?Chapter 317:


    Ten minutester, Lnd returned, his expression uncertain because Kian hadn’t answered his call.


    As he approached Zach, he noticed that her <length shirt had slipped down slightly, exposing her soft skill.


    The sight momentarily distracted him. He figured Kian was done with Z by now.


    Besides, Z had seduced him this time.


    Taking a few steps closer, he made up his mind.


    "Miss Murray, have you decided?" Lnd inquired as he took a seat. "Are you really sure about this project?"


    Z, resting her chin on her hands, gave him a captivating look. "Absolutely, Mr Walsh. I''m all in. I''d like to sign the contract today?


    Lnd was drawn to her beaming smile and ced his hand on her shoulder.


    His fingers, thick and rough, pressed down a little too hard.


    Z was slightly ufortable.


    When his hand started to move under her shirt, Z quickly stopped it,


    "Mr Walsh, just to be clear. Are you giving me this project or not?" she asked.


    "What are you going to give me in return?" Lnd said, squeezing her shoulder.


    Z''s expression darkened for a moment before she regained herposure, "I''m interested in this project because Apex Group is fully capable, MIL Walsh, I hope you''ll choose us based on our capabilities."


    Lnd said, "I like you. [If you impress me, why shouldn''t L give you the project? Do you really want to waste more time discussing this?"


    He looked around and noticed that they were alone, even the waiters were not here. Let us not y games. You knew what this meeting meant.


    I need a clear answer, ME Walsh_ Are you suggesting I need to sleep with you to secure this project& Z asked bluntly.


    The room was secluded, the lights dimmed. Therge dining room rug was designed to muffle the sounds and make their conversation private.


    Lnd did not hesitate. With a yin, he confé;sed, "Yes, if you''re ready, then there"s no reason to dy!"


    Impatiently, he reached out and tugged at Z''s shirt.


    Her ck bra had been partially removed by him, Z hadn''t expected his brashness. With a shocked gasp, she found herself being dragged to the floor by him.


    The next second, Lnd was picking her up from behind and throwing her on the table, pulling up her dress to reveal her thighs,


    "Let me go! Don''t touch me, you bastard!" Z cried out, panic gripping her as she struggled, she could feel the heat from Lnd''s body now, he had already removed his trousers.


    She had nned to escape while he was undressing, but everything had happened faster than she had expected.


    "Stop pretending!" Lnd pped her back and dered, "Wasn''t that what we agreed? Don''t act like I''m forcing you.


    "Let me go, Lnd – you''ll regret it if youy a finger on me! Bryan won''t let this go, and neither will Kian!- Overwhelmed with fear, Z began to sob, Lnd forcing her head down and pinning her.


    Losing all restraint, Lnd was indifferent to the consequences of his actions.


    Suddenly, a sharp pain made Z scream, "Record everything! I can take you to court! I''ve recorded every single thing you''ve done to me!"


    Shocked, Lnd quickly pulled on his trousers, his eyes darting around in panic.


    Seizing the moment, Z straightened her dress, grabbed her bag and left,


    At that moment, Lnd''s only concern was that his false identity would be revealed and he would be in serious trouble.


    His mind was overwhelmed and he made no attempt to stop Z.


    As she reached her car, I felt a strange sensation in her body, but she told herself she had not been vited, shaking her head repeatedly to reassure herself that she was untainted.


    When she got home, she had a shower before watching the video from beginning to end,


    This being her first attempt, she hadn''t quite mastered the camera angles.


    Much to her dismay, Lnd''s face was cut out of the frame throughout.


    Fortunately, her face was also missing. The words exchanged between them were revealing enough to hint at their identities.


    In Lnd''s case, he was indifferent to his tarnished reputation. Z was determined to expose him to the senior management and shareholders of the Walsh Group.


    The issue went beyond Lnd; it was about thepany''s reputation and its impact on the stock market. 7014 was confident that the Walsh Group shareholders would intervene.


    This would be their chance to secure the project.


    She edited the video to show Lnd forcing her to do a sexual favour in return for the project.


    She portrayed herself as initially refusing, with Lnd then attempting to assault her, from which she managed to escape.


    Z uploaded the edited video anonymously to the Walsh Group''s internal website, which caused quite a stir.


    The media quickly caught wind of the turmoil within the Walsh Group, reporting on the sudden convening of design shareholders.


    Z watched the news with a sense of aplishment.


    Coincidentally, Brandon and Lydia came to her to inquire about the Walsh Group''s project.


    Z dered confidently, "Don''t worry. I''m absolutely sure we''ll get the project."


    "Really?" Brandon was skeptical. "I heard that the Ferguson Group is in talks with the Walsh Group about the project."


    "Manypanies may have conversations with the Walsh Group, but only the one who secures the project truly wins," Z replied. She offered aforting smile to Brandon. "Don''t worry."


    This prompted Brandon to ask, "What about Bryan? Is he still overseas? Did he actually go there to see Eileen?"


    At the mention of Bryan and Eileen, Z''s hands balled into fists. "Let''s put the matter about him and Eileen behind us. The Apex Group is in your hands now. Isn''t this what we''ve been striving for?"


    Lydia shook her head. "The matter is not as simple as it seems. I think we should keep an eye on it. Have someone look into why he went abroad."


    Z nodded. "Okay."


    The Walsh Group was in disarray. The real Lnd seethed with anger upon viewing the video.


    Though furious, Lnd found it hard to defend himself.


    The man in the video bore a physique simr to his, making any denial difficult.


    "From start to finish, nobody from Apex Group reached out to me. It''s all lies!" Lnd eximed in anger.


    The shareholders weren''t convinced and demanded an exnation. Ultimately, Lnd had to corroborate his alibi with the timestamp from the video.


    "The absence of Mr. Dawson has really knocked the wind out of Apex Group''s sails," one shareholder remarked. "Ferguson Group has been poaching their projects left and right. Rumor has it that a woman has taken the helm of Apex Group."


    "And what could a woman possibly achieve? She''s been concocting this malicious scheme to target the Walsh Group. This was a step too far!"


    The room bristled with outrage, and some shareholders were even tempted to chastise Z directly.


    Lnd was a force to be reckoned with—a man marred by a checkered past.


    After pondering his next move, he decided to retaliate. Instead of reaching out to Z directly, he orchestrated a scenario where Walsh Group''s senior executives leaked the matter.


    The story, a mix of truth and fabrication, quickly circted within the business world.


    Meanwhile, Z assumed the trouble at Walsh Group stemmed from their own inability to keep their team aligned, and she patiently awaited Lnd to reach out to her. However, she was unprepared for his prolonged silence, whichsted almost a month.


    What followed was not an olive branch from Lnd, but a legal salvo. He had filed awsuit against Apex Group, using Z of spreading damaging rumors that tarnished both his reputation and that of Walsh Group.


    As a result, Apex Group found itself besieged by public scorn.


    Confronted with the evidence Lnd presented, which proved they had never met that night, Z was in a panic.


    Julio ryed this news to Eileen, adding, "Now, everyone''s on the hunt for Bryan. The senior executives and shareholders are relying on him to navigate this crisis, yet his location remains a mystery."


    Bryan''s whereabouts were not public knowledge.


    Only a select few were aware that Bryan had traveled overseas, but he had been away for quite some time.


    A month ago, Eileen had given birth and was now preparing to return to the country with Gabri.


    She understood exactly what Bryan was waiting for.


    The noon sunlight was perfect, filling the spacious living room. Eileen reclined on the sofa, her long hair cascading down, gazing at her peacefully sleeping baby.


    Cradling the baby''s tiny hand, she pondered over Bryan''sst message:


    "I really want to see you."


    He hadn''t added anything more but persisted in his inquiries.


    She hadn''t replied for a month, and he had stayed put. Clearly, he had resolved not to depart until he could see her.


    Phoebe and Jacob were aware that Bryan''s trip overseas was to see Eileen.


    They understood Bryan hadn''t returned for so long because he hadn''t seen Eileen, leading them to spend time on video calls with Eileen, trying to persuade her.


    "You''ve had the baby. It''s time you met him!" Jacob said, scratching his ear anxiously. "He''s the father of the child! How could you keep this from him? That''s just cruel!"


    "Ouch—"


    Hisint was cut short as Phoebe grabbed him by the hair and pulled him away.


    "Eileen, don''t listen to Jacob," Phoebe said. "I get why you''d want to cut ties with Bryan, but given how stubborn he''s being, some things need to be discussed face-to-face. Don''t you think?"


    Indeed, there were matters that required a face-to-face meeting.


    Meanwhile, Jacob''s voice echoed on the other end, "Eileen, I''m not taking his side. I''m on your side. I''m just worried."


    Eileen found it hard to believe Jacob.


    If Phoebe hadn''t intervened, Jacob would have spilled the beans to Bryan about the baby.


    Clearly, he wasn''t on her side; he was just afraid of Phoebe.


    With a forced smile, Eileen replied, "Thank you."


    "Then, will you see him?" Jacob edged closer again. "If you refuse to meet him, I''ll set him up with another woman when he returns!"


    "Really?" Phoebe shot back. "Well, I''ve got a whole list of men ready for Eileen!"


    The two were on the brink of a quarrel. Almost every video call they made ended in an argument.


    Finally, Eileen dered, "I''ll see him." Then, she ended the video call.


    She was indeed going to see him.


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