thinking.
Hope lit up again in his eyes.
“We really have to fix this,” she said, “but I can’t mix personal and business.”
“Sure, sure. Let’s finish the business matter first,” he agreed.
“I’ve already seen the result of your audit,” Zelica said.
“And?” he asked anxiously.
“We need to talk seriously. Tomorrow in my office at 10:00 a.m. Bring your lawyer if necessary. Once that is over, then we can talk about us.”
She stood up, leaving him with a bottle of expensive wine and a sly smile, thinking he had just won.
At 10:00 a.m. the next morning, in the meeting room of the mansion, Quacy arrived alone, without a lawyer. He brought another bouquet of roses. He was very confident. He thought this meeting was just a formality before he and Zelica reconciled.
He entered the room. The atmosphere was far from romantic.
Zelica was already seated in the head chair. Seek was standing beside her. On the long mahogany table, there were no coffee cups, but stacks of thick legal documents.
“Zel, babe,” Quacy greeted, trying to break the ice with the flowers.
“Sit down, Quacy,” Zelica said, her voice cutting.
