Chapter 317: Chapter 317 Zion Past
"Still," Bella said, her voice softening, "I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. Jay isn’t the type to go quiet for no reason. Maybe he’s just busy like Jace, but..." Her words trailed off, her brows furrowing slightly.
Before Scarlett could respond properly, Bella suddenly heard her friend’s voice shout through the phone, "What did you say? I’m coming?!"
Bella blinked, confused. "Huh? I didn’t say—"
But before she could repeat herself, Scarlett gasped and cut her off mid-sentence. "Bella Bell! I’m so sorry, I have to go—I think some creepy person is following me!"
Bella immediately sat up straight, worry flashing in her eyes. "What? Scarlett, are you okay? Where are you right now?!"
"I’m okay!" Scarlett said quickly, though her voice carried both annoyance and adrenaline. "If he tries anything, I swear I’ll hack his entire life and sell his browser history to the dark web!"
Bella couldn’t help it—she laughed despite herself. "That’s not funny!"
"Oh, it’s funny when I say it," Scarlett replied proudly, her confidence coming back instantly. "Don’t worry, I got this. Call you soon, love you, bye!"
And just like that, the call ended.
Bella stared at her phone for a few seconds, lips twitching into a small smile despite the worry in her heart. "That girl is chaos," she muttered affectionately.
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Meanwhile, Scarlett, dressed in her oversized black hoodie with HAPPY GIRLY written in big pink letters and a pair of soft shorts, tiptoed toward the door. Her long wavy dark hair brushed her shoulders, and her socks made faint squeaks on the floor. She peeked through the tiny peephole and sighed deeply.
Of course. Him again.
Zion stood outside, perfectly put together as always—expensive suit, clean jawline, and that annoyingly calm expression on his face.
Rolling her eyes, she opened the door with the kind of professional smile that could both charm and terrify a person at once. "Sir," she said sweetly, "do you need something? Did you forget it’s the weekend?"
Zion froze for a moment. The sunlight hit her face just right, catching the soft shimmer of her tan skin and the waves of her dark hair. She looked both beautiful and dangerous—the kind of woman who could break hearts and firewalls in the same breath.
"Scar," he said finally, his tone almost pleading, "I came because I really need your help. I’ll pay you extra."
Scarlett tilted her head, pretending to think, then sighed dramatically. "Fine, but you’d better mean extra."
He smiled faintly, relief flooding his features, and followed her inside.
Zion made himself comfortable on the couch, pulling out his sleek, expensive tablet. "There’s a bug in this software. I’ve tried fixing it twice, but something’s off. Can you check it?"
Scarlett plopped down beside him, tying her hair into a loose bun as she took the tablet. Her fingers moved quickly across the screen, her brows furrowing in concentration. "Hmm... okay, let me see."
Zion watched her as she worked, unable to help himself. The soft light from the screen reflected in her eyes, and he could see the way her lashes flickered each time she blinked. She had no idea how effortlessly captivating she was—sitting there in her hoodie, chewing her lip while focusing like the world depended on her next click.
Meanwhile, Scarlett, sensing the heavy stare on her, frowned. She looked up abruptly, caught Zion’s gaze, and froze for a second.
He had ridiculously long eyelashes.
Like, unfairly long.
Her inner voice screamed, How?! Why did every guy she knew have lashes that belonged in shampoo commercials? Black Knight, ZeroVoid, K4—and now her boss too. Even Bella’s husband, Leo, had longer lashes than her!
She narrowed her eyes at him.
Zion blinked, confused. "What’s wrong?" he asked innocently.
"Nothing," she muttered through gritted teeth, glaring back at the tablet. "Just... injustice."
"Injustice?" he repeated, frowning. "Are you angry about the code?"
"Shh!" Scarlett snapped dramatically, holding up a finger without looking at him. "No talking when I’m debugging. You’ll break my concentration."
Zion chuckled quietly and raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I’ll be quiet."
A few seconds later, he found himself watching her again—her fingers flying across the screen, her lips pressed together in focus. The sound of her nails tapping rhythmically against the glass filled the room.
Beautiful and brilliant, he thought helplessly. What a dangerous combination.
Scarlett, meanwhile, was thinking something completely different. If he blinks those stupid long lashes at me one more time, I’m going to tape them together.
"Done!" Scarlett said finally, setting the tablet down on the table with a small, triumphant smile. "You can breathe now. Your poor app is fixed."
Zion, who had been sitting tensely beside her for the past half hour, let out a deep exhale, his shoulders relaxing. "Thank you, Scar," he said quietly, a small, genuine smile touching his lips as he leaned forward and impulsively hugged her.
"Oh... uh... it’s okay," she muttered awkwardly, her arms half-lifted before she patted his back once, like she was comforting a confused puppy. When he pulled away, his expression was calmer, lighter—like someone who had been running for years and finally paused to breathe.
She didn’t tease him. Not this time. Because she already knew about his past.
She had found out about it a week ago, when she discovered some documents left on his desk while submitting her work file. The moment she saw the folder titled Cross Holdings: 2009 Legal Case, she knew she shouldn’t open it but curiosity and concern won.
That night, as she sat under the soft glow of her laptop, she read the story that changed how she saw him forever.
Zion Wu was only ten when his world was torn apart. His parents—Lydia and Rafael Wu—were not just brilliant programmers; they were innovators who built a revolutionary financial security software meant to protect global transactions. But their brilliance caught the wrong kind of attention.
Their business partners—greedy and well-connected—betrayed them. They stole the code, twisted the legal system, and framed Lydia and Rafael for data fraud and embezzlement. Within months, their names were blacklisted, their assets frozen, and their reputations destroyed.