Chapter 9

After lunch, the two of them walked out of the Meyer Family's mansion.Anika drew Zac into the car and
locked the door under the watchful eyes of her grandfather and Oliver Only then did he relax.

Anika was about to ask as she was leaving the villa area when she turned around and saw that the
man had already shifted his seat.

He was half-asleep, his cuff links were loose and unfastened.

The light pierced through the curtain and hit the straight bridge of his nose, creating a three-
dimensional handsome silhouette.

As though he'd gone asleep, his entire body relaxed, his eyelids closed, and his breathing slowed.

She quickly saw his brows and eyes were drooping from exhaustion.

He had been in a good mood in the old home just now, but it turned out that he was doing everything
he could to keep awake.

‘That's right, the wedding yesterday was hectic.

She had to sleep all night to compensate for her exhaustion’ The man had rushed back to the company
last night, and Zac's body was unable to hold on.

As a result, Anika swallowed her remarks and decided that the trip back to the apartment was not far
away, so she sat down to rest as well.

Unexpectedly, when she woke up, her surroundings were completely foreign.

She was still a little perplexed as she opened her eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked.



"The parking lot of Cooper Building"

The driver was nowhere to be seen.The man sat next her, calmly.

When he noticed she had awoken, he opened the door and got out of the car.

Anika rubbed her eyes and followed him.After a few meters, she asked him, "Why is Oliver here?"

Zac turned his head and gazed at her rare drowsy and delicate appearance.

Then, he curled his lips and asked with a smile, "Didn't you have something to ask? Let's go."

Then, he left her with a back view.

Anika quickly remembered what he said at the old house, so she paused for a moment before she took
the private elevator with him to the top floor of the CEO's office.

Mr.Hill formed Ambrose Real Estate, which was Oliver's predecessor.

Ambrose went bankrupt five years ago, and Mr.Hill was imprisoned.

Zac had grown from an arrogant and angsty teen to a penniless student who couldn't even afford his
tuition fees.

Not long after Anika left the country, she learned that something had happened to the Hill Clan.

Her state of mind was indescribably stormy.

Zac exploited her to give him supplementary lessons throughout his senior year of high school.

Anika had always felt that school was incredibly essential because of her orphanage experience.

She had always encouraged the orphans to attend school, even after returning to the Meyer family.



Finally, she didn't want Zac to drop out of university and ask someone in secret to assist him pay his
tuition expenses.

However, the other party assumed that it was her.

He not only returned the money, but she also sent some hurtful words.

Anika was upset that Zac didn't know what was best for him.

Fortunately, he continued studying.

After a year of suspension, he finally graduated.

By the time she decided to return home, he'd already reverted to his former glory, not allowing her to
notice any signs of discomfort.

Apart from his initial real estate firm, Oliver has expanded a number of investments both domestically
and internationally, covered finance, science, and technology, and has gradually begun to merge with
industry.

Zac acted decisively, and he had a bit of a penny-pinching aura, so that no one wanted to compete with
him.

There were no other staff on the top floor.

Apart from the office area and lounge, there was also a billiard table, an audio-visual room, and an
indoor golf course.

It was more like a frighteningly large apartment than an office.

Anika couldn't help but admire the ruin of her capital as she looked around.



This person was worthy of never making a mistake.

Zac's posture was relaxed as he sat down behind a large desk.

When he poured himself some water, he kindly poured her a cup as well.

"Speak, what do you want to ask?"

he murmured softly as he gave it over.

"Why did you cooperate with Mrs.Stevens?"

Anika clenched her lower lips and asked, greeting the other party's stare.

"What do you think?"

He looked at her eyes carelessly and tapped the table with his slender knuckles, his tone neither salty
nor light.

Anika couldn't help but frown when he saw his careless attitude, "How would I know?"

"Are you sure you're not guessing?"

"You should be a little more patient, Nika.I don't like Oliver since I have a deep attraction to you”

His brows were deep, but his voice was somewhat lazy when he said this.She leaned back slightly and
slowly stroked her fingers beside the cup, her posture unrestrained.

‘‘Zac is now showing signs of patience, he even took the time to joke with me’’

Anika couldn't help but laugh, but she didn't let it bother her.

Rather, she stated, "Then allow me to ask you another question.What exactly do you want me to do?"



Zac's gaze was filled with curiosity.He paused for a moment before raising his eyebrows slightly.He
then pulled his sight away from her and assumed a negotiation position.

"Oliver was awarded the North City Project, but onlookers are unaware that this is because
Mrs.Stevens lacked the financial means to continue this on her own.You don't want Oliver to be
cheated out of your hard-won project, so you chose to work with me, but—"

"I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to end up inside the Stevens clan if Oliver refuses to let go of you."

His voice was calm and unhurried, as he listed all of the difficulties she had to deal with.

