The Night I Let Go novel Chapter 82

It was past 4:00 pm when Zachary and Clay finally sat in a smoothie shop.

Clay went to order two fruit smoothies while Zachary pulled out a notebook and started jotting down notes.

Throughout the afternoon, Zachary gathered useful information from local vendors and passersby. The main obstacle to the development of the Economic Development Zone was a local gang controlling the area.

Most of the gang members, including the boss, were locals who had received compensation for relocation. To them, the Economic Development Zone was their turf. Any outsiders looking to invest had to "collaborate" with them, which meant paying an annual protection fee.

As Clay set a fruit smoothie in front of Zachary, he asked out of concern, "Zachary, do you really think this project is worth pursuing?"

He had followed Zachary all afternoon, and from what he had heard, the area seemed too chaotic to be worth the risk. With local gangs, developing a market or building a factory here seemed more trouble than it was worth.

"The infrastructure and environment in this area are actually quite good, and the subway makes it convenient. There's significant potential for growth here," Zachary replied with a smile.

From both the project data and his own observations today, he was confident in the zone's future potential. However, establishing factories for items like stationery, apparel, or furniture would require dealing with the instability brought by the local gangs.

After they finished their smoothie, Zachary told Clay to call it a day.

As he was about to hail a cab back to the office, Anya called, "Where are you? I didn't see you in the office all afternoon."

"I've been doing market research at the Economic Development Zone."

"Send me your location. I'll come pick you up."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Zachary sent Molly a message letting her know he wouldn't be home for dinner.

About 20 minutes later, Anya arrived.

She started complaining when he got in the car, "Market research is something you could have assigned to the team. Do you need to do it yourself?"

"Honestly, I get a little stir-crazy sitting in the office all day. This was a nice break," he replied while smiling.

She was taken aback with one glance. With his height, looks, and refined demeanor, he practically had the air of a young nobleman.

Just as Zachary was about to greet her, the purple-haired woman exclaimed, "Damn it! Girl, you sure know how to pick!"

Caught off guard, he felt embarrassed while Anya stifled a laugh before pulling him down to sit. She introduced the two with a grin.

"Let me introduce you. This is my best friend, Camila Gaines. And this is my dear brother, Zachary!"

Before she finished, Camila rolled her eyes and snorted. "Oh, come on. 'Dear brother'? Do you have to be so mushy?"

Anya just laughed it off.

Zachary smiled while nodding and offered his hand to Camila. "Nice to meet you."

Camila took his hand confidently, throwing him a playful wink. "Nice to meet you too, handsome."