Chapter 59

Not long after, Zachary returned to Donovan’s villa in his car. As he hurried into the living room, he immediately noticed that Giselle was nowhere to be seen. Anxiously, he asked, “Uncle Don, where’s Ms. Holt? I don’t see her.”

Donovan stared at him in silence, feeling a complicated mix of emotions. Watching Zachary so hopelessly obsessed with Giselle made his mood even darker. Without a word, he lit another cigarette.

“I told her to leave,” Donovan finally said.

“You didn’t say anything harsh to her, did you?” Zachary asked.

Donovan didn’t answer directly. His voice turned cold. “Don’t mention her in front of me.”

An aching feeling crept into Zachary’s chest, and he instinctively reached for his phone, wanting to call Giselle immediately. But instead, he forced himself to ask, "By the way, what’s this important thing you wanted to talk to me about?”

“You’re going back to Usna tomorrow,” Donovan said flatly. “You’re about to graduate, so you’ll train at the branch office there for a few years. Become familiar with the market, and I’ll assign someone to guide you. After a year, you’ll be on your own.”

Zachary’s heart dropped. He had always been obedient, focusing on his career since he was young. His plan had been clear: he intended to work at the company headquarters after graduation. But now Donovan wanted to ship him off to the branch in Usna. Zachary couldn’t accept that.

“Stop it, Uncle Don. I want to come home for good. I’m tired of flying between countries. Get someone else to handle the branch!”

Donovan closed his eyes and spoke in a stern, domineering tone. “My decision is final. You don’t have the right to refuse.”

“Enough!” Zachary finally lost his patience and shouted. “Don’t forget that my father is still alive. You have no right to decide for him! You may be my uncle, but you’re more like an older brother to me. I thought you’d understand me better than anyone in this family, but you’re even more unreasonable than my mother!"

Donovan clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the anger boiling inside him. Then, in a calmer voice, he said, “There are things I don’t want to explain. But know this – I’m not doing this to hurt you.”

“Do whatever you want. I’m not going anywhere,” Zachary said firmly. “I just introduced my girlfriend to you today because I wanted you to know how serious things are."

“If she were just anyone else, I’d be tired of her by now. But she’s different. I want something real with her, something serious…”

“Enough!” Donovan barked, frustration breaking through.

But Zachary, acting like a stubborn child, pressed on emotionally, “Uncle Don, I don’t understand why you dislike Giselle so much. Sure, she can be wild and playful sometimes, but she has a proper job. And if she has family problems, that’s the Holts' fault, not hers. You have no idea how pitiful she really is.”

Listening to Zachary’s naive words, Donovan felt suffocated, especially when he thought of his own messy, complicated relationship with Giselle. He never imagined things would become so tangled and unbearable. But the one thing he knew was that he couldn’t let his relationship with Zachary be ruined because of a woman.

“You’re going to Usna. That’s final. No room for discussion,” Donovan’s tone was firm and absolute. He didn’t want to explain further. All he wanted was to send Zachary as far away as possible.

He knew Giselle’s threats weren’t empty. She was clever, cunning. And if she wanted to use Zachary, it wouldn’t take much to hurt him deeply.