Then he paused and raised his eyebrows to look at her-- "Anika, you don't want to give up the family
business just because Oliver is in charge, do you?"

Zac’s gaze was compelling, as if he could see right through her.She took a deep breath and asked, "So
what?"

"First, have a look at this contract.You can consult with a lawyer if you believe the terms are
incorrect.Zac slowly took out a document from the safe and pushed it in front of her.Seeing that he
finally revealed his purpose, Anika took the document and opened it.It was a special marriage
agreement.”

She frowned and looked up at him after reading a few lines, "Do you still want a certificate?" she asked.

Other sections of the contract are standard, such as the requirement for both parties to keep the
existence of an agreement secret during the marriage and not to intentionally act out of line in order to
impact stock price volatility.

However, the only thing that made Anika somewhat hesitant was that both parties had to obtain a
marriage certificate, because she never considered that this short union would require an actual



marriage certificate.

Even she and Kayden didn't officially receive their certificates because of the strict requirements of
Mrs.Jenkins on the prenuptial agreement.

When Zac saw her like this, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Many people are aware that I married
you.This condition is capable of effectively safeguarding my lawful rights and interests."

"What legitimate rights and interests?"

"Please, this is a fake marriage.As long as the property is clearly divided before marriage, what other
legal rights do they have?" Anika added.

Zac fixed his eyes on Anika.

"For example, if you cheated on me with another man.I will surely get a lot of compensation from you
for the settlement"

Anika choked a little and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I won't"

Even if it was a fake marriage, she was the one who came up with this deal.Zac had already helped her
hide it from her grandfather, so she would not do anything to humiliate Zac.

When Zac heard this, he smiled softly and his face appeared to be filled with disbelief "You don't have
any evidence to back up your claims.To walk on it, all you need is a certificate.That's true."

Anika almost snapped with rage when he openly questioned her.

"Aren't you afraid that you'll cheat on me first, and that when you get divorced, I'll divide up most of
your property?" she finally blurted out.

Zac was not annoyed.



He just sat there quietly and disinterestedly staring at her.

The thought in his eyes seemed to be, ‘What kind of woman is worthy of cheating on me with such an
outstanding gene as mine?’ Anika was silent.

She sighed and rested her chin on her hand.

"What does this mean?" she finally asked, passing over the argument.

"Of course it means what it means."

Zac dusted his clothes lightly and remarked, "You surprised me by proposing to me.I promised the
directors last night that this marriage would have no impact on the company's stock price, in order to
calm their nerves.As a result, you have an obligation to play a loving couple with me for the life of the
marriage."

"Loving couples do not live apart, right?"

This incomplete interpretation seemed very plausible.

Anika was convinced by him on an intellectual level, but she was still dissatisfied emotionally.

"You might have declined at that time because you knew Oliver's directors were against it” she said
after a little pause, "but I didn't have only one choice.."

He had no choice but to say the last half of the sentence.

She wasn't quite as arrogant as Zac.

In every way, the opposite party had already worked with her.She appeared to be crossing the river to
burn the bridge now that she said this.



"Oh, it's not just me? Anika, I didn't know you had other spare tires?"

Zac's eyes were faint, as if he had seized some evidence.

He sneered and questioned, "Do you still dare to claim you wouldn't cheat after that?"

"Then it is even more critical for me to use legal means to guarantee my legitimate rights and
interests.’’ Anika was instantly dumbfounded as she pondered.

The contract is not very demanding, other from obtaining permissions and sharing housing.

She had obviously set a year's divorce date, and she had trashed the North City Project's collaboration.

She reluctantly compromised and let out a deep breath of relief, thinking Zac had helped hide it from
her grandfather in the old house.

"Fine, I'll sign it’’ The pen was at the side, and both sides had signed the blanks of the two agreements
in a flash.

Zac picked up the agreement and glanced at it.He handed over one of the papers to Anika.

Then stood up and took the coat hanging on the clothes rack.

He then said, "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Anika wondered.

Zac smirked and looked back.

"Civil Affairs Bureau, get the certificate." Anika was speechless.

She though ‘‘That was why he remembered to bring his ID card when he went downstairs this morning”



She believed she had mistreated him at the old house as well.

Since he made the call early in the morning, he had planned to utilize his guilt to compromise on the
deal! It was already seven o'clock when he returned to his apartment.

While waiting in line at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Anika dragged on the exhaustion.

She opened the door after entering the password in a tense mood.

She got up and walked into the room after changing her shoes.

Her body abruptly came to a halt a few paces later— She realized that the lights in the living room were
on.

At this moment, a familiar figure was standing in front of the French window.

The other person slowly turned around, his normally soft brows showing a somber face beneath them.

His crystal-clear voice was bone-chillingly cold— "Anika, shouldn't you explain why Zac sent you
home?"


62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda