###Chapter 35: So He Remembered
He waited for the debt collectors to enter the office the director had lent them, then immediately walked over to the stairwell to call Zachary Hawthorne.
Once the call connected, he said in a low voice, "Miss Wainwright seems to have a card. I imagine it must be from Adrian Pemberton, but for some reason, she’s never used it."
Zachary Hawthorne snorted coldly. "She was planning to use it this time?"
"I suspect so, which is why I offered to resolve the debt for her." Silas Sinclair was, after all, his man; he had to report every move Nina Wainwright made to Zachary Hawthorne.
"Did you bring the contract? Have her sign it." Zachary Hawthorne paused, then added, "If she doesn’t sign, don’t force her."
After hanging up, Silas Sinclair returned to the office. Seeing that Nina Wainwright had already come inside, he cleared his throat, walked to a nearby seat, and sat down. He took the contract from his briefcase and pushed it toward her. "Miss Wainwright, please look over the contract. I’ll negotiate with them."
Nina Wainwright knew Zachary Hawthorne wouldn’t help her for nothing...
She opened the contract and saw the clause restricting her from finding a job.
Although she had prepared herself for the fact that Zachary Hawthorne would use this incident to force her to stay at Avelon Residence, her heart still sank the moment she saw it in the contract.
Silas Sinclair saw the bleak expression on her face and was about to say she didn’t have to sign, but she had already taken the pen and written her name.
’I had already planned on compromising.’
’At this point, there was no need to make any more demands.’
Silas Sinclair took the contract and said to the other debt collectors, "Give me your account information. As for these loan agreements, if you have copies, give me the ones you have on hand. I’ll sort everything out within two hours, and the money will be in your accounts."
The group borrowed paper and pens, left their bank account numbers, and then scattered.
Silas Sinclair collected the agreements, glanced at Nina Wainwright, and said, "Miss Wainwright, I’ll handle everything here at the hospital. If you’re not feeling well, you should go home and rest."
Nina Wainwright pushed herself up using the table. "I need to go check on my parents first. As for the debt, I’ll leave it in your hands. Thank you."
Silas Sinclair acknowledged with a hum and escorted her to the door.
He didn’t quite understand why Nina Wainwright was so dead set on working. If she had just compromised earlier and known when to quit while she was ahead, her father wouldn’t have been beaten up.
Nina Wainwright left the office and walked toward the emergency room. She found the doors open and asked Adrian Pemberton, only to learn that her father had already been moved to the intensive care unit.
𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
After making her way to the ICU, she didn’t go in, standing by the door instead.
A moment later, Adrian Pemberton emerged with Mrs. Wainwright.
Upon seeing her, Mrs. Wainwright asked in a hoarse voice, "Is the debt settled?"
"It’s settled. Zachary Hawthorne’s assistant will handle everything at the hospital, so you don’t need to worry. Go home and get some rest today. Tidy up the house tomorrow... I won’t be coming back for a while. If you need money, just tell me." Nina Wainwright took her mother’s hand, her voice gentle. "I’m sorry. It’s my fault for being so useless and not solving this sooner. I’ve made you both suffer."
"Nina, are things really so bad between you and Zachary Hawthorne that he won’t give you money?" Mrs. Wainwright couldn’t help but ask.
Nina Wainwright looked her in the eye. "Mother, are you concerned about my marriage, or are you worried that the Wainwright Family will have no one to depend on?"
Mrs. Wainwright’s gaze flickered, but she quickly replied, "Of course I’m worried about your happiness, dear."
Nina knew her mother’s true answer. Even though she’d been prepared for it... her chest still felt tight.
"Alright, I’ll be going then." Nina Wainwright let go of her mother’s hand.
Adrian Pemberton felt even worse than Nina. He couldn’t stop himself from stepping forward to block her path. "Do you have to leave so soon? Your father’s condition is quite serious. Why don’t you stay at the hospital until you know he’s out of danger?"
Nina knew that now that Zachary Hawthorne had paid the money and solved the problem, he wouldn’t allow her to delay any longer.
"It’s fine. Zachary Hawthorne’s people are here. You can trust them to get things done." A corner of Nina Wainwright’s mouth lifted into a resigned smile.
Adrian Pemberton was unwilling to let her go. Taking two slow steps back, he said softly, "Are you really going to compromise and let him control every aspect of your life forever? You’re so talented at dancing. Diana Aldridge thinks very highly of you. She even told me that the day you break free from your shackles, she’ll recommend you to a dance company so you can shine in the world of dance, so you can become the most dazzling white swan on stage."
Nina Wainwright was deeply moved.
But then she thought of how powerless they all were against Zachary Hawthorne, time and time again, and she knew that—at least for now—she couldn’t become the swan on the stage.
"That day will come," Nina Wainwright said, unable to bear crushing Adrian Pemberton’s hope. Then, she walked around him.
As she looked up, she saw Zachary Hawthorne standing not far away.
Zachary Hawthorne’s eyes held a mocking smile. As she approached, he shot a cold glance at Adrian Pemberton before finally saying, "Nina, come home and have lunch with me."
Nina Wainwright murmured her assent.
He naturally took Nina Wainwright’s hand, and they walked out of the hospital.
The moment they were in the car, the smile vanished from his face. He turned and grabbed her chin, his gaze sharp. "So reluctant to part? What, are you disappointed that Silas Sinclair got there first, that you couldn’t use his money to pay your debt and now have no choice but to return to my side?!"
"Zachary Hawthorne, I never planned to use his money!" Nina Wainwright said, frowning.
"You didn’t dare use it, or you never planned to? If you really never planned to, why would you carry the card he gave you for so long?" Zachary Hawthorne thought Nina ought to be grateful that Silas Sinclair had shown up in time, preventing her from being foolish enough to use her childhood sweetheart’s money to solve her family’s debt.
Otherwise, Adrian Pemberton would never have appeared before her again for the rest of his life.
His words hit a nerve, and Nina Wainwright bit her lip. "Zachary Hawthorne, I don’t want to fight with you."
She knew that once she took his money to solve her family’s problems, she would forever be indebted and inferior in his presence.
Nina Wainwright wasn’t the type of person to accept a favor and then not know her place.
Seeing her lower her eyes in silence, Zachary Hawthorne moved closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. He caressed her chin, a smile playing on his lips. "I don’t want to fight with you, either. I’m doing all this because I want you back by my side."
In his tenderness, however, Nina Wainwright could no longer seem to find the love he’d had for her at the very beginning.
Ever since Luna Sterling had returned, she felt she could no longer understand anything about this man.
"Zachary Hawthorne, do you hate the idea of me working that much? Even if it’s to pursue my own dream?" Nina Wainwright truly wanted to fight for the dream she’d had since she was a little girl.
After loving him for three years, she had been defeated so utterly that she had nothing left. Now, even pursuing her dream had become a luxury.
"Nina," Zachary Hawthorne said, his voice unhurried as he stroked her soft lips, "when we got married three years ago, I asked you. You chose me. And when I say something, I mean it."
Nina Wainwright knew exactly what he meant.
’She had said it herself; she couldn’t go back on her word now.’
Nina had thought he’d long forgotten. It turned out he remembered every single thing that put her at a disadvantage.*****