Chapter 94: Phony Public Relations Campaigns

Nathaniel’s biggest pet peeve was phony public relations campaigns. Instinctively, he wanted to refuse, but he said, “All right.”

“I’ll go get ready first,” Cecilia said, turning to leave.

Before she reached the door, Nathaniel’s deep, slightly raspy voice stopped her. “If you’re going to be around children, I think you should consider dressing more appropriately.”

Cecilia was startled. She looked down and realized two buttons on her blouse had come undone. The weather was sweltering; she had loosened it in the office and forgotten to refasten it. Hurriedly, she dashed to the restroom.

Emerging, her face flushed crimson, she lowered her gaze and collided with someone. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

Looking up, she saw Zachary’s handsome face. Instinctively, she shivered and stepped back. Over the past few days at Orion Corporation, she’d often seen him, usually managing to avoid him. Today, however, she’d bumped right into him. She was acutely nervous, anticipating his humiliation of her.

Zachary observed her, a lump forming in his throat. Fearing he might frighten her, he remained silent, heading straight for Nathaniel’s office. Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief. Zachary was the type to scrutinize every detail and never forget a slight. She’d already angered him by attending Vivian’s blind date in her place. He hadn’t confronted her at the bar, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t later. At times, he was even more intimidating than Nathaniel.

Nathaniel never laid a hand on women; at most, he showed cold indifference. Zachary, however, held back nothing. Cecilia remembered an incident where she’d accidentally bumped into him; a month later, she’d been abandoned on the outskirts of town. The memory filled her with dread.

Meanwhile, Zachary pushed open Nathaniel’s office door without hesitation. “Nathaniel, I heard from Mason you’re recruiting an acting CEO?” he asked directly.

Nathaniel frowned, his voice hoarse. “From now on, knock before entering.”

Zachary was surprised; he’d never had to knock before. However, Nathaniel seemed in a bad mood, so he simply agreed, “All right.”

Their relationship was considered brotherly by outsiders, yet he couldn’t understand Nathaniel’s decision. “Can you really be at ease handing over the acting CEO position? Everyone else in the Rainsworth family covets it.” In the past, Nathaniel might have hesitated, but…

Nathaniel scoffed. “Who among them would dare?”

Seeing Nathaniel’s confidence, Zachary remembered something: Orion Corporation and the Rainsworth Group were entirely under Nathaniel’s control. Aside from a certain someone, no one would dare challenge him. That person, however, wouldn't compete.

Zachary comfortably settled onto the couch, leaning back. “No one dares challenge for this position. Oh, by the way, I ran into Cecilia—the deaf girl—earlier. What was she doing here?”

He didn’t want Nathaniel to notice his changed attitude toward Cecilia; he wouldn't mention she’d saved him. Secretly, he wished Nathaniel would remain distant from her, though he didn't understand why. Nathaniel had always noticed Zachary’s attention to Cecilia, an attention that seemed to be more than simple distaste. Years later, Nathaniel would realize this attention stemmed from affection, not disdain. It was a way to get Cecilia's attention! At that moment, Zachary reminded him of a lovesick boy—the more he liked someone, the more he teased them.

“She asked me to accompany her to visit the children we sponsor,” Nathaniel said.

Zachary knew how much Nathaniel disliked such events. “Let me go in your place,” he offered immediately.