Built His Empire Then Watched It Burn When He Cheated novel Chapter 546

**TITLE: Created 546**
**CONTENT: Chapter 546 We’re Not Close**

The arrival of the New Year should have been a time for celebration, a moment filled with hope and joy. Yet, I found myself shrouded in an oppressive gloom that seemed to dull every glimmer of happiness. The weight of the situation bore down on me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was trapped under a heavy, dark cloud. Lenora had landed herself in the emergency room just the night before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was trying to drown her sorrows or if she simply needed a reason to let loose. Whatever the case, she had consumed enough alcohol to send her spiraling into alcohol poisoning.

Zacharias only made his appearance at the hospital that New Year’s Day because of her unfortunate circumstances.

Anneliese, on the other hand, was indifferent to the reasons behind his presence. She had not anticipated that a single, flippant remark would lead him to believe she harbored any concern for him.

Raising her hand to halt the unfolding drama, she declared, “Stop. We’re not close. Move.”

With determination, she stepped forward, intent on leaving this chaotic scene behind her. Yet, in a sudden, unexpected move, Zacharias reached out and grasped her arm, his grip firm. “This is the maternity floor. Anne, why are you even here? Wait… are you pregnant?”

His gaze flicked to the sign behind her, and she could see the shift in his usually charming eyes, which now darkened with a sharp intensity as he pressed her for answers.

There was no way she would allow him to touch her. Instinctively, she swung her bag in his direction, the metal trim of the strap scraping against the back of his hand and drawing a thin line of crimson. To her surprise, he barely flinched, his focus unyielding as he attempted to seize her again.

“Zacharias, what is wrong with you? Back off!” Jessica interjected, instinctively moving to shove him away. Panic surged through Anneliese; the last thing she wanted was for Jessica, who was pregnant, to get entangled in this escalating mess.

“Don’t bother with him. Let’s go,” she urged, fumbling to pull Jessica away from the confrontation.

Jessica managed to retreat, but in the process, the test results Anneliese had been clutching slipped from her fingers, fluttering to the floor like fallen leaves.

She crouched down to retrieve them, but before she could grasp them, another hand swooped in faster.

“Give it back.” In a swift motion, she snatched the papers right out of Zacharias’ grasp.

He had already cast his eyes over them, and the stark words on the report screamed back at him: eight weeks pregnant.

Anneliese was actually pregnant. She was carrying another man’s child.

For a fleeting moment, Zacharias felt as if his mind had gone completely blank, as if the very essence of his strength had been drained away, leaving him hollow.

Anneliese seized the opportunity, reclaiming the test results without a second thought.

He staggered back, his vision blurring as confusion clouded his mind.

“Ugh. He looks really messed up,” Jessica muttered, having caught the crushed, empty look that had settled on his face.

“Anne, how could you! How could you have a baby with Jonathan! Don’t you remember? You promised me we’d have two kids, a boy and a girl, and you even said one of them could have the last name Claude. I agreed, and now… did you just forget?”

Anneliese stared at him, her heart racing as she recognized the flicker of madness in his eyes. Her palms were slick with anxious sweat, her mind racing.

“Zacharias! This is a hospital! What on earth do you think you’re doing? Step back!” she shouted, her voice echoing with authority.

Instead of retreating, his expression twisted further, as if her sharp tone and the coldness in her gaze provoked him even more.

He reached out, and she felt the walls of the elevator closing in around her.

In a moment of sheer instinct, Anneliese swung her bag at him, while Jessica kicked towards him in a desperate attempt to defend her friend. Yet it was as if Zacharias was impervious to pain; he didn’t seem to register the blows.

Just as his hands were about to close around her shoulders, she instinctively shut her eyes, bracing herself for the worst.

But instead of the expected grip, there was a sudden, resounding bang.

Anneliese opened her eyes in shock, her breath catching in her throat. Zacharias had been violently kicked, sent sprawling across the open elevator hall, his expression a mixture of disbelief and fury.