ths and spoke calmly. Just say whatever sour t
Mos thunght for a moment then mustered under het bread with our die person in charge and catch the trole
Just as the fisted speaking, the office door sting open
Marina frowned and turned to look toward the entrance.
A man in a floral shut and light gray suit stood in the doorway
He wore a cocky grin, his gaze sweeping over Marina before learned and flashed a smile at Daron, who was sitting behind
hit desk.
“Daron, you came all the way to Frency and didn’t even tell me? And you had a meeting without inviting me? After all, I’m part of the management team, right?” he said.
As he spoke, he strolled in, grabbed the chair next to Marina, and slid right into it.
Once he was seated, he tilted his head up at Marina, who was standing off to the side, and flashed a cheeky grin.
“Haven’t seen this pretty lady around before,” he teased.
“Daron, got yourself a new secretary? Living the good life, huh.”
Marina shot him an annoyed look and edged away, putting a little more space between herself and the guy.
Daron kept his face icy, acting like the guy wasn’t even in the room.
The man didn’t care one bit. He just leaned back in his chair, looking way too comfortable, that lazy smirk never leaving his face.
“Daron, word is you shot down Ken’s idea and wouldn’t cough up the cash to shut those union folks up?
“Come on, you know how things roll in Frency. Toss them a few bills and it’s done. Why bother wasting your time and energy fighting them?”
Marina felt a wave of confusion as the guy kept calling Daron “bro.” She tried to place him, racking her brain for any clue who he was, but came up empty.
Noticing that his features bore a slight resemblance to Daron’s, she frowned, puzzled.
Seeing Daron stay silent, the guy just kept talking.
“Daron, they’ve been causing trouble for three days straight. It’s messing up our staff and hurting the company’s image. I’m embarrassed to even bring clients over now. I…”
But before he could finish, Daron cut him off.
“You can actually bring in clients?” Daron said, his voice low with a mocking edge.
Victor’s eyes shifted slightly at Daron’s jab.
The curve of his smirk dropped a notch.
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11:44 Tue Feb 10
Chapter 214
Of course, they’re dizuts Dad ipostured me to be that back.
Daron signed shiginly, glancing up at his
Vitor smirked and continued, “Harm, are you really upset? Giralipa always spoils you, fan when had tries to look out for ine, it’s sildenly allowed?
“We’re both Manoras, after all.
Daron looked away from Victor, letting out a cold laugh.
“Your name doesn’t show up anywhere in the Zamora family records,” he said.
As soon as Daron said that, Victor, who had been so smug just moments before, instantly fell silent.
Marina clearly saw his hand clench tightly on the armrest, his kickles turning white.
From their conversation, Marina started to get a pretty good idea about their relationship.
She figured Victor and Daron were probably half–brothers.
Wait a second… Isn’t the current Mrs. Zamora supposed to be childless? And she’s actually a cousin of the Blanchard family, right?‘ she wondered.
From what she heard, when Daron and Bette’s mom passed away, both of them were just little kids. The Blanchard family was worried Daron might get bullied by a stepmom, so they had his aunt marry Daron’s dad just to make sure he was taken care of.
That aunt was married to Daron’s father for years, never had kids of her own, and basically devoted everything to Daron.
‘Where did this guy even come from?‘ Marina thought, completely at a loss.
Suddenly, Victor sprang to his feet, practically vibrating with rage.
“One day, my name will be carved into the Zamora family tree! And my mom’s name will be right there with mine!” he yelled.
Daron picked up a file from his desk, not even bothering to look up.
“The Zamora family tree hasn’t had room for mistresses ever since it got rewritten after the founding. Oh, and your mom? She wasn’t even close to being one,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Victor’s face went pale in an instant.
Marina silently stepped back a few paces, putting more distance between herself and the others.
Daron kept going.
“She couldn’t even get her name in the Zamora family tree back when she was young and pretty. Now she’s old and faded, and Leo is surrounded by younger, prettier women. You really think a useless son like you could ever make it into the family records?
“Are you trying to make me laugh?” After he finished, Daron finally looked up at Victor.
Victor might’ve been on his feet, but compared to Daron sitting there, he looked like he was getting steamrolled. Daron’s vibe just crushed him, no contest.
Victor’s face clouded over, looking more and more pissed.
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68%
Chapter 941
Daron gave Vite a rald, na king mile
“Heard Leo pou brought in a her young assistant lately. Bet your mom’s really feeling the heat, buh? Darou said.
Victor clenched his lets, jaw locked tight, spun con his heel, and ormed out.
Masina raised an eyebrow
Is that all she thought.
She’d figured Victor could at least hold his own against Daron, but he was totally outclassed. With moves like that, and he still had the nerve to barge in here like he was some big shot?‘ si scoffed to herself.
After Victor stormed out, slamming the door behind him, Daro put down his file.
Marina could sense the icy vibe coming off him, so she kept her head down and didn’t say a word.
Victor’s swagger probably came from having his dad, Leo, backing him up.
Leo hadn’t set foot in Vrufield for years. Rumor had it he was busy building up the family’s business empire overseas.
Daron inherited his position directly from Harris, but even SO, Leo likely still held a sizable stake in the Zamora Group.
If Leo ever decided to leave all those shares to Victor, that’d be a real threat to Daron.
Marina stood quietly off to the side.
After a long pause, Daron finally spoke up, his voice low and heavy, “Did you
catch any signs?”
Marina wondered, glancing up at Daron and thinking it over.
“Are you saying he’s behind all this?” Marina asked softly.
Daron glanced out the window, his voice cool and distant as he said, “He doesn’t have the guts.”
“It’s Leo.”
Ever since Daron took over the Zamora Group, Leo had opened plenty of branches in Frency under the Zamora Group banner, but he never reported any of their finances to HQ.
Daron had just let it slide, turning a blind eye to the whole thing
But last year, when Leo first tried to get Victor’s name added to the Zamora family tree, Daron set up a Frency regional headquarters for the Zamora Group and ordered all the other branches to send their financials to the Frency HQ.
Leo wasn’t about to go along with that, but Daron pulled out all the stops and finally forced him to give in.
. At the same time, Leo used the excuse of needing help and pushed Victor into a VP spot at the Frency HQ. He even
petitioned Harris directly, and finally managed to get Victor installed at the branch as vice president.
Marina listened to Daron, feeling a jolt of alarm.
‘Leo is laying the groundwork for Victor, so he’s trying to wreck the branch Daron set up in Frency, Marina thought, a chill running down her spine. ‘He is even more despicable than Carter.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
