Chapter 245 Too Much Talk Leads to Loss
After receiving David's call, Quincy rushed into the city. Nash was away on a business trip, currently on a plane, and unreachable.
Following the address David gave him, Quincy found the office where the three were.
Walking in, he saw there were outsiders present besides Caroline. He immediately knew what to do—their relationship couldn't be revealed today.
Glancing at the three sitting to the side, he walked to the desk and greeted Caroline and Elara with a smile.
"Caroline, you're here too." Then looking at Elara, "Hello."
Caroline's expression was cold. "At work, call me Ms. Tudor. This is Elara."
Quincy immediately corrected himself. "Ms. Tudor, Elara."
If you counted by Nash's generation, Quincy should call Caroline aunt, but Nash had told him not to use that term in public places or at her workplace, worried it would affect her work.
Caroline said to Frank, who had been making a scene earlier, "Repeat what you just said, to his face."
Quincy turned around and looked at Frank, who was bouncing his leg with a defiant expression. From his attitude, Quincy could tell he was being stubborn again. He walked over and kicked him. "What happened?"
Frank sniffed, his uncomfortable expression downplaying the situation. "I said you and I are friends, and she knows your uncle too. I asked her to let us off without a fine this time, for the sake of friendship. She said no and insisted on fining us."
At least he didn't mention her relationship with his uncle.
Quincy looked away and said with a smile, "Ms. Tudor, don't worry too much. They have limited education—they started working right after middle school. Life is hard for them, and occasional mistakes are unavoidable. They probably didn't know stealing electricity was illegal. I hope you can be lenient this once."
Caroline asked Frank, "Is that what you said? That's not all, right? You said Quincy told you I have some kind of relationship with his uncle? Can you take responsibility for what you said?"
Frank was about to say yes, but Quincy's sharp glare stopped him. Frank lowered his head and mumbled something inaudible.
Caroline asked, "Quincy, since you're here, why don't you tell us—what's my relationship with Nash?"
"What relationship? He just sells electrical cables to your company." Quincy would deny it to the death.
Caroline looked at the three. "Did you all hear that clearly?"
Frank scratched his forehead and said nothing.
Sum nodded. "Heard it clearly."
David said, "Got it. I definitely won't speak carelessly in the future."
Quincy frowned and walked up to Frank again. With his leather bag tucked under his left arm and his hand in his pocket, he bent down and pushed Frank's shoulder. "All you do is talk nonsense and cause me trouble."
Frank bit his lip, his face full of resentment.
As an observer, Elara said, "It's lucky no outsiders heard what your friend said earlier. If outsiders had heard it, it would have been very bad for Ms. Tudor's reputation. The three of them even threatened Ms. Tudor. You should explain things to your friend so there's no misunderstanding."
Quincy caught on immediately. He knew Frank had ruined everything. He glared at him fiercely and cursed, "You can't say anything decent! And you threatened her too? Look how capable you are!"
He turned around with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Ms. Tudor. He has a foul mouth. Don't listen to his nonsense."
David understood—Quincy didn't want others to know about Nash and Ms. Tudor's relationship and was deliberately hiding it. So Frank had been reckless today.
David said, "Ms. Tudor, we're not saying Mr. Hearst has a direct relationship with you. We just hoped to use his connections, hoping you could help us out. The fine is really too high. We borrowed money from relatives to rent the shop. We didn't even spend money on renovations. The barber chairs and mirrors we bought were all secondhand. Things are really difficult for us. We just hoped to save a little money."
Quincy chimed in repeatedly, "Right, that's exactly it. Ms. Tudor, they really have it tough. Frank is only twenty, Sum is a few months younger, and David just turned eighteen. They really don't have money. They really can't come up with a $500 fine. Considering they're making it on their own, could you waive the fine?"
Caroline said, "The fine still has to be paid, but considering that it's their first offense, they don't depend on their families for a living, and they are willing to endure this hardship to earn a living, we can help them apply for a deferred payment."
Hearing this, Frank couldn't sit still again. He said to Quincy, "See? No matter what we say, it doesn't work. She has to fine us."
He turned to look out the window, bouncing his leg with impatience, letting out a barely audible sound from his throat, "What an act."
Seeing Caroline's expression turn cold, Quincy quickly smoothed things over. "I'll pay the fine, okay?"
Frank wanted to say something tough, but David, sitting next to him, held him back. "Stop talking. Owing Quincy is better than owing the power company."
Frank's lips moved, but he swallowed his words.
Before leaving, Caroline said to the three, "In the future, don't spread rumors without evidence."
Quincy echoed repeatedly, "Yes, don't say things without evidence."
After those kids left, Elara said to Caroline, "Don't pay attention to them. They think they're above everyone just because they know a few people. Honestly, those of us who've been in these circles for so long know best who has real ability and who's just putting on an act. You're definitely not that kind of person."
"Elara, I believe I have enough judgment to understand the truth of things. Some people may believe rumors, but I can't control what others say. As long as I do my job, stay honest, and have a clear conscience, that's enough."
Too many words served no purpose; the more you said, the more mistakes you made.
Coming out of the enforcement office, Caroline gripped her phone tightly.
For today's situation, Caroline had prepared two approaches. It was best if Quincy could explain things clearly. If he didn't help and instead stirred up trouble, she had other ways to deal with them.
At that moment, outside the power company.
Quincy closed the car door. The three people in the car said in unison, "Mr. Hearst, thank you for today."
"Thank me? You three almost got me in trouble today." Quincy turned around, frowning at the people in the back seat. "Frank, are you stupid? You say everything that comes to mind? That was her workplace, with outsiders present. You brought up her relationship with my uncle—aren't you looking for trouble? Who could admit to that? Is that how you ask people for favors? Instead of being polite, you threatened her? If I were her, I wouldn't help you either."
David said, "Mr. Hearst, we'll pay you back the fine money once we've saved up enough."
Quincy looked at David. Of the three, he was the most reliable. "Don't worry about the money. Pay me back when you have it. If you don't, forget it. We've played together since we were kids. I can help with something like this."
"No, we have to pay you back," David said.
Sum also said, "We definitely have to pay you back. It's not a small amount. Your money didn't just blow in with the wind."
Frank also realized his attitude earlier was wrong. "Quincy, I was wrong. Should I go apologize to her?"
"Forget it. If you go again, who knows what you'll say to set her off. If she tells my uncle, I'll be in for it." Quincy started the car and drove away.
Caroline went to the supermarket and bought 4.5 pounds of shrimp. She had just arranged them in the pot, preparing to make salt-baked shrimp, when Leopold's video call came through